Western Athletic Conference
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| Full name | Western Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One |
| sport | Juniors: 9; Juniors: 10; no American football |
| abbreviation | WAC |
| Association | NCAA |
| League foundation | 1962 |
| Teams | in basketball : 9 |
| Country countries | United States |
| Website | wacsports.com |
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is a regional relay in college sports in the United States . It is one of the Division I conferences, the top division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In the Conference, founded in 1962, members practiced ten sports within the Conference, with the men practicing only nine within the WAC. The sports in which the Western Athletic Conference organizes competitions include baseball and softball , basketball , cross-country running , golf , soccer (soccer), athletics , swimming including diving , tennis and, for women, volleyball . Various full members of the Big Sky Conference , the Mountain West Conference and the Southland Conference also take part in the WAC competitions as additional competitors, particularly in swimming, baseball and men's soccer . The eight full members of the WAC are currently spread across all southern border states to Mexico including Texas as well as the states of Utah , Washington and beyond the Great Plains also the midwest states of Illinois and Missouri . The WAC is based in Englewood , Colorado , although the University of Denver was the last member university in that state to leave the Conference in 2013.
history
The Western Athletic Conference was founded on July 27, 1962 and initially comprised universities in the western United States on the Pacific coast and in the Mountain States . The headquarters of the WAC was, with the exception of two years, in which one resided in Phoenix, Arizona , in the metropolitan area of Denver in the state of Colorado . The Western Athletic Conference was founded in 1962 after around three years of negotiations by universities, which until then had been organized into the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Skyline Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). After the PCC was closed due to scandals in 1959, the founding of the WAC also led to the dissolution of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Skyline Conference. Of the six founding universities - University of Arizona , Arizona State University , Brigham Young University , University of New Mexico , University of Utah and University of Wyoming - none are now represented in the WAC.
The establishment of the WAC initially had positive financial and sporting effects on the sports activities of the participating universities, which was reflected in the corresponding successes in national competitions. Two of the founding members left the conference to join the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). Nevertheless, the WAC expanded in the following years by adding more universities, among other things due to the decrease in the number of so-called independent schools , i.e. universities that did not belong to a conference. In 1990 it merged with the High Country Athletic Conference, which until then had existed parallel to the WAC and was responsible for the area of women's sports.
After the dissolution of the Southwest Conference (SWC) in 1996, the number of universities in the Western Athletic Conference rose to 16 through the admission of former SWC members, so that the WAC was divided into two divisions (Pacific Division and Mountain Division) from 1996 to 1998 was organized. Universities from the southern states of Texas and finally Louisiana were also included, as well as universities from states in the Midwest . However, not all previous members were satisfied with this development, as in their opinion the quality of the sport decreased while the travel costs increased. Eight universities, including the four remaining founding members, left the WAC in 1999 and founded the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
Subsequently, the WAC specifically accepted members of the Big West Conference , which had given up American football as a sport in 2000. The WAC itself belonged to the Bowl Subdivision until 2013 , a subdivision of Division I called Division IA until 2006, before it also gave up football as a sport within the WAC. The WAC was in the focus of various "realignments", i.e. changes in university membership between the conferences between 1999 and 2013. With the New Mexico State University , it still has a university that has been a member since 2005. All other current members did not join the WAC until 2012.
Current members
The following universities are currently full members of the Western Athletic Conference:
| university | place | Team name | founded | since | from | Sponsorship | students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | Riverside ( CA ) | Lancers | 1950 | 2018 | PacWest (Div. II) | Private | 9,157 |
| Chicago State | Chicago ( IL ) | Cougars | 1867 | 2013 | GWC | state | 7,000 |
| Dixie State | St. George ( UT ) | Trailblazers | 1911 | 2020 | RMAC (Div. II) | state | 9,673 |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix ( AZ ) | Antelopes | 1949 | 2013 | PacWest (Div. II) | Private | 6,500 |
| New Mexico State | Las Cruces ( NM ) | Aggies | 1888 | 2005 | Big West | state | 18,500 |
| Seattle University | Seattle ( WA ) | Redhawks | 1905 | 2012 | Div. II / Ind. | Private | 7,750 |
| Tarleton State | Stephenville ( TX ) | Texans | 1899 | 2020 | Lone Star (Div. II) | state | 13,115 |
| UTRGV | Edinburgh ( TX ) | Vaqueros | 1927/2015 | 2013 | GWC | state | 29,045 |
| Utah Valley | Orem ( UT ) | Wolverines | 1941 | 2013 | GWC | state | 33,400 |
Eleven other universities, mostly former full members of the WAC - five from Big Sky, four from Mountain West (MWC) and two from Southland - take part in individual WAC competitions, primarily in swimming (Big Sky and MWC) and baseball (Big Sky) and men's soccer (Southland and MWC).
Former members
| university | place | Team name | founded | from | out | to | to | Sponsorship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Air Force Academy | Colorado Springs ( CO ) | Falcons | 1954 | 1980 | Independent | 1999 | MWC | state |
| University of Arizona | Tucson ( AZ ) | Wildcats | 1885 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1978 | Pac-10 | state |
| Arizona State University | Tempe (AZ) | Sun Devils | 1885 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1978 | Pac-10 | state |
| Boise State University | Boise ( ID ) | Broncs | 1932 | 2001 | Big West | 2011 | MWC | state |
| Brigham Young University | Provo ( UT ) | Cougars | 1875 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1999 | MWC → WCC | Private |
| CSU Bakersfield | Bakersfield ( CA ) | Roadrunners | 1965 | 2013 | Independent | 2020 | Big West | state |
| Fresno State | Fresno ( CA ) | Bulldogs | 1911 | 1992 | Big West | 2012 | MWC | state |
| Colorado State | Fort Collins (CO) | Rams | 1870 | 1967 | Mountain St. / Ind. | 1999 | MWC | state |
| University of Denver | Denver (CO) | Pioneers | 1864 | 2012 | Sun Belt | 2013 | Summit | Private |
| Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu ( HI ) | Rainbow Warriors / Rainbow Wahine | 1907 | 1999 | Independent | 2012 | Big West | state |
| University of Idaho | Moscow (ID) | Vandals | 1889 | 2005 | Sun Belt | 2014 | Big Sky | state |
| Kansas City | Kansas City , ( MO ) | Roos | 1933 | 2013 | Summit | 2020 | Summit | state |
| Louisiana Tech | Ruston ( LA ) | Bulldogs / Lady Techsters | 1894 | 2001 | Sun Belt | 2013 | C-USA | state |
| UNLV | Las Vegas ( NV ) | Rebels | 1957 | 1996 | Big West | 1999 | MWC | state |
| University of Nevada, Reno | Reno (NV) | Wolf pack | 1874 | 2000 | Big West | 2012 | MWC | state |
| New Mexico | Albuquerque ( NM ) | Lobos | 1889 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1999 | MWC | state |
| Rice University | Houston ( TX ) | Owls | 1912 | 1996 | Southwest / Ind. | 2005 | C-USA | Private |
| San Diego State | San Diego (CA) | Aztecs | 1897 | 1978 | Big West | 1999 | MWC | state |
| San Jose State | San Jose (CA) | Spartans | 1857 | 1996 | Big West | 2013 | MWC | state |
| Southern Methodist | Dallas (TX) | Mustangs | 1911 | 1996 | Southwest | 2005 | C-USA → AAC | Private |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth (TX) | Horned Frogs | 1873 | 1996 | Southwest | 2001 | C-USA → MWC → Big 12 | Private |
| Texas at Arlington | Arlington (TX) | Mavericks | 1895 | 2012 | Southland | 2013 | Sun Belt | state |
| Texas at El Paso | El Paso (TX) | Miners | 1914 | 1967 | Independent | 2005 | C-USA | state |
| Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio (TX) | Roadrunners | 1969 | 2012 | Southland | 2013 | C-USA | state |
| Texas State University | San Marcos (TX) | Bobcats | 1899 | 2012 | Southland | 2013 | Sun Belt | state |
| University of Tulsa | Tulsa ( OK ) | Golden Hurricane | 1894 | 1996 | MVC | 2005 | C-USA → AAC | Private |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City (UT) | Utes | 1850 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1999 | MWC → Pac-12 | state |
| Utah State University | Logan (UT) | Aggies | 1888 | 2005 | Big West | 2013 | MWC | state |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie ( WY ) | Cowboys / cowgirls | 1866 | 1962 | WAC founder | 1999 | MWC | state |
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ History of the WAC. Western Athletic Conference, accessed July 26, 2015 (English, self-presentation).