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LOS ANGELES\u00a0\u2013 The West Coast Conference advanced several key initiatives in sport sponsorship, scheduling, championships and other strategic priorities during its recent Executive Council and Presidents\u2019 Council meetings in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Leadership from new members Denver, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara participated in their first conference meetings.<\/p>\n
Student-Athlete Representatives from each member institution participated as part of the Executive Council meeting and representatives delivered a presentation to the Presidents\u2019 Council providing a unique perspective from their student-athlete experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe leadership of the West Coast Conference is united in its direction and strategic priorities,\u201d Christopher Callahan, President of the University of the Pacific and Chair of the West Coast Conference Presidents\u2019 Council, said. \u201cThe addition of three institutions to our conference membership in the past year demonstrated a shared commitment to stability, growth and opportunity. Our discussions this week reflected an affirmation of our investment in the holistic student-athlete experience as we expand competitive opportunities across the conference. With basketball at the center of the conversation, the West Coast Conference has positioned itself as one of the nation\u2019s premier leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Presidents\u2019 Council and Executive Council also held a joint session where Mike Smullen with Alignment Government Strategies presented to the group on the Coalition of 10 conferences, including the West Coast Conference, working to ensure they have a voice in federal legislative decisions related to college athletics.<\/p>\n
Addition of Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Swimming and Diving as Conference Sports<\/p>\n
Among several key actions taken, the conference adopted men\u2019s and women\u2019s swimming and diving as its 17th and 18th sports. Each will become an official conference sport beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. Competition will begin during the 2027-28 academic year, with the inaugural conference championship scheduled for February of 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have strong representation in men\u2019s and women\u2019s swimming and diving in our membership and we are excited to bring the sport to the West Coast Conference,\u201d said West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson. \u201cThis addition further strengthens our broad and competitive sport portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n
NCAA Recognition As A Success Conference In Eight Sports Highlights Competitive Excellence
\nBoth the Executive Council and Presidents\u2019 Council reviewed the NCAA\u2019s latest designation of success sports for the West Coast Conference, which includes men\u2019s basketball, women\u2019s soccer, women\u2019s volleyball, men\u2019s golf, women\u2019s golf, men\u2019s tennis, women\u2019s tennis and women\u2019s rowing.<\/p>\n
The West Coast Conference is one of two conferences outside of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC to earn NCAA success status in at least eight sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith deserved recognition in eight sports by the NCAA, we continue to have a real voice at the national level,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWest Coast Conference leadership and coaches are on national selection and oversight committees. This is a testament to the commitment by our membership to national competitive excellence.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
New Men\u2019s Basketball Scheduling Guidelines Established
\nNew scheduling guidelines were established for men\u2019s basketball. Beginning with the 2027-28 season, when UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara are in their first year as competing members bringing full membership to 12, the conference adopted an 18-game unbalanced schedule. Each team will play seven teams twice and four teams once. Of the single games, teams will play two at home and two on the road. Annual matchups will be determined based on the NET ranking over the previous three-year period. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a great history as a multi-bid conference when it comes to NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament selections,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe were the only conference outside of the Power 5 in men\u2019s basketball with three bids and have been the only league outside of that group with multiple bids each of the last seven seasons. It is important that we continue to provide strategic scheduling opportunities for our membership. As a basketball-centric conference, we are committed to establishing a model that provides non-conference scheduling flexibility and delivers compelling conference matchups for student-athletes, fans, and television partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additional Actions Advanced by the Executive Council and Presidents\u2019 Council
\n\u2022 Adopted expense models for all campus-hosted championships.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Established a championship awards recognition structure for new events in 2026-27.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Approved a nine-year men\u2019s water polo championship host rotation, with Santa Clara serving as the host in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Shared plans for a three-month Basketball Road Show with visits to all 10 campuses in the fall, promoting programs and collecting content for distribution on television and digital platforms.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Supported the West Coast Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee\u2019s (SAAC) proposal to change its name to the Student-Athlete Advocacy Committee to align with the NCAA SAAC. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2022 Adopted a policy for of all basketball venues and broadcasts to include a microphone and camera \u201cpush-to-talk\u201d system for officials to provide communication on reviews.<\/p>\n
The meetings were held in conjunction with the annual\u00a0membership awards luncheon<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Student-Athlete Leadership Summit<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Outgoing Presidents\u2019 Council Chair Christopher Callahan, President of the University of the Pacific, and outgoing Executive Council Chair Scott Leykam, Vice President for Athletics at the University of Portland, were recognized for their service to the conference. Jim Gash, President of Pepperdine University, will begin his term as Chair of the Presidents\u2019 Council and Mike Matoso, Saint Mary\u2019s College Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, began his two-year term as Chair of the Executive Council on July 1.
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