91成人导航

The West Coast Conference welcomes the University of Denver as it expands its footprint into another major metropolitan area in the western region.

The West Coast Conference Presidents鈥� Council approved the admission of Denver as a conference competing member, beginning July 1, 2026. DU becomes the second announced membership addition in as many months, following the Sept. 3 announcement of the addition of UC San Diego. 

The conference will have 10 competing members in the 2026-27 academic year and 11 beginning with the 2027-28 academic year when UC San Diego becomes a competing member.

鈥淭he University of Denver is a superb addition to the growing constellation of top-flight schools in the West Coast Conference,鈥� said Christopher Callahan, president of 91成人导航 and chair of the West Coast Conference Presidents鈥� Council. 鈥淯nder the outstanding leadership of Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, Denver is an academically strong university with a championship-winning pedigree in athletics.

鈥淭he addition of DU also brings the West Coast Conference another major media market while keeping true to our geographic profile, ensuring our student-athletes are not burdened with excessive travel,鈥� Callahan added. 鈥淐ommissioner Jackson has done an exemplary job of adding two stellar universities to our conference in the past two months, and now we look forward to setting our sights on recruiting a 12th exceptional university to our athletic conference.鈥�

Denver鈥檚 addition highlights the West Coast Conference as the gateway to the western region. The conference rises in the west with a footprint that now stretches across 1,200 miles of the western region and expands to four states鈥擟alifornia, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. The West Coast Conference is the only NCAA Division I conference with representation in eight of the nine largest metropolitan cities in the West.

Conference membership is now represented in seven of the top 30 media markets in the United States in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Denver, Sacramento, Portland and San Diego.

鈥淚n the University of Denver, the West Coast Conference adds a geographically-aligned, perennial top performer among the winningest non-football athletic programs in the nation,鈥� said West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson. 鈥淒enver鈥檚 commitment to elevate men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball to a level which matches its nationally recognized success in other sports, while maintaining a focus on student-athlete development and experiences, is among the foundational pillars to this expansion. 

"Their multi-year basketball growth plan shows an intentional focus that meets our basketball-centric identity. The Conference also values the addition of another large metropolitan area and top media market which will broaden our reach and deliver greater opportunity for our membership. The vision of Chancellor Jeremy Haefner and Vice Chancellor for Athletics Josh Berlo to strategically invest in its programs and compete at the highest level aligns with our mission as a premier basketball conference.

鈥淎s we welcome the University of Denver to the West Coast Conference, we continue our charge in expansion with the addition of two members in the past 58 days,鈥� Jackson added. 鈥淭his is our next step in expansion. We will continue to identify opportunities that expand our reach and better position us for additional NCAA bids.鈥� 

Denver will compete in the West Coast Conference in men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 volleyball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tennis.

鈥淭his is an exciting day for the University of Denver and an incredible opportunity to continue to advance our exceptional academic and athletic programs,鈥� DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said. 鈥淭he caliber of schools that are part of the West Coast Conference is a perfect complement to DU and will help us continue to recruit the very best students and faculty. Joining the West Coast Conference was a long-time vision of the late chancellor emeritus Daniel L. Ritchie. It鈥檚 very special that we are now able to fulfill that vision.鈥� 

Denver has a storied history of postseason success with 35 national championships overall and numerous deep postseason runs, including a pair of NCAA Men鈥檚 Soccer College Cup appearances in the last nine years (2016 and 2024). DU has finished as the top institution in the LEARFIELD Directors鈥� Cup standings among non-football schools each of the last 12 years and 16 of the last 17 overall. Across the nine sports that DU will compete in the West Coast Conference, the Pioneers have earned NCAA Tournament berths 91 times since 1998. 

Denver has made a multi-year commitment to position its men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball programs for national competitive excellence as it enters the West Coast Conference next year. DU recently finalized plans to install new chairback seating in Hamilton Gymnasium ahead of the 2026-27 season.

鈥淚t has long been the ambition of the University of Denver and its community to further align ourselves with institutional peers in the West and that day has now come as we join the academically and athletically prestigious West Coast Conference,鈥� Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank Commissioner Stu Jackson and the institutional leadership of the West Coast Conference for embracing the University of Denver. Joining the West Coast Conference will align DU with some of the top-ranked private universities in the West and their highly competitive athletics programs, elevate the university鈥檚 brand and national reputation through significantly enhanced broadcast exposure and increase the institutional presence in key markets for student recruitment and alumni engagement in the West.鈥�

With the additions of Denver and UC San Diego, West Coast Conference membership in 2027-28 includes nine institutions currently ranked in the top 151 of U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 list of the best universities in the United States.

The West Coast Conference is well regarded as one of the nation鈥檚 premier leagues in men鈥檚 basketball with six consecutive years of multiple NCAA Tournament bids, including multiple selections in 11 of the past 13 tournaments. The conference sent a record-tying six teams to NCAA postseason tournaments last season. At least one team has advanced past the first round in each of the past 17 tournaments. Eleven West Coast Conference teams have earned a NCAA Tournament berth in the last five seasons, with 10 of those teams earning an eight seed or better. Last season, nearly half of the conference鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball programs finished in the top 85 of the final NET rankings.

A record-tying six women鈥檚 basketball teams earned postseason tournament berths last season. The conference has sent multiple women鈥檚 basketball teams to the NCAA Tournament five of the past six years. 

The West Coast Conference is a multiple-bid conference in several sports with a rich tradition of postseason success. The conference has sent multiple women鈥檚 soccer teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 33 seasons, highlighted by a recent NCAA Championship by Santa Clara and multiple Women鈥檚 College Cup appearances over the last six seasons. Pepperdine鈥檚 recent NCAA Men鈥檚 Golf Championship highlights NCAA appearances by multiple West Coast Conference men鈥檚 golf teams in 10 consecutive seasons, with four bids in three of the last four years. 

The conference has earned multiple NCAA selections in men鈥檚 soccer in eight of the last nine years. Led by a recent NCAA title match appearance by Pepperdine, multiple women鈥檚 tennis teams have been part of the national rankings and advanced to the postseason. Multiple conference women鈥檚 volleyball teams have earned NCAA Tournament bids in 12 of the past 14 seasons, including a recent Final Four appearance by San Diego. Last season, LMU beach volleyball advanced to the NCAA Championship dual.