The Big West Conference Board of Directors today announced the addition of San Diego State University as a member of the Conference effective July 1, 2013. San Diego State becomes the eleventh Conference member institution.
Long Beach State University President Dr. F. King Alexander, Chair of the Big West Board of Directors, made the announcement. “The Big West Conference’s success at attracting both Hawai‘i and now San Diego State is due to its strong stability especially during a very unstable period of national conference realignment. SDSU will bring to the Big West a very large market adding to the national standing of the conference. They are a very good university with a rich history and will fit in very well with the other 10 strong institutions.”
San Diego State was an original member of the Conference, then known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, from 1969 to 1978. The Aztecs’ women’s program was a member of the Conference from 1985 to 1990.
Beginning in 2013-14 San Diego State will participate in the following Big West championship sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s track and field and women’s volleyball. The Aztecs’ women’s water polo team will begin competition in the Big West during the 2012-13 academic year, while their men’s soccer team will join the conference at a time yet to be determined.
The Big West Conference is a member of NCAA Division I and includes California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State University, Fullerton; California State University, Northridge; Long Beach State University; University of California, Davis; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of the Pacific. The University of Hawai‘i, Manoa becomes a member effective July 1, 2012.
