Big West Conference

Big West Conference. The Big West Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Founded in 1969, it currently operates as a non-football conference, with its membership primarily located in California, though it also includes members in Hawaii and Utah. The conference sponsors 18 sports and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

History

The conference was originally founded in 1969 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association by five charter members: the University of California, Santa Barbara, San Jose State University, the University of the Pacific, Fresno State University, and California State University, Long Beach. A significant early milestone was the expansion to include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1982, which brought national prominence in men's basketball. The league adopted its current name in 1988. The conference's composition has shifted considerably, particularly with the departure of several football-playing members to the Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s, leading to its current non-football status. Recent expansion has included adding the University of California, San Diego and California State University, Bakersfield as full members in 2020.

Member institutions

The conference comprises 11 full member institutions. The California-based members include California State University, Bakersfield, California State University, Fullerton, California State University, Long Beach, California State University, Northridge, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Riverside, University of California, San Diego, and University of California, Santa Barbara. The conference's geographic footprint extends to include the University of Hawaii at Manoa and, as of 2022, Utah Tech University. Hawaii Pacific University is an affiliate member in men's volleyball, while California Baptist University competes as an affiliate in several sports including beach volleyball and men's volleyball.

Sports sponsored

The conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and nine women's sports. Men's sponsored sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo. Women's sponsored sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo. Notably, the Big West is a national powerhouse in baseball and men's volleyball, with its members frequently competing in the College World Series and NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship.

Conference champions

The conference awards regular season and tournament champions across its sponsored sports. In men's basketball, recent champions have included the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Santa Barbara. In baseball, programs like California State University, Fullerton and California State University, Long Beach have won numerous titles and advanced to the College World Series. The University of Hawaii at Manoa has been a dominant force in women's volleyball, while UCLA and USC, as affiliate members, have often claimed the men's volleyball crown.

Facilities

Member institutions compete in a variety of notable venues. These include the Bren Events Center at University of California, Irvine, the Walter Pyramid at California State University, Long Beach, and the Thunderdome at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Significant baseball venues are Blair Field in Long Beach and Goodwin Field in Fullerton. The Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa is a premier arena for basketball and volleyball, and the Anteater Recreation Center pools host water polo championships.

Notable alumni

The conference has produced a vast number of distinguished professional athletes and sports figures. In Major League Baseball, alumni include Evan Longoria (Long Beach State), Kris Bryant (San Diego), and Jeff McNeil (Long Beach State). National Basketball Association players from the conference include Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State) and James Harden (Arizona State). Olympic medalists such as Misty May-Treanor (Long Beach State) in beach volleyball and Brenda Villa (Stanford, via water polo at the Beijing Games) are also among its graduates.