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Big West Conference

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"Pacific Coast Athletic Association" redirects here. For the San Diego area community college athletic conference, see Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Big West Conference
FormerlyPacific Coast Athletic Association (1969–1988)
AssociationNCAA
FoundedJuly 1, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-07-01)
CommissionerDan Butterly (since July 1, 2020)
Sports fielded
  • 21
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 11
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionNon–football
No. of teams11 (12 in 2026, 10 in 2027)
HeadquartersIrvine, California
RegionWest Coast
BroadcastersESPN
Spectrum SportsNet
Official websitewww.bigwest.org
Locations
Location of teams in

The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.

Among the conference's 11 member institutions, 10 are located in California (nine in Southern California alone), and one is located in Hawaii (though the Hawaii member is leaving for the Mountain West Conference, effective July 1, 2026). All of the current schools are public universities, with the California schools evenly split between the California State University and the University of California systems. In addition, one affiliate member plays two sports in the BWC not sponsored by its home conference.

History

[edit]
Big West Conference Members locations
– Full members
– Future member
– Current Associate and Future full member
– Departing members
Big West Conference Members locations
– Departing members (future affiliate)
Big West Conference Members locations
– Future Member

Pacific Coast Athletic Association

[edit]

The Big West Conference was formed in June 1968 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.[1] The five original charter members were Fresno State, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Long Beach State.[1] Two other schools, Cal State Los Angeles and the University of the Pacific, were also considered but they declined at that time to pursue membership.[2] The newly formed conference had several meetings to set up its governance, which was confirmed in October 1968 on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.[3] Before the league started play, Cal State Los Angeles joined as a full member and the University of the Pacific joined for football only, becoming a full member itself two years later.[4][5] The conference itself lists July 1, 1969, as its founding date, with the seven institutions beginning conference play that fall.[6][7]

Evolution

[edit]

Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the conference has seen many changes. Utah State was the first institution outside California to join the conference in 1978.[8] This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA; notable schools include UNLV, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, Boise State, and football-only members, such as Southwestern Louisiana and Arkansas State.

In 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women's athletic programs, allowing female student-athletes to compete at the same level as their male counterparts. This proved vital for Hawaiʻi as their only participation in the conference was for their women's sports.

However, many universities left to join conferences that were perceived as more well-known, such as the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference, while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California-based.

From the departures of Idaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaiʻi in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaiʻi joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members.

In 2011, San Diego State University and Boise State University had initially agreed to move all sports except football to the Big West by 2013.[9] However, when the Big East decided to no longer sponsor football for the 2013 season, both San Diego State and Boise State backed out of their agreement with the Big West, electing to remain members of the Mountain West instead.

Upon numerous conference shifts spurred from the announcement that UCLA and USC of the Pac-12 were to move to Big 10, a domino effect occurred, ultimately resulting in both Hawaiʻi and UC Davis announcing their move to the Mountain West effective the 2026 school year.

This would leave the Big West with 9 teams, and with the remaining member universities hoping to keep the conference at at least 11 teams, the Big West invited both California Baptist University and Utah Valley University to join the conference by the 2026 school year. Both institutions have since announced their respective intentions to join the conference, marking it the first time since 2013 that a private university will compete in the Big West, and the first time since 2005 that the Big West will have a member in the continental U.S. outside of California. Later in June, Sacramento State announced its intention to join the Big West in all sports except football, effective by the 2026 school year, when they will join alongside California Baptist and Utah Valley.

On September 3, 2025, UC San Diego formally accepted an invite to the West Coast Conference for the 2027–28 season after Gonzaga announced their departure to the rebuilt Pac-12 for the 2026–27 season earlier that year.[10] Seven months after, on April 10, 2026, UC Santa Barbara formally accepted an invite to the West Coast Conference for the 2027–28 season alongside UC San Diego.[11] This would end their 51 years of continual conference membership, the second longest among all current and former members.

There have been no more than 35 full and associate members in the conference's history, while only two of the original seven charter members remain (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, with only Long Beach State's membership being continuous).

The change to the Big West

[edit]

Effective July 1, 1988, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association changed its name to the Big West Conference.[7] With such schools as Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico State, and Hawaiʻi now in the fold, the name change was more representative of its member institutions.[7] In addition, the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men's basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known as Big Monday - the other conferences being featured were the Big East and the Big Ten so the name Big West fit the theme.[12]

The logo of the Big West from 2000 to 2021[13]

Member schools

[edit]

Current full members

[edit]

  Members departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.
  Members departing for the West Coast Conference in 2027.

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Endowment[14]

(millions – FY24)

Nickname Joined[a] Colors
California Polytechnic State University
(Cal Poly) 		San Luis Obispo, California 1901 Public[b] 22,287 $296.45 Mustangs 1996[c]      
California State University, Bakersfield[15]
(Cal State Bakersfield, Bakersfield) 		Bakersfield, California 1965 Public[b] 9,261 $42.74 Roadrunners 2020[16][d]    
California State University, Fullerton
(Cal State Fullerton) 		Fullerton, California 1957 Public[b] 38,726 $148.68 Titans 1974      
California State University, Long Beach
(Long Beach State) 		Long Beach, California 1949 Public[b] 39,360 $132.9 Beach[e] 1969    
California State University, Northridge
(Cal State Northridge) 		Los Angeles, California 1958 Public[b] 38,511 $262.1 Matadors 2001      
University of California, Davis[f]
(UC Davis) 		Davis, California 1905 Public[g] 40,772 $770.4 Aggies 2007    
University of California, Irvine
(UC Irvine) 		Irvine, California 1965 Public[g] 37,243 $899.36 Anteaters 1977    
University of California, Riverside
(UC Riverside) 		Riverside, California 1954 Public[g] 26,809 $249.87[18] Highlanders 2001    
University of California, San Diego
(UC San Diego) 		La Jolla, California[h] 1960 Public[g] 42,968 $1,589.86 Tritons 2020[i]    
University of California, Santa Barbara
(UC Santa Barbara) 		Santa Barbara, California[j] 1891 Public[g] 26,421 $665.9 Gauchos 1969; 1976[k]    
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa[l]
(Hawaiʻi) 		Honolulu, Hawaii[m] 1907 Public[n] 19,074 $566.99
(system-wide) 		Rainbow Warriors
& Rainbow Wahine[o] 		2012[p]        
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ a b c d e Part of the California State University System.
  3. ^ Then Division II, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo competed as an affiliate member of the Big West (then known as the PCAA) for women's volleyball from the 1984 to 1989 fall seasons (1984–85 to 1989–90 school years).
  4. ^ Before becoming a full member, Cal State Bakersfield competed in the Big West as an affiliate for beach volleyball since the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year).
  5. ^ Long Beach State fully rebranded its athletic program as Beach effective in the 2020–21 school year, after transitioning from its former nickname of 49ers over several years. The baseball team continues to use the nickname Dirtbags, which it had adopted in the 49ers era.
  6. ^ UC Davis will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for football in the Big Sky Conference.[17]
  7. ^ a b c d e Part of the University of California System.
  8. ^ La Jolla is a San Diego neighborhood served by its own post office.
  9. ^ UC San Diego first competed in the Big West as an affiliate member for men's volleyball since the 2018 spring season (2017–18 school year). It added women's water polo to its Big West membership since the 2020 spring season (2019–20 school year).
  10. ^ The UCSB campus has a Santa Barbara mailing address, but is located outside the city limits in the unincorporated community of Isla Vista.
  11. ^ UC Santa Barbara joined the Big West when it was founded in 1969, left to become an NCAA Division I Independent after the 1973–74 school year, then rejoined the conference in 1976–77.
  12. ^ Hawaiʻi will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for men's volleyball, beach volleyball, and women's water polo. Men's swimming & diving would also have remained in the Big West, but the MW will add that sport in 2026–27.[19][20]
  13. ^ The "Mānoa" in the university's formal name reflects the Honolulu neighborhood where the campus is located.
  14. ^ Part of the University of Hawaiʻi System.
  15. ^ The Hawaiʻi beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.
  16. ^ Hawaiʻi was a full member of the Big West for women's sports from 1984–85 to 1995–96; while the men's sports were a full member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during that tenure.

Future full members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Endowment[14]
(millions – FY24) 		Nickname Joining[a] Colors Current
conference
California Baptist University[21][22]
(Cal Baptist) 		Riverside, California 1950 Baptist 11,491[23] $157.61 Lancers 2026[b]     Western (WAC)
California State University, Sacramento[24]
(Sacramento State) 		Sacramento, California 1947 Public[c] 31,181 $86.42 Hornets 2026[d]     Big Sky (BSC)
Utah Valley University[25] Orem, Utah 1941 Public 41,728 $109.94[26] Wolverines 2026     Western (WAC)
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Cal Baptist will pay a $1.2 million exit fee to the WAC. The university will be the first private institution of higher education to compete in the Big West since Pacific left at the end of the 2012–13 school year.
  3. ^ Part of the California State University System.
  4. ^ Before becoming a full member, Sacramento State had competed in the Big West as an affiliate member for various sports dating back to 1996. These sports included:
    • baseball between the 1997 and 2002 spring seasons (1996–97 and 2001–02 school years)
    • men's soccer since the 2012 fall season (2012–13 school year)
    • beach volleyball since the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year)
    • men's golf during the 2025 spring season (2024–25 school year)

Affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Big West
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
California State University, Sacramento
(Sacramento State) 		Sacramento, California 1947 Public[b] 30,670 Hornets[c] 2012 Men's soccer Big Sky (BSC)
2015 Beach volleyball
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona 1949 Nondenominational
(For-Profit)[d] 		103,427[e] Antelopes 2025 Men's swimming & diving[f] Mountain West (MW)
University of San Diego San Diego, California 1949 Catholic
(Diocese of
San Diego) 		7,548 Toreros 2025 Women's swimming & diving West Coast (WCC)
Seattle University Seattle, Washington 1891 Catholic
(Jesuit) 		7,755 Redhawks 2025 Men's swimming & diving West Coast (WCC)
2025 Women's swimming & diving
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Part of the California State University System.
  3. ^ Sacramento State joined the Big West as an affiliate member for men's soccer since the 2012 fall season (2012–13 school year) and beach volleyball followed since the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year). The Hornets will become full members of the conference, beginning the 2026–27 school year.[27][28]
  4. ^ Grand Canyon's for-profit status is disputed. The U.S. Department of Education treats it as a for-profit institution, but the Internal Revenue Service, the NCAA, and the state of Arizona consider it a nonprofit.
  5. ^ Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.
  6. ^ Though Grand Canyon was initially set to compete in both men and women's swimming and diving in 2025, upon their early admission into the Mountain West, they moved their women's team to that conference. It was announced later that the Mountain West would begin sponsoring men's swimming and diving in 2026.[20]

Future affiliate member

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Big West
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
(Hawaiʻi) 		Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 Public[b] 19,074 Rainbow Warriors
& Rainbow Wahine[c] 		2026[d] Beach volleyball Big West (BWC)
(Mountain West (MW) in 2026)
Men's volleyball
Women's water polo
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Part of the University of Hawaiʻi System.
  3. ^ The Hawaiʻi beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.
  4. ^ While technically the school has been a Big West member in all sports since 2012, this will be their first year as an affiliate member. Initially Hawai'i was set to compete in men's swimming and diving, but the Mountain West announced they would begin sponsoring it in 2026.[20]

Former members

[edit]

Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference. Of the nine schools that were in the WAC before its early-2010s realignment, only Hawaiʻi had not spent some time in the Big West as a football participant – it was a Big West member only in women's sports. Of the former members, Cal State Los Angeles is the only team that reverted to Division II level.

School names and nicknames reflect those used by the institutions when they were Big West members. One school has changed its name (Southwestern Louisiana, now branded athletically as Louisiana and also known as Louisiana–Lafayette) and another its nickname (Arkansas State, from Indians to Red Wolves).

Former full members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Current
primary
conference
Boise State University Boise, Idaho 1932 Public 22,678 Broncos 1996 2001 Mountain West (MW)
(Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Fresno
(Fresno State) 		Fresno, California 1911 Public[c] 22,565 Bulldogs 1969 1992 Mountain West (MW)
(Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Los Angeles
(Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State L.A.) 		Los Angeles, California 1947 Public[c] 20,619 Golden Eagles 1969 1974 California (CCAA)[d]
University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho 1889 Public 11,180 Vandals 1996 2005 Big Sky (BSC)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(UNLV) 		Las Vegas, Nevada[e] 1957 Public 28,203 Rebels 1982 1996 Mountain West (MW)
University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 1874 Public 18,227 Wolf Pack 1992 2000 Mountain West (MW)
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 Public 18,497 Aggies 1983 2000 Conf. USA (CUSA)
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890 Public 35,778 Mean Green 1996 2000 American
University of the Pacific Stockton, California 1851 United
Methodist 		6,296 Tigers 1971 2013 West Coast (WCC)
San Diego State University San Diego, California 1897 Public[c] 28,789 Aztecs 1969 1978 Mountain West (MW)
(Pac-12 in 2026)
San Jose State University San Jose, California 1857 Public[c] 32,697 Spartans 1969 1996 Mountain West (MW)
Utah State University Logan, Utah 1888 Public 28,796 Aggies 1978 2005 Mountain West (MW)
(Pac-12 in 2026)
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ a b c d Part of the California State University System.
  4. ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  5. ^ The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated community of Paradise. The U.S. Postal Service considers all unincorporated areas in the Las Vegas Valley to have a Las Vegas address.

Former affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Big West
sport(s) 		Primary
conference
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
(Cal Poly Pomona) 		Pomona, California 1938 Public 22,501 Broncos 1984 1990 Softball California (CCAA)[c]
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
(Hawaiʻi) 		Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 Public 19,074 Rainbow Warriors
& Rainbow Wahine[d] 		1984 1996 Women's sports Big West (BWC)
(Mountain West (MW) in 2026)
University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho 1889 Public 11,849 Vandals 2024 2025 Men's golf Big Sky (BSC)
California State University, Sacramento
(Sacramento State) 		Sacramento 1947 Public 24,388 Hornets 1996 2002 Baseball Big Sky (BSC)
2024 2025 Men's golf
San Diego State University San Diego 1897 Public 33,790 Aztecs 1984 1990 Women's sports Mountain West (MW)
(Pac-12 in 2026)
2012 2013 Women's water polo
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  4. ^ The Hawaiʻi beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.

Former football-only members

[edit]
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Primary
conference
at the time
of joining
Big West
football 		Current
conference
Arkansas State University Jonesboro, Arkansas 1909 Public 13,438 Indians[c] 1993 1996 Sun Belt (SBC)
1999 2001[d]
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 Public 11,581 Bulldogs 1993 1996 Sun Belt (SBC) Conf. USA (CUSA)
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 Public 25,313 Huskies 1993 1996 Mid-Continent[e] Mid-American (MAC)
(Mountain West (MW) in 2026)[f]
University of Southwestern Louisiana[g] Lafayette, Louisiana 1898 Public 19,188 Ragin'
Cajuns 		1993 1996 Sun Belt (SBC)
University of the Pacific Stockton, California 1851 United
Methodist 		6,296 Tigers 1969 1971[h] West Coast (WCC)
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ Currently known as the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
  4. ^ Arkansas State joined the Big West for football in the 1993 fall season (1993–94 school year), left to become an independent after the 1995 fall season (1995–96 school year), then re-joined in 1999, only to leave again after the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).
  5. ^ Currently known as the Summit League.
  6. ^ Northern Illinois will be a football-only MW member, with most other sports in the Horizon League.
  7. ^ Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 1999, and branded for athletics purposes as "Louisiana" since 2017.
  8. ^ Pacific joined the Big West as a football-only member from the 1969 fall season (1969–70 school year); which would later became a full member from 1971–72 to 2012–13.

Membership timeline

[edit]
Utah Valley UniversityWestern Athletic ConferenceGreat West ConferenceNCAA Division I Independent schoolsScenic West Athletic ConferenceNCAA Intermountain Collegiate Athletic ConferenceNational Junior College Athletic AssociationCalifornia Baptist UniversityWestern Athletic ConferencePacific West ConferenceGreat Southwest Athletic ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsSeattle UniversityUniversity of San DiegoGrand Canyon UniversityWest Coast ConferenceUniversity of California, San DiegoCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationNCAA Division III independent schoolsCalifornia State University, BakersfieldWestern Athletic ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationMountain West ConferenceUniversity of California, DavisNCAA Division I independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationNorthern California Athletic ConferenceNorthern California Athletic ConferenceUniversity of California, RiversideNCAA Division II independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia State University, NorthridgeBig Sky ConferenceAmerican West ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia Polytechnic State UniversityAmerican West ConferenceCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia State University, SacramentoAmerican West ConferenceNorthern California Athletic ConferenceNorthern California Athletic ConferenceBig Sky ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of IdahoBig Sky ConferencePac-12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceBoise State UniversityBig Sky ConferenceAmerican Conference (NCAA)Conference USASun Belt ConferenceUniversity of North TexasSouthland ConferenceNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsMissouri Valley ConferenceArkansas State UniversityUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteNorthern Illinois UniversityLouisiana Tech UniversityMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Nevada, RenoBig Sky ConferenceWest Coast ConferenceUniversity of Hawaiʻi at MānoaWestern Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceCalifornia State Polytechnic University, PomonaConference USAWestern Athletic ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceNew Mexico State UniversityMissouri Valley ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Nevada, Las VegasNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsWest Coast ConferencePac-12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUtah State UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsUniversity of California, IrvineNCAA Division II independent schoolsCalifornia State University, FullertonCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia State University, Long BeachWest Coast ConferenceUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraWest Coast ConferenceUniversity of the Pacific (United States)Mountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceSan Jose State UniversityPac-12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceCalifornia State University, FresnoPac-12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceSan Diego State UniversityCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia State University, Los Angeles

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football)   Associate member (sport)  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Notes

  • San Diego State played football as an independent for the 1976 and 1977 seasons before leaving the Big West Conference in 1978.
  • UC Santa Barbara was an independent from 1974–75 to 1975–76.
  • Cal State Fullerton played football as an independent for the 1992 season and dropped football entirely the following year.
  • Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana, and Arkansas State joined the Big West for a short-lived football consortium from 1993 to 1995.
  • Arkansas State played football as an independent from 1996 to 1998 and later rejoined the Big West for football during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Sports

[edit]

The Big West Conference currently sponsors 21 NCAA sports, with men's and women's swimming & diving the newest additions for the 2024–25 school year.[29] The Big West is considered a mid-major conference, the term itself coined in 1977.

In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won four College World Series titles with national championships in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004.[30] In addition, Long Beach State and UC Irvine have made multiple appearances in the College World Series. The Big West is the only existing mid-major conference to have multiple teams make the College World Series in the same year, with Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State both making it in 1988, Long Beach State and Fresno in 1991, and Fullerton and UC Irvine in 2007. Fullerton also has a national championship in softball, winning in 1986. Hawaiʻi joined the conference in women's sports only between 1984 and 1996, and won the 1987 NCAA women's volleyball title. Long Beach State has won three NCAA women's volleyball titles as a part of Big West Conference women's volleyball, with national championships in 1989, 1993, and 1998. Misty May-Treanor led the 49ers (now known as Beach) to a 36–0 record en route to the program's most recent title. UC Santa Barbara was the NCAA men's soccer runner-up in 2004, losing the national championship match to Indiana on penalty kicks. The Gauchos returned to the College Cup in 2006 and won the national championship.

Former Big West members UNLV and Pacific won national championships while part of the conference. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team won the 1990 NCAA tournament championship after routing Duke 103–73 in the national title game. UNLV was undefeated during the 1991 NCAA men's basketball season before falling to Duke in the final four. The Runnin' Rebels during this era are widely considered one of the best college basketball teams of all time. The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team won back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986.

The Big West did not sponsor men's volleyball or men's water polo, but it was the primary conference affiliation of several schools that compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for these sports, respectively. In NCAA men's volleyball, UC Irvine has established itself as one of the nation's most elite programs, winning four national championships in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013. Long Beach State also won men's national volleyball titles in 1991, 2018, 2019, and 2025, three while in the Big West. Hawaiʻi also won men's national volleyball titles in 2021 and 2022. In NCAA men's water polo, UC Irvine won three national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1989. UC Santa Barbara also won a men's water polo title in 1979.

On May 31, 2016, the Big West announced the conference would sponsor men's volleyball as its 18th sport, with five Big West schools leaving the MPSF to establish the new men's volleyball league. Men's volleyball is the third of four sports in which the MPSF has recently seen a mass exodus of teams to join an existing conference in a newly sponsored sport, with men's soccer, men's water polo, and women's lacrosse as the others. The men's volleyball membership includes core Big West members Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Hawaiʻi, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. UC San Diego joined as an affiliate to bring the league to the NCAA minimum requirement of 6 teams to receive an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.

Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell explained that adding UC San Diego was not an indicator UC San Diego would be added to the Big West Conference as a full member. UC San Diego had recently passed a bill to move all their sports to Division I and was looking for an invite from the Big West Conference. UC San Diego has long competed at the Division I level in men's volleyball; the NCAA conducts a single national championship open to all Division I and II members, and scholarship limits in the sport are the same in both divisions. The Big West regular season for men's volleyball will be a double round-robin, with each team playing the others once at home and once on the road. The Big West Tournament will have all six teams participate in single-elimination rounds with the top two teams receiving semifinal byes.[31]

The Big West is the first Division I all-sports conference (defined as a league that sponsors men's and women's basketball) ever to sponsor men's volleyball, and the second NCAA all-sports conference overall to sponsor men's volleyball as a scholarship sport (the first was the Division II Conference Carolinas).

On November 26, 2017, the Big West announced that it would add UC San Diego along with Cal State Bakersfield as its 10th and 11th members starting on July 1, 2020. Cal State Bakersfield, which was already a full Division I member competing in the Western Athletic Conference, became a full member effective July 1, 2020. UC San Diego, which had failed to move up from Division II in failed bids to the Big West in 2011 and April 2017, has begun the four-year transition process to Division I and became a full member effective July 1, 2024. UC San Diego's men's volleyball joined the Big West in 2017, in advance of that sport's 2018 season, and women's water polo joined in 2019. Because the NCAA does not sponsor a Division II championship in either men's volleyball or women's water polo, UCSD was eligible for conference championships in both sports upon joining the Big West, and remained eligible for such during the D-I transition.[32]

UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield, the latter now in the process of rebranding its athletic program as Bakersfield, officially joined the conference on July 1, 2020, and Dan Butterly became the new commissioner following the retirement of Dennis Farrell. UC San Diego officially joined Division I ranks on July 1, 2024, and thus could compete in conference championships and NCAA playoffs from then on.

Big West Conference teams
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball
11
–
Basketball
11
11
Beach volleyball
–
7
Cross Country
9
11
Golf
12
9
Soccer
10
11
Softball
–
10
Swimming & diving
6
6
Tennis
7
10
Track and Field (Outdoor)
10
11
Volleyball
6
11
Water polo
6
7

Men's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
School Baseball Basket­ball Cross
Country		 Golf Soccer Swimming
& diving[a]		 Tennis Track & Field
(Outdoor)		 Volley­ball Water polo Total
Sports
Bakersfield Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes No No 5
Cal Poly Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[b] No Yes Yes No No 7
Cal State Fullerton Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes 7
Cal State Northridge Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No 7
Hawaiʻi Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No 6
Long Beach State Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes 7
UC Davis Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes 8
UC Irvine Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
UC Riverside Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[b] No Yes Yes No No 7
UC San Diego Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[b] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UC Santa Barbara Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Future Members
California Baptist Yes Yes Yes No Yes[b] No No Yes No Yes 6
Sacramento State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No 7
Utah Valley Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No No 6
Totals 11 11 9 10 9+1[c] 4+2[d] 7 10 6 6 83+3
  1. ^ Men's swimming and diving will no longer be sponsored after 2026 season.[33]
  2. ^ a b c d Cal Poly, California Baptist, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego will play men's soccer in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2026 season, with all but UCSD continuing to do so beyond that season.[34]
  3. ^ Affiliate member Sacramento State.
  4. ^ Affiliate members Grand Canyon and Seattle.
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
School Fencing Football[a] Rowing[b] Track & Field
(Indoor)		 Wrestling
Bakersfield No No No No Pac-12
Cal Poly No Big Sky No Independent Pac-12
Cal State Fullerton No No No MPSF No
Cal State Northridge No No No MPSF No
Hawaiʻi No Mountain West No No No
Long Beach State No No ACRA MPSF No
Sacramento State No MAC No Big Sky[c] No
UC Davis No Big Sky ACRA No No
UC Irvine No No ACRA No No
UC Riverside No No No MPSF No
UC San Diego MPSF No MPSF No No
UC Santa Barbara No No ACRA Independent No
Utah Valley No No No WAC[d] Big 12
  1. ^ Hawaiʻi and Sacramento State compete at the FBS level, while Cal Poly and UC Davis compete at the FCS level.
  2. ^ The only category of rowing sponsored by the NCAA is women's heavyweight rowing. Men's rowing and women's lightweight rowing are organized by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.
  3. ^ Sacramento State has not yet announced a future affiliation for its men's indoor track & field programs.
  4. ^ Utah Valley has not yet announced a future affiliation for its men's indoor track & field program.

Women's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
School Basket­ball Beach Volleyball Cross
Country		 Golf Soccer Softball Swimming
& diving[a]		 Tennis Track & Field
(Outdoor)		 Volley­ball Water polo Total
Sports
Bakersfield Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No 9
Cal Poly Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No 9
Cal State Fullerton Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Cal State Northridge Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Hawaiʻi Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Long Beach State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UC Davis Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
UC Irvine Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
UC Riverside Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No 8
UC San Diego Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
UC Santa Barbara Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Future Members
California Baptist Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes 9
Sacramento State Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No 9
Utah Valley Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No 7
Totals 11 6+1[b] 11 9 11 10 5+2[c] 10 11 11 8 103+3
  1. ^ Women's swimming and diving will no longer be sponsored after 2026 season.[35]
  2. ^ Affiliate member Sacramento State.
  3. ^ Affiliate members San Diego and Seattle.
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
School Fencing Field hockey Gymnastics Lacrosse Rowing Stunt[a] Track & Field
(Indoor)
Bakersfield No No No No No No Independent
Cal Poly No No No No No Independent Independent
Cal State Fullerton No No No No No No MPSF
Cal State Northridge No No No No No No MPSF
California Baptist No No No No No Independent No
Hawaiʻi No No No No No No MPSF
Long Beach State No No No No No No MPSF
Sacramento State No No MPSF No WCC No Big Sky[b]
UC Davis No MPSF MPSF Big 12 No No Independent
UC Irvine No No No No No No MPSF
UC San Diego MPSF No No No CAA No No
UC Santa Barbara No No No No No No Independent
Utah Valley No No No No No No WAC[c]
  1. ^ Elevated from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program to full championship status in January 2026, with the first official NCAA championship in 2026–27.
  2. ^ Sacramento State has not yet announced a future affiliation for its men's indoor track & field program.
  3. ^ Has not yet announced a future affiliation for its women's indoor track & field program.

Current conference champions

[edit]

The Big West Conference sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 10 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Men's and women's swimming & diving were added in 2024–25.[36]

Regular-season champions are indicated with "(RS)" and tournament champions with "(T)".

Season Sport Men's
champion		 Women's
champion
Fall 2025 Cross country Cal Poly Cal Poly
Soccer UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly (RS)
UC Irvine (RS & T)		 CSUN (RS)
Cal Poly (T)
Water polo Long Beach State (RS)
UC Davis (T) 		 
Volleyball   UC Davis (RS)
Cal Poly (T)
Winter 2025–26 Swimming & diving Hawai'i Hawai'i
Basketball UC Irvine (RS)
Hawai'i (T)		 UC Irvine (RS)
UC San Diego (RS & T)
Spring 2026 Golf Long Beach State Cal Poly
Volleyball Hawai'i (RS)
Long Beach State (T) 		 
Beach volleyball   Cal Poly (RS & T)
Tennis Cal Poly, UC Irvine (RS)
UC Santa Barbara (RS & T)		 UC Santa Barbara (RS & T)
Water polo   Hawai'i (RS & T)
Track & field (outdoor) TBD TBD
Softball   Cal State Fullerton (RS & T)
Baseball TBD  

Former sports

[edit]

Football

[edit]

An asterisk denotes the participant in the bowls that invited the Big West champion:
Pasadena (1969–70), California (1981–91), Las Vegas (1992–96), and Humanitarian (1997–2000)[37]

The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season.[38]

Academics

[edit]

The following table shows National University rank by U.S. News & World Report as of 2026, as well as the Regional Western University rank as denoted by an asterisk, and the Forbes ranking for 2024-25.[39][40][41]

Also indicated is membership in the Association of American Universities.[42]

Institution US News & World Report Forbes AAU Member
UC San Diego 29 20 Yes
UC Davis 32 44 Yes
UC Irvine 32 31 Yes
UC Santa Barbara 40 42 Yes
UC Riverside 75 77 Yes
Long Beach State 127 97 No
Cal State Fullerton 139 118 No
Hawaiʻi 169 219 No
Cal Poly 1* 55 No
Cal State Northridge 20* 271 No
Sacramento State 22* 280 No
Cal State Bakersfield 31* 295 No
Cal Baptist 33* – No
Utah Valley 93* – No

Athletic department revenue by school

[edit]

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.

Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.

The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2024–25 academic year.[43]

Institution 2023-24 Total Expenses on Athletics 2023-24 Total Revenue from Athletics
Hawaiʻi $53,793,049
UC Davis $46,854,471
Sacramento State $46,274,655
Cal Poly $45,535,245 $49,208,831
California Baptist $37,832,623 $41,582,676
UC San Diego $36,538,768
UC Santa Barbara $32,803,613
UC Irvine $30,301,851
Long Beach State $27,320,150 $28,274,188
CSU Fullerton $26,422,865
CSU Northridge $23,262,522 $23,671,740
UC Riverside $19,725,015
Utah Valley $19,556,182
CSU Bakersfield $18,028,334

The following table shows revenue specifically from NCAA / Conference Distributions, Media Rights, and Post-Season Football reported by the Knight Commission for the 2023-24 academic year.

Institution 2023–24 distribution (millions of dollars)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa $7.55
University of California, Davis $2.16
California Polytechnic State University $1.91
University of California, Santa Barbara $1.83
California State University, Sacramento $1.41
University of California, Irvine $1.35
California State University, Long Beach $1.34
University of California, Riverside $1.22
Utah Valley University $1.14
California State University, Fullerton $1.06
California State University, Bakersfield $0.79
California State University, Northridge $0.68
University of California, San Diego $0.46
California Baptist University[a] N/A
Notes
  1. ^ California Baptist University is a private university, and is therefore not required to submit data to the Knight Commission. Thus, information regarding revenue and expenses on athletics is received from the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2024-25 school year.[44] No data is able to be acquired regarding NCAA/Conference Distributions, Media Rights, and Post-Season Football.

Facilities

[edit]
School Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity Soccer stadium Capacity Softball stadium Capacity
Cal State Bakersfield Icardo Center 3,800 Hardt Field 900 Main Soccer Field 2,500 Roadrunner Softball Complex 955[45]
Cal Poly Mott Athletics Center 3,032 Robin Baggett Stadium 3,138 Mustang Memorial Field[46] 11,075 Bob Janssen Field 800[47]
Cal State Fullerton Titan Gym 4,000 Goodwin Field 3,500 Titan Stadium 10,000 Anderson Family Field 1,000
Cal State Northridge Premier America Credit Union Arena 2,400 Matador Field 1,000 Matador Soccer Field 1,550 Matador Diamond 500[48]
California Baptist Fowler Events Center 5,050 James W. Totman Stadium 800 CBU Soccer Stadium 500 John C. Funk Stadium 500[49]
Hawaiʻi Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 Les Murakami Stadium 4,312 Waipiʻo Soccer Stadium 4,500 Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium 1,200
Long Beach State Walter Pyramid 5,000[50] Blair Field 3,238 George Allen Field 1,000 Long Beach State Softball Complex 500[51]
Sacramento State Hornet Pavilion 3,000 John Smith Field 1,200 Hornet Soccer Field 1,500 Shea Stadium 912[52]
UC Davis University Credit Union Center 7,600 Dobbins Stadium 3,500 Aggie Field 1,000 La Rue Field 300[53]
UC Irvine Bren Events Center 5,000[54] Cicerone Field 3,408 Anteater Stadium 2,500 Non-softball member
UC Riverside Student Recreation Center 3,168 Riverside Sports Complex 2,500 UCR Soccer Stadium 900 Amy S. Harrison Softball Field 600[55]
UC San Diego LionTree Arena 4,200 Triton Ballpark 1,200 Triton Soccer Stadium 1,750 Triton Softball Field 750[56]
UC Santa Barbara The Thunderdome 5,600 Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1,000 Harder Stadium 17,000 Campus Diamond N/A[57]
Utah Valley UCCU Center 8,500 UCCU Ballpark 5,000 UCCU Stadium 3,000 Wolverine Field 575[58]

NCAA team championships

[edit]

Through June 30, 2025[59]

School Total NCAA NCAA Men's NCAA Women's NCAA Individual Nickname
California Baptist University 0 0 0 0 Lancers
California Polytechnic State University 12 0 0 12 Mustangs
California State University, Bakersfield 9 0 0 9 Roadrunners
California State University, Fullerton 8 4 1 3 Titans
California State University, Long Beach 23 4 3 16 Beach
California State University, Northridge 6 0 0 6 Matadors
California State University, Sacramento 3 0 0 3 Hornets
University of California, Davis 2 0 0 2 Aggies
University of California, Irvine 10 7 0 3 Anteaters
University of California, Riverside 1 0 0 1 Highlanders
University of California, San Diego 0 0 0 0 Tritons
University of California, Santa Barbara 3 2 0 1 Gauchos
University of Hawaiʻi 16 2 3 11 Rainbows
Utah Valley University 1 0 0 1 Wolverines

Commissioner's Cup

[edit]

Starting during the Big West Conference's 1998–99 season, the Commissioner's Cup is awarded yearly to the most outstanding program throughout the season in the conference's sponsored sports.[60] The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the most successful team to date having won 10 total trophies.[61]

Year Institution Champion­ships
competed 		Total points Average Title #
1998–99 Pacific Tigers 12 620 51.7 1
1999–00 Pacific Tigers 12 600 50.0 2
2000–01 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 870 54.4 1
2001–02 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 2,020 126.3 2
2002–03 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 2,070 129.4 3
2003–04 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 2,210 138.1 4
2004–05 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 2,180 136.3 5
2005–06 Long Beach State 49ers 13 1,640 126.2 1
2006–07 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 1,800 112.5 6
2007–08 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 2,046 127.9 7
2008–09 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,540 110.0 2
2009–10 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 17 1,970 115.9 8
2010–11 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,830 130.7 3
2011–12 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,960 140.0 4
2012–13 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,950 139.3 5
2013–14 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,740 124.3 6
2014–15 Long Beach State 49ers 14 1,640 117.1 7
2015–16 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 15 2,006.7 133.8 9
2016–17 Long Beach State 49ers 15 1,750 116.7 8
2017–18 Cal State Fullerton Titans 14 1,635 116.8 1
2018–19 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 16 1,930 120.6 10
2019–20 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020–21
2021–22 Long Beach State Beach 16 2,260 141.3 9
2022–23 Long Beach State Beach 16 2,360 147.5 10
2023–24 Cal Poly Mustangs 16 2,390 149.4 1
2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters 17 2,530 148.8 1

Overall Commissioner's Cups Table

[edit]
Institution Commissioner's
Cups
Long Beach State 49ers/Beach
10
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
10
Pacific Tigers
2
Cal Poly Mustangs
1
Cal State Fullerton Titans
1
UC Irvine Anteaters
1

Note 1: Bold indicates current members of the Big West Conference
Note 2: The Pacific Tigers moved to the West Coast Conference in 2013

SoCal Challenge

[edit]

Starting in 2021, the Big West Conference served as host of the SoCal Challenge,[62] an eight-team men's basketball tournament held during Monday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. One Big West team represented the conference in the field of each tournament. Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield participated in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. The final tournament was held in 2023.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "California Colleges Form New conference". The San Bernardino Sun. San Bernardino, California. June 11, 1968. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  2. ^ Pickard, Don (June 18, 1968). "Cal State PCAA Entry Being Probed". The Independent. Pasadena, California. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  3. ^ "New league being formed". Redlands Daily Facts. Redlands, California. October 18, 1968. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  4. ^ Miles, Jerry (May 16, 1969). "Pacific Eight Gets New Rival". Progress Bulletin. Pomona, California. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  5. ^ Dhillon, Jagdip (March 29, 2012). "Tigers back 'home'". The Record. Stockton, California. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  6. ^ "About The Big West Conference". Big West Conference. Archived from the original on August 10, 2001. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "PCAA to Change Name to Big West". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 4, 1988. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "Utah State joining PCAA". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. September 11, 1977. p. 8B.
  9. ^ "Boise State To Join Big West Conference". bigwest.org. October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  10. ^ "UC San Diego Accepts Invitation to Join West Coast Conference". today.ucsd.edu. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  11. ^ "UC Santa Barbara Accepts Invitation to Join West Coast Conference". University of California, Santa Barbara. April 13, 2026. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  12. ^ Reid, Jason (February 19, 1996). "This Conference Now Little West". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "Big West Conference Logos". SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  14. ^ a b As of June 30, 2024. "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLSX). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 12, 2025. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  15. ^ "Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Bakersfield Roadrunners. September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "UC San Diego makes it official: It's joining Div. I, Big West". San Diego Union-Tribune. November 27, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "UC Davis To Join Mountain West Conference In 2026-27". UC Davis Athletics. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  18. ^ As of June 30, 2023. "University of California Annual Endowment Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023" (PDF). Office of the President. University of California. November 13, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "Four UH sports to remain in Big West". Hawaiʻi Athletics. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c "MW Expands Sports Sponsorship with the Addition of Men's Soccer and Men's Swimming and Diving in 2026-27" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 29, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  21. ^ Howe, Brendan (March 5, 2025). "Cal Baptist joins Big West with $1.2 million fee as conference realignment shakes up G5 schools". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  22. ^ "California Baptist University Joins The Big West" (Press release). California Baptist Lancers Athletics. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  23. ^ "CBU Fall 2021 enrollment extends record-setting pattern". California Baptist University. September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  24. ^ "Sacramento State To Join The Big West" (Press release). Sacramento State Hornets Athletics. June 18, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "Utah Valley announces move to The Big West in 2026-27" (Press release). Utah Valley Wolverines Athletics. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  26. ^ Reyes, Kyle. "UVU Evergreen Endowment Report". www.uvu.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  27. ^ "MEN'S SOCCER JOINS BIG WEST CONFERENCE". Sacramento State Hornets. July 5, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "Sand Volleyball to Join the Big West Conference". Sacramento State Hornets. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  29. ^ "Big West Board of Directors Approves New Initiatives at Annual Spring Meeting". Big West Conference. June 9, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  30. ^ "College World Series: Everything you need to know about Cal State Fullerton". NCAA.com. June 14, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  31. ^ "Big West Announces 2012 Baseball Awards". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016./story.asp?story_id=19222
  32. ^ "CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference". Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  33. ^ "Big West Board of Directors Reaffirms Unified Direction with Strategic Actions for Long-Term Stability and Competitive Excellence" (Press release). Big West Conference. April 30, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  34. ^ "Pac-12 Conference and The Big West Announce Collaborative Men's Soccer Partnership to Strengthen Opportunities in the West" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 30, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  35. ^ "Big West Board of Directors Reaffirms Unified Direction with Strategic Actions for Long-Term Stability and Competitive Excellence" (Press release). Big West Conference. April 30, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  36. ^ "About The Big West". Big West Conference. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  37. ^ Big West Football. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  38. ^ Big West Conference. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  39. ^ "2026 Best National Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report.
  40. ^ "Forbes America's Top Colleges List 2025 - Best US Universities Ranked". Forbes. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  41. ^ "Best Regional Universities West Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  42. ^ "American Association of University Member List" (PDF).
  43. ^ "Equity in Athletics". ope.ed.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  44. ^ "Equity in Athletics". ope.ed.gov. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  45. ^ "Record Crowd Sees Softball Host UCLA". gorunners.com. March 22, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  46. ^ "Cal Poly's Football and Soccer Stadium Has a New Field Name". gopoly.com. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  47. ^ "Bob Janssen Field". gopoly.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  48. ^ "Matador Diamond". gomatadors.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  49. ^ "John C. Funk Stadium". cbulancers.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  50. ^ "The Mike and Arlene Walter Pyramid". California State University, Long Beach. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  51. ^ "LBSU Softball Complex". longbeachstate.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  52. ^ "Shea Stadium". hornetsports.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  53. ^ "La Rue Field". ucdavisaggies.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  54. ^ "Bren Events Center". UCI Athletics. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  55. ^ "Amy S. Harrison Softball Field". gohighlanders.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  56. ^ "Triton Softball Field". ucsdtritons.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  57. ^ "Facilities". ucsbgauchos.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  58. ^ "Cougars top Wolverines in front of record-setting crowd". gouvu.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  59. ^ "Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  60. ^ "Area Notebook: Long Beach State captures fourth straight BWC Comissioner's [sic] Cup". Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. May 28, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  61. ^ "Big West Commissioner's Cup History". Big West Conference. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  62. ^ "Buckets & Beaches: Southern California's Premier NCAA D1 Men's College Basketball Tournament". Southern California Challenge. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
[edit]
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