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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; 55 years ago (1969-07-01)
CommissionerDan Butterly (since July 1, 2020)
Sports fielded
  • 19
    • men's: 9
    • women's: 10
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionNon–football
No. of teams11 (10 in 2026)
HeadquartersIrvine, California
RegionWest Coast
Official websitewww.bigwest.org
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

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 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]
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Big West Conference Members locations
– Full members
– Associate members
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Big West Conference Members locations
– Departing members

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. 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 Hawaii in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaii joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members.

There have been no fewer than 25 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]
The logo of the Big West from 2000 to 2021[8]

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 Hawaii 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.[9]

Member schools

[edit]

Current full members

[edit]

  Member departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)[10] 		Nickname Colors
California Polytechnic State University
(Cal Poly) 		San Luis Obispo, California 1901 1996[a] Public
(CSU system) 		22,287 $265.26 Mustangs      
California State University, Bakersfield
(Bakersfield)[11] 		Bakersfield, California 1965 2020[12][b] Public
(CSU system) 		9,261 $37.16 Roadrunners    
California State University, Fullerton
(Cal State Fullerton) 		Fullerton, California 1957 1974 Public
(CSU system) 		38,726 $135.85 Titans      
California State University, Long Beach
(Long Beach State) 		Long Beach, California 1949 1969 Public
(CSU system) 		39,360 $115.40 Beach[c]    
California State University, Northridge
(Cal State Northridge) 		Northridge, California[d] 1958 2001 Public
(CSU system) 		38,511 $205.19 Matadors      
University of California, Davis
(UC Davis) 		Davis, California 1905 2007 Public
(UC system) 		40,772 $678.04 Aggies    
University of California, Irvine
(UC Irvine) 		Irvine, California 1965 1977 Public
(UC system) 		37,243 $795.89 Anteaters    
University of California, Riverside
(UC Riverside) 		Riverside, California 1954 2001 Public
(UC system) 		26,809 $249.87[13] Highlanders    
University of California, San Diego
(UC San Diego) 		La Jolla, California[e] 1960 2020[f] Public
(UC system) 		42,968 $1,360.84 Tritons    
University of California, Santa Barbara
(UC Santa Barbara) 		Santa Barbara, California[g] 1891 1969;
1976[h] 		Public
(UC system) 		26,421 $578.76 Gauchos    
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
(Hawaiʻi)[i] 		Honolulu, Hawaii 1907 2012[j] Public
(U of H system) 		19,074 $491.36
(system-wide) 		Rainbow Warriors
& Rainbow Wahine[k] 		       
Notes
  1. ^ Then Division II, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was an affiliate member of the Big West in women's volleyball from 1984–85 to 1989–90.
  2. ^ Before becoming a full member, Bakersfield had been a Big West affiliate in beach volleyball since the 2015–16 school year.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Northridge is one of many Los Angeles neighborhoods that have separate postal identities from the city.
  5. ^ La Jolla is a neighborhood of San Diego with a separate postal identity from the city.
  6. ^ UC San Diego first joined the Big West as a men's volleyball affiliate in 2017. It added women's water polo to its BWC membership in 2019.
  7. ^ The UCSB campus has a Santa Barbara mailing address, but entirely lies outside the city limits in the unincorporated community of Isla Vista.
  8. ^ UC Santa Barbara joined the Big West when it was founded in 1969, left to become an independent after the 1973–74 school year, then rejoined the conference effective the 1976–77 school year.
  9. ^ Hawaii will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026. The Big West Schools will vote during the December meetings to determine future conference affiliation. Should they vote no, Hawai'i will move Men's Swimming and Diving, Men's Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, and Women's Water Polo to the MPSF, as the Mountain West Conference does not support the aforementioned sports.
  10. ^ Hawaii was a full member of the Big West in 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.
  11. ^ The Hawaii beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.

Affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Nickname Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Primary
conference 		Big West
sport(s)
University of Idaho Vandals Moscow, Idaho 1889 2024–25 Public 11,849 Big Sky Men's golf
California State University, Sacramento
(Sacramento State) 		Hornets[a] Sacramento, California 1947 2012–13 Public
(CSU system) 		30,670 Men's soccer
2015–16 Beach volleyball
2024–25 Men's golf
Notes
  1. ^ Sacramento State men's soccer joined the Big West Conference in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 school year) and beach volleyball followed for the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year).[14][15]

Future affiliate members

[edit]
Institution Nickname Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Primary
conference 		Big West
sport(s)
Grand Canyon University Antelopes Phoenix, Arizona 1949 2025 Private For-Profit[a] 103,427[b] WAC
(WCC in 2025) 		Men's and women's swimming & diving
University of San Diego Toreros San Diego, California 1949 Private 7,548 WCC Women's swimming & diving
Seattle University Redhawks Seattle, Washington 1891 Private 7,755 WAC
(WCC in 2025) 		Men's and women's swimming & diving
Notes
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.


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 Hawaii 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 Nickname Location Founded Joined Left Type Enrollment Current
primary
conference
Boise State University Broncos Boise, Idaho 1932 1996 2001 Public 22,678 Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Fresno
(Fresno State) 		Bulldogs Fresno, California 1911 1969 1992 Public 22,565 Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Los Angeles
(Cal State L.A.) 		Golden Eagles Los Angeles, California 1947 1969 1974 Public 20,619 CCAA[a]
University of Idaho Vandals Moscow, Idaho 1889 1996 2005 Public 11,180 Big Sky
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(UNLV) 		Rebels Las Vegas, Nevada[b] 1957 1982 1996 Public 28,203 Mountain West
University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack Reno, Nevada 1874 1992 2000 Public 18,227 Mountain West
New Mexico State University Aggies Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 1983 2000 Public 18,497 CUSA
University of North Texas Mean Green Denton, Texas 1890 1996 2000 Public 35,778 The American
San Diego State University Aztecs San Diego, California 1897 1969 (men's sports);
1984 (women's sports) 		1978 (men's sports);
1990 (women's sports) 		Public 28,789 Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)
San Jose State University Spartans San Jose, California 1857 1969 1996 Public 32,697 Mountain West
University of the Pacific Tigers Stockton, California 1851 1969 (football-only);
1971 (all sports) 		2013 Private 6,296 West Coast
Utah State University Aggies Logan, Utah 1888 1978 2005 Public 28,796 Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)
  1. ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  2. ^ 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 Nickname Location
(California) 		Founded Joined Left Type Enrollment Primary
conference 		Big West
sport(s)
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
(Cal Poly Pomona) 		Broncos Pomona 1938 1984–85 1989–90 Public 22,501 CCAA[a] softball
California State University, Sacramento
(Sacramento State) 		Hornets Sacramento 1947 1996–97 2001–02 Public 24,388 Big Sky baseball
San Diego State University Aztecs San Diego 1897 2012–13 2012–13 Public 33,790 Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026) 		women's water polo
  1. ^ Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

Former football-only members

[edit]
Institution Nickname Location Founded Joined Left Type Enrollment Primary
conference
at the time
of joining
Big West
football 		Current
conference
Arkansas State University Indians[a] Jonesboro, Arkansas 1909 1993–94,
1999–2000 		1995–96,
2000–01[b] 		Public 13,438 Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs Ruston, Louisiana 1894 1993–94 1995–96 Public 11,581 Sun Belt CUSA
Northern Illinois University Huskies DeKalb, Illinois 1895 1993–94 1995–96 Public 25,313 Mid-Continent[c] MAC
University of Southwestern Louisiana[d] Ragin' Cajuns Lafayette, Louisiana 1898 1993 1996 Public 19,188 Sun Belt
Notes
  1. ^ Currently known as the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
  2. ^ 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 (–96 school year, then re-joined in 1999, only to leave again after the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).
  3. ^ Currently known as the Summit League.
  4. ^ Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and branded for sports purposes as "Louisiana".

Membership timeline

[edit]
University of California, San DiegoNCAA Division III independent schoolsCalifornia State University, BakersfieldCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationUniversity 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, SacramentoBig Sky ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of IdahoBig Sky ConferencePac-12 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceBoise State UniversityBig Sky ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceConference 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 ConferenceMountain West ConferenceUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaWestern 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 BeachUniversity 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 ConferenceSan Diego State UniversityCalifornia Collegiate Athletic AssociationCalifornia State University, Los Angeles

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Assoc. members (football only)  Assoc. member (Other sports)  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.[16]

In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won four College World Series titles with national championships in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004.[17] In addition, Long Beach State and UC Irvine have made multiple appearances in the College World Series. Fullerton also has a national championship in softball, winning in 1984. 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, and 2019. 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, Hawaii, 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.[18]

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 will remain eligible for such during the D-I transition.[19]

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.

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		 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 Yes Yes Yes No No 8
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 No Yes Yes No No 7
UC San Diego Yes Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UC Santa Barbara Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Totals 11 11 9 10+2[b] 9+1[c] 5 7 10 6 6 84+3
  1. ^ Competes as an independent in Cross Country. Therefore are not included in the conference numbers.
  2. ^ Affiliate members Idaho and Sacramento State.
  3. ^ Affiliate member Sacramento State.
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
School Fencing[a] Football[b] Rowing[c] 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
Hawai'i No Mountain West No No No
Long Beach State No No ACRA MPSF No
UC Davis No Big Sky ACRA No No
UC Irvine No No ACRA No No
UC Riverside No No No Independent No
UC San Diego MPSF No IRA No No
UC Santa Barbara No No ACRA Independent No
  1. ^ NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding separate men's and women's squads and all bouts involving members of the same sex. The only Big West member that sponsors the sport, UC San Diego, fields both squads.
  2. ^ Hawai'i competes at the FBS level, while Cal Poly and UC Davis compete at the FCS level.
  3. ^ 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.

Women's sponsored sports by school

[edit]
School Basket­ball Beach Volleyball Cross
Country		 Golf Soccer Softball Swimming
& diving		 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 Yes Yes Yes Yes No 10
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[a] No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
UC Santa Barbara Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Totals 11 6+1[b] 11 9 11 10 6 10 11 11 8 104+1
  1. ^ Competes as an independent in Cross Country. Therefore are not included in the conference numbers.
  2. ^ Affiliate member Sacramento State.
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
School Fencing[a] Field Hockey Gymnastics Lacrosse Rowing Sailing Track & Field
(Indoor)
Bakersfield No No No No No No Independent
Cal Poly No No No No No No Independent
Cal State Fullerton No No No No No No MPSF
Cal State Northridge No No No No No No MPSF
Hawai'i No No No No No PCCSC MPSF
Long Beach State No No No No ACRA No MPSF
UC Davis No America East MPSF Big 12 ACRA No Independent
UC Irvine No No No No ACRA No MPSF
UC San Diego MPSF No No No CAA No No
UC Santa Barbara No No No No ACRA No Independent
  1. ^ NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding separate men's and women's squads and all bouts involving members of the same sex. The only Big West member that sponsors the sport, UC San Diego, fields both squads.

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 will be added in 2024–25.[20]

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

Season Sport Men's
champion		 Women's
champion
Fall 2024 Cross country Cal Poly Cal Poly
Soccer Cal Poly (RS)
TBD (T)		 Hawaiʻi(RS)
TBD (T)
Water polo UC Irvine (RS)
Volleyball   TBD
Winter 2023–24 Swimming & diving To be added in 2024–25 To be added in 2024–25
Basketball UC Irvine (RS)
Long Beach State (T)		 Hawaiʻi (RS)
UC Irvine (T)
Spring 2024 Golf Long Beach State Long Beach State
Volleyball Long Beach State (RS & T)
Beach volleyball   Cal Poly (RS)
Hawaiʻi (T)
Tennis UC Santa Barbara (RS)

UC Irvine (T)

UC Santa Barbara (RS)

Cal Poly (T)

Water polo   Hawaiʻi (RS & T)
Track & field (outdoor) Cal Poly Cal Poly
Softball   Cal State Fullerton[a]
Baseball UC Santa Barbara[a]
  1. ^ a b The Big West does not currently hold a postseason tournament in baseball or softball, but will add both tournaments in the 2025 season.

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)[21]

The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season.[22]

Facilities

[edit]
School Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity Soccer stadium Capacity
Bakersfield Icardo Center 3,800 Hardt Field 900 Main Soccer Field 2,500
Cal Poly Mott Athletics Center 3,032 Robin Baggett Stadium 3,138 Mustang Memorial Field[23] 11,075
Cal State Fullerton Titan Gym 4,000 Goodwin Field 3,500 Titan Stadium 10,000
Cal State Northridge Premier America Credit Union Arena 2,400 Matador Field 1,000 Matador Soccer Field 1,550
Hawaiʻi Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 Les Murakami Stadium 4,312 Waipiʻo Soccer Stadium 4,500
Long Beach State Walter Pyramid 5,000[24] Blair Field 3,238 George Allen Field 1,000
Sacramento State Men's Soccer Member Only Hornet Soccer Field 1,500
UC Davis University Credit Union Center 7,600 Dobbins Stadium 3,500 Aggie Field 1,000
UC Irvine Bren Events Center 4,984 Cicerone Field 2,900 Anteater Stadium 2,500
UC Riverside Student Recreation Center 3,168 Riverside Sports Complex 2,500 UCR Soccer Stadium 900
UC San Diego LionTree Arena 4,200 Triton Ballpark 1,200 Triton Soccer Stadium 1,750
UC Santa Barbara The Thunderdome 5,600 Caesar Uyesaka Stadium 1,000 Harder Stadium 17,000

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.[25] The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the most successful team to date having won 10 total trophies.[26]

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 5

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
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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

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Since 2021, the Big West Conference has served as host of the SoCal Challenge,[27] an eight-team men's basketball tournament held during Monday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. One Big West team represents the conference in the field of each tournament. Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge participated in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Big West Conference Logos". SportsLogos.Net. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  9. ^ Reid, Jason (February 19, 1996). "This Conference Now Little West". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  10. ^ As of June 30, 2023. "U.S. and Canadian 2023 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2023 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY22 to FY23, and FY23 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLSX). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  11. ^ "Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Bakersfield Roadrunners. September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "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]
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "MEN'S SOCCER JOINS BIG WEST CONFERENCE". Sacramento State Hornets. July 5, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  15. ^ "Sand Volleyball to Join the Big West Conference". Sacramento State Hornets. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on Dec 23, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  16. ^ "Big West Board of Directors Approves New Initiatives at Annual Spring Meeting". Big West Conference. June 9, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "College World Series: Everything you need to know about Cal State Fullerton". NCAA.com. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  18. ^ "Big West Announces 2012 Baseball Awards". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-07./story.asp?story_id=19222
  19. ^ "CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference". Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  20. ^ "About The Big West". Big West Conference. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  21. ^ Big West Football. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  22. ^ Big West Conference. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  23. ^ "Cal Poly's Football and Soccer Stadium Has a New Field Name". gopoly.com. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  24. ^ "The Mike and Arlene Walter Pyramid". California State University, Long Beach. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  25. ^ "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.
  26. ^ "Big West Commissioner's Cup History". Big West Conference. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  27. ^ "Buckets & Beaches: Southern California's Premier NCAA D1 Men's College Basketball Tournament". Southern California Challenge. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
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