Boise State added to Big West

Boise State is joining the Big West Conference, the Big West Board of Directors announced Friday.

Boise State, which initially competed in the Big West from 1996-2001, represents the third recent membership addition to the conference, which will have 11 members beginning next fall. The University of Hawai’i officially joined the Big West on July 1, 2012. San Diego State University and Boise State are simultaneously set to come on board effective July 1, 2013.

“The Big West Conference welcomes an established, nationally recognized institution in Boise State at a time of unprecedented growth for its members,” said Long Beach State University President Dr. F. King Alexander, Chair of the Big West Board of Directors. “We look forward to BSU contributing to the conference’s national standing as it continues to evolve.”

Beginning in 2013-14, Boise State will participate in 13 Big West championship sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s volleyball.

The BSU and SDSU football programs will compete in the Big East Conference beginning in 2013.

“The additions of Hawai’i, San Diego State and now Boise State have presented opportunities for the Big West Conference to further grow its national profile,” said Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. “The establishment of the Big West Basketball Tournament at Anaheim’s Honda Center, heightened television exposure and a fortified group of members have positioned the Conference for continued success moving forward.”

The Big West Conference currently includes Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UCI, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific.

Pacific will no longer be a conference member effective July 1, 2013.

— From staff reports