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Great West Conference

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Great West Conference
FormerlyGreat West Football Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded2004
Ceased2013
CommissionerEd Grom
Sports fielded
  • 15
    • men's: 5
    • women's: 9
DivisionDivision I
No. of teams5 (final)
HeadquartersNaperville, Illinois
RegionMidwest and West
Official websitewww.greatwestconference.org
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Great West Conference (GWC) was an NCAA college athletic conference in the continental United States. Originally a football-only league, it became an all-sports entity during the 2008–09 season. The GWC stopped sponsoring football following the 2011 season. The conference became defunct when four of the remaining five full member schools became members of other conferences on July 1, 2013.[1]

History

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Cal Poly, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, and UC Davis inaugurated the Great West Football Conference during the 2004 season. Cal Poly and UC Davis had previously been members of the American West Conference, a similar low-level conference that existed in the 1990s. St. Mary's (CA) was originally slated to join as well, but then dropped the sport six months before the league started play. In 2005, Cal Poly became the first GWFC team ever selected to participate in the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) playoffs.

Northern Colorado departed the Great West for the Big Sky Conference in every sport as of the 2006 football season and 2006–07 academic year. On March 7, 2007, North Dakota State and South Dakota State announced that they would leave the GWFC after the 2007 football season, and join the Gateway Football Conference as of 2008.[2] By the time the two schools actually made the switch, the Gateway had renamed itself the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The duo also placed their other sports, which were then independent, in the Summit League as of the 2008–09 academic year.

On August 2, 2007, North Dakota and South Dakota announced that they would join the Great West Football Conference as of the 2008 season. This agreement allowed the total number of GWFC programs to remain consistent at five, while also retaining the same geographic footprint.

On July 10, 2008, it was made official through a series of press conferences that the Great West would soon transition from a football-only league into an all-sports conference. The charter members included North Dakota, South Dakota, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Houston Baptist, Texas-Pan American, and Utah Valley.[3] On October 22, 2008, Chicago State announced plans to join the newly rechristened GWC as well. Seattle was initially considering membership, but in mid-2011 accepted an invitation to instead join the WAC as of the 2012–13 academic year.

The expanded version of the Great West officially began playing a limited number of sports in the fall of 2008. Despite not sponsoring conference schedules in team sports (except football), the league began awarding "Player of the Week" honors to student-athletes in every sport during the 2008–09 season. The Great West featured championships in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's golf, and women's tennis during the 2008–09 academic year. In 2009–10, regular season schedules and championship tournaments were implemented in women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball.

Due to its newness, the league did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the Great West Conference men's basketball tournament champion received an automatic bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT),[4] while the women's basketball tournament winners went to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

In April 2010, South Dakota publicized intentions to join the Summit League for all sports but football, effective as of the 2011–12 academic year. Seven months later, in November 2010, the school would announce a commitment to the MVFC for football as of the 2012 season. In September 2010, Cal Poly and UC Davis announced that they would join the Big Sky Conference for football by 2012.[5] Then, in November 2010, Southern Utah and North Dakota announced that they would join the Big Sky for all sports by 2012. South Dakota was considering the Big Sky as well, thus canceling the Summit League commitment, before the MVFC offered football-only membership.

With these moves, all football programs would soon leave the Great West, and the league stopped sponsoring the sport following the 2011 season. South Dakota stepped down to football-only status during the 2011–12 academic year, allowing the league to retain five teams in its final season on the gridiron. Overall the conference lost two full members—South Dakota and North Dakota—and six affiliates by the fall of 2012. The affiliate teams were Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Southern Utah in football; Nebraska-Omaha in softball; as well as multi-sport partners Cal State Bakersfield and Seattle.

In November 2011, Houston Baptist reached an agreement to join the Southland Conference as of the 2013–14 academic year. The school also unveiled plans to begin sponsoring football. In September 2012, Utah Valley announced plans to join the Western Athletic Conference for the 2013–14 season. At the beginning of December 2012, Texas–Pan American announced they had received an invitation to join the WAC for 2013–14 school year. On December 5, 2012, Chicago State announced that it would also join the WAC in 2013–14, and two weeks later, Texas–Pan American accepted their invitation. These departures led to the end of the Great West. NJIT, which became an independent after the demise of the Great West, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference on June 11, 2015.

Member schools

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Former full members

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Institution Location Nickname Founded Affiliation Enrollment Joined Left Subsequent
conference(s) 		Current
conference
Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois Cougars 1867 Public 7,131 2008 2013 Western (WAC)
(2013–22)
D-I Independent
(2022–24) 		Northeast
(2024–present)
Houston Baptist University Houston, Texas Huskies 1960 Baptist
(BGCT) 		2,567 2008 2013 Southland
(2013–present)
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey Highlanders 1881 Public 9,944 2008 2013 D-I Independent
(2013–15)
Atlantic Sun (ASUN)
(2015–20) 		America East
(2020–present)
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota Fighting Sioux[a] 1883 Public 15,250 2008 2012 Big Sky
(2012–18) 		Summit[b]
(2018–present)
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota Coyotes 1862 Public 10,284 2008 2011 Summit[c]
(2011–present)
University of Texas–Pan American[d] Edinburg, Texas Broncs 1927 Public 19,302 2008 2013 Western (WAC)
(2013–24) 		Southland
(2024–present)
Utah Valley University Orem, Utah Wolverines 1941 Public 31,556 2008 2013 Western (WAC)
(2013–present)
Notes
  1. ^ North Dakota is now competing as the Fighting Hawks since the 2015–16 school year.
  2. ^ North Dakota joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) for football in the 2020 fall season.
  3. ^ South Dakota remained in the Great West for football in the 2011 fall season, before joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) for football in the 2012 fall season.
  4. ^ Texas–Pan American (UTPA) merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) in 2015, becoming the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros

Former affiliate members

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Institution Location Nickname Founded Affiliation Enrollment Joined Left Current
primary
conference 		Great West
sport
University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado Bears 1889 Public 12,497 2004–05 2005–06 Big Sky football
North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota Bison 1890 Public 14,443 2004–05 2007–08 Summit[a] football
South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota Jackrabbits 1881 Public 12,725 2004–05 2007–08 Summit[b] football
Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah Thunderbirds 1897 Public 8,297 2004–05 2011–12 Western (WAC) football
California Polytechnic State University
(Cal Poly) 		San Luis Obispo, California Mustangs 1901 Public 18,679 2004–05 2011–12 Big West[c] football
University of California, Davis
(UC Davis) 		Davis, California Aggies 1905 Public 31,862 2004–05 2011–12 Big West[d] football
Seattle University Seattle, Washington Redhawks 1891 Catholic
(Jesuit) 		7,755 2010–11 2011–12 Western (WAC) track & field[e]
University of Nebraska Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Mavericks 1908 Public 14,903 2011–12 2011–12 Summit softball
California State University, Bakersfield Bakersfield, California Roadrunners 1965 Public 8,111 2011–12 2011–12 Western (WAC) women's tennis
Delaware State University Dover, Delaware Hornets 1891 Public 4,425 2009 2013 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) women's soccer
Howard University Washington, D.C. Bison 1867 Nonsectarian 10,000 2009–10 2012–13 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) women's soccer
New York Institute of Technology
(NYIT) 		Old Westbury, New York Bears 1955 Nonsectarian 14,000 2009–10 2012–13 N/A[f] baseball
South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina Bulldogs 1896 Public 4,500 2009–10 2012–13 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) women's soccer
Notes
  1. ^ North Dakota State joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) for football in the 2008 fall season.
  2. ^ South Dakota State joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) for football in the 2008 fall season.
  3. ^ Cal Poly joined the Big Sky Conference for football in the 2012 fall season.
  4. ^ UC Davis joined the Big Sky Conference for football in the 2012 fall season.
  5. ^ Seattle joined the Great West for men's & women's indoor track & field and men's & women's outdoor track & field.
  6. ^ New York Tech (NYIT) suspended its athletics program after the 2018–19 school year.

Membership timeline

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California State University, BakersfieldUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaSeattle UniversitySouth Carolina State UniversityNew York Institute of TechnologyHoward UniversityDelaware State UniversityAmerica East ConferenceASUN ConferneceNCAA Division I independent schoolsNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyWestern Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Texas–Pan AmericanWestern Athletic ConferenceUtah Valley UniversitySouthland ConferenceHouston Baptist UniversityNortheast ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsWestern Athletic ConferenceChicago State UniversitySummit LeagueBig Sky ConferenceUniversity of North DakotaSummit LeagueUniversity of South DakotaSouthern Utah UniversityUniversity of California, DavisCalifornia Polytechnic State UniversitySouth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityUniversity of Northern Colorado

Football-only members Full members (including football) Full members (non-football) Associate members, other sports

Football champions

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Locations of final Great West Conference full member institutions.
Season Champions Record
2004 Cal Poly 4–1
2005 Cal Poly and UC Davis 4–1
2006 North Dakota State 4–0
2007 South Dakota State 4–0
2008 Cal Poly 3–0
2009 UC Davis 3–1
2010 Southern Utah 4–0
2011 North Dakota and Cal Poly 3–1

Basketball champions

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In 2010, the Great West Conference sponsored men's and women's basketball championship tournaments for the first time. Both events were held in Orem, Utah, at the UCCU Center, home of Utah Valley University. The top-seeded men from the South Dakota reaffirmed their regular season success with a 91–86 title game victory over runner-up Houston Baptist. On the women's side, Utah Valley took advantage of the crowd's support, as the number six seeds upset their way to the crown by wrapping up the stunning run with a 70–62 triumph over regular season winners North Dakota.

The Great West tournaments returned to the UCCU Center for an encore in 2011, and third-seeded North Dakota claimed the men's championship after a 77–76 double overtime thriller against South Dakota, which was seeded fourth. Regular season winners Chicago State remained true to form in the women's bracket, outlasting third seeds North Dakota by a score of 74–66.

In 2012, the Great West tournaments shifted to the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University. North Dakota became the league's first back-to-back champs, as the second seeds enjoyed a 75–60 victory over fourth-seeded NJIT in the men's final. The weekend would end with a clean sweep for North Dakota, as the program's top-seeded women knocked off regular season runners-up Utah Valley 69–56 to claim their maiden league title.

The Great West Conference never had an automatic bid to the NCAA Men or Women's College Tournament, but the men's champions did receive automatic selection to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, while their female counterparts headed to the Women's Basketball Invitational.

Season Men's Regular Season Winners Men's Tournament Champions Season Women's Regular Season Winners Women's Tournament Champions
2009–10 South Dakota South Dakota 2009–10 North Dakota Utah Valley
2010–11 Utah Valley North Dakota 2010–11 Chicago State Chicago State
2011–12 Utah Valley North Dakota 2011–12 North Dakota North Dakota
2012–13 NJIT Chicago State 2012–13 Utah Valley NJIT

See also

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Baseball champions

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The Great West Conference sponsored its inaugural baseball championship tournament in 2010, and held the event in different cities during each of its four years of existence. The league also experimented with formats, using pool play in 2010 but a traditional double elimination bracket from 2011 to 2013. Utah Valley claimed the first three regular season and tournament championships, while Northern Colorado and Houston Baptist won the final regular season and tournament championships, respectively. As in other sports, the Great West did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship and no teams within the league earned an at-large invitation.

Season Regular Season Winners Tournament Champions
2010 Utah Valley Utah Valley
2011 Utah Valley Utah Valley
2012 Utah Valley Utah Valley
2013 Northern Colorado Houston Baptist

See also

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Other champions

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In addition to formerly sponsoring football; while continuing to sponsor men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball; the Great West Conference sponsored many other sports. The GWC held its own men's golf championship in 2009, but the league's members decided to compete under the banner of the older and larger America Sky Men's Golf Conference starting in 2010, even though the option existed to hold a smaller Great West tournament and then participate in the America Sky event as well. Making men's tennis a league sport was also under discussion, but it never happened because only three schools—Chicago State, NJIT, and Texas Pan-American—had teams as of the 2012 season. The America Sky continued in operation during the 2014 season. That conference was absorbed by the Big Sky Conference in July 2014 once the latter added Idaho as its sixth golf-sponsoring school; the two remaining non-Big Sky members of the America Sky then became Big Sky golf affiliates.

Season Women's Volleyball
Tournament Champions		 Season Women's Soccer
Tournament Champions		 Season Softball
Tournament Champions		 Season Women's Tennis
Tournament Champions
2009 North Dakota 2009 Utah Valley 2010 North Dakota 2010 Texas-Pan American
2010 North Dakota 2010 Houston Baptist 2011 Houston Baptist 2011 NJIT
2011 North Dakota 2011 Utah Valley 2012 Utah Valley 2012 NJIT
Season Men's Cross Country
Champions		 Season Men's Indoor Track & Field
Champions		 Season Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Champions		 Season Men's Golf
Champions
2008 Texas Pan-American 2008–09 South Dakota 2009 Utah Valley 2009 Houston Baptist
2009 Utah Valley 2009–10 South Dakota 2010 Utah Valley 2010 ASMGC: Texas-Pan American
2010 Utah Valley 2010–11 South Dakota 2011 Utah Valley 2011 ASMGC: Weber State
2011 Utah Valley 2011–12 Utah Valley 2012 Utah Valley 2012 ASMGC: Sacramento State
Season Women's Cross Country
Champions		 Season Women's Indoor Track & Field
Champions		 Season Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Champions		 Season Women's Golf
Champions
2008 Utah Valley 2008–09 South Dakota 2009 Utah Valley 2009 Texas-Pan American
2009 Utah Valley 2009–10 South Dakota 2010 Utah Valley 2010 Houston Baptist
2010 Utah Valley 2010–11 South Dakota 2011 Utah Valley 2011 Houston Baptist
2011 Utah Valley 2011–12 Utah Valley 2012 Utah Valley 2012 Houston Baptist

Facilities

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Each full member of the Great West Conference has an on-campus basketball arena. Seating capacities range between 1,500 and 8,500. The full members are joined by three affiliates in baseball, forming an eight-team league. In women's soccer, the presence of three affiliates helped create a six-team league.

Softball previously had four members, with Nebraska-Omaha replacing South Dakota for the 2012 season, but North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha departed at the conclusion of that campaign. This leaves just Houston Baptist and Utah Valley, with no future alignment announced as of August 2012.

School Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity Softball stadium Capacity Soccer complex Capacity
NJIT Fleisher Center 1,500 B&E Riverfront Stadium 6,200 Non-softball school Lubetkin Field 1,000+
NYIT Baseball-only member President's Field 1,000 Baseball-only member
Delaware State Soccer-only member Alumni Stadium 7,193
Howard Soccer-only member William H. Greene Stadium 10,000
South Carolina State Soccer-only member Oliver C. Dawson Stadium 22,000

References

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  1. ^ "Utah Valley University Claims Fourth Consecutive Great West Conference Commissioner's Cup". Great West Conference. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  2. ^ "Gateway Expands To Nine Members". Gateway Football Conference. March 7, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "UVU Joins New Sports Conference". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008.
  4. ^ "GWC Men's Basketball Champion To Receive Bid To CIT". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  5. ^ "The Big Sky Conference - Future Big Sky Institutions". bigskyconf.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012.
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