The Western Athletic Conference has made yet another addition, as Chicago State accepted an invitation to join the conference Wednesday. It is the fourth university to have accepted an invitation this fall and follows the addition of California State-Bakersfield, Utah Valley University and Grand Canyon University.
Chicago State will officially join the conference on July 1, 2013 and will compete in all 14 of its Division 1 sports effective 2013-2014. The WAC’s seventh member is currently a member of the Great West Conference and its president, Wayne D. Watson, expressed his support for the move in a Wednesday press conference.
“Chicago State is taking a bold and ambitious step by joining the Western Athletic Conference,” Watson said. “Now our student-athletes will be featured in several of the nation’s largest media footprints in intercollegiate athletics, reaching tens of millions of households. This is great for Chicago.”
The Cougars compete in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, in addition to volleyball.
The school plans on adding men’s and women’s soccer for the 2014 season.
Interim WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd said the addition of Chicago State is an important step in the conference’s evolution.
“We are pleased to welcome Chicago State University to the WAC family,” Hurd said Wednesday. “As the Western Athletic Conference continues to evolve, we look forward to their contributions including the addition of another large media market to our league. We are also thrilled to be able to provide Chicago State with many more championship opportunities for their student athletes.”
Two of the Great West’s current members, Utah Valley and Chicago State, will join the WAC in 2013-2014, in addition to affiliate member CSUB.
The University of Texas-Pan American, another Great West member, has also received an invitation to join the WAC. The university is expected to accept the invitation once its board of directors gives approval.
If UT-Pan American does join the conference, the WAC will have the required seven Division 1 programs to qualify for NCAA postseason play.
Grand Canyon does not count toward the seven because of its Division II transitional status.
Chicago State’s current enrollment is listed at nearly 7,200. Since the hire of athletic director Dan Schumacher last year, the university has broke ground on a new $2.5 million baseball stadium, signed a television contract and redesigned its athletics website.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]