About The Big West Conference

The Big West Conference enters the 2011-12 season in its 43rd year of operation. There are 16 conference-sponsored sports in the Big West. Women’s sports are comprised of soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, golf, tennis, softball, track and field and water polo. Men’s sports include soccer, cross country, basketball, golf, tennis, baseball and track and field.

Over four-plus decades, the conference has striven for athletic and academic success, and has accomplished those goals to a large degree. The conference has undergone membership changes throughout its long history, the most recent ones significantly enhancing its stability.

Following the 2004-05 academic year, Idaho and Utah State left the Big West, creating an eight-team league comprised of all California schools: Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. A ninth school from the Golden State – UC Davis – became the newest member of the Big West on July 1, 2007 after completing a four-year reclassification process from Division II to Division I. The Big West owns the distinction of being the nation’s only conference with its entire membership located in one state.

However, that distinction will change with the beginning of the 2012-13 season. The University of Hawai’i will become the Big West’s 10th official member.

No matter what the membership makeup, the Big West always has stacked up well against the rest of the nation. In fact, the conference has claimed 17 team national championships in its history, including six in women’s volleyball, two in baseball, one in softball and one in men’s basketball. Men’s soccer was the newest sport added to the list when UC Santa Barbara claimed the national title in 2006.

Individually, Big West athletes also have claimed several titles in such sports as swimming, track and field, and golf. In fact, Cal State Northridge junior Dashalle Andrews was the 26th Big West student-athlete to capture a crown when he won the long jump competition at the national meet in 2007.

The conference’s overall success has been measured through the results of such competitions as the Learfield Sports Directors Cup. Presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Cup gauges the best overall collegiate athletics programs in NCAA Division I according to their finishes in NCAA postseason play. In 2010-11, UC Irvine (No. 78) placed second among NCAA Division I non-football playing schools and finished in the top five among Division I-AAA schools, and in the top 100 overall, for the fifth straight year The Big West had as many as five schools ranked in the top 100 in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Big West athletes also have succeeded on a worldwide stage in such international competitions as the Olympics, Pan-American Games and World Cup. A sampling of athletes who have competed at the Olympic level include Long Beach State’s Tara Cross-Battle, Tayyiba Haneef and Danielle Scott (women’s indoor volleyball), Pacific’s Jennifer Joines (women’s indoor volleyball), and Misty May (women’s beach volleyball); UC Santa Barbara’s Jason Lezak (men’s swimming), Cal State Fullerton’s Leon Wood and Bruce Bowen (men’s basketball) and Jenny Topping (softball); Pacific’s Elaina Oden (women’s volleyball) and Brad Schumacher (men’s swimming); UC Irvine’s Steve Scott (men’s track and field); and Cal Poly’s Stephanie Brown-Trafton and Sharon Day (women’s track and field).

Brown-Trafton won the gold medal in the discus at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. May won gold in beach volleyball for the second consecutive Olympics, and Joines helped her indoor volleyball team capture silver. Lezak swam the fastest anchor leg in history to help the United States win the 4x100 freestyle relay, helping teammate Michael Phelps eventually break the record for most gold medals in an Olympic Games. UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer alum Tony Lochhead competed for his native New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

BIG WEST SUCCESS FOUND IN ALL SPORTS – 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW

The 2010-11 campaign had several team and individual highlights and accomplishments to raise the Big West’s overall league profile.

Women’s soccer took center stage during the Big West fall sports season as UC Irvine became just the second program in conference history to reach the Sweet 16. The Anteaters hosted three games in the NCAA Tournament, piling up victories against Arizona State and Wake Forest before falling in heartbreaking fashion to Washington in overtime. The Anteaters tied the Big West record for most wins in a season (19) and became the first program to complete the conference ledger unbeaten and untied at 8-0-0. UCI finished No. 14 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. Long Beach State joined UCI in the NCAA Tournament field after winning the Big West Tournament for the first time in school history. The 49ers tied the school record with 14 victories as the Big West sported two postseason women’s soccer clubs for the second time in conference history.

For the first time in four seasons, men’s soccer did not produce multiple postseason squads but UC Santa Barbara captured its first Big West Tournament title to earn entry into its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Gauchos defeated Denver in double overtime in first round action, marking the eighth time in those nine trips that UCSB has recorded at least one NCAA triumph. UCSB also broke the NCAA Division I single-season attendance record with an average showing of 5,873 fans per game, including the third-highest single-game total in history with 15,896 mostly Gaucho supporters attending a Sept. 24, 2010 match against UCLA.

Women’s volleyball parted ways with tradition as a new face ascended to the top of the conference - Cal State Fullerton. The Titans, which never finished higher than fifth prior to 2010, won their first regular season championship with a 14-2 record. They surpassed the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history, finishing 26-6 overall, and were one of two programs to represent the Big West in the NCAA Tournament. Long Beach State gained an at-large bid for its 24th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Both the Titans and 49ers were unable to pick up NCAA first round wins. LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro arrived at a milestone with his 700th career coaching victory.

In cross country, the UC Davis men ended a seven-year reign by Cal Poly as the Aggies captured their first Big West title by a narrow two-point margin. The UC Santa Barbara women won their second straight title and sixth overall since 2003, mimicking their male counterparts from UCD with a two-point victory. Top 10 individual finishes at the West Regional by UC Santa Barbara women’s teammates Amanda Moreno and Breanne Strenkowski, as well as Jon Peterson of UC Davis and UC Riverside’s Chad Hall on the men’s side earned them all individual at-large invitations to the NCAA Championships. Peterson captured All-America honors with an impressive 14th place finish.

Transitioning into the winter sports campaign, women’s basketball was represented by four postseason programs. UC Davis reached its first NCAA Tournament thanks to an inaugural Big West Tournament crown. The Aggies won 24 games in sending off longtime head coach Sandy Simpson into retirement on a good note. Meanwhile, regular season co-champions Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara joined UC Riverside as league representatives in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Although the postseason did not produce any victories, the four partcipating teams won a combined 80 games. The season culminated in the third round selection of UC Santa Barbara’s Mekia Valentine to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Draft.

Men’s basketball sent two squads to postseason play in the form of UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State. The Gauchos became the first fifth seed in Big West history to win the tournament title, securing their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. UCSB was tripped up in the first round by Florida. The 49ers continued their upward climb to notoreity with a 22-win season and berth in the National Invitation Tournament. LBSU was upended in the NIT first round by Washington State. LBSU won the regular season title by a whopping four games while playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country.

The 2010-11 basketball campaign was also noteworthy in terms of the new partnership between the Big West and Honda Center as host of the conference tournament. Year one netted a three-day total of 15,396 fans, which cumulatively represented a 47% increase over last year. Saturday’s men’s and women’s championship combined attendance of 6,474 was a single-day increase of 68%.

As competition shifted to the spring sports season, more achievements took place on the diamond, court and pool.

For the second straight season, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine represented the Big West in the NCAA Championship. It marked the 20th straight NCAA appearance for the Titans and the sixth consecutive for the Anteaters. CSF, which won its ninth Big West regular season title in the last 13 years, were eliminated from its own NCAA-hosted regional but still finished with a 41-17 record to make it four seasons in a row with 40 wins. UCI swept through the Los Angeles Regional with wins over Fresno State, San Francisco and UCLA to advance to the Super Regional round against top-ranked Virginia. The Anteaters were one out away from punching a ticket to the College World Series, but lost a 3-2 heartbreaker in the third and deciding game to the Cavaliers. The season culminated with 37 Big West players being selected in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Softball experiencd a bounceback season as two clubs advanced to the postseason in 2011 after last year netted just a solo representative. A perennial Big West success story, Pacific surprisingly had never won a conference championship…until 2011. The Tigers posted a 16-5 league mark to outdistance Long Beach State by one game for the crown. Pacific returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The 49ers garnered at-large entry into the NCAA field, the 20th appearance all-time for the program, tying them for the most in Big West annals. Cal State Fullerton’s Michelle Gromacki reached a milestone as the 12th-year head coach earned her 400th career win.

UC Irvine continued a mini dynasty in women’s water polo, winning its third Big West Tournament title in as many years. The top-seeded Anteaters went undefeated in five regular season and two tournament matches, moving to 8-0 all-time in tournament play. The reward was an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, a first for the Big West. UCI pinned down the No. 5 seed in the eight-team tournament, and after a close loss to fourth-seeded USC in the first match, defeated Iona and Indiana to wrap up fifth place. UCI equalled the school record for victories in a season with 23. Five Big West teams finished in the top 20 of the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll, led by UCI at No. 7.

In golf, two men’s individuals and the UC Davis women’s team competed at the NCAA Championships. Cal Poly’s Geoff Gonzalez and NCAA Southwest Regional individual medalist Matt Hansen of UC Davis represented the Big West on the men’s side. UC Davis, which broke an 11-year Big West Women’s Golf Championship record for lowest score, carded a three-day total of 867 to best the old record of 871 by New Mexico State in 1999. The Aggie women continued to perform solidly at the NCAA West Regional, where they tied for third and qualified for their second NCAA Championship berth in four years. Cal State Northridge’s Nick Delio and Hansen were named to the PING All-West Region Team. Hansen was part of a dominating UC Davis men’s squad which won the Big West Championship by 17 strokes, marking its second title in three years.

Tennis enjoyed a successful season as both the men and women sent two teams to NCAA Championship play. Men’s tennis had two representatives for the first time since 2000 as UC Irvine and Cal Poly competed for the Big West. It was the second straight NCAA appearance for the Anteaters and the first in school history for the Mustangs, which qualified as an at-large team. UCI became the first men’s squad to sweep the league regular season slate, going 5-0 and claiming the top seed in the conference tournament. The Anteaters went on to capture their second straight tournament title. Women’s tennis featured regular season co-champions Long Beach State and Cal Poly as the conference’s NCAA Tournament representatives. The 49ers shook off the disappointment of seeing their six-year reign of Big West Tournament titles end in 2010, rebounding with a resounding run through this year’s field. For Cal Poly, not only did the program record its first Big West regular season title, but sent head coach Hugh Bream off into retirement with an at-large bid to the NCAA’s. UCI’s Chris Kearney and the Cal Poly duo of Andre Dome and Alexander Sonesson competed in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

In track and field, the Cal State Northridge women won their sixth straight championship, eighth overall and sent head coach Don Strametz into retirement on a happy note. The Long Beach State men captured their sixth title overall and first since 2008. The Big West sent 11 athletes to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa with each of them claiming All-American status. On the women’s side, Cal State Fullerton’s Ciara Short (400), Cal Poly’s Jasmine Pickett (triple jump) and Long Beach State’s Randi Hicks (javelin) earned first team All-America accolades for finishing in the top eight in their respective events. UC Riverside’s Allison Wilder (triple jump) and Cal State Northridge’s Sherrina Lofton (heptathlon) claimed second team honors after coming in ninth and 16th place, respectively. Six men’s athletes earned All-America recognition, including a pair of first teamers in the 800. UC Irvine’s Charles Jock and UC Santa Barbara’s Ryan Martin finished second and eighth in the event, respectively.

In all, 17 Big West teams and 20 individual athletes participated in NCAA postseason competition this past season. A total of 27 Big West student-athletes earned All-America honors in 2010-11.

THE BEGINNING
The Big West Conference was formed as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association on July 1, 1969. However, the unofficial history of the conference pre-dates that point of time, extending back to 1967.

Cal State LA, Fresno State, Long Beach State and San Diego State were members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, long recognized as the nation's premier college circuit.

That conference was classified college division, and therein lay a major source of dissatisfaction. Since 1963, the four institutions had captured 16 national titles. The number swelled to 21 if the mythical football championships were included.

With no more territory to conquer at the college division, a step up to university ranks had to be considered.

At the time, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific were members of the West Coast Athletic Conference but were enduring a strained relationship due to the limit of conference sports sponsored. That, plus the fact that national football figures PAC and SJSU were already competing as independents, led the schools to pursue a more broad-based conference alignment.

Therefore, officials of the seven colleges and universities assembled as a body in May of 1969, tied up loose ends and less than two months later the PCAA was born.

Direction in the early days of the conference came from such men as Dr. Stephen Goodspeed, vice-chancellor at UC Santa Barbara, the first president and chairman of the founders committee. J. Kenneth Fagans provided guidance as the league's first commissioner. Jesse T. Hill, one of the nation's most successful directors of athletics at USC, followed Fagans as the conference's first full-time commissioner.

SJSU was already labeled a university division school in all sports when the PCAA emerged. San Diego State and Pacific were granted university division status in the summer of 1970 and the remaining conference members shed the college division moniker by 1972.

The original PCAA lineup changed in the early years and by 1975, charter members UCSB and CSLA had dropped football and SDSU left the conference in football only. In 1974, Cal State Fullerton moved into the conference. By 1977, UC Irvine joined the Big West and UCSB was back in - both as non-football playing institutions - while Utah State became the first non-California member of the circuit, transforming the PCAA into a regional conference.

UNLV (1981) and New Mexico State (1984) soon followed suit, bringing the league's membership to 10 universities.

In the fall of 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to incorporate women's athletic programs into the conference. Charter women's members UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and UNLV competed in five championships.

By the end of 1985, Pacific, Hawai'i, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, San Diego State, Fresno State and San Jose State had joined the women's conference. The PCAA upped its women's sponsorship to eight championships.

The PCAA began its 20th year of existence in 1988 by changing its name to the Big West Conference. With the inclusion of the states of Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico, the term -Big West- more accurately represented the conference. Since the name Big West has been used, conference teams have won nine NCAA team championships, establishing the Big West's winning identity that is recognized nationally. Even though the Big West is again an all-California conference, the name Big West still embodies the identity, history, and tradition of excellence the conference has achieved, making it a well-known entity in collegiate athletics.