Fresno Pacific University officially has a conference destination for its anticipated move to the NCAA Division II, accepting an invitation to join the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) upon acceptance into the NCAA. FPU submitted its application for NCAA membership last week and expects a decision from the national office by mid-July.
University President D. Merrill Ewert accepted the invitation on behalf of FPU, after being informed by PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue of the school's unanimous approval by the presidents, chancellors and chief executive officers of each PacWest institution.
“After carefully reviewing our options for conference affiliation, Fresno Pacific has decided to accept the invitation of the Pacific West Conference, contingent upon our acceptance into the NCAA,” said President Ewert. “The PacWest is a great fit with our university's core values, aligns us with like-minded institutions, and will enable our student-athletes to continue to compete at a high level.”
Current Golden State Athletic Conference members Azusa Pacific University and Point Loma Nazarene University also made the announcement this morning that they will be joining FPU in the wave of conference expansion to the PacWest. Also joining the conference, if accepted by the NCAA, will be Holy Names University in Oakland. The potential expansion would bring the 10-team league's membership to 14.
California Baptist University, which recently completed its final season in the GSAC after being accepted into the NCAA membership process, officially joined the PacWest last October and will begin play this fall.
“We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to join the Pacific West Conference,” said FPU Director of Athletics Dr. Dennis Janzen. “FPU looks forward to both renewing and maintaining the athletic relationships we've enjoyed for many years in the GSAC. It is our belief that the Pacific West Conference is becoming one of the premier athletic conferences in the NCAA Division II and we are delighted with the PacWest's invitation and support for our membership.”
FPU currently competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Sunbirds have become dominant at the NAIA level with nine national championships since 2007. After two years of assessing future options, alongside fellow GSAC members, the decision was made to make application to the NCAA this summer.
If accepted into the NCAA membership process, the upcoming 2011-12 season would be the Sunbirds' final season in the NAIA. FPU would begin playing a full PacWest schedule, and be immediately eligible for conference championships and awards, beginning with the 2012-13 athletic year.
The 2011-12 season would also be FPU's final year in the GSAC, the university's athletic home for more than 25 years. FPU was a charter member of the GSAC in 1986, captured the conference's first ever championship that fall (Women's Cross Country) and has won 45 conference titles since.
“We have enjoyed being a part of the Golden State Athletic Conference since its inception,” said President Ewert. “The GSAC's core values reflect who we are as an athletics program. Membership in the PacWest will enable us to continue many of the historical rivalries that energize our students, connect with our alumni and motivate our fan base.”
The PacWest currently offers championships for 11 sports, a number that will expand to 13 with the new additions. Fall sports will include men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, and men's & women's cross country. Men's and women's basketball will be the winter sports. In the spring, the league offers women's tennis, men's golf, softball and baseball.
Men's tennis and women's golf will be added to the spring roster as official conference sports beginning in 2012-13. There is also potential for men's & women's track & field and men's & women's swimming with the new additions. The FPU men's & women's water polo teams would join the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA), markingthe first time FPU water polo would have an affiliation as the sport is not offered by the NAIA.
Known as the NCAA's “most scenic destination conference”, the conference currently features four schools in Hawaii, three in Northern California, one in Arizona and one in Utah, in addition to California Baptist.
With the expansion the PacWest has positioned itself to become one of the most competitive conferences at the Division II level. The conference can also expect increased exposure due to the fact that it will field teams in seven of the nation's 50 largest cities (Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Fresno and Honolulu).
“The addition of these four outstanding schools will greatly enhance the strength and image of our fast-rising conference,” Commissioner Hogue stated. “Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, Holy Names and Point Loma Nazarene all have tremendous traditions in athletics, and all are every bit as successful academically. We are incredibly proud to invite these fantastic institutions into the PacWest - and we believe that their acceptance into NCAA Division II membership will soon position us as one of the premier NCAA Division II conferences in the nation.”
Hogue added that Fresno Pacific specifically is quite an addition to the conference, due to what the Sunbirds bring competitively and academically.
“The PacWest is incredibly proud that Fresno Pacific has accepted our invitation of membership,” said Hogue. “The Sunbirds' outstanding reputation, and tradition of excellence in athletics and academics, makes them a perfect fit.”
University officials spent the last year meeting with every NCAA Division II conference in the West, and received significant interest from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) as well.
“We were thrilled to also receive strong support for membership from the California Collegiate Athletic Association,” said Janzen, who noted that FPU is looking forward to playing CCAA opponents such as CSU Stanislaus in non-conference games.
“The CCAA is one of the best conferences in the NCAA and we appreciate the work that Bob Hiegert, the CCAA Commissioner, and many other CCAA leaders did on our behalf during the membership discernment process.”
With possibly more teams changing national affiliation in the coming years, Janzen believes that the decision to affiliate with the PacWest and remain with like-minded institutions will make for a bright future.
“These are very dynamic and interesting times throughout collegiate athletics with so much membership movement between conferences and national affiliations,” said Janzen. “FPU is very pleased to be positioned with the Pacific West Conference as we move into an exciting future for Sunbird athletics.”
Current Pacific West Conference members
Academy of Art University (San Francisco, Calif.)
Brigham Young University-Hawaii (Laie, Hawaii)
California Baptist University (Riverside, Calif.)
Chaminade University (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Dixie State College (St. George, Utah)
Dominican University (San Rafael, Calif.)
Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Hawaii Pacific University (Honolulu, Hawaii)
University of Hawaii-Hilo (Hilo, Hawaii)
Notre Dame de Namur University (Belmont, Calif.)
The PacWest is recognized for its outstanding athletic programs and student athletes. In 2010, Hawaii Pacific claimed the NCAA Division II Softball Championship, while this year Grand Canyon's Samantha Murphy was named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year and the Capital One/CoSIDA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's basketball.
Past NCAA II National Championships include BYU-Hawaii in women's tennis and women's volleyball, and Hawaii Pacific in women's volleyball. This year, the BYU-Hawaii men's basketball team reached the NCAA Division II National Championship in men's basketball that was televised live on CBS.
Bob Hogue leads the PacWest as its commissioner. He joined the league in 2007 season and has overseen expansion of the conference that has doubled during his tenure. He is a former state senator from Hawaii with more than 20 years of experience as a broadcaster.
Tom Di Camillo, who spent 17 years as the sports information director at NCAA Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania, joined the PacWest in 2006 and serves as the assistant commissioner for media relations. On July 1, 2011, Di Camillo will become the first non-Division I president of the College Sports Information Directors of America in nearly 50 years.
