University of Denver Accepts Invitation to Join the West Coast Conference

The University of Denver (DU) has accepted a formalinvitation to join the West Coast Conference. The new alignment takes effect on July 1, 2026, and positions DU to join highly regarded academic and athletic institutions in a premiere conference.

The move provides Denver's Home for College Sports with a significant boost to the overall reputation of the university and brand association. DU joins a conference with prestigious and mostly private institutions with similar academic profiles that will further strengthen the university's position in the West and nationally.

"This is an exciting day for the University of Denver and an incredible opportunity to continue to advance our exceptional academic and athletic programs," says DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. "The excellence of schools that are part of the West Coast Conference is a perfect complement to DU and will help us continue to recruit the very best students and faculty."

Denver's nine athletic programs that will be joining the West Coast Conference in its existing sports are men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. A conference transition plan for men's and women's swimming and diving is in place and will be announced at a later date. DU's transition to the West Coast Conference does not impact conference affiliations for hockey (NCHC), gymnastics (Big 12), men's and women's lacrosse (BIG EAST), men's and women's alpine and nordicskiing (RMISA), and triathlon (unaffiliated).

With the addition of DU, The West Coast Conference has 10 full members for 2026-27 and will add an 11th school when the University of California San Diego joins the conference in 2027-28. The conference will be home to seven institutions ranked inside the top 120 national universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

"It has long been the ambition of the University of Denver and its community to further align ourselves with institutional peers in the West and that day has now come as we join the academically and athletically prestigious West Coast Conference," says Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo. "I'd like to thank Commissioner Stu Jackson and the institutional leadership of the West Coast Conference for embracing the University of Denver. On behalf of the athletic department, I'd also like to express our deep appreciation to Chancellor Haefner and the board for their leadership to further empower Athletics to contribute to the mission of DU."

DU has active alumni chapters in every West Coast Conference market, including southern California, the Bay Area, and Seattle. California, Washington and Oregon are all three in the top 10 states where University of Denver students call home.

The West Coast Conference brings greater exposure to DUand its athletic programs. The conference has national television deals with ESPN and CBS Sports Network, and in 2023, expanded its relationship with ESPN to utilize ESPN+ as the exclusive digital home for more than 900 conference events a year.

"In the University of Denver, the West Coast Conference adds a geographically-aligned, perennial top performer among the winningest non-football athletic programs in the nation," says Stu Jackson, West Coast Conference Commissioner. "Denver's commitment to elevate men's and women's basketball to a level which matches its nationally recognized success in other sports, while maintaining a focus on student-athlete development and experiences, is among the foundational pillars to this expansion. Their multi-year basketball growth plan shows an intentional focus that meets our basketball-centric identity. The vision of Chancellor Jeremy Haefner and Vice Chancellor for Athletics Josh Berlo to strategically invest in its programs and compete at the highest level aligns with our mission as a premier basketball conference."

Like the entirety of campus, the Ritchie Center athletic facilities are constantly evaluated for necessary improvements and enhancements. DU is scheduled to replace and upgrade the more than decade old seating experience in Hamilton Gymnasium with the installation of individual chairback seats in replacement of the current bleacher bench system. The replacement is scheduled to be completed in advance of the 2026-27 season. Hamilton is home to men's and women's basketball and the women's volleyball programs.