University of Denver joins the conference realignment party

Following in the footsteps of its in-state brethren, Colorado and Colorado State, plus many more across college sports, the University of Denver is switching conferences, the school shared.

The Pioneers are leaving the Summit League for the West Coast Conference, where they will be a member in nine sports starting next year.

“This is an exciting day for the University of Denver and an incredible opportunity to continue to advance our exceptional academic and athletic programs,” DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said in a release. “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 has played in the Summit League since 2013.

“The University of Denver is a superb addition to the growing constellation of top-flight schools in the West Coast Conference,” said Christopher Callahan, President of University of the Pacific and Chair of the West Coast Conference Presidents’ Council, in a release. “Under the outstanding leadership of Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, Denver is an academically strong university with a championship-winning pedigree in athletics.

The biggest question for many will be about hockey, which the WCC does not have. The Pios will remain in the same conference affiliations for hockey (NCHC), gymnastics (Big 12), men’s and women’s lacrosse (BIG EAST) and the men’s and women’s skiing (RMISA) programs.

The WCC has many similar schools to Denver. It’s a league full many non-football schools that are small and private. Denver’s enrollment is around the same as that of WCC members San Diego, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

The WCC is a strong basketball league, a sport the Pios have really struggled at. They haven’t even had a winning record since 2016-17. DU will enter as Gonzaga leaves, joining the CSU Rams in the Pac-12.

And the game of musical chairs may not be over with one person already speculating that DU could be joined by St. Thomas before the dust settles in the WCC.

“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,” West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson said in a relase. “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.”

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