WAC Committee Formed to Study Starting Women’s League Play

The Western Athletic Conference has formed a committee to study whether it should join the nation’s eight other major college conferences and offer women’s competition.

The plan could mean a realignment of the Santa Ana-based Big West Conference and the elimination of the High Country Athletic Conference, a seven-member women’s conference based in Laramie, Wyo. Eight of the nine WAC schools compete in at least some women’s sports in one of the two conferences.

The likely members of the new women’s conference would be San Diego State (whose women’s teams play in the Big West), Texas El Paso (an independent that competes in three sports in the High Country) and High Country members Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The WAC’s other members--Air Force and Hawaii--likely would not initially join, said Jeff Hurd, WAC associate commissioner. Air Force has women’s enrollment of only about 400 and competes at the NCAA Division II level. Hawaii, whose women’s teams play in the Big West, has expressed concerns about increased travel costs and the quality of competition.

A new league could force several changes in the Big West. San Diego State would leave, but it could be replaced by New Mexico State and Utah State, the other members of the High Country. Both schools’ men’s teams compete in the Big West.