Denver to the WCC: Fall Sports Trio Set to Lead March into New League

The Pioneers men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball programs will open the University’s inaugural season in the West Coast Conference this August

DENVER – The University of Denver officially joined the West Coast Conference as a competing member on Wednesday, July 1, and over the last week, DenverPioneers.com has taken a look at storylines associated with the conference transition.

During its 13 seasons in the Summit League, Denver's three fall sports combined for 45 of a maximum 77 trophies between the league's regular season and tournament titles, and made 22 of a possible 39 NCAA Tournament appearances. While the goals for Denver's men's and women's soccer and volleyball programs haven't changed, the difficulty in conference competition will take a major step forward as Denver embarks on its first West Coast Conference journey this September.

Many of the West Coast Conference programs have been Division I athletic departments as far back as they can remember, while Denver's fall sports made the full transition to Division I in the late 1990s.

Women's Soccer:
Including Denver, the now 10-team West Coast Conference has six women's soccer programs that finished in the top 100 of the RPI last season in Saint Mary's (41), Pepperdine (63), Seattle (65), Denver (74), Portland (75) and Santa Clara (85).

Last season, the West Coast Conference had five teams finish with at least 20 points out of a possible 33, and it was very tight at the top. Pepperdine garnered 25 points to finish atop the table and earn the conference's automatic bid. Saint Mary's and Portland finished just a point off the pace at 7-1-3 apiece. Seattle and Gonzaga finished in a tie for fourth with 20.

The West Coast Conference will have postseason soccer tournaments for the first time in 2026 with four teams qualifying for the tournament. Denver's conference opponents have combined for 96 NCAA Tournament appearances in their history. The Pioneers' 12 NCAA Tournament appearances rank fifth in the West Coast Conference, though the Pioneers have been a Division I athletic program for just 28 years.

"We're really excited for the West Coast Conference," women's soccer head coach Julianne Sitch said. "It's an honor to be a part of one of the top women's soccer conferences in the country. We're ready to jump in and compete against high-quality teams and coaches across the entire league. I think this is a great fit for our institution as well, giving us the opportunity to play against other non-football programs that have high academics. DU fits right into there. We can't wait to get started this fall."

Men's Soccer:
Including the addition of Denver to the West Coast Conference, the WCC will have seven teams that finished in the top 105 of the RPI last season, including four that finished in the top 50 and three that were in the top 20: San Diego (9), Portland (10) and Denver (20).

In the entirety of the 2026 schedule, Denver will play 14 of its 16 matches against teams that finished in the top 111 of the RPI last season including eight that finished in the top 50 and five that finished in the top 25.

San Diego won the 2025 regular season title and earned the WCC's automatic bid with 22 of a possible 27 points. Portland finished second on 20 points.

The West Coast Conference in 2026 has three teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Portland earned the No. 8 overall seed, eliminated Denver and reached the national quarterfinals. San Diego earned the No. 9 seed and was beaten in its tournament opener in the second round. Denver won its tournament opener before falling on penalties at Portland.

Semifinal matches for both the men's and women's soccer tournaments will be played on Wednesday, November 11, and the final will be played on Saturday, November 14, at the campus site of each tournament's top seed.

Denver has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances since rejoining the Division I ranks in 1998, in addition to its first NCAA postseason appearance in 1970. Denver's eight West Coast Conference foes have combined for 122 NCAA Tournament appearances.

"I think what makes us most excited about joining the West Coast Conference is the profiles of the other institutions, and that we feel they fit in really well with the University of Denver and the type of student-athlete experience that we have," Jack and Sheila Weinberg Head Men's Soccer Coach Jamie Franks said. "We're excited for the facilities, the competition and the challenges ahead. We've played a lot of WCC teams throughout the years, and we're excited to continue and enhance those rivalries."

Volleyball:
Denver is one of four teams in the 10-team West Coast Conference in 2026 that finished in the top half of the country in the RPI last season. San Diego (33) and Pepperdine (44) both finished in the top 50. San Diego earned an eight seed in Nebraska's region in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Kansas State in five sets in the first round.

"We could not be more excited to join the WCC," volleyball head coach Megan Pendergast said. "It's a historic volleyball league where teams are making deep runs into the (NCAA) tournament, and the athletic departments and schools are high academic institutions. It just makes sense for Denver. We're looking forward to joining and competing in the league."

A season ago, San Diego finished a perfect 18-0 in the West Coast Conference and 25-4 overall in the regular season. Pepperdine went 15-3 to take second, and Santa Clara finished fourth at 12-6.

Volleyball's regular season champion after a double round-robin earns the West Coast Conference's automatic bid, with at-large bids also a possibility. Denver, in its DI history that only dates back to 1998, has made six NCAA Tournament appearances. The WCC's retained membership has combined for 118 NCAA Tournament appearances.

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