University of Denver Athletics

The West Coast Conference now sits at 10 full members in 2026-27 with the addition of DU and will add an 11th when the University of California San Diego begins play in the conference in 2027-28. Denver will also join current full-time members Loyola Marymount University, University of the Pacific, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary’s College, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University and Seattle University. 

Originally founded in 1952 and with the majority of its current members having joined by the 1970’s, the West Coast Conference is an exceptionally successful and stable league in Division I athletics. They have had a strong NCAA postseason presence in basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, and volleyball.  

Denver’s nine athletic programs that will be joining the West Coast Conference in the conference’s 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 Denver’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs is in place and will be announced at a later date. 

DU’s move does not impact the conference affiliations for Denver’s hockey (NCHC), gymnastics (Big 12), lacrosse (BIG EAST) and skiing (RMISA) programs. Triathlon will also remain independent as an NCAA-emerging sport. The benefit of the transition to those programs is a more recognizable University of Denver brand, especially in the western United States.  

In addition to the conference transition, Denver has also finalized plans to install new individual chairback seating in Hamilton Gymnasium, which is scheduled to be completed prior to the start of the West Coast Conference era at Denver next summer. Season ticket members (full and half) for Denver men’s and women’s basketball and Denver volleyball in 2025-26 will be guaranteed a renewal option for the best seats in Hamilton for the inaugural season in the West Coast Conference in 2026-27. Not a season ticket member? Purchase basketball tickets for THIS SEASON HERE.  You can access all other sports just as you have in the past through the DU Ticket Office. 

The West Coast Conference has national men’s and women’s basketball as well as women’s volleyball television deals with ESPN and CBS Sports Network. All other conference games for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball will be streamed live on ESPN+.   

The move contributes to the institution brand and reputation by uniting highly reputable and mostly private institutions that pride themselves on strong academics, research activity, desirable locations, beautiful campuses, accomplished faculty and staff and nation-wide alumni networks. This move will also allow the DU campus to ally with these institutions outside of athletics in areas such as academic collaborations, research and admissions.   

Moreover, the West Coast Conference now has nine institutions in the U.S. News and World Report National Rankings with an average ranking of 98 (without Denver, which sits at No. 117), compared to an average Summit League ranking of 243 (without Denver).  

From both an academic and athletic standpoint, this is a move that was part of the late Daniel L. Ritchie’s vision when Denver made the transition to Division I in the late 1990s, and we’re confident he would be pleased with today’s announcement. 

The West Coast Conference is the premiere non-football conference west of the Mississippi, aligning Denver with the athletic programs it’s competing against for the I-AAA Learfield Directors’ Cup. Denver has finished as the top athletic department without football in 16 of the last 17 seasons and is excited to compete directly against other athletic programs striving for that honor. In seven of the nine sports set to join the West Coast Conference, Denver has played nearly 120 non-conference games against the legacy West Coast Conference athletic departments to date with considerable success. 

This is a comprehensive roadmap that is part of our overall Athletics Strategic Plan. A key element of joining a conference that hosts a higher competitive level of basketball, DU will be investing in the program support and facilities for basketball and many other sport programs.  The cornerstone of such support will be through philanthropy and revenue generation. 

Yes – This conference transition will guarantee several high-profile men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball games in Hamilton Gymnasium every year. The University is committed to utilizing Magness Arena as a high-demand venue for men’s and women’s basketball contests for select games when appropriate, and demand exceeds that of the capacity in Hamilton.  

The University of Denver Soccer Stadium continues to be one of the top natural grass playing surfaces in the country, and installed a new videoboard earlier this month, the first for the facility. Denver men’s and women’s tennis will continue to play at the Denver Tennis Park, which opened seven indoor courts and six outdoor courts ahead of the two programs’ 2019 season. Denver will enjoy the benefits of quality athletic facilities in the West Coast Conference and help positively contribute to that portfolio. 

As with the entire campus, the athletic facilities are constantly being evaluated and enhanced as possible. As part of the University's commitment to its facilities, Denver 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 seating replacement is scheduled to be completed in advance of the 2026-27 season, Denver’s first campaign in the West Coast Conference.  

Exposure extends beyond the competition surface; athletics is a pathway into raising the overall profile of the institution from student recruitment and enrollment to overall brand recognition and exposure to the collaboration of academic research driven mindsets to develop leaders of tomorrow.  

With the addition of Denver, the West Coast Conference has representation from six of the top 30 DMAs (Designated Marketing Areas) in the country.  With these top metropolitan areas, our university presence and overall profile will increase though athletic competition engagement that includes 30-second university commercials to showcase our great institution and drive demand for those who have an interest in pursuing an education in the Rocky Mountain region.  

DU has active alumni chapters in every West Coast Conference market, including Southern California, the Bay Area and Seattle. Membership in the West Coast Conference will give alumni the opportunity to unite, foster institutional pride and inspire their support for the University.  

Membership in the West Coast Conference will elevate the profile of the Denver Athletics programs that compete in the league. In addition, the West Coast Conference has national basketball 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. The conference has 43 total linear national television games per year, and West Coast Conference men’s basketball programs are on national TV 57 times across league and non-league games in 2025-26.  

ESPN+ is home to 25 million ESPN+ subscribers in Q1 of 2025, and ESPN’s digital platforms reached 112 million unique visitors in March 2025.  

The West Coast Conference has been a long sought-after move for the University of Denver for all the academic and athletic benefits listed above, and DU is thrilled to become a fully vested member of the West Coast Conference for the foreseeable future, a conference with one of the most stable memberships dating back to 1952.