By james art
ASSOCIATED PRES
PHOENIX — Grand Canyon has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference no later than 2026, according to a news release from the school Friday.
The Antelopes will join a conference that has six existing members, including Air Force, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming. UTEP and Hawaii also announced they are joining the Mountain West.
Grand Canyon said 17 of its 21 sports teams will play in the Mountain West. The Antelopes do not have a football program, but have had significant success in men’s basketball, making the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons.
“GCU continues to grow rapidly as an academic institution and as an athletics program,” GCU Director of Athletics Jamie Boggs said in a statement. “We want to best position ourselves to be competitive nationally, and we’re excited about the vision and future of the Mountain West.”
Grand Canyon’s move comes less than six months after it announced it was joining the West Coast Conference, which at the time included basketball powerhouse Gonzaga. But Gonzaga recently announced it is joining the Pac-12.
The West Coast Conference sent a statement Friday expressing disappointment with Grand Canyon’s decision.
“We have been notified by Grand Canyon University of its decision to withdraw as a member of the West Coast Conference,” WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson said in the statement. “We are disappointed by its decision to seek conference membership elsewhere just months after concluding its membership agreement with the WCC, which would have enhanced its national profile.” The WCC views GCU’s decision as a missed opportunity to be part of one of the premier conferences for men’s basketball.”