GCU joins Mountain West Conference sooner than expected
GCU President Brian Mueller on joining Mountain West, impact on NIL
Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller talked to the media about the impact joining the Mountain West Conference will have on NIL growth.
- GCU’s move was expedited after initially planning to join the West Coast Conference, then aiming for a 2026 Mountain West entry.
- GCU’s addition brings the conference to 12 members, with more to join next year.
Grand Canyon has joined the Mountain West Conference, starting July 8, expediting its move from the Western Athletic Conference a year early, according to a school news release.
GCU originally was set to join the West Coast Conference this summer, but six months later, with Gonzaga planning to move into the reshaped Pac-12, it flipped to the Mountain West.
GCU was to start playing in the MWC in 2026. But the Lopes worked with the MWC to speed up the process. There was speculation that the Lopes might have to play an independent basketball schedule in 2025-26, but the conference’s board of directors approved GCU’s entry now, which means they will participate in regular-season and conference championships, starting this fall.
“We want to thank (Mountain West) Commissioner Gloria Nevarez and the member institutions, and we are eager to compete for championships with our new peers in the Mountain West,” said GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs, in the release.
GCU, which does not have a football program, will become the 12th member of the MWC, joining the Air Force Academy, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming, Boise State, Colorado State, Cal State Fresno, San Diego State and Utah State.
Next year, Hawaii at Manoa will move from football-only to full member status. UC-Davis, UTEP and Northern Illinois (football only) will join the MWC.
According to the GCU release, the Lopes will immediately compete for conference championships in 17 sports, starting with women’s volleyball, women’s soccer and cross country this fall. Conference schedules that have been released previously will be amended to include GCU.
“The addition of Grand Canyon for the 2025-26 academic year is a significant win for the student-athletes at GCU and in the Mountain West,” Nevarez said in the school release. “Grand Canyon brings elite recruiting, a passionate fan base, and state-of-the-art facilities, elevating the Mountain West’s competitiveness and national profile.
“In a time when the student-athlete experience is of utmost importance, we felt it was in the best interest to allow them to compete for conference championships and the NCAA postseason immediately. GCU is a great addition to the Mountain West and positively raises the competition level in the league.”
Last season, the Mountain West had four men’s basketball teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament. It was the fourth consecutive year that the conference sent at least four teams to March Madness. Two seasons ago, the conference had six teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“The strong support of President Brian Mueller and the entire university community has led to tremendous competitive success, positioning GCU for this move to a conference as strong as the Mountain West,” Boggs said in the news release. “We are thankful to the coaches, student-athletes and staff, with the backing of the Havocs, the greatest student section in college sports, that have worked tirelessly to build a nationally competitive athletic department to earn this opportunity.”
The Lopes won four of the past five WAC Tournament championships under men’s basketball coach Bryce Drew. Two seasons ago, they won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, upsetting No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s College in the first round of the West Regional in Spokane as a 12-seed. They then lost to Alabama, which reached the Final Four.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams combined to go 58-11 last season, both winning their conference tournament championships and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
