College Sports Realignment Roundup for March 20, 2025

Cal Baptist Joins Big West

California Baptist University (Riverside, California) will leave the Western Athletic Conference and join the Big West Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. The move will put the Big West at 10 full members and the WAC at 6. Those numbers could shift again if Utah Valley University joins, although UVU hasn’t announced if it will join the Big West.

Things are looking rough for the WAC with only six full members slated for the 2026-27 academic year as Grand Canyon and Seattle previously announced their departures. With Cal Baptist leaving, Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, UT Arlington, Utah Tech, and Utah Valley remain in the WAC… for now. It’s hard to envision the WAC finding the requisite numbers in time for the 2026-27 academic year but this is realignment and things can change very quickly. Should the WAC fall apart, the only question is which conferences the remaining members will join.

In terms of sports moving to the Big West, Cal Baptist will move everything except men’s wrestling (Big 12) and women’s STUNT (independent). Men’s water polo will leave the West Coast Conference and women’s water polo will leave the Golden Coast Conference with both teams competing in the Big West starting in 2026-27. Speaking of women’s water polo and the Golden Coast Conference…

West Coast Water Polo Shuffle?

I am far from an expert when it comes to the sport of water polo but the changes set to occur with the 2026-27 academic year will cause some realignment moves in the sport. Let’s start with the Golden Coast Conference, which currently sponsors women’s water polo. It previously sponsored men’s water polo through the 2022-23 academic year but stopped when the final six members left for other conferences.

The current lineup for women’s water polo consists of Azusa Pacific, Cal Baptist, Concordia-Irvine, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, San Diego State, and Santa Clara. Azusa Pacific (SCIAC) and Cal Baptist (Big West) are confirmed departures from the GCC. Fresno State and San Diego State are leaving for the Pac-12 as full members but the destination for the women’s water polo teams is unknown. They could remain in the Golden Coast leaving the GCC with 6 teams, or they could leave…

Where could they go? Either the Big West Conference or the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Big West currently has 8 women’s water polo teams but two of the schools - Hawaii and UC Davis - are making a full membership move to the Mountain West in 2026-27. Like Fresno State and San Diego State, Hawaii and UC Davis could apply to remain in the Big West or leave… I won’t go through that exercise again with the men’s teams. Water polo on the West Coast is likely to see more shuffling with the latest full membership realignment changes.

Four NCAA Division 2 Schools Announce Changes

It was a busy week for NCAA Division 2 with four schools announcing additions or changes. Ferris State (Big Rapids, Michigan) previously announced women’s STUNT in September 2024 but did not reveal which conference it would compete in. That changed on Thursday when the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) revealed that Ferris State will become the 7th member for STUNT beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Ferris State is a full member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), which does not sponsor STUNT.

Mars Hill University (Mars Hill, North Carolina) will add women’s flag football beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The school did not announce any conference affiliation and flag football awaits approval from the NCAA to become a championship sport. Mars Hill is the first South Atlantic Conference school to sponsor the sport.

Saint Leo University (St. Leo, Florida) will bring back its men’s and women’s track & field programs beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Both teams will compete in the Sunshine State Conference, giving the SSC 8 members for both men and women. Saint Leo discontinued its cross country, swimming, and track & field teams after the 2022-23 academic year. It brought back men’s and women’s cross country in the 2024-25 academic year. Saint Leo is a full member of the Sunshine State Conference.

Salem University (Salem, West Virginia) will join the Peach Belt Conference in women’s volleyball beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Salem is one of four NCAA D2 schools that competes as an independent alongside the three University of Puerto Rico schools in Bayamón, Mayagüez, and San Juan. Salem’s women’s volleyball team competed as an independent from 2016 through 2024 and was previously part of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in 2015. Salem will be the 7th Peach Belt member for women’s volleyball in 2025-26.