Grand Canyon University Athletics
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New WAC scheduling formats set
6/18/2021 10:24:00 AM | General, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Conference basketball to play partial round-robin schedule without divisions
The WAC will never look the same since Grand Canyon pitcher Frankie Scalzo hurled the final, blazing strike of the Lopes' WAC Baseball Tournament championship less than three weeks ago.
The WAC membership changes for 2021-22 with Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin joining, and so does some of the conference structure.
Some sports will be split into two divisions with the 13-member look, but the WAC Board of Directors opted for men's and women's basketball to play 18-game conference schedules without divisions. For example, GCU will have home-and-home series with six WAC opponents and play the other six members once, divided between home and away games.
The bracket format for the WAC Basketball Tournaments has not been finalized, as is the case with all conference tournaments, but the location of it will remain Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It has been held there since 2010.
Other WAC board scheduling decisions included division-only play for baseball, women's soccer, softball and women's tennis for the 2021-22 seasons. Women's volleyball conference play will include a home-and-home series with each divisional foe and one midseason week of GCU facing two opponents from the other division.
Men's soccer and men's tennis also will not use divisions. Men's tennis will have seven participants, which will meet in three, three-team weekend pods.
The WAC board also approved a rotation for championships and tournaments other than basketball. To reach the full geography of the WAC, now with a heavy Texas influence, the sites will be split between the West and Southwest divisions.
For 2021-22, the championships for men's and women's cross country, women's volleyball, men's golf, outdoor track and field and baseball will be held in the West. Championships for women's soccer, indoor track and field, women's golf, softball and men's and women's tennis will be held in the Southwest. The geographic rotation will not include men's soccer or men's women's swimming and diving because of those sports' inclusion of several affiliate members.
The WAC also elected New Mexico State President John Floros as chair, Utah Valley President Astrid S. Tuminez as vice chair and Tarleton President James Hurley as an executive committee member.
Southern Utah will join the WAC for 2022-23, when Chicago State departs.
"It was wonderful to bring our new Board of Directors together as one group moving towards one common goal," WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said in a conference statement. "Since we began our expansion conversations last year, everyone involved has wanted to work towards making the WAC one of the premier mid-major conferences in the country, and we are certainly headed in the right direction."
The WAC membership changes for 2021-22 with Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin joining, and so does some of the conference structure.Some sports will be split into two divisions with the 13-member look, but the WAC Board of Directors opted for men's and women's basketball to play 18-game conference schedules without divisions. For example, GCU will have home-and-home series with six WAC opponents and play the other six members once, divided between home and away games.
The bracket format for the WAC Basketball Tournaments has not been finalized, as is the case with all conference tournaments, but the location of it will remain Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It has been held there since 2010.
Other WAC board scheduling decisions included division-only play for baseball, women's soccer, softball and women's tennis for the 2021-22 seasons. Women's volleyball conference play will include a home-and-home series with each divisional foe and one midseason week of GCU facing two opponents from the other division.
Men's soccer and men's tennis also will not use divisions. Men's tennis will have seven participants, which will meet in three, three-team weekend pods.
The WAC board also approved a rotation for championships and tournaments other than basketball. To reach the full geography of the WAC, now with a heavy Texas influence, the sites will be split between the West and Southwest divisions.
For 2021-22, the championships for men's and women's cross country, women's volleyball, men's golf, outdoor track and field and baseball will be held in the West. Championships for women's soccer, indoor track and field, women's golf, softball and men's and women's tennis will be held in the Southwest. The geographic rotation will not include men's soccer or men's women's swimming and diving because of those sports' inclusion of several affiliate members.
The WAC also elected New Mexico State President John Floros as chair, Utah Valley President Astrid S. Tuminez as vice chair and Tarleton President James Hurley as an executive committee member.
Southern Utah will join the WAC for 2022-23, when Chicago State departs.
"It was wonderful to bring our new Board of Directors together as one group moving towards one common goal," WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said in a conference statement. "Since we began our expansion conversations last year, everyone involved has wanted to work towards making the WAC one of the premier mid-major conferences in the country, and we are certainly headed in the right direction."
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