Grand Canyon University Athletics
WAC sets championship sites, dates
8/19/2021 4:20:00 PM | General
Men's soccer comes to GCU; baseball stays in Valley
The WAC announced the dates, sites and field sizes of its 19 conference championships for 2021-22, putting two of them in Grand Canyon's backyard and keeping the basketball tournaments at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
GCU Stadium will play host to the WAC Tournament in men's soccer for the first time. The conference's top six regular-season finishers will qualify for the Nov. 10-14 tournament, whose champion earns an automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Baseball's WAC Tournament will remain crosstown at Mesa's Hohokam Stadium, where GCU will defend its title on May 25-29. The tournament field was expanded from six teams to eight teams, as the conference's baseball membership grew from 10 to 13.
The conference also expanded the WAC Tournament fields for men's and women's basketball to 10 teams each after being six and seven, respectively, last season.
GCU will defend its men's basketball title in the WAC Tournament, which returns to Orleans Arena for the 11th consecutive year. The tournaments will run March 9-12 with first-round dates and sites to be determined.
The WAC's 19 championships will be decided in six states, including five of the seven where the members reside. Besides Arizona's two, Texas will have seven, followed by three each in Nevada and New Mexico, two in Washington and one in California.
Texas' increased presence comes with four new members – Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin – joining fellow Lone Star State institutions Tarleton and UT Rio Grande Valley in the WAC.
"We are excited to not only return to Orleans Arena, as it has proven to be a great venue for our tournament, but also to spread our championships across our geographic footprint," WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said in a statement released by the conference.
Nine championships will be held at neutral sites, while seven WAC members will act as hosts for one championship site each.
GCU Stadium will play host to the WAC Tournament in men's soccer for the first time. The conference's top six regular-season finishers will qualify for the Nov. 10-14 tournament, whose champion earns an automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Baseball's WAC Tournament will remain crosstown at Mesa's Hohokam Stadium, where GCU will defend its title on May 25-29. The tournament field was expanded from six teams to eight teams, as the conference's baseball membership grew from 10 to 13.
The conference also expanded the WAC Tournament fields for men's and women's basketball to 10 teams each after being six and seven, respectively, last season.
GCU will defend its men's basketball title in the WAC Tournament, which returns to Orleans Arena for the 11th consecutive year. The tournaments will run March 9-12 with first-round dates and sites to be determined.
The WAC's 19 championships will be decided in six states, including five of the seven where the members reside. Besides Arizona's two, Texas will have seven, followed by three each in Nevada and New Mexico, two in Washington and one in California.
Texas' increased presence comes with four new members – Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin – joining fellow Lone Star State institutions Tarleton and UT Rio Grande Valley in the WAC.
"We are excited to not only return to Orleans Arena, as it has proven to be a great venue for our tournament, but also to spread our championships across our geographic footprint," WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd said in a statement released by the conference.
Nine championships will be held at neutral sites, while seven WAC members will act as hosts for one championship site each.
2021-22 WAC championships |
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| Sport | Date(s) | Location/host | Site | Field size |
| Cross country | Oct. 30, 2021 | Riverside, Calif./California Baptist | UC Riverside Agricultural Ops Course | All teams |
| Women's soccer | Nov. 3-7, 2021 | Abilene, Texas/Abilene Christian | Elmer Gray Stadium | Six teams |
| Men's soccer | Nov. 10-14, 2021 | Phoenix/Grand Canyon | GCU Stadium | Six teams |
| Women's volleyball | Nov. 18-20, 2021 | Las Cruces, N.M./New Mexico State | Pan American Center | Eight teams |
| Indoor track and field (M/W) | Feb. 18-19, 2022 | Albuquerque, N.M./WAC | Albuquerque Convention Center | All teams |
| Swimming and diving (M/W) | Feb. 23-26, 2022 | Houston/WAC | Houston Natatorium | All teams |
| Basketball (M/W) | March 9-12, 2022 | Las Vegas/WAC | Orleans Arena | 10 teams |
| Women's golf | April 18-20, 2022 | Kerrville, Texas/WAC | Riverhill Country Club | All teams |
| Tennis (m/w) | April 22-24, 2022 | Beaumont, Texas/Lamar | Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center | Six teams (m), eight teams (w) |
| Men's golf | April 29-May 1, 2022 | Boulder City, Nevada/WAC | Boulder Creek Golf Club | All teams |
| Softball | May 11-14, 2022 | Huntsville, Texas/Sam Houston | Bearkat Softball Complex | Eight teams |
| Outdoor track and field (m/w) | May 12-14, 2022 | Seattle/Seattle U | Husky Track | All teams |
| Baseball | May 25-29, 2022 | Mesa, Ariz./WAC | Hohokam Stadium | Eight teams |
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