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DENVER (KDVR) — Nine athletic programs at the University of Denver will be joining a new conference next year, the university announced Friday. DU said it has accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference, which will transition nine of the university's existing sports programs, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball. “This is an exciting day for the University of Denver and an incredible opportunity to continue to advance our exceptional academic and athletic programs,” said University of Denver Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, in a statement. “The excellence of schools that are part of the West Coast Conference is a perfect complement to DU and will help us continue to recruit the very best students and faculty.” According to DU, the transition to the WCC will not impact its current conference affiliations with its hockey, gymnastics, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s alpine, nordic skiing and triathlon programs. The WCC, with the addition of DU, will have 10 full members for the 2026-2027 season. During the 2027-2028 season, the conference will then jump to 11 full members with the addition of the University of California San Diego. The WCC will include seven institutions ranked in the top 120 national universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report. “It has long been the ambition of the University of Denver and its community to further align ourselves with institutional peers in the West and that day has now come as we join the academically and athletically prestigious West Coast Conference,” said Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo, in a statement. The new alignment to the WCC will take effect on July 1, 2026, according to the university. In Friday's announcement, DU also noted that its Hamilton Gymnasium — home of its women's volleyball and men's and women's basketball programs — will receive upgrades to its current bleacher benches. The project will replace and install new chairback seats and is expected to be completed before the 2026-2027 season.
