It’s July 1 and the Aggies are headed to the Mountain West
Leaving the Big West, UC Davis faces an entirely different slate of competitors
It finally happened.
At the stroke of midnight this morning, July 1, UC Davis Athletics has officially become a member of the Mountain West Conference.
Whether that momentous moment took place in Mountain Daylight Time or Pacific Daylight Time might never be known.
Not that it matters, given that actual competition won’t begin in the newly expanded league until August.
The Aggies have indeed come a long way since their days in the Far Western Conference over 100 years ago when sports like boxing were included among the intercollegiate offerings.
The Mountain West Conference has experienced an extreme round of musical chairs in the last two years, with five members leaving and a number of newcomers, including UC Davis, added.
As of that same July 1 date, former Mountain West members Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State and Fresno State have joined Oregon State, Washington State, Texas State and Gonzaga in the newly constituted Pac-12.
Not allowing those losses to be a knockout blow, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez quickly added the Aggies, Hawaii, Northern Illinois, Texas-El Paso, Grand Canyon, Utah Tech, Colorado College and North Dakota State.
They join existing members UNLV, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming and the Air Force Academy.
To be sure, some schools will compete in every sport the Mountain West offers, while others will compete only in certain selected sports.
The Aggies, for instance, will remain in the Big Sky Conference for football, while North Dakota State will be a football-only member in the Mountain West.
The vast majority of UC Davis sports will compete in the Mountain West after UCD ended its 20-year affiliation with the Big West.
On the women’s side, the Aggies will play a full Mountain West schedule in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball.
Mountain West competition for UCD on the men’s side will be provided in basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, outdoor track and field, soccer and tennis.
In sports not offered by the Mountain West, UCD will compete in the West Coast Conference in beach volleyball and men’s water polo, in the Gold Coast in women’s water polo, the Mountain Pacific in field hockey and STUNT, and the Big 12 in lacrosse.
“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UC Davis Athletics,” said Aggie Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca.
DeLuca noted that UCD sports will be available for viewing at MW+, the Mountain West’s in-house television network.
“As we officially join the Mountain West, MW+ gives Aggie fans a new way to follow our teams and stay connected to our student-athletes from anywhere,” DeLuca noted.
“Subscriptions purchased through UC Davis will directly support Aggie Athletics, creating another opportunity for our fans, alumni and supporters to invest in the future of our program.”
Nevarez echoed those sentiments.
“MW+ is a game-changer for the Mountain West,” said the commissioner.
“Not only are we expanding how fans connect with our schools and student-athletes, we are also creating a powerful new revenue stream that directly benefits our member institutions. This is about building our conference. This platform allows us to deliver more of our stories, more of our student-athletes and more of our live events directly to the audiences who care most.”
Nevarez, who grew up in Santa Clara, was a basketball standout at UMass, then earned a law degree at Cal.
When she visited the Davis campus a number of months ago, Greg Wong and Bob Dunning were the broadcast team for an ESPN+ baseball telecast between UCD and Cal State Northridge.
After throwing out the first pitch - a 104-mph fastball down the middle for a strike - Nevarez joined Wong and Dunning in the broadcast booth for a short interview.
“Davis has always been high on my list because they look a lot like us,” Nevarez noted.
“The shared values, educating young people in higher education through sport, the grittiness, the emphasis on the student-athlete, yet still being competitive at the highest level.
“The thing that really resonated with me the most is how much everyone says they appreciate the culture here. Having each other’s backs, being a big family. You could tell that it wasn’t just a cliché. It’s really part of who the Aggies are.”
Nevarez is a 28-year veteran of intercollegiate athletics. Prior to taking the helm of Mountain West in 2023, she served five years as commissioner of the West Coast Conference after a stint as Senior Woman Administrator for the Pac-12.