Big West Conference expanding to include Cal State Bakersfield and UC San Diego

Big West Conference officials on Wednesday announced that California State University Bakersfield and the UC San Diego are joining the league, increasing the total number of members to 11. 

Cal State Bakersfield will be immediately eligible in round-robin and single-site championship sports for Big West titles, awards and honors and continue its eligibility for NCAA automatic qualification in these sports, officials said in a release.

UC San Diego will begin an NCAA mandated four-year reclassification period to Division I on July 1. Its programs will be included in all Big West round robin sports schedules beginning with the 2020-21 academic year. UC San Diego will conclude the reclassification period to Division I on July 1, 2024. UC San Diego will only be eligible to compete in the men’s volleyball and women’s water polo tournaments initially.

Dan Butterly marked the beginning of his tenure as Big West Conference Commissioner with a welcome message to the latest additions in the conference family. 

“The admittance of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego brings tremendous excitement, enriches our geographic footprint and competitiveness, and adds new rivalries to the Big West Conference,” said Butterly. “We enthusiastically welcome the student-athletes, fans, coaches, faculty and administrators of both programs.” 

CSU Bakersfield will participate in the following Big West championship sports: men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball and beach volleyball. From 2016-20, the Roadrunner beach volleyball program participated as a Big West associate member. 

CSUB President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny calls the move to the Big West a win for scholar-athletes, the university and the community. 

“A tremendous benefit of the Big West Conference is that the schools are all in California, except Hawaii,” President Zelezny said. “That means less travel time for our scholar-athletes, and more time spent on academics and service to the community. Our community will love the friendly rivalries that will develop with other California universities and the energy that will bring to our games. This is exciting news for every sports fan in our region.” 

Since moving to Division I and becoming postseason eligible at the start of the 2010-11 season, CSU Bakersfield’s athletic programs have won seven team conference championships, produced 26 individual conference champions, and made six NCAA Tournament appearances.

Under Rod Barnes (2011-12 to present), the CSUB men’s basketball team has made four postseason appearances, including three in the last four completed seasons. The baseball program, which got its start in just 2009, has already produced 20 MLB draft picks. In men’s soccer, the ‘Runners boast two-time All-American Gyasi Zardes, a core member of the United States Men’s National Team since his debut in 2015. 

“I’m most excited about the continued growth of our program. We’re looking to grow as quickly as possible, start winning those conference championships and then ultimately competing for national championships,” said CSU Bakersfield Director of Athletics Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried. “The Big West, for us, is the perfect fit. We talk a lot about our four pillars of success. Joining the Big West Conference checks the box on all of those.” 

UC San Diego will field teams in the following Big West sports: men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s volleyball, and women’s water polo. The Triton men’s volleyball team competed for the Big West championship as an associate member the last three seasons. UC San Diego’s women’s water polo program also was Big West championship eligible during the abbreviated 2020 season. 

As part of its transition to Division I, UC San Diego has embarked upon a four-year strategic plan that aims to position the department to boldly pursue greatness as a transformational Division I program at one of the world’s most prestigious public institutions, according to the release.

“We’re extremely happy to be a part of the Big West Conference,” said UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl Edwards. “I’m excited about getting the national, local and regional exposure and attention that we deserve. I’m excited about sharing with the public who we are and the things that we do, and recognizing that we’re a national leader when it comes to innovation and creativity, including in how we’re going to run our athletic department because we’re doing a lot of things that a lot of schools aren’t doing yet, and we look forward to sharing that with others as we move forward.” 

The Big West Conference is a member of NCAA Division I and also includes Cal Poly San Luis, Obispo; Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge; Long Beach State; UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Hawaii.

Source: Big West Conference comunications