Hawaii, Cal State Bakersfield and one other unnamed institution were expected to submit information for Big West Conference membership consideration, commissioner Dennis Farrell said via telephone Tuesday. The deadline for schools to express interest passed Wednesday.
Farrell said Thursday that UC San Diego was the third school and was “exploring its options.”
“[UCSD] is trying to get a better read where [the Big West is] as a conference as they try to pursue Division I membership,” Farrell said before boarding a plane from New York.
Multiple calls made by the Daily 49er on Wednesday to UCSD athletic director Earl Edwards were not immediately returned.
Among the information schools were asked to submit included its budget, academic performance of student-athletes and success rates of teams over the last few years, Farrell said.
The Big West, which last expanded when UC Davis joined in 2007, lifted its five-year membership moratorium Nov. 16. Two days later, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Hawaii would likely leave the Western Athletic Conference, its football program would join the Mountain West Conference by 2012-13 and Hawaii’s other 18 sports would seek Big West membership.
None of Hawaii’s moves are official, and the WAC is still trying to convince the school to stay.
The Big West Council will meet Dec. 8 to review the paperwork and make a recommendation — if any — to the Board of Directors, which is comprised of chancellors and presidents at each of the nine Big West schools, including Long Beach State’s F. King Alexander.
A school would need three-quarters approval from the board, or seven of nine voting members. Alexander said Monday that the board would cast its vote based on a set of criteria.
Efforts to obtain the criteria via e-mail were unsuccessful as of 9 p.m. Wednesday. Alexander was out of town on the East Coast.
CSUB currently competes as an independent in Division I athletics.
Kevin Gilmore, assistant athletic director and sports information director at CSUB, cited familiarity and “cost containment” as some of the reasons CSUB would be a “good fit for the Big West.”
“There are former rivals [in the Big West] that our fans want to see us play again,” Gilmore said via telephone Wednesday, adding that the Roadrunners and eight of the nine Big West schools — with the exception of UC Irvine — were once members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level.
Talks between Hawaii and the Big West were first reported in late August. Notable sports in Hawaii’s program include softball (Women’s College World Series appearance last season) and women’s volleyball (No. 7 in the nation and No. 15 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament).
“I think that the Big West would benefit from Hawaii, and Hawaii would benefit from the Big West,” LBSU women’s volleyball head coach Brian Gimmillaro told the Daily 49er in early October. “It’s a good fit, in all sports.”
Before joining the WAC, Hawaii competed in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West for 11 years before leaving for the WAC in 1996.
Farrell told the Daily 49er in early October that the negotiation process with Hawaii would include travel expenses.
“Hawaii has to travel far and wide in the WAC,” Farrell said. “It would be a matter of whether Hawaii would be able to pay travel subsidies.”
If the conference added three more schools, a 12-team, two-division format would likely be involved, Farrell told the Star-Advertiser on Sunday.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.