University of Denver Spring 2026

Senior Kate Perryman, a middle blocker from Cumming, Georgia.

in basketball and soccer—that compete on the national stage while maintaining high GPAs in the classroom. “This move aligns perfectly with DU and who we are as a university,” says Berlo. “Being in a conference with top academic peers who compete for Division I championships is where we should be.”

A transition plan for men’s and women’s swimming and diving is in place and will be announced at a later date. DU’s move to the West Coast Conference does not impact conference af fi liations for hockey (a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference), gymnastics (Big 12), men’s and women’s lacrosse (Big East), men’s and women’s alpine and Nordic skiing (Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association), and triathlon (unaf fi liated). DU will join nine private universities located in California, Oregon, and Washington: Loyola Marymount University, University of the Paci fi c, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary’s College, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. Full member Gonzaga University, as well as af fi liate members Oregon State and Washington State, will depart next season to join a newly restructured Pac-12 Conference. University of California San Diego is slated to join in 2027. The WCC is home to some of the best mid-major sports programs in the country—Division I schools outside of the biggest, most high-pro fi le “power conferences” like the SEC or the Big Ten. The conference doesn’t sponsor football, giving its members fl exibility to invest in other priorities. It’s also known for its strong academic pro fi le, assembling teams of high-achieving student-athletes—particularly

Elevating the game, on and off the field

Academics might not be the fi rst thing that comes to mind about a new sports conference, but it’s a consideration taken seriously at DU, where athletic teams regularly boast cumulative GPAs higher than the average for undergraduate students overall. “It’s an incredible opportunity to continue to advance our exceptional academic and athletic programs,” Chancellor Jeremy Haefner says of the move. “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.” Take, for example, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings—one of the most widely used sources for parents and prospective students choosing a university. The rankings are based on 17 measures of academic quality, from graduation rates

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026