LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Big West Board of Directors approved the submission of a waiver to the NCAA that, if approved, would allow UC San Diego to participate in NCAA Championships beginning this fall should the Tritons earn The Big West automatic bid in applicable sports. In addition, the conference approved UC San Diego to be included in the men's basketball standings beginning this season. The Big West will also add men's water polo as its 19th sport beginning in fall of 2023.

The actions were taken as part of The Big West annual spring meeting, held May 24-26 in San Diego.

"We are extremely pleased that the Big West is moving forward with the waiver request, the adjustment to the standings, and the decision to add men's water polo," said UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards. "Chancellor [Pradeep] Khosla and I are particularly pleased that the scholar-athlete experience will be enhanced as a result of the Board's actions this week."
 
Adding men's water polo to the slate of conference sports beginning in 2023-24 and a host of new basketball initiatives were among the actions taken the Big West Board of Directors during the meeting. The Big West Board of Directors is comprised of the 11 CEOs of Big West institutions, and the meeting was chaired by Howard Gillman, Chancellor of UC Irvine.

"The Big West Board of Directors has been clear in its desire to change the paradigm and put The Big West on a new trajectory since I started as Commissioner on July 1, 2020," Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said. "These meetings introduced many provocative new ideas and initiatives that will increase our competitiveness and commitment to the principles and values that guide us as transformative change takes place throughout intercollegiate athletics."

Jenn Fraser, NCAA Managing Director of Division I, joined The Big West Council on Wednesday and the Board of Directors and Directors of Athletics on Thursday morning for wide-ranging conversations regarding the transformative discussions currently taking place across the NCAA. Fraser and The Big West membership discussed the work of the NCAA Transformation Committee, including concepts surrounding modernizing the NCAA rule book, achieving fair and timely outcomes in infractions, fair regulation of transfers, a review of student-athlete support and benefits and a discussion of potential future Division I membership standards.

Adding Men's Water Polo                    
The Board of Directors approved the addition of men's water polo as the 19th sport sponsored by The Big West beginning in 2023-24. Discussions and announcements on a men's water polo championship format and location are forthcoming.

Submission of Waiver for UCSD        
The Board also approved the submission of a waiver request to the NCAA Strategic Vision and Planning Committee. If granted, the waiver will allow UC San Diego to participate in NCAA Championships beginning in 2022-23 if the Tritons win The Big West's automatic qualifier spot in the applicable sport. UC San Diego's NCAA-mandated reclassification period to Division I will end on July 1, 2024. Unless the waiver is granted, UCSD is not eligible to participate in NCAA Championships until the 2024-25 academic year.

"Through the current NCAA Division I Transformation Committee work, The Big West fully supports UC San Diego becoming immediately eligible to compete in NCAA Division I Championships," Butterly noted. "If this waiver is approved, UC San Diego teams and student-athletes will also be afforded the opportunity to compete in Big West championships."

Men's & Women's Basketball Initiatives
Several items concerning men's and women's basketball were approved by the Board for the 2022-23 competitive seasons. These actions include:

Keeping a 20-game conference schedule men's and women's basketball in 2022-23 with the season beginning after December 25, 2022. An 18-game schedule for men's and women's basketball was also approved beginning with the 2023-24 season, which allows The Big West to participate in a national non-conference wildcard scheduling initiative currently under discussion.

The schedules feature a Thursday-Saturday scheduling model that removes regularly scheduled Tuesday games when Big West teams travel to contests in Hawai'i.

The Big West will also count UC San Diego men's basketball games in the conference standings regardless of whether the Tritons are eligible to compete in NCAA championships.

"Improvement in women's and men's basketball is critically important to the long-term future of The Big West," Commissioner Butterly remarked. "Ultimately moving to an 18-game schedule allows for an opportunity to compete in the potential "Wild Card Week", and greater flexibility in scheduling, which improves factors such as NET rating which are so important when it comes to seeding in the NCAA tournament."

The 2023 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships presented by The Hawaiian Islands will be played on March 7-11, 2023, at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev. The 2023 and 2024 events will include 10 men's and women's teams.

USCAH Partnership                    
The Board approved a multi-year partnership with The U.S. Council for Athletes' Health (USCAH) to provide comprehensive analysis of the student-athlete healthcare experience. The partnership is focused on consultation, education and compliance with NCAA requirements, as well as programming focused on preventing and preparing for catastrophic injury in sport, DEI, comprehensive mental health programming for student-athletes and staff, Student-Athlete health, safety and wellness, education for healthcare providers and emergency preparedness. It includes on online assessment of institutional policies, e-learning modules, assistance with athletic medicine policy and procedure development and institutional members in an athletic healthcare administration association.

Branding Report                            
The Board was apprised of the continued rollout of the new Big West brand, which was unveiled on July 21, 2021. The redefined Big West brand identity was the culmination of a comprehensive research initiative which included input from more than 2,200 individuals with a vested interest in the conference and its success. In addition to a new positioning statement and brand pillars, a new logo and colors were also created and approved unanimously by the Big West Board of Directors in 2021.

Beyond the required implementation of the new marks and logos for all Big West sports and venues for the 2022-23 competitive seasons, The Big West will create standard protocols for brand expression and engagement at all Big West institutions.

Big West Expansion                    
The Board reaffirmed that The Big West is not presently seeking applications for new membership pending the outcome of the current NCAA transformation process. This provision does not apply to any potential affiliate members that may be added in particular sports.

About The Big West                    
The Big West is an NCAA Division I member with 11 members with the shared goal of empowering every student-athlete in competition and in life and uniting its university communities through championship experiences. Formed in 1969, The Big West membership consists of Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai'i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. The Big West is united in the pursuit of boundless opportunities, enduring integrity, bold activism, fearless innovation and the pacific spirit of freedom, exploration and progress.

The Big West sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field and women's water polo. For more information, visit BigWest.org or follow The Big West on Twitter @BigWestSports.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.