The Pacific West Conference was formed in 1992 by the merger of the Great Northwest Conference and the Continental Divide Conference. In the past 10 years, the PacWest has undergone several changes, but has remained as one of the most diverse athletic conferences in the NCAA. Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i, Chaminade University, Hawai‘i Pacific University, University of Hawai‘i-Hilo, Grand Canyon University, Notre Dame de Namur, and Dixie State College are the curently make up the seven-team PacWest Conference.
The formative years of the PacWest date back to 1981 when the Great Northwest Conference was formed as a men’s basketball scheduling conference. The six charter members of the GNC were Alaska - Anchorage, Alaska - Fairbanks, Eastern Montana (now MSU - Billings), Eastern Washington, Puget Sound, and Seattle Pacific. In 1982, the Continental Divide Conference was formed. Alaska - Anchorage, Alaska - Fairbanks, and Eastern Montana moved to the CDC in 1984, expanding that conference to eight schools.
Discussions about a merger between the two conferences began in 1990 when the creation of the Colorado Athletic Conference took four Colorado schools out of the CDC. With the loss of Colorado College, Air Force, Denver, and Northern Colorado, the CDC and GNC were left with four and five schools respectively. With new NCAA legislation requiring conferences to have six schools, it was an opportune time to merge the two conferences.
When the Pacific West Conference was formed by the merger of the CDC and GNC in 1992, it was comprised of seven schools. The conference eventually expanded to 16 members by 2000, spanning Alaska, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, and Hawai‘i. In the 1999-2000 season, both the men’s and women’s basketball champions from the PacWest reached the NCAA Final Four.
In 2002 the six-school PacWest Conference had three National Champions crowned. BYU - Hawai‘i began the volleyball season unranked before claiming conference, regional, and national titles. The Seasiders also repeated as National Champions in both men’s and women’s tennis, with BYUH’s men defeating PacWest rival Hawai‘i Pacific in the title match. The PacWest sent two teams to the men’s basketball West Region Tournament (BYU-Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i-Hilo), with PacWest Champion and No. 1 seed BYU - Hawai‘i hosting the regional in Laie, Hawai‘i.
Although a relatively small conference compared to others, the PacWest has won its share of national championships. Hawai`i Pacific University won the women’s volleyball national championship in its inaugural year in the NCAA (1998), posting the only undefeated season in Division II women’s volleyball history that year. Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i has dominated NCAA tennis, as the women’s team has won the national championship five of the past six years. There have been numerous All-Americans from the conference, including this past season when Chaminade University basketball stand out Zack Whiting and HPU cross country runner Todd Iacovelli were named to their respective NCAA All-America teams.
The PacWest now enters its 16th season of existence with the hiring of Bob Hogue to replace long time commissioner Woody Hahn. Hogue, a former state senator and CPA, has more than 30 years in radio and television broadcasting, as well as print media experience, mainly focused on collegiate athletics. “I'm so honored to have this opportunity. The PacWest is an exciting conference with great coaches and tremendous athletes at seven fantastic institutions of higher learning.”
The success of its member schools and the vast diversity of its people make the Pacific West Conference one of the most dynamic in the country. Following one of its most successful years ever, the PacWest plans to move into the future at full speed. Over the last few years, the conference has doubled the number of championships it sponsors from five to 10, increasing the number of opportunities for its student athletes.
