Big West votes to keep Hawai’i as affiliate member in multiple sports
BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2024
After being in limbo over the future, four University of Hawai’i sports have a home.
The Big West Conference Board of Directors has voted to keep Hawai’i in the conference for the sports of men’s volleyball, women’s water polo, beach volleyball and men’s swimming & diving starting in the 2026-27 competitive season.
The vote to keep Hawai’i as an affiliate member in select sports was among a handful of points discussed at the conference’s annual fall meetings, held over the past three days in Irvine, Calif.
Hawai’i, who will join the Mountain West as full-time members in the 2026, was in need of a home for sports that the conference doesn’t sponsor. That burden is alleviated thanks to the Big West.
“We’re pleased to continue a longstanding relationship with the University of Hawai‘i that dates back to 1984,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said in a statement. “By welcoming these programs as affiliate members, we not only bolster the overall strength and prestige of The Big West but also provide our student-athletes with enhanced opportunities to compete at a national level in their respective sports.”
The Big West has served as the home for most of Hawai’i’s non-football athletic programs since 2012.
Kilminster’s 29 helps Hawaii Pacific push past Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Welcome back, Killa Kilminster. The Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team moved back above .500 on Friday night, using a 29-point explosion from fifth-year guard Evan Kilminster to cruise by Alaska Fairbanks on the first night...
Hawaii Pacific posts triple digits for the first time in six years in win over Alaska Fairbanks
HONOLULU – Scoring explosion Sharks. For the first time since the 2019-2020 season, the Hawaii Pacific University women’s basketball team eclipsed 100 points in a single game on Friday evening as the Sharks opened up the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge...
Mitchell gets first career win as Hawai’i hangs on against Saint Mary’s in triple overtime
HONOLULU – There’s an old saying that says you always remember your first. That adage will most certainly hold true for Hawai’i’s Khalilah Mitchell, who picked up her first win as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program on...
Hawai’i claims outright Mountain West title behind Reid’s 20-kill night
HONOLULU – What started as a season-long goal has become a reality. After exiting the Big West in 2025 after the program’s worst-ever finish in the conference standings, the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team entered the 2026...