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.
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