Grand Canyon University’s move to the Mountain West has been accelerated. Lopes to compete this fall

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Grand Canyon University announced Tuesday its move to the Mountain West Conference will begin immediately.

The school in Phoenix was initially scheduled to transition from the Western Athletic Conference to its new league on July 1, 2026. The Mountain West offered an earlier transition, however, allowing the school to compete for conference championships this fall.

“The addition of Grand Canyon for the 2025-26 academic year is a significant win for the student-athletes at GCU and in the Mountain West,” conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement.

Grand Canyon will be one of 14 schools competing in the conference next season. The accelerated transition comes after five Mountain West schools announced they intend to depart the conference and join the Pac-12 in 2026. Those schools are Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State.

“Grand Canyon brings elite recruiting, a passionate fanbase, and state-of-the-art facilities, elevating the Mountain West’s competitiveness and national profile,” Nevarez said. “In a time when the student-athlete experience is of utmost importance, we felt it was in the best interest to allow them to compete for conference championships and the NCAA postseason immediately.”

Seventeen varsity teams will compete in the Mountain West, including men’s and women’s basketball which have been in the national spotlight in recent years during the NCAA Tournament. Grand Canyon’s historically successful men’s volleyball team was cut in April.

“GCU is excited for this opportunity for our student-athletes, the Havocs and our fanbase,” GCU athletic director Jamie Boggs said. “After winning 76 conference championships, this opportunity best positions GCU to be nationally competitive, and we are excited about the vision and future of the Mountain West.”

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