Division II PacWest rockets back into national prominence
QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Just over a year ago seven NCAA Division
II programs banded together to revive a briefly dormant league,
marking the rebirth of the Pacific West Conference.
In a short time the PacWest has been rocketing back to prominence thanks to an NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship from Brigham Young University Hawaii and NCAA post-season berths in men's basketball and softball by several teams.
Now a 10-sport league, the largest geographic Division II conference saw its rebirth begin in the fall of 2006 when the league began competition in men's and women's soccer for the first time. Women's basketball also became a league sport, complementing men's golf, women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's basketball and softball which have been a staple of the league for several years.
Grand Canyon University in Arizona, Dixie State College of Utah and Notre Dame de Namur University in California teamed up with longtime Hawaiian-based PacWest programs Chaminade University of Hawaii, Brigham Young University Hawaii, Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific to reform a conference that fell silent for one year.
In the fall, the Pacific West crowns champions in men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, and men's and women's cross country, while the winter season is the domain of men's and women's basketball. In the spring, the league celebrates champions in women's tennis, men's golf and softball.
Following the 2004-05 campaign, the Pacific West Conference lost a pair of programs in Western New Mexico and Montana State-Billings to slip below the mandated six-team minimum that comprises an official NCAA II league.
However, the four schools off the mainland competed together as an unofficial conference, playing each other in the sport of basketball so many times that game films quickly became obsolete.
Although not officially recognized by the NCAA that year, the perseverance by Chaminade, BYU-Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo kept the core of a proud tradition intact until the three new schools put the league back on the Division II map.
And it is a big map.
From the Southwest to the Pacific Rim, the PacWest can redeem a lot of frequent flyer miles, but its travel plans have its teams landing in major metropolitan markets that many established Division II leagues don't match.
The schools in Hawaii have a natural appeal to the local media and community because they turn out quality athletic programs in a focused market. BYU-Hawaii tennis and volleyball - along with the Chaminade men's basketball team's prominent appearance in the Maui Invitational - are just a few of the highly-visible programs that compete in Pacific West outside the contiguous 48.
NDNU joins the league from its home in Belmont, CA, situated midway between the two major media and population centers of San Francisco and San Jose. The Argonauts are transitioning into Division II and are not yet eligible for NCAA post-season, but NDNU is eligible for all PacWest titles and awards. The Argos shared the men's soccer title with Grand Canyon last fall, while NDNU won the women's championship outright.
The Rebels of Dixie State are located in the southwest corner of Utah in St. George, not too far across the Nevada border from Las Vegas. Dixie State also draws interest from Salt Lake City and Provo as it becomes the first NCAA Division II program in the state.
The former junior college is not eligible for NCAA post-season play this season but is eligible for conference awards and championships this year as the Rebels play a full conference schedule in 2007-08.
Grand Canyon University has been in the Division II bracket for a number of years and is fully eligible for NCAA post-season play, as well as all Pac West awards and championships. The Antelopes have a rich tradition of basketball and soccer, and have one of the largest markets in the nation with their location in booming Phoenix.
Last year the Antelopes received a bid - along with BYU-Hawaii - to play in the NCAA II Men's Basketball Championship.
The PacWest conference is led by Bob Hogue, the new commissioner and former state senator from Hawaii who is based in the island state. Hogue replaced Woody Hahn who retired after serving as the commissioner since the early 1990s.
Tom Di Camillo, who spent 17 years as the sports information director at Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania, has been tabbed as the conference information director for the league for the second year.
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