Mountain West Adds Wazzu in Women’s Swimming

* Mountain West press release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., – The Mountain West Conference announced today that Washington State University will become an affiliate member for baseball and women’s swimming for two years, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

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The Cougars will be eligible for postseason MW championships and awards in both sports and the league’s automatic NCAA bid in baseball.

Wyoming disbanded its baseball program back in 1996. The school does have a women's swimming and diving team.

Washington State’s addition will increase the number of MW schools that sponsor baseball to eight, as the Cougars will join Air Force, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San José State and UNLV in representing the Conference on the diamond. Led by first-year head coach Nathan Choate, the Cougars entered the 2024 season with 2,801 all-time wins, the 13th-most in NCAA history.

The addition of Washington State, which does not sponsor diving, will give the Mountain West 10 women’s swimming programs. The Cougars will join Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San José State, UNLV, and Wyoming as league swimming programs. Washington State sent a pair of swimmers to the NCAA Championships this season, with sophomore Emily Lundgren earning the program’s first All-America citation since 2007.

Washington State becomes the third affiliate member of the Mountain West, joining Colorado College (women’s soccer) and Hawai‘i (football).

In December, the Mountain West announced a football scheduling agreement with Washington State and Oregon State.

Next season, all 12 MW teams will play seven traditional Conference football games in addition to one contest against either Washington State or Oregon State for a total of eight games (four home and four away).

The games against OSU and WSU will not count toward the conference standings, and neither Pac-12 school is eligible for the MW championship game. The Mountain West is currently working on the football schedule and will release matchups soon.

“This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for Oregon State and Washington State to play against highly competitive Mountain West football programs in 2024,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “The scheduling agreement will expand the Mountain West footprint and enhance our national brand, while providing our student-athletes with new opportunities, all in line with our strategic priorities. The scheduling agreement strengthens the league's non-conference schedules, and we look forward to having Oregon State and Washington State be a part of the 2024 slate.”

Wyoming will travel to Pullman to take on the Cougars during the final week of the regular season.