RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Thursday that the women's swimming & diving program is set to compete in the Big Sky Conference (BSC) as an affiliate starting in the 2027-28 season as conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill announced the addition of the sport in the coming year.
Starting next academic year, member institutions Idaho, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, and Utah Tech will compete under the Big Sky banner for women's swimming & diving along with affiliate UTRGV. All five institutions' women's swimming & diving programs currently compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).
"We are absolutely thrilled to introduce women's swimming & diving as the newest Big Sky-sponsored sport," Wistrcill said. "In this era of college athletics, it's particularly meaningful that our membership has leaned into crowning another team each year as a Big Sky champion and, in doing so, will create a direct pathway for additional Big Sky student-athletes to qualify for and participate in their respective NCAA championship. I applaud the administrations at our four current full members that sponsor this sport for embracing this opportunity, and on behalf of our entire membership also eagerly welcome the UTRGV Vaqueros to our conference as an affiliate."
UTRGV will become a Big Sky affiliate member for the first time in 2027-28, bringing the league to five participating institutions for its inaugural women's swimming & diving season.
"We are thrilled to be joining the Big Sky in women's swimming & diving this coming year. It is another exciting first for the UTRGV Vaqueros to be a part of the first season in history of women's swimming & diving in the rich tradition of the Big Sky Conference," Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "Our program is improving every year, and we are excited to continue that momentum through our affiliation with a conference dedicated to student-athlete success. UTRGV is grateful for the support of the conference office and the Big Sky member institutions, and we are looking forward to great competition in the coming years."
While the Big Sky previously sponsored swimming & diving for men from 1963 to 1974 – with Montana winning nine of the 11 conference championships – the addition of women's swimming & diving next year will mark the first time that the league has sponsored the sport for that gender. Women's swimming & diving will become the 10th Big Sky women's sport in what will become a 17-sport portfolio, and this will first occur in what will serve as the conference's 40th year overall sponsoring women's athletics.
"We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to transition to the Big Sky Conference for swimming & diving next year. This move represents an exciting new chapter for our program and our student-athletes," UTRGV head women's swimming & diving coach Betsy Graham said. "Being part of the inaugural Big Sky Conference Swimming & Diving season is especially meaningful as we look forward to helping build a successful new tradition in the conference. We look forward to the competition, the relationships, and the opportunities this move will bring as we continue to grow our young program."
The inaugural Big Sky Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Championships will take place in February of 2028, with dates and location(s) for the event to be announced at a later time.
About the Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is in its 64th year overall and 39th year of women's competition during the 2026-27 academic year.
Founded in 1963, the Big Sky Conference is an NCAA Division I conference competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. With a league that in 2026-27 will include 161 teams representing 14 institutions in 16 sports (seven men's and nine women's), the Big Sky prides itself on its "Up Here, It's Different" platform that emphasizes the unique traits and lifelong benefits that the conference and its member institutions provide to more than 3,000 student-athletes each year.
As of July 1, 2026, the conference has 11 full members (Eastern Washington University, University of Idaho, Idaho State University, University of Montana, Montana State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Northern Colorado, Portland State University, Southern Utah University, Utah Tech University, and Weber State University) located in seven states across the western United States, plus two football affiliate members in California (California Polytechnic State University and the University of California, Davis) and one men's golf affiliate member (Francis Marion University).??
Conference members have won 13 NCAA team championships, including seven in football by five different members as well as six men's cross country titles by NAU.
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