Grand Canyon accepts invitation to join the Mountain West Conference by 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — Grand Canyon has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference no later than 2026, according to an announcement sent by the school Friday.

The Antelopes will join a conference that has six existing members, including Air Force, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming. UTEP and Hawaii have also announced they're joining the Mountain West.

Grand Canyon said 17 of its 21 sports teams will play in the Mountain West. The Antelopes do not have a football program but have had considerable success in men’s basketball, making the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons.

“GCU continues to rapidly grow as an academic institution and as an athletics program,” GCU athletics director Jamie Boggs said in a statement. “We want to best position ourselves to be nationally competitive, and we are excited about the vision and future of the Mountain West."

Grand Canyon's move comes less than six months after it announced it was joining the West Coast Conference, which at the time included basketball powerhouse Gonzaga. But Gonzaga recently announced it was joining the Pac-12.

The West Coast Conference sent out a statement Friday expressing disappointment with Grand Canyon's decision.

“We have been notified by Grand Canyon University of its decision to withdraw as a member of the West Coast Conference," WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson said in the statement. “We are disappointed with its decision to seek conference membership elsewhere just months after completing its membership agreement with the WCC that would have enhanced its national profile. The WCC views GCU’s decision as a missed opportunity to be part of one of the premier conferences in men’s basketball.”

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