SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference has announced the addition of Augusta University as an affiliate member in men’s and women’s golf, and the University of California, Davis as an affiliate member in beach volleyball and men’s water polo.
UC Davis will join the West Coast Conference in both sports beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, while Augusta will compete in the West Coast Conference in both sports beginning this academic year.
“We continuously identify opportunities to bolster the competitive excellence of the West Coast Conference in all 16 sports, said West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson. “With an appearance in the beach volleyball NCAA championship final this past spring, six nationally-ranked teams in men’s water polo last season, and a multi-bid conference in men’s and women’s golf, the West Coast Conference is among the highest-ranked leagues in these four sports. The addition of both UC Davis and Augusta continues to position the Conference as one of the premier leagues and expands the footprint and reach of the West Coast Conference.”
The addition of UC Davis in men’s water polo gives the West Coast Conference seven teams for the 2026 season. Along with LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine and Santa Clara, UC Davis will join current affiliate members Air Force and San Jose State in the 2026-27 academic year. California Baptist will depart as an affiliate member following the 2025 season. The Aggies finished the 2024 season ranked No. 14 nationally, advancing to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. They have appeared in the NCAA Championships seven times, advancing to the NCAA semifinals in 2021. UC Davis’ facility, the Schaal Aquatics Center, was recently selected to host the 2027 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championships, marking the third time the venue was selected for national competition.
The West Coast Conference was well represented with six teams in the final 2024 Men’s Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll, highlighted by No. 6 Pacific.
UC Davis will become the ninth team in beach volleyball in the 2027 season, along with LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara. USD recently announced its sponsorship in beach volleyball beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. UC Davis, which first began sponsoring the sport in 2019, has posted at least 18 wins in each of its last three seasons.
LMU, which has captured six straight West Coast Conference titles, competed in the NCAA Championship final dual this past spring, finishing No. 2 in the final national rankings.
“We are incredibly grateful to Commissioner Stu Jackson and the West Coast Conference for welcoming UC Davis as an affiliate member in men’s water polo and beach volleyball,” said UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “Joining the WCC provides our student-athletes in these two sports with a tremendous opportunity to compete at a high level and continue building programs that reflect the excellence of UC Davis. We deeply appreciate the Conference’s support and partnership as we work to elevate these teams and provide them with the platform to achieve sustained success.”
Augusta joins the West Coast Conference in men’s and women’s golf following competition in the Southland Conference.
“This is a great day for Augusta Golf,” Augusta Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher said. “The West Coast Conference has an excellent reputation and will provide a wonderful new home for our golf programs. They’ve been beyond impressive to work with and we are grateful to their leadership for this tremendous opportunity. We look forward to representing the WCC exceedingly well for years to come.”
The men’s golf team won the Southland Conference team title the past three years. The Jaguars placed 28th at the 2025 NCAA Championship. Bo Blanchard, the 2025 Southland Conference Men’s Golf Medalist and Student-Athlete of the Year, won the Georgia Amateur Championship in June. Augusta men’s golf won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2011.
The Augusta men’s golf program will be part of a 12-team league this season, joining Gonzaga, LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle U and fellow affiliate members Oregon State and Washington State.
The West Coast Conference has earned multiple NCAA Regional selections in men’s golf in each of the last 10 events, including four bids in three of the past four years. Pepperdine, one of four teams to earn an NCAA selection this past spring, captured the NCAA title in 2021.
The Augusta women’s golf team finished fourth at the Southland Conference Championship and Zoe Pinillos advanced to the NCAA Regionals as an individual last season. The Jaguars competed as a team in the previous three NCAA Regionals, advancing to the NCAA Championship in 2023.
Augusta is the West Coast Conference’s eighth team this season, joining Gonzaga, Pepperdine, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle U and fellow affiliate members Oregon State and Washington State.
For the second time in four years, the West Coast Conference sent multiple teams to the NCAA Women’s Golf Regionals with two teams earning a selection this past spring. Pepperdine advanced to match play and the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2023. The West Coast Conference featured several golfers in the world amateur rankings this past year, including three – Jeneath Wong and Eunseo Choi of Pepperdine and Riana Mission of San Francisco – who competed in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.
About the West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics. The West Coast Conference is fueled by the conviction to achieve its goals with strong core values of integrity, respect, collaboration, innovation, and inclusiveness that create a holistic student-athlete experience. The conference sponsors 16 sports with a three-state footprint that includes Gonzaga, LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Seattle U. We Create Champions on the field of competition and leaders in life. Follow the West Coast Conference @WCCsports on X, Instagram, and Facebook.