By Jeff Faraudo
West Coast Conference columnist
 
On Halloween, the West Coast Conference added to its collection of treats as the conference announced the University of Denver has joined the conference and will be a competing member beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.   
 
This week, West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson visited the University of Denver campus and met with several coaches and administrators as they begin their transition to the conference on July 1.
 
“It is evident to me that Josh [Berlo] has an outstanding staff which will serve them well as they transition into the conference,” Jackson said. “I was equally impressed with the athletic facilities and some of the enhancements that are coming with respect to basketball. When it is all done, it will be on par with our member institutions.”
 
Jackson added “our conference is one that leans into its regionality and our values mirror Denver. The attention and care for the student-athlete experience of our member institutions mirrors what I have experienced here with Denver. For us, it was an easy fit.”
 
That addition of Denver did not materialize overnight, but it didn’t take long, either.
 
Jackson engaged in what he called “social” conversations with university Chancellor Jeremy Haefner and athletics director Josh Berlo over the past year or so. “But it really wasn’t until about 10 days before the announcement that we thought, ‘Hey, we could really make this happen’ and we did.”
 
Haefner joked that the passion he and Jackson share for cycling was part of early discussions. He also agreed the two parties found common ground without much delay. “There was just an alignment about interest that started to really surface quickly,” he said. “We both came to the table with constructive ideas on how we could work together in that regard. We are just so, so pleased that we’ve gotten to this point so quickly.”
 
The association works, all agreed, because the West Coast Conference and Denver see eye-to-eye on so many fronts.
 
Denver is a highly ranked academic private university with an enrollment of about 12,000 students. Its athletic program has finished atop the Learfield Director’s Cup standings among non-football schools for 12 consecutive years and 16 of the past 17. The Pioneers’ men’s soccer team has reached the College Cup twice in the past 11 seasons.
 
“Joining the West Coast Conference is a statement about where we are headed,” Haefner said.
 
The Pioneers will compete in the West Coast Conference in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s golf and tennis. Denver also fields elite-level skiing and men’s ice hockey teams that have won 34 national championships dating back to 1954.
 
When Berlo informed Denver’s coaches about the move, he said, “The energy was palpable. They just can’t wait to jump in with two feet and compete against the tradition-laden programs in the West Coast Conference in so many spaces. This is something the athletic department and the university have aspired to for a long time.”
 
Berlo said the Pioneers have competed in various sports against current West Coast Conference members “hundreds of times,” noting that the DU men’s basketball team played at Seattle U in both teams’ season openers this year, a sort of preview to them becoming conference rivals a year from now.
 
The men’s basketball team is led by first-year coach Tim Bergstraser, who came on board after guiding Minnesota State University Moorhead to three consecutive 25-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament bids on the Division II level.
 
“This is an incredibly natural fit,” Berlo said. “It’s geography — California is one of the top three states for (DU) students and alumni. These are markets we’re present in. We very much feel as though we’re one of the strongest academic and athletic combinations in the West.”
 
Jackson said the West Coast Conference Presidents’ Council welcomed expanding the league’s geographic footprint beyond California, Oregon and Washington. Beginning next year, the conference — which recently redefined itself brand identity with “We Rise in the West” — will have schools in seven of the eight largest metropolitan areas in the West — Seattle, Portland, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento-Stockton, Los Angeles, San Diego and Denver.
 
“It’s no secret that we’ve leaned into the regionality of our conference in tackling the major markets here in the West,” Jackson said. “With respect to Denver, they certainly are in our region in the western part of the country. They completely identify and fit with our footprint. We’re so glad we get to extend ourselves just a little bit and perhaps provide a little bit different experience for the student-athlete when they visit Denver and vice-versa.”
 
The West Coast Conference will feature 10 institutions next year with the addition of Denver and will grow to 11 in 2027-28, as it was announced in early September that UC San Diego is joining the conference.
 
Jackson and the university presidents will now turn their attention to identifying a 12th school, although there is no formal timetable to get that accomplished. He also said that while 12 schools is the optimal number, the conference could potentially grow beyond that at some point if other universities prove to be a good fit.
 
Denver has made a multi-year commitment to position its men’s and women’s basketball programs for national competitive excellence as it enters the West Coast Conference next year. DU recently finalized plans to install new chairback seating in Hamilton Gymnasium ahead of the 2026-27 season.
 
“I can’t promise you it’s going to happen overnight,” he said. “We understand the magnitude of the challenge but we also have that challenge in so many other sports that we compete in nationally against some of the biggest and best-funded programs across the country.”
 
Berlo said the athletic department has made behind-the-scenes infrastructure and facility improvements in the past couple years as well, and said the Pioneers are “very confident” about their prospects going forward.
 
“We recognize the challenge, our coaches embrace the challenge,” Berlo said. “We’ve also got proof of concept here at the University of Denver in our ability to have national success. We’re leaning into the strengths we that have as an institution, the advantages that we have, the academic opportunities, the community, the campus and leveraging that in recruiting. And looking to elevate the support we have for those programs.”

Jackson experienced this first-hand during his visit this week. His next trip to DU will be with the West Coast Conference logo painted on its basketball court as a competing member of the conference.