University of the Incarnate Word announces move to Western Athletic Conference

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The University of the Incarnate Word announced today the school has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference next year.

The agreement will take effect July 1, 2022.

UIW joins 13 schools in the WAC, which recently entered into a new media rights agreement with ESPN. In August, the WAC and ESPN agreed to air more than 500 WAC football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming and diving, track and field, softball, and baseball games on ESPN+. ESPN will also produce the WAC men and women’s basketball championships.

“We are excited to be joining the WAC,” says Richard Duran, UIW athletic director. “This will raise the profile of all our sports teams and give our student-athletes a chance to compete on a different level. We consistently ask our students to be champions in the classroom, the community and in competition. This move will provide them the opportunity to do just that.”

The athletic program at UIW includes 23 men and women’s teams across 14 sports.

“As we have witnessed over the past several months, Division 1 athletics can be a changing landscape and with that change will come opportunity,” says UIW President Dr. Thomas M. Evans. “The University of the Incarnate Word is committed to prioritizing what is best for our student-athletes and the Mission of the University. A move to the WAC at this time puts our student-athletes in the best position to succeed academically and competitively. We want to thank the WAC Board of Directors, Commissioner Jeff Hurd and all the member institutions for the opportunity to join this prestigious league and we look forward to working with them to maintain and strengthen the level of sportsmanship and competition for which the WAC is known. We would also like to thank the institutions of the Southland Conference for their partnership over the past nine years.”

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