University of Denver moving to West Coast Conference in 2026, according to report

The University of Denver is riding the latest wave of college realignment DU is moving from the Summit League to the West Coast Conference in according to a description by ESPN s Pete Thamel The Pioneers will be a member of the conference in nine sports The WCC does not advocacy hockey at the NCAA D-I level so it s likely DU will remain in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference for its marquee sport A move to the WCC fits the bill for DU a private school as the league is comprised of private schools on the West Coast Though Gonzaga historically the conference s best basketball school is leaving for the rebuilt Pac- in the conference is still a step up for the Pioneers in the college athletics landscape The Pioneers have belonged to the Summit League since Prior to that DU spent a year in the Western Athletic Conference was in the Sun Belt from - and was independent from - Before that DU was a part of the Mountain States Athletic Conference Basketball-wise the WCC will be a challenge for DU s men s basketball unit which struggled to find a consistent footing in the Summit and has never made an NCAA Tournament appearance The Pioneers begin the - season next week under first-year coach Tim Bergstraser and haven t had a winning season since - The school has yet to make a formal announcement about the move though that is expected to come sometime Friday morning DU athletics staff members received emails early Friday morning stating there would be a mandatory meeting at a m a source informed The Denver Post This story will be updated