On July 1, 2011, Brigham Young University athletics enter a new era as the football team moves toward independence, with many of the other sports teams heading to the West Coast Conference. The Daily Universe explores the conference’s institutions and how BYU fits in with them.
Nestled in the hills outside of San Francisco sits a small college ripe with fresh ideas, a rich history and a big sense of community.
St. Mary’s College of California offers students the opportunity for a unique education and has created an atmosphere quite different than that found at other universities.
Every January, St. Mary’s College of California’s campus is emptier than normal and filled with talk about operas, bikes, films and culture.
During the first month of the year, St. Mary’s has what is called January Term. This is a short term between their two main semesters where students take a course that is simply of interest to them.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Reverently, Santa Clara University junior Ryan Smith enters the church of Mission Santa Clara de Asis for Sunday Mass. Dipping his fingers in the bowl of holy water, Smith crosses himself and enters the church’s sanctuary.
For BYU students accustomed to the Harold B. Lee Library, Santa Clara University’s library might seem a little confusing.
At first glance there doesn’t appear to be very many books at all — just lots of open spaces with tables, chairs and couches.
So where did all the books go?
The books are still there. They’re just a little more hidden than one might expect.
SAN FRANCISCO — BYU students may consider their university fundamentally different than the University of San Francisco, but in reality, similarities may outweigh the differences.
Every school in the WCC has a religious affiliation. The University of San Francisco (USF), set on a hilltop in the middle of San Francisco a block from Golden Gate Park, is one school in the WCC that inspires its students to be successful in not only a career, but also by living lives of service and meaning.
SAN FRANCISCO — A college campus keeps up with its city to be environmentally friendly and help people with atypical choices.
University of San Francisco recently received an A- for its environmental efforts on campus, according to the school’s website. Its efforts to convert water fountains to water bottle refill stations, its garden project and expanding compost services earned the school the grade.
On BYU entering the conference:
“I think it’s a big step forward for the WCC and for BYU. I think this is a win-win deal. You guys have a terrific record in athletics; you’re a faith-based institution. You have a clear focus in undergrad education. I think there is a lot of commonality among the schools in the WCC. We want to keep that. We are a little fussy on who we let in. It isn’t just anybody. We deliberated very thoughtfully over a relatively short period of time.”
The chiming of the new bell tower sounds in the distance on the campus of the University of Portland.
Portland will be taking on the Cougars in several sports because of BYU’s recent move to the WCC, and though the University is more than 1,000 miles away, there are more similarities between the Cougars and the Pilots than one would gather at first glace.
If it wasn’t already strange enough to be coaching women’s college basketball just one year removed from her playing career at BYU, former Cougar point guard Jazmine Foreman will have another bizarre but rewarding experience come this January.
Foreman, who was recently hired as an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Portland, will be coaching against her former teammates and new WCC foes when the Cougars play the Pilots twice in the span of three weeks during the first month of conference play.
Budget healthy as Cougs set to go indy, enter WCC
In 2009, BYU sports won championships in women’s swimming and diving, softball and men’s and women’s indoor track and outdoor track.
But none of these achievements — or even these teams’ existence — would have been possible without the football team’s 11-2 season.
When the lights go on in the Marriott Center beginning fall 2011, the BYU men’s basketball team will be inviting some new competition from the West Coast Conference.
In reality, they could invite almost half the conference simultaneously.
With a seating capacity of 22,700, the Marriott Center can nearly hold the entire enrollment of WCC schools Gonzaga, Portland, St. Mary’s and San Diego.
Switching to the West Coast Conference for women’s basketball has been considered across the board as a positive thing by both BYU and its future opponents, including Gonzaga’s coach, Kelly Graves.
Graves, who served an LDS mission before playing with the University of New Mexico’s basketball team, shared his feelings about BYU as a new opponent.
BYU baseball will have a lot to prove when it enters as the ninth member of the West Coast Conference.
WCC baseball’s toughest competitor, the University of San Diego Toreros, won last season’s WCC Championship with a record of 19-2 within the conference and 37-22 overall.
Change is not always a good thing, but switching to the West Coast Conference looks to be a good experience for the BYU men’s and women’s cross country teams.
Last season, the BYU men earned second place at the Mountain West Conference Championships, first in the NCAA Mountain Regional and 17th at the NCAA Championships. The women’s team also finished in second place at their MWC Championships, third at the NCAA Mountain Regional and 19th at the NCAA Championships.
BYU men’s and women’s tennis teams will face stiff competition when they join the West Coast Conference next year.
“I think it’s a great thing,” senior Evan Urbina said. “I’m excited for our school.”
Joining the West Coast Conference next season means a lot of things to the BYU’s women’s volleyball team —better opponents, better places to visit and being part of a great volleyball tradition.
Saint Mary’s won the WCC title last year with a 13-1 conference record, putting together a .279 hitting percentage on the year, followed by San Diego (10-4) and Pepperdine (9-5). Saint Mary’s finished the season No. 21 in the country and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling in five sets to No. 4 Stanford.
When the BYU women’s soccer team moves to the West Coast Conference in 2011, it probably won’t be the only ranked team in the conference anymore. The WCC has rich, competitive history in women’s soccer and three teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
At the top of the conference is No. 4 Portland (7-0-0), who holds an incredible record of 103-13-6 over the past 18 years, with eight undefeated seasons and two NCAA College Cup titles (2002 and 2005).
Changing conferences tends to put a strain on fans and athletes, but the change to the West Coast Conference could be an advantage for the BYU men and women’s golf teams.
The Cougar golf teams have done well over the past few seasons. Last year, the men’s golf team placed fourth in the MWC Championship tournament and nine other top 10 tournament finishes. On the women’s side, the team had three top 10 finishes. Both teams have competed in tournaments all over the country and have proven themselves as worthy competitors, both as a team and individually.
BYU is a unique school. It is ranked as the top “Stone Cold Sober School” by the Princeton Review — and none of its athletes perform on Sunday.
The mission statement of BYU athletics is “to conduct the athletics program in a manner that will develop student-athletes of excellence in academics, athletics, faith and character, and to contribute to the mission of the LDS Church through the visibility of our positive example and our accomplishments.”
Though Wednesday’s press conference was largely focused on the future of BYU football, representatives from other sports were also in attendance to express their feelings about departing from the Mountain West Conference.
Men’s basketball coach Dave Rose said the level of competition between the MWC and the West Coast Conference is very similar.
