The University of Hawai'i will officially join the Mountain West Conference (MWC) as a full member in 2026. Most of its athletic programs will move to the MWC, where Hawai'i football has been since 2012, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Sports and confirmed by UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos, as reported by the Spectrum News.
Discussions about the transition focused on the costly travel subsidies that UH has had to pay for visiting teams, which have strained the athletic budget. With the new agreement, these subsidies will gradually disappear. UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos told KHON2 Sports that this change will provide financial relief, stating, “We will no longer be paying those travel subsidies for those sports, which will save us a lot of money.” He added that having to pay for competitors' travel was a major concern for the university.
KHON2’s coverage also noted that the integration into the MWC does not come without complications, particularly for the four sports – men’s volleyball, women’s water polo, beach volleyball, and men’s swimming and diving – that the MWC does not sponsor. Options for these programs may include continuing their affiliation with the Big West or joining the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, as Angelos indicated in statements to both news outlets.
This strategic maneuver comes as part of a larger trend in college athletics, where institutions are constantly on the prowl for better competitive fits and lucrative alliances. The move is expected to enhance not only the competitive level for UH's sports programs, famously noted by Angelos in his conversation with Spectrum News but is a nod to the fiscal sustainability and growth for the university’s athletic department as well. "It creates stability for our program going forward, especially in these changing times of college athletics," Angelos mentioned, while also touching on the benefits of the media contract negotiations that could usher in additional revenue.
By 2026, the Mountain West Conference will include teams like Air Force, Hawai'i, UTEP, New Mexico, Nevada, UNLV, San Jose State, and Wyoming. This reshuffling aims to strengthen UH's position in college sports amid rapid changes. A press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning will provide more details about the transition. Meanwhile, the Big West acknowledged UH's history, stating, “Hawaii has a proud history in the Big West that includes 36 conference titles and three national championships, and we look forward to having the Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine compete for Big West titles in all sports over the next two seasons,” a statement obtained by the Spectrum News.
