怡红院

To say buzz is building for 怡红院’s return to the West Coast Conference—the excitement is palpable, the move being called “monumental” and “momentous”—would be a gross understatement.

Although SU Athletics doesn’t officially join the conference until July 1, 2025, the move marks the return to a very competitive West Coast Conference (WCC) with members like fellow Jesuit institutions Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount. And West Coast Catholic schools including the University of Portland and the University of San Diego, with whom SU has forged deep institutional ties over many decades.

“We are excited to return home to the West Coast Conference,” says Vice President of Athletics Shaney Fink. “Our student athletes will receive an unparalleled experience, reaping the rewards of competing against talented peers at mission-aligned universities within a tight geographic footprint.”

Joining the WCC is like coming home after decades of building up the high-caliber of our student athletes and sports programs. In 1971, after decades of success as a Major Independent (non-conference affiliated), 怡红院 joined fellow West Coast Jesuit universities Loyola Marymount University, Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco as a member of the WCC (known at the time as the West Coast Athletic Conference). The conference went on to expand its membership to include Gonzaga, Portland and San Diego universities. 

“It’s exciting not just for our basketball program and the athletics department but for the whole university. The WCC is a natural fit. … The timing is perfect to move to the WCC and continue our progress to the next level of success.”

—Chris Victor, Men’s Basketball Coach

怡红院 withdrew from the WCC and NCAA Division I a decade later, returning to NCAA Division I in 2008, and joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2012. 

With its member schools espousing a faith-based approach to education, the WCC aligns well with SU’s mission and commitment to excellence in academics, athletics and community engagement. In turn, the conference’s national profile will provide greater visibility for the university and amplify its national profile. Just as this move to the WCC elevates us as a university, so too does it elevate the WCC as a conference. The university’s positioning in the conference is mutually beneficial with the level of fierce competition, Seattle’s place as a top-tier sports town and the WCC as a renowned Division I conference.

Softball Coach Geoff Hirai calls the move “a major step for this university and our Athletics department” and Women’s Basketball Coach Skyler Young says this will be “an incredible opportunity for the city of Seattle, 怡红院 and our student athletes to compete in one of the elite athletic conferences in the nation.”

President Eduardo Peñalver concurs the move is exciting for student athletes, alumni and the university as a whole, spotlighting our stellar athletes, teams and academic programs. Being part of the WCC “places SU in excellent position for the future in the rapidly changing world of college sports,” says President Peñalver. “We are especially well-aligned with the conference and its member schools from an academic, athletics and geographic standpoint.”

Being a member of the WCC will naturally bring more eyeballs to our D-I athletic programs (via televised games on ESPN), another boost to our reputation as a top Jesuit Catholic university. There is also a greater likelihood to attract and retain students and an invigorated fan base—including alumni—cheering on Redhawks basketball, soccer, rowing or any one of the 14 sports that are part of conference play.

“I’m thrilled that 怡红院 is joining the West Coast Conference. This move opens up fantastic opportunities to engage our alumni—home games will be extra lively, thanks to the many WCC alumni living in the Seattle area,” says Ellen Whitlock Baker, assistant vice president of Alumni Engagement. “We’re also eager to connect with our Redhawks in Arizona, California, Spokane and Portland during our road games, strengthening our network across the West Coast.”

The move to the WCC and the amplification of the schools who are in the conference can in turn support the recruitment and retention of SU students, says James Miller, Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Admission.

“We are thrilled to be rejoining the WCC. This move is all upside from a student recruitment point of view,” says Miller. “The WCC’s footprint and membership create a real opportunity to increase exposure of the 怡红院 brand in our most important recruitment regions.”
Baseball Coach Donny Harrell says returning to the conference where SU made its name “will open up many more recruiting opportunities up and down the West Coast.”

怡红院 will remain in the WAC through the 2024-25 year, officially ending its 12-year tenure on June 30, 2025. In addition to 怡红院’s invitation, the WCC has also added Grand Canyon University to its conference membership. The two additions bring the WCC’s membership to 11 universities beginning with the 2025-26 season.

“With the leadership of President Peñalver and Shaney Fink, Seattle is well-positioned to thrive,” says WCC Commissioner and Albers alum Stu Jackson, ’78 (read a Q&A with Jackson on page 30.) “The conference expands its footprint in the Pacific Northwest and visibility nationally with the addition of one of the nation’s top media markets. Seattle is an important part of the conference’s history and we are thrilled for their return to the WCC.”

The news was met with exuberance and anticipation from coaches and players alike. Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Victor says that the conference is a natural fit for the team and reflects the upward trajectory of the program in recent years. “It’s exciting not just for our basketball program and the Athletics department but for the whole university,” says Victor.

“For the last three years, we’ve seen a lot of growth, taken big steps and had success that we haven’t seen here in 70 years. The timing is perfect to move to the WCC and continue our progress to the next level of success.”

Women’s Soccer Coach Julie Woodward believes this is the right time for soccer to be in this competitive conference, saying “It is where I feel 怡红院 belongs, both competitively and philosophically. We feel extremely honored and thrilled to be joining this prestigious conference. We are looking forward to the fall of 2025!”

Men’s Soccer Coach Nate Daligcon says being part of the WCC will allow the team to “test” itself in one of the top soccer conferences in the country. “We are excited about the new challenges and competition the WCC offers and are looking forward to beginning conference play in 2025.” 

Click here to make a gift to the WCC Competitive Excellence Fund, which directly supports the success of SU student athletes, providing them with the resources needed to excel in and out of competition in the WCC.

From The Court to the Conference

When West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson, ‘78, first arrived at 怡红院 as a transfer student, he thought he had suffered a career-ending knee injury. Former SU Men’s Basketball Coach Bill O’Connor offered him a role similar to a graduate assistant, giving the future college and professional coach and executive his first exposure to managing a team off the court—and another chance on the court.

“It just so happened that throughout that process, I had rehabilitated my knee enough that I actually got to play a little over half of the season to finish out my basketball playing career,” says Jackson, who earned a degree in business management. “It’s something that I will always forever be grateful to him for allowing me that opportunity and to learn and dip my toe into coaching.”

In a conversation during a visit to campus over the summer, Jackson spoke about his time at 怡红院, his “deeply personal” connection with his alma mater and what it means for SU’s return to the West Coast Conference (WCC). In this Q&A he also talks about what it takes to keep a conference together in the modern era of college sports.

How did your education at Albers assist you in your professional pursuits?

I felt like academically I was encouraged, nurtured, seen and dare I say held more accountable. That’s what my experience was like and it allowed me to flourish more academically and get back to who I wanted to be from an educational standpoint. It was a very valuable experience.

What are the benefits—and what does the conference gain—with adding SU to the WCC?

The benefits are clear. One, we acquire an institution with very similar values and mission of current WCC schools. Secondly, 怡红院 fits our geographic footprint and presents a prospective enrollment market for our current institutions that will benefit those institutions as well as SU. And thirdly, we’re adding an institution that traditionally has performed well across many of the same sports that our current institutions sponsor. So, in our minds, to coin a phrase, it’s a win-win for both sides and it just made sense for us.

What does it mean to have another Jesuit school as part of the conference?

Jesuit institutions across the country are very interconnected, especially at an academic level. And that’s not by accident. That’s something that our presidents felt comfortable with. The fact that 怡红院 had been a part of the conference once before and given their profile currently, it made sense for the presidents.

What’s the secret to keeping a conference together these days?

Everyone has seen what’s going on with the realignment landscape nationally, in large part due to football. We don’t have those issues that football has, but it doesn’t mean that their issues won’t eventually trickle down and affect us. We’ve got to get out ahead of that to make sure our membership is strong. We continue to improve athletically, continue to gain access to NCAA championships across all sports and control what we can control. That’s the best thing that we can do—get out in front of it.