PacWest presidents approve addition of men’s & women’s track & field for 2012-13 campaign

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The Pacific West Conference will expand the number of sports it offers to 15 beginning in 2012-13 with the addition of men’s and women’s track & field.

The presidents of the PacWest approved men’s and women’s outdoor track & field as official conference sports during their annual fall conference call on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

The presidents of the PacWest previously approved the addition of women’s golf and men’s tennis for the 2012-13 campaign.

The league currently sponsors 11 sports - men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball in the fall; men’s and women’s basketball in the winter; and baseball, men’s golf, softball and women’s tennis in the spring.

"This is another big step forward for our growing conference," PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue said. "The addition of men's and women's track & field, along with the previous presidential approval of men's tennis and women's golf as official conference sports beginning next year, will give greater championship opportunities to the student athletes around the conference. It means that the PacWest will jump from 11 offerings this year to 15 official conference sports in 2012-13."

The outdoor track & field season will compete in the spring of 2013 and feature six institutions - Academy of Art, Azusa Pacific, California Baptist, Fresno Pacific, Grand Canyon and Point Loma Nazarene.

A conference championship also will be held in the spring of 2013 and is tentatively scheduled for Point Loma Nazarene. The PacWest will officially approve a host rotation for the championships at the January athletic director meetings in Indianapolis.