General 1/21/2022 2:15:00 PM By: Jason MacBain (@JaBain)

A New Era: UT Arlington To Join Western Athletic Conference

Mavericks To Become The League's 15th Member On July 1

ARLINGTON – The University of Texas at Arlington has officially accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference, ushering in a new era of Maverick athletics beginning July 1, 2022, and making UT Arlington the 15th member of the WAC and eighth school based in Texas during the 2022-23 academic year.

We are thrilled to join the Western Athletic Conference and help bolster a league that shares a similar strategic vision, is in the best interest of our student-athletes and enhances the university’s profile. The WAC’s short- and long-term objectives, goals and overall mission run parallel to UTA’s, and we envision this move being advantageous for all parties.

UTA Director of Athletics Jim Baker

We are extremely excited to welcome The University of Texas at Arlington to the Western Athletic Conference. UTA will be a great addition to the league. During this process, it became clear that this partnership would be mutually beneficial. UTA brings a stellar academic reputation and commitment to excelling athletically. Our Board of Directors was extremely impressed with UTA’s focus on the total student-athlete experience while preparing them for life beyond their time on campus.

WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton

The WAC was formed in 1962 and is comprised of 13 current member institutions: Abilene Christian, California Baptist, Chicago State, Dixie State (to be renamed Utah Tech University beginning July 1), Grand Canyon, Lamar, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, Seattle, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, UTRGV and Utah Valley. Incarnate Word and Southern Utah will join the league along with UTA on July 1; Chicago State will exit the WAC in June.

UTA will benefit from the WAC brand and the geography our footprint offers. UTA’s location in the heart of DFW makes it a magnet for talented students-athletes and staff. With several other institutions in close proximity, there will be an opportunity to rebuild former rivalries as well as create new ones.

The institutions in the Western Athletic Conference are located in the fastest-growing areas of the country, and our members’ best days are certainly ahead. Our league is on the rise as we continue to focus on student-athlete experience and competing at the highest level possible. UTA has fantastic leadership, which is committed to the growth and vision of their university. We are excited for the next chapter in the history of the WAC with UTA playing a major part in the story.

WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton

UTA was a member of the Southland Conference – where it was joined by Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston and SFA – for 48 years from 1963-2012. The Mavs were a former WAC member for one year in 2012-13, winning the men’s cross country championship and sharing the regular season baseball title. Since 2013-14, UTA has been a member of the Sun Belt.

Below is an infographic look at UTA's athletic successes.

With a fall 2021 global enrollment of 47,093, UTA is the fourth-largest institution in Texas. It is one of 131 universities nationwide to receive the R-1: Doctoral Universities—Very High Research Activity designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

In 2021, UTA received Texas Tier One designation reserved for the state’s top institutions for academic and research excellence. The university ranks No. 1 nationally in the Military Times’ annual “Best for Vets: Colleges” list, is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and has approximately 250,000 alumni making an impact across Texas and beyond.

The strength of UTA’s academic, research and athletic portfolios will bring excellent value to the Western Athletic Conference. As a Tier One institution, UTA is poised to enhance the league’s overall profile, and we’re looking forward to helping the WAC expand its footprint into one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.

UTA Interim President Teik C. Lim

Additional UTA Academic Highlights

UTA has the 3rd-highest undergraduate diversity index, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings include 16 graduate programs at UTA.
According to the 2021 edition of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine, UTA is No. 1 in Texas for awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to African American students. Nationally, the university is No. 12 for bachelor’s degrees awarded to African American students and No. 13 for master’s degrees.
In addition, UTA is No. 15 for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students and No. 11 for master’s degrees for Hispanic students in the U.S. in keeping with the overall trend of UTA producing successful graduates, Maverick student-athletes have consistently achieved at a high level in the classroom and in the community.

Just this past fall, UTA was the recipient of the Sun Belt Conference’s Institutional Graduation Rate Award and also the more heralded Student-Athlete Graduation Achievement Award. Possessing an 85% student-athlete graduation rate, UTA had the highest four-year class average graduation rate of any current Sun Belt school, as published in the NCAA Division-I Graduation-Rate Annual Report. Additionally, that four-year graduation rate exceeds the general student body graduation rate of the university.

During the 2020-21 year, the Mavs had 142 student-athletes named to either the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List (3.5+ GPA) or the Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA), in addition to several individual and team national academic recognitions.

Community service has been a mainstay and focal point of the UTA Department of Athletics. UTA – which consistently performed more community service hours than any other Sun Belt member – claimed either the Sun Belt’s Community Service Initiative Award or its Community Impact Award every single year from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Furthermore, on the strength of its Operation Global Impact service initiative, UTA was one of three Division-I finalists by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) for the 2019 Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

Media Availability

UTA Interim President Teik C. Lim, UTA Director of Athletics Jim Baker and WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton will be available to the media via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 24, beginning at 11 a.m. Central. Media who wish to join that link should contact either Jason MacBain (jason.macbain@uta.edu) at UTA or Chris Thompson (cthompson@wac.org) at the WAC for login information.

That press conference will be recorded and made available to the public at 2 p.m. Central on UTAMavs.com and corresponding social media outlets.

Follow The Mavs Socially
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at the brand-new UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.