The fall sports season is now fully underway, and it is great to see our student-athletes compete and their stories being told on ESPN+. For 2023-24, I say “Carpe Annum”! Let’s seize the year and make it our best ever in terms of competitive success, great sportsmanship, driving our collective institutional and Big West brands, and sharing the tremendous stories of our student-athletes.
When speaking with athletic administrators or coaches over the past few weeks, The Big West membership ranks at or near the top when defining NCAA Division I conferences that align perfectly with regard to like-institutions within a footprint that makes sense and is clearly defined. WE truly have the student-athlete experience as our focus, which has me humming “We Belong Together” by Randy Newman.
CONGRATULATIONS
- To some impressive perfomances this weekend! In volleyball, Long Beach State took down defending champion and No. 1 Texas on Friday and Hawai'i beat No. 13 San Diego on Saturday; and Cal State Bakersfield, UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis all started the season off perfect. In women's soccer, Cal Poly nearly secured points against No. 1 UCLA, and in the first week of play on the men's side, UC Davis capped a perfect weekend with a 2-1 road win at Ohio State. The Big West is definitely improving competitively!
- To Long Beach State senior forward Elysia Laramie, who totaled five tallies in two matches on opening weekend in women’s soccer and was named the National Player of the Week as well as Big West Offensive Player of the Week! Read more >>>
- To Dr. Steven Buratto, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, who has been named the new Faculty Athletics Representative at UCSB. Dr. Buratto will begin his new duties on September 1, 2023. Welcome Dr. Buratto!
- To UC Davis athletics, who recently updated their strategic plan - IGNITE: The Pursuit of Excellence. Read more >>>
- To the Big West conference office, who is excited to showcase our updated website BigWest.org, with top stories now featured when you open the site.
- To The Big West for finalizing a partnership with Whistle Stop for the 2023-24 season. Read more >>>
- To CSUN on the announcement of their facility improvements during the summer! Read more >>>
PRESEASON ACCOLADES!
Did you miss The Big West's preseason coaches' polls and preseason teams in soccer and volleyball?
We've got one more on tap this week as we see how the votes shook out for the inaugural season of men's water polo - stay tuned!
THE BIG WEST ON ESPN+
During the 2022-23 academic year, collectively, we broadcast over 1,200 events on ESPN! If you have not done so already, I encourage you to bookmark The Big West page on ESPN+, as you can click this link to see all events being broadcast from our institutions on one webpage.
THE BIG WEST ACADEMIC HONORS SHOW
The show will debut on ESPN+ on Tuesday, August 29th at 1:00 p.m. PT. Mark your calendars and watch the show live here!
Twenty-two individuals were bestowed the honor as two student-athletes from each institution – one male and one female – were distinguished by their schools and The Big West. Meet each honoree here >>>
THE BIG WEST AND U.S. INTEGRITY
Back in June, The Big West signed a comprehensive partnership with U.S. Integrity and it's proved to be a timely partnership with sports wagering making the news recently.
Along with our conference partnership in the space, the NCAA and EPIC Risk Management continue to provide gambling harm prevention education to thousands of student-athletes.
For problems with gambling or treatment: Please visit the National Council of Problem Gambling at ncpgambling.org or contact them directly.
Call: 1-800-GAMBLER
Chat: 1800gamblerchat.org
Text: 800GAM
“THE PATH FORWARD” – A LETTER FROM NCAA PRESIDENT CHARLIE BAKER
“We are in an unprecedented era for college sports. The environment is rapidly shifting culturally, politically, legally, and financially. To address the challenges ahead, the NCAA needs to make real changes. At my direction and that of the Board of Governors, the NCAA national office and membership have begun a significant range of work to meet that charge. Immediately after taking over as president, I led an effort to bring in outside experts to analyze every aspect of the national office, while I also set out to hear directly from all 97 primary conferences across the Association. As a result, we produced a strategic plan for the work ahead that prioritizes student-athlete outcomes. At the same time, we are already making real changes across the Association, including improving the benefits and protections college athletes have access to. There is more work ahead, but what we have already accomplished these last few months makes clear the staff, membership and student-athletes everywhere are ready to get to work.”
Read President Baker’s full letter to members on ncaa.org.
OPPORTUNITY - N4A/NACDA IS HOSTING A VIRTUAL DEI SUMMIT
Registration is now open for the N4A (National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals) 2nd Virtual DEI Summit on Wednesday October 25th from 7:30am – 4:30pm PST. The theme of the 2023 N4A Virtual DEI Summit, designed to showcase best practices, research, and innovative programs focused on supporting and developing professionals, is Planting Seeds for a Cultural Shift.
Get ready for a day filled with content that will spark joy, challenge your thinking, and shift your perspectives. N4A is bringing the best and the brightest in the sports industry together to emphasize our responsibility to use athletics as a vehicle to impact positive social change and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility within sport. You can view the schedule of events here. Registration ends Monday October 2nd and is $50 for N4A Members, $75 for NACDA/Affiliate Members, and $125 for non-members.
As I close out this first edition of The Bold Type, I leave you with this quote for the week from C.S. Lewis: "You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream."
Have a great week!
Dan