Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Oklahoma. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level, primarily in Olympic sports that are not directly sponsored by a school's home conference (such as the Pac-12 and Big West, whose members all participate in MPSF competition in at least one of its sports).

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
MPSF
Established1992
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision I
Members39
Sports fielded
  • 10
    • men's: 5
    • women's: 5
RegionWestern United States, Southwestern United States, Southern United States, Northwestern United States
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington
CommissionerAl Beaird (since 1997)
Websitempsports.org
Locations

History

The MPSF was founded in 1992 and specifically created to provide an outlet for competition in non-revenue-producing Olympic sports. The MPSF conducts championships in men's volleyball; women's lacrosse; and indoor track, gymnastics, and water polo for both men and women. In 2010 the MPSF added women's swimming and diving to its list of sports, and added that sport for men in the 2011–12 season. The 2012–13 school year was the last for MPSF competition in men's soccer.

The conference's membership varies by sport; 39 schools are MPSF members in at least one of its sponsored sports. Schools are not required to participate in the MPSF competition for each sponsored sport if their primary conference affiliation sponsors a competition in that sport (e.g. Pac-12 soccer and women's gymnastics).

All MPSF members have a primary conference affiliation. All Pac-12 and Big West Conference members house at least one sport in the MPSF. The West Coast Conference is represented by six schools (BYU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego), and the Mountain West Conference has four full members represented (Air Force, Fresno State, San Diego State, San Jose State). The Great Northwest Athletic Conference is represented by Alaska–Anchorage and Seattle Pacific. Seven conferences are represented by one school each – the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (Penn State Behrend), the Big 12 Conference (Oklahoma), the Big Sky Conference (Sacramento State), the Big Ten Conference (Indiana), the California Collegiate Athletic Association (UC San Diego), the Pacific West Conference (Concordia–Irvine), the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (Austin), and the Western Athletic Conference (Grand Canyon).

Members

Source:[1]

Current members
Institution Location Nickname Primary
Conference		 Division
United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, Colorado Falcons Mountain West NCAA D-I
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska Seawolves Great Northwest NCAA D-II
University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona Wildcats Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Sun Devils Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Austin College[2] Sherman, Texas Kangaroos Southern CAC NCAA D-III
Brigham Young University Provo, Utah Cougars West Coast NCAA D-I
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California Mustangs Big West NCAA D-I
California State University, Fresno Fresno, California Bulldogs Mountain West NCAA D-I
California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, California Titans Big West NCAA D-I
California State University, Long Beach Long Beach, California 49ers Big West NCAA D-I
California State University, Northridge Northridge, California Matadors Big West NCAA D-I
California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, California Hornets Big Sky NCAA D-I
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Golden Bears Pac-12 NCAA D-I
University of California, Davis Davis, California Aggies Big West NCAA D-I
University of California, Irvine Irvine, California Anteaters Big West NCAA D-I
University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Bruins Pac-12 NCAA D-I
University of California, Riverside Riverside, California Highlanders Big West NCAA D-I
University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California Tritons California CAA (Big West in 2020) NCAA D-II (D-I in 2020)
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California Gauchos Big West NCAA D-I
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado Buffaloes Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Concordia University–Irvine Irvine, California Eagles Pacific West NCAA D-II
Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona Antelopes Western Athletic NCAA D-I
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Honolulu, Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine Big West NCAA D-I
Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana Hoosiers Big Ten NCAA D-I
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Sooners Big 12 NCAA D-I
University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Ducks Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon Beavers Pac-12 NCAA D-I
University of the Pacific Stockton, California Tigers West Coast NCAA D-I
Pennsylvania State University, The Behrend College Erie, Pennsylvania Behrend Lions Allegheny Mountain NCAA D-III
Pepperdine University Malibu, California Waves West Coast NCAA D-I
University of Portland Portland, Oregon Pilots West Coast NCAA D-I
University of San Diego San Diego, California Toreros West Coast NCAA D-I
San Diego State University San Diego, California Aztecs Mountain West NCAA D-I
San Jose State University San Jose, California Spartans Mountain West NCAA D-I
Seattle Pacific University Seattle, Washington Falcons Great Northwest NCAA D-II
University of Southern California Los Angeles, California Trojans Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Stanford University Stanford, California Cardinal Pac-12 NCAA D-I
University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Utes Pac-12 NCAA D-I
University of Washington Seattle, Washington Huskies Pac-12 NCAA D-I
Washington State University Pullman, Washington Cougars Pac-12 NCAA D-I

Future members
Institution Location Nickname Primary
Conference		 Division

Former members
Institution Location Nickname Primary
Conference[lower-alpha 1]		 Division
California Baptist University Riverside, California Lancers Western Athletic NCAA D-I
California State University, Bakersfield Bakersfield, California Roadrunners Western Athletic NCAA D-I
University of California San Diego San Diego, California Tritons California[lower-alpha 2] NCAA D-II
University of Denver Denver, Colorado Pioneers Summit NCAA D-I
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California Lions West Coast NCAA D-I
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Paradise, Nevada Rebels Mountain West NCAA D-I
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Lobos Mountain West NCAA D-I
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota Fighting Hawks Summit NCAA D-I
University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado Bears Big Sky NCAA D-I
Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, California Gaels West Coast NCAA D-I
Seattle University Seattle, Washington Redhawks Western Athletic NCAA D-I
University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming Cowboys & Cowgirls Mountain West NCAA D-I
Notes
  1. Current affiliation; does not necessarily match affiliation(s) during a school's MPSF tenure.
  2. Primary affiliation changes to the Division I Big West Conference in 2020.

Sports

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation sponsors championship competition in five men's and five women's NCAA sanctioned sports[3] The MPSF dropped men's soccer after the 2012 season. The moves of Denver (all sports) and New Mexico (soccer only) to other conferences left the MPSF with six soccer members, but all six would soon leave due to moves by the Western Athletic Conference. MPSF soccer member Seattle was already in the WAC, and another MPSF soccer school, CSU Bakersfield, was already committed to join the WAC in 2013. Because the WAC dropped football after the 2012 season due to a near-complete membership turnover, it needed to add another men's sport to maintain its Division I status. To that end, it invited the four remaining MPSF soccer schools to join them; all accepted, and the WAC began sponsoring men's soccer in 2013–14.[4]

In October 2015, Arizona State announced that it would elevate its club team in women's lacrosse to full varsity status starting in the 2017–18 school year (2018 season), which will give the Pac-12 six women's lacrosse schools. This number is required by league bylaws for official sponsorship of a sport, and is also the number of teams required for a conference to be an automatic NCAA tournament qualifier. This led the Pac-12 to announce that all of its women's lacrosse teams would leave the MPSF for the new Pac-12 lacrosse league for the 2018 season. The four remaining MPSF lacrosse schools will retain that league's automatic NCAA tournament bid for the 2018 and 2019 seasons while the MPSF seeks to add new members in that sport.[5]

The next major change in conference membership came in January 2016, when the Golden Coast Conference, a water polo-only league that previously operated only a women's competition, announced it would add a men's division effective with the 2016–17 season. The GCC took six of the 10 members of the MPSF men's water polo league, leaving the MPSF with only the four Pac-12 members that sponsor the sport.[6]

On May 31, 2016, the Big West Conference announced that it would begin sponsoring men's volleyball in the 2017–18 school year (2018 season). The Big West men's volleyball league now includes five full members Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Hawai'i, plus associate member UC San Diego. The full Big West members remain in the MPSF in other sports, but UC San Diego exited the federation.[7] California Baptist also exited the MPSF after dropping its only conference sport of men's volleyball shortly after the 2017 season, and Cal State Bakersfield left the MPSF after dropping its last remaining conference sport of women's water polo at the same time.[8]

MPSF Teams
SportMen'sWomen's
Gymnastics46
Indoor Track & Field1522
Lacrosse-3
Swimming & Diving68
Volleyball7-
Water polo67

Membership by sport
SchoolMen's GymnasticsWomen's GymnasticsMen's Indoor Track & FieldWomen's Indoor Track & FieldWomen's LacrosseMen's Swimming & divingWomen's Swimming & divingMen's VolleyballMen's Water PoloWomen's Water PoloTotal MPSF Sports
Air ForceYYNNNNNNNN2
Alaska AnchorageNYNNNNNNNN1
ArizonaNNYYNNNNNN2
Arizona StateNNYYNNNNNY3
AustinNNNNNNNNY[m 1]N1
BYUNNYYNYYYNN5
Cal PolyNNNNNYYNNN2
Cal State FullertonNNNYNNNNNN1
Cal State NorthridgeNNYYNNNNNN2
CaliforniaYNYYNNNNYY5
ColoradoNNYYNNNNNN2
Concordia–IrvineNNNNNNNYNN1
Fresno StateNNNNYNNNNN1
Grand CanyonNNNNNNNYNN1
HawaiiNNNYNYYNNN3
IndianaNNNNNNNNNY1
Long Beach StateNNYYNNNNNN2
OklahomaYNNNNNNNNN1
OregonNNYYNNNNNN2
Oregon StateNNNYNNNNNN1
PacificNNNNNYYNNN2
Penn State BehrendNNNNNNNNY[m 1]N1
PepperdineNNNNNNNYNN1
PortlandNNYYNNNNNN2
Sacramento StateNYNNNNNNNN1
San DiegoNNNNNNYNNN1
San Diego StateNNNNYNNNNN1
San FranciscoNNNYNNNNNN1
San Jose StateNYNNNNNNNY2
Seattle PacificNYNNNNNNNN1
StanfordYNYYNNNYYY6
UC DavisNYNYYNYNNN4
UC IrvineNNNYNNNNNN1
UCLANNYYNNNYYY5
UC RiversideNNYYNNNNNN2
UC San DiegoNNNNNYYNNN2
UC Santa BarbaraNNNNNYYNNN2
USCNNYYNNNYYY5
UtahNNNYNNNNNN1
WashingtonNNYYNNNNNN2
Washington StateNNYYNNNNNN2
Totals461522368767

    Conference champions

    NCAA titles

    The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has won 93 NCAA titles in seven sports. UCLA has won 24 national titles. Stanford has won 16 titles. USC has won 15 titles. Oregon has won 11 titles. Oklahoma has won nine titles. California has won six titles. UC Irvine has won four titles. Arizona State and Brigham Young have won three titles. Pepperdine has won two titles. The MPSF has won every men's and women's water polo NCAA title since the inception of the conference.

    Notes
    1. Participates only in conference tournament

    References
    1. Members - Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Archived 2017-07-27 at the Wayback Machine. Mpsports.Org. Retrieved on July 17, 2013.
    2. "'Roo Men's Water Polo to Join Mountain Pacific Sports Federation". acroos.com. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
    3. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Athletics. Mpsports.Org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
    4. "WAC Adds Men's Soccer" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 9, 2013. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
    5. "Pac-12 Adds Women's Lacrosse for 2018 Season". Lacrosse Magazine. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
    6. "GCC Launches Men's Division To Begin Play in 2016" (Press release). Golden Coast Conference. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
    7. "Big West Conference Makes Men's Volleyball 18th Sponsored Sport". Big West Conference. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
    8. "CSUB Athletics Announces Strategic Shift in Resources" (Press release). CSU Bakersfield Athletics. June 27, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
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