Most of UH’s non-football sports will join the Mountain West

Most of the University of Hawaii’s non-football sports will join the Mountain West, UH athletic director Craig Angelos confirmed Monday night.

Today, the UH basketball, baseball, soccer, softball and women’s volleyball teams are expected to be among the programs joining the Rainbow Warrior soccer team as Mountain West members. The Warriors have been a pure Mountain West football team since 2012. Most of UH’s other sports have also competed in the Big West since the 2012-13 academic year.

“I think it’s good for the stability of our program,” Angelos told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a telephone interview. “Now is a good time to do it.”

Angelos said the Mountain West will cover The Big West’s $750,000 exit fee.

It has not yet been decided whether the men’s volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo and men’s swimming programs will remain in the Big West as affiliate members. The Mountain West does not support these sports. The Big West charges a $25,000 affiliate fee for each sport.

As part of the transition to an athletic-only membership, UH will no longer have to pay travel allowances to visiting teams. The subsidies – in the contractual sense “travel cost sharing” – correspond to the coverage of charter flights for visiting football teams. This amount ranges from $150,000 for schools in the Pacific Time Zone to $175,000 for teams in the Mountain Time Zone.

UH teams moving from the Big West will also no longer have to pay travel allowances.

UH’s decision to become an all-sports member helps solidify a conference rocked by last month’s announced split. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State plan to leave the 12-team Mountain West and join the rebuilding Pac-12 in 2026. UTEP will join the Mountain West league as the seventh all-sports member in 2026 Commissioner Gloria Nevarez opened discussions about the possibility of inviting UH’s non-football teams.