Big Sky to Add Women's Swimming & Diving in 2027-28
UTRGV's program joins the conference as an affiliate, with the inaugural conference championships set for February 2028.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Swimming
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will bring its women's swimming & diving program into the Big Sky Conference as an affiliate beginning in the 2027-28 season. The conference will hold its first women's swimming & diving championships in February 2028.
Why it matters
The addition expands the Big Sky's sports portfolio to 17 sports and marks the conference's return to sponsoring swimming & diving after a gap since 1974. For Texas athletes, it creates a new conference pathway for women's swimming & diving competition in the state's Rio Grande Valley region.
Montana won nine of the 11 men's Big Sky swimming & diving championships held between 1963 and 1974, when the conference last sponsored the sport. The women's program at UTRGV joins Idaho, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado and Utah Tech, which currently compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The players
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an NCAA Division I athletic conference of 11 full members and several affiliate members across the western United States, known for its broad sports sponsorship.
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)
UTRGV is a public university in South Texas formed from the merger of the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Tom Wistrcill
Tom Wistrcill is the commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, responsible for overseeing its membership and sports sponsorship decisions.
The details
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announced that its women's swimming & diving program will compete in the Big Sky Conference as an affiliate starting in 2027-28, with Commissioner Tom Wistrcill confirming the addition. UTRGV becomes a Big Sky affiliate member for the first time, and the conference will sponsor 17 sports in total once the program is added.
Timeline
1963-1974: Big Sky last sponsored men's swimming & diving.
November 12, 2026: UTRGV announced its women's swimming & diving program would join the Big Sky.
2027-28: UTRGV and four Big Sky members begin competing in women's swimming & diving.
February 2028: The inaugural Big Sky Women's Swimming & Diving Championships are scheduled.
Season Trajectory
The Big Sky's return to swimming & diving echoes its men's program from 1963 to 1974, when Montana dominated the conference title race. The addition of women's swimming & diving, the conference's 10th women's sport, extends that tradition into a new competitive cycle beginning in 2027-28.
For Texas swimmers, the addition creates a Big Sky women's swimming & diving pathway starting in 2027-28, with the conference's first championship meet set for February 2028. Athletes and families planning recruitment should watch for the championship dates and host location once they are released.
The takeaway
Expanding a conference's sports lineup can open new competitive pathways for athletes in a region. For Texas swimmers, the Big Sky addition is worth tracking as the 2027-28 season approaches.
What happens next
The dates and location(s) of the inaugural Big Sky Women's Swimming & Diving Championships in February 2028 will be announced at a later time.
Further reading
Explore more swimming news for context on collegiate programs across the region.
