Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez ‘would welcome WSU with open arms’

PULLMAN – Could Washington State be headed to the Mountain West?

If it were up to the conference’s commissioner, Gloria Nevarez, the answer would be yes. That’s what she told WSU’s athletics advisory committee to outline the benefits of the Cougars joining the Mountain West, according to a memo the school posted on Friday.

Nevarez traveled to Pullman on Thursday, the memo wrote, along with University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes, the chair of the Mountain West board of directors. In the meeting, Stokes highlighted the similarities between Mountain West schools and Washington State, including the regional proximity and the fact that many MW schools, like WSU, are land-grant institutions.

Nevarez also said there was “strong support among Mountain West presidents and athletic directors” for the idea of adding WSU. Nevarez said the Mountain West “would welcome WSU with open arms.”

Representatives from the American Athletic Conference, the other conference WSU president Kirk Schulz said the Cougars could join, are set to present a proposal next week to WSU’s advisory committee, which is made up of WSU students, faculty, staff and alumni.