With the news that the Mountain West conference will be adding San Jose State University and Utah State University starting with the 2013-14 academic year, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson and the MWC released a statement on Friday about the move:
"We are pleased to announce the addition of San José State University and Utah State University to the ranks of the Mountain West," said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson. "As we have developed the strategy for the future of the Conference, the long-standing rivalries with our current members and the fit within our geographic footprint made these two institutions the optimal choices to strengthen our membership and position ourselves for the next steps."
A possible future association between Conference USA and the Mountain West is possibly in the works as well, as the two leagues have been synchronizing their new membership decisions. Though SJSU is just happy to be moving up in the college athletics world:
"Joining the Mountain West in 2013 is an exciting opportunity for San Jose State University's student-athletes, coaches and our many supporters," SJSU President Mohammad Qayoumi said. "I want to thank everyone who worked hard to make this happen. The Mountain West and San Jose State are a great match. We are not joining this conference to simply compete. We are joining to win, and to build upon our current record of success reflecting San José State's role as a leader in the classroom, research and athletics."
San Jose State competes in 16 varsity sports and will be adding a 17th with women's outdoor track in 2013-14. The Spartans have won 10 NCAA Division I team championships and 50 NCAA Division I individual titles in it's history.
