ARLINGTON, Texas – Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University have both successfully completed the mandated four-year reclassification period and are now officially recognized as full-fledged members of NCAA Division I.
Upon joining the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2020, Tarleton State and Utah Tech each began the process of reclassifying from NCAA Division II to Division I. As part of reclassification of NCAA membership, an institution must submit an annual report and strategic plan to the NCAA detailing progress made during the reclassification period. Benchmarks in conformity with NCAA Bylaws in personnel, amateurism, recruiting, eligibility, financial aid, awards and benefits, and competitive seasons must be met throughout the four-year reclassification to successfully complete a move to a higher Division.
Unlike NCAA protocol, which requires the full reclassification period to be completed before NCAA Championship eligibility is attained, both Tarleton State and Utah Tech were deemed eligible for WAC Championship postseason competition in June of 2022 by the conference’s board of directors.
Tarleton State captured a WAC Southwest Division crown in 2022 and has reached two women’s tennis tournament championship matches, won the 2024 University Credit Union WAC Baseball Tournament in Mesa, Arizona (the first baseball program to win a conference tournament as a reclassifying institution in D1 history), and finished fifth in the 2023-24 WAC Commissioner’s Cup. The Texans also reached the semifinals of the 2024 CIT in men’s basketball to highlight their WAC team sport accomplishments during the reclassification period. Facility upgrades in football, basketball, tennis, baseball, softball, soccer and track & field have all begun or been completed at Tarleton State during the university’s WAC membership to date.
Utah Tech was the regular-season champion and top overall seed in the 2023 University Credit Union WAC Softball Tournament in Phoenix to secure the first WAC Championship of any kind for the Trailblazers in team competition. Utah Tech added a semifinal appearance during the 2023 WAC Men’s Soccer Tournament in Las Vegas after reaching the event’s final four. The Trailblazers have also been a top contender in women’s basketball over the past two seasons, finishing among the top five teams in the conference in the final regular season standings in each campaign.
About The Western Athletic Conference
With its conference headquarters located in Arlington, Texas, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has enjoyed longstanding success in collegiate athletics since its formation in 1962. Presently, the WAC crowns champions in 19 sports – nine men’s and 10 women’s championships. In 1995, the WAC became the first conference nationwide to have an exclusive broadcast contract with ESPN for football and basketball games, forming a partnership that continues to the present day with more than 1,000 WAC-affiliated live games and events available annually on ESPN’s digital and linear platforms. WAC member institutions have won 35 team national championships since the conference’s inception.