WAC Board Announces Executive Committee, Approves Several Items for 2018-19
DENVER – At its annual June meeting, the Western Athletic Conference Board of Directors elected its 2018-19 Executive Committee and approved several items for the upcoming academic year and beyond.
Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller was elected Chair, while Seattle University President Stephen Sundborg was elected as Vice Chair. The third member of the Executive Committee is The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley President Dr. Guy Bailey, who served as the Chair for the past year. In addition, Grand Canyon Athletic Director Mike Vaught will serve as Chair of the WAC Council for the 2018-19 school year.
The Board approved several items that were recommended by the Council, including the concept of a shared model for the distribution of future NCAA Values Based Academic Fund as well as the creation of a Council Executive Committee charged with acting on behalf of the WAC Council. The Board also approved the WAC Council's recommendation to make awards banquets at WAC Championships optional and at the host's discretion and accepted Utah Valley's proposal to restrict Sunday play at UVU for all home contests in the sports of men's and women's soccer.
In addition, the Board:
- Extended the contract of Commissioner Jeff Hurd through 2019-20
- Approved the conference's 2018-19 fiscal year budget
- Authorized the tweaking of the WAC Basketball Tournament brackets to allow the top seed to pick its opening-round game time
- Approved the addition of a Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in men's and women's basketball
- Implemented the use of the Challenge Review System at the 2018 WAC Volleyball Tournament
- Approved several other sport-related recommendations from the WAC Council
- Was presented with the WAC Annual Report
- Was given a financial report on the 2018 WAC Basketball Tournament and approved the return to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for the ninth straight year in 2019