The Mountain West in five inaugural bowl games (2000 Silicon Valley, 2001 New Orleans, 2002 San Francisco (Emerald), 2005 Poinsettia, 2006 New Mexico), as well as placing the first non-automatic-qualifying BCS team into a BCS bowl game with Utah’s appearance in the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
2011-12 IN REVIEW From the gridiron to the diamond, Mountain West teams enjoyed an outstanding year in 2011-12. The MW sent a record five football teams to bowl games for the fifth consecutive year and had two teams ranked in the final BCS Standings and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls for the fourth straight season. League newcomer Boise State enjoyed a successful inaugural MW campaign, closing out the 2011 season ranked sixth in the Coaches’ poll and eighth in the Associated Press poll. For the second time in three years, the Mountain West was represented by four men’s basketball teams in the NCAA tournament, marking the 12th time in the last 13 years the Conference has sent multiple teams to the Big Dance. Regular season co-champion New Mexico captured the MW Tournament title to earn the league’s automatic bid, while MW regular-season co-champion San Diego State was joined by Colorado State and UNLV in receiving at-large invitations. The 2011-12 season marked the third straight year the Mountain West had at least two teams ranked in the final AP poll and one in the Coaches’ poll. Overall, the league had three different teams ranked in the national top 25 polls at some point during the season for the third straight year.
ACADEMIC CONSORTIUM From the outset, the MW’s member institutions have been committed to creating strong academic relationships, as well as athletic competition. To that end, the chief academic officers of each institution have explored academic exchange programs, library crossovers and shared research. In addition, the faculty athletics representatives routinely provide academic assistance and testtaking services for student-athletes visiting from fellow member institutions for competition.
OPPORTUNITY The Mountain West provides a first-class athletic and academic experience for more than 7,000 student-athletes each year. Over the past 13 years, 38 Mountain West student-athletes have earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, and since the league’s inception in 1999, an additional 26 student-athletes have been named MW Scholar-Athlete of the Year and awarded league-sponsored postgraduate scholarships. Three student-athletes have earned distinction as Rhodes Scholars (Jessica Mellinger, Wyoming and Delavane Diaz and Brittany Morreale, Air Force). Conference student-athletes are also given a voice regarding pertinent issues within the MW and NCAA governance structure through representation on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The Mountain West SAAC consists of 19 representatives; two student-athletes from each full member institution and one faculty athletics representative. The committee reviews and reacts to legislation and to other topics referred by the Conference constituent groups or committees related to the student-athlete experience.
ACHIEVEMENT The MW has produced 762 All-America selections among its 18 sponsored sports (men’s swimming was discontinued as a conference sport following the 2010-11 season) in the last 13 years, including a league-record 83 All-America honorees in 2010-11. A total of 125 MW student-athletes have also earned Academic AllAmerica accolades in that span. The Mountain West has sent at least 28 teams to NCAA postseason events in each of the past 13 years, capturing three team national championships in men’s cross country and producing 32 individual national champions in the sports of men’s golf, men’s cross country, and men’s and women’s indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. Mountain West members have participated in 51 bowl games under the league umbrella, including four appearances in BCS games. The MW has earned 61 postseason bids in men’s basketball, including 33 NCAA Tournament appearances and two NIT Final Four berths. MW women’s basketball has tallied 57 postseason slots, including 31 NCAA bids, five Sweet 16 appearances and one Elite Eight berth since 2000. Wyoming won the MW’s first WNIT championship in 2007 with a win over Wisconsin. In women’s volleyball, the MW has had 34 NCAA bids with eight Sweet 16 berths and one Elite Eight appearance. Women’s soccer has earned 26 NCAA bids since 1999, with BYU advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2000 and the Elite Eight in 2003. MW men’s golf has had at least four representatives in each of the last 13 NCAA Golf Regionals, while women’s golf has had at least three teams participate in NCAA Regionals 11 of the last 13 years.
SPORTSMANSHIP Named a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport in 1998, Commissioner Thompson has been a driving force for sportsmanship within intercollegiate athletics. As part of its continuing growth and development, the Mountain West implemented an extensive Sportsmanship Initiative, endorsed by both the MW Joint Council and MW Board of Directors. The program is made up of several elements, which are both practical and philosophical in nature. While the MW has significant penalties in place to deal with violations, the Sportsmanship Initiative is primarily promotional and educational in nature. The goal is to develop an environment that fosters appropriate behavior from all Conference constituencies.
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