SACRAMENTO – The West Coast Conference announced that Sacramento State will join the league as an affiliate member for women's rowing beginning with the upcoming 2025 season.

Five full-time members of the WCC currently sponsor rowing, including Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego and Santa Clara. Sacramento State is one of four affiliates, along with Oregon State, Washington State and Creighton, giving the conference nine rowing members. Seattle will join the WCC as a full member next academic year, and compete as a rowing member beginning in the 2026 season.

In addition, the Hornets will host this year's WCC Championship in May at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma.

"Joining the WCC as an affiliate is really the best case scenario for our program," Sacramento State rowing head coach Mike Connors said. "The ability to compete for a conference championship in the Western Region against teams we face every year is exciting and something we have been working toward a long time. We are grateful and proud to be a part of WCC Rowing, and look forward to hosting the conference championship."

Sacramento State Rowing had been members of the American Athletic Conference the last 10 years (2015-24), and spent one season in Conference USA (2014). However, the American will no long sponsor a women's rowing championship as the league fell below the NCAA's mandate of six schools to earn an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Rowing Championship. At this past year's American Championship, the Hornets placed third in the final team standings.

"We are very excited our rowing program will be joining the West Coast Conference," Sacramento State Director of Athletics Mark Orr said. "We have great respect for the WCC, and the conference's mission and values align with Sacramento State. To compete against rowing programs on the West Coast will be a positive experience for our student-athletes, and we are very thankful for the opportunity."

The Hornets' rowing program gained intercollegiate status in 1995, and had not been affiliated with an NCAA-sanctioned conference until joining Conference USA in 2014. Prior to 2014, Sacramento State had been a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) from 1995-2013, and the WIRA Championship had doubled as the program's conference championship event.

The Hornets compete at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, considered one of the finest rowing venues in the country. The site has hosted many regional and national events, including the NCAA Women's Rowing Championship nine times since 1997.

All 21 of Sacramento State's intercollegiate sports are in a conference, and 15 of those squads are a current member of the Big Sky Conference. Hornet Rowing will be the first Sacramento State team to ever join the WCC.

The Hornets' fall portion of the schedule will begin on October 26 at the Head of the American.