Best of sports for spring 2000

Big West now a little bigger

The Long Beach State sports teams will be staying closer to home as two Southern California schools have just been admitted to the Big West Conference.

In a teleconference Wednesday, Long Beach State President Robert Maxson announced the addition of Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside to the Big West.

Maxson, who is also chairman of the Big West board of directors, invited UCR and CSUN to join the conference. Both schools accepted and will officially join in June 2001.

"I really supported this because it's good for Long Beach State athletics," Maxson said. "It will save us a tremendous amount of money, because the schools are so close.

"They also emphasize the same sports we do, and there will be natural rivalries created."

In conference play, both schools will compete in men's and women's cross country, track and field, golf and basketball; women's volleyball, soccer and tennis; and baseball and softball.  CSUN will also bring men's and women's swimming and diving, and UCR will add men's soccer and tennis.

CSUN currently competes in the Big Sky Conference while UC Riverside is moving up from Division II.

"This is a conference of universities that we greatly admire," UCR Chancellor Raymond Orbach said. ""It will be a great deal of fun."

"We really are delighted to accept this offer," CSUN President Louanne Kennedy said. "To be able to play natural rivals such as Cal State Long Beach is a wonderful thing for us."

The Big West was pleased as well.

"I think this was a tremendous day for the Big West Conference," Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said. "This culminates over four months of intensive review of the new schools. I feel they fit into our conference from an academic standpoint, an athletic standpoint and geographically as well."

This story originally ran in its entirety Feb. 10.