Weber State University Athletics
Men's Golf Returns to Big Sky Conference in 2025-26
5/15/2025 12:11:00 PM | Men's Golf
FARMINGTON, Utah – After a one-year hiatus, the Big Sky Conference once again will sponsor men's golf starting this upcoming season, Commissioner Tom Wistrcill announced today. With the announcement, the Weber State men's golf team will make the move back to the conference after a one-year stint in the Summit League, where the Wildcats landed after the conference was forced to drop the sport following the 2024 spring season.
Big Sky member Eastern Washington, which is reintroducing men's golf as a varsity sport starting in the fall, as well as Francis Marion, which joins the Big Sky as an affiliate member, join the league's most recent participants that included full members Idaho, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and Weber State, providing the league with the six participants needed to receive an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.
"We are proud to welcome back men's golf and look forward to our six participating schools coming together to contend for a Big Sky championship and a bid to the 2026 NCAA Championship," Wistrcill said. "The Big Sky is grateful to the leadership at Eastern Washington -- notably President Shari McMahan and Associate Vice President / Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Collins -- that foresaw an opportunity to add a sport that would not only revitalize part of its athlete alumni base but also help our conference at large.
"On behalf of our Presidents' Council and our membership, the Big Sky proudly welcomes Francis Marion to our conference as a men's golf affiliate," Wistrcill added. "We appreciate the support of and partnership with FMU athletic director Murray Hartzler and men's golf head coach Mark Gaynor as the Patriots begin competing under the Big Sky umbrella during the 2025-26 academic year."
In October of 2024, Eastern Washington University announced its intentions to reinstate men's golf for the 2025-26 academic year. The Eagles sponsored golf in the past, and the program played through the 2001-02 academic year.
Francis Marion joins from Florence, S.C., as a men's golf affiliate member after spending time in the Southland Conference from 2021-2025. The Patriots began their move to Division I affiliation in the fall of 2005, with the official completion of the move occurring in the summer of 2007.
The Big Sky has a long history of men's golf dating back to the first championship held in 1964 during the Conference's inaugural academic year (1963-64). The league has sponsored the sport periodically since then, and most recently hosted a men's golf championship from 2015 through 2024. In total, the Big Sky has held 39 Men's Golf Championships through its history.
Three different teams won the Big Sky across the last three championships, with Weber State (2022), Northern Colorado (2023), and Sacramento State (2024) all lifting the trophy.
The 2026 Big Sky Conference Men's Golf Championship will be played April 27-29 at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Ariz., the site of the 2024 Big Sky title. The Big Sky Women's Golf Championship also will return to The Wigwam for the third consecutive year in 2026 on April 20-22.
Big Sky member Eastern Washington, which is reintroducing men's golf as a varsity sport starting in the fall, as well as Francis Marion, which joins the Big Sky as an affiliate member, join the league's most recent participants that included full members Idaho, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and Weber State, providing the league with the six participants needed to receive an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.
"We are proud to welcome back men's golf and look forward to our six participating schools coming together to contend for a Big Sky championship and a bid to the 2026 NCAA Championship," Wistrcill said. "The Big Sky is grateful to the leadership at Eastern Washington -- notably President Shari McMahan and Associate Vice President / Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tim Collins -- that foresaw an opportunity to add a sport that would not only revitalize part of its athlete alumni base but also help our conference at large.
"On behalf of our Presidents' Council and our membership, the Big Sky proudly welcomes Francis Marion to our conference as a men's golf affiliate," Wistrcill added. "We appreciate the support of and partnership with FMU athletic director Murray Hartzler and men's golf head coach Mark Gaynor as the Patriots begin competing under the Big Sky umbrella during the 2025-26 academic year."
In October of 2024, Eastern Washington University announced its intentions to reinstate men's golf for the 2025-26 academic year. The Eagles sponsored golf in the past, and the program played through the 2001-02 academic year.
Francis Marion joins from Florence, S.C., as a men's golf affiliate member after spending time in the Southland Conference from 2021-2025. The Patriots began their move to Division I affiliation in the fall of 2005, with the official completion of the move occurring in the summer of 2007.
The Big Sky has a long history of men's golf dating back to the first championship held in 1964 during the Conference's inaugural academic year (1963-64). The league has sponsored the sport periodically since then, and most recently hosted a men's golf championship from 2015 through 2024. In total, the Big Sky has held 39 Men's Golf Championships through its history.
Three different teams won the Big Sky across the last three championships, with Weber State (2022), Northern Colorado (2023), and Sacramento State (2024) all lifting the trophy.
The 2026 Big Sky Conference Men's Golf Championship will be played April 27-29 at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Ariz., the site of the 2024 Big Sky title. The Big Sky Women's Golf Championship also will return to The Wigwam for the third consecutive year in 2026 on April 20-22.
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