Western Nevada Community College is now a member of the Scenic West Athletic Conference, school officials said today. The college will compete in the SWAC beginning in the 2005-2006 school year.
Becoming a member of a Division I conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association is a huge step forward for WNCC's new athletic programs, WNCC athletic director Dan Neverett said.
"This is particularly exciting for the student athletes who have already signed letters of intent with WNCC for this fall," said Neverett. "It's also a tribute to the hard work of head coaches Hillary Arthur and D.J. Whittemore and to the generosity of the community that has been so supportive of Wildcats athletics."
Arthur is WNCC women's soccer coach while Whittemore is the baseball coach. Neverett said the fact that the Scenic West is a Division I conference allows WNCC to offer athletic scholarships as well as afford students the opportunity to utilize the Millennium Scholarship and other types of financial assistance.
"The ability to offer scholarships and have players sign national letters of intent benefits our programs tremendously," he said.
WNCC baseball home games will be played at the John L. Harvey Field, which is under construction on the WNCC Carson City campus. WNCC will begin regular season play in the facility in February, 2006.
Soccer games will be played at Edmonds Park until an on-campus facility is completed. WNCC will begin play in women's soccer this fall. Fund raising continues to raise private donations for the athletic program.
WNCC is scheduled to play in the Scenic West in baseball against Community College of Southern Nevada, Colorado Northwestern, Eastern Utah, Southern Idaho, Dixie State in Utah and Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City. In women's soccer, WNCC is scheduled to play in the Scenic West against Colorado Mountain, Dixie State, Northern Idaho and Salt Lake.