Tarleton State University President James Hurley will serve as the 2022-23 Past Chair of the Western Athletic Conference Executive Committee. Utah Valley University President Astrid Tuminez was elected Chair, and California Baptist University President Ron Ellis will be Vice Chair.
Elections were part of last week’s WAC Board of Directors meeting.
The board also voted to strengthen its commitment to Tarleton and Utah Tech University by including them in all future WAC championships.
Dr. Hurley: “I look forward to working with my WAC colleagues to continue the momentum of the conference while helping Tarleton Texans achieve athletic and academic success. Special thanks to WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton and the WAC presidents for welcoming us three years ago.”
Since joining the WAC, Tarleton has earned bragging rights for the highest Academic Progress Rate (987) of any first-year school reclassifying to NCAA Division I.
The university set a WAC record in football attendance with more than 16,000 fans at Memorial Stadium for last fall’s Homecoming game, and women’s tennis finished the spring 2022 season undefeated, securing Tarleton’s first D-I conference championship.
The Texans faced two of the nation’s No. 1 seeds (one of only four teams) in this season’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
“Tarleton State is a talent magnet for some of the brightest minds and most gifted student-athletes,” Dr. Hurley said. “Our deeply accomplished faculty, staff and coaches give us an edge, and being in the WAC helps us keep it.”