MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University will continue in the Atlantic 10 Conference while 'aggressively' trying to form an all-sports conference in the East, officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
The WVU Board of Advisors voted 10-0 last Friday to remain in the Atlantic 10, but recommended the school 'aggressively pursue formation of a new eastern all-sports conference.' The WVU Athletic Council voted 9-0 April 27 to leave the 9-year-old conference and explore other options.
Atlantic 10 Commissioner Charlie Theokas said he is not troubled that West Virginia will keep on trying to start a new league in the East that would encompass all sports but is pleased the Mountaineers are staying put for now.
'I feel very good about it (the decision). You never want to lose a school the calibre of a West Virginia,' Theokas said in a telephone interview from Rutherford, N.J.
WVU President E. Gordon Gee said he had met with Metro Conference Commissioner Steve Hatchell but declined an opportunity to join the southern league.
'Our decision should not be viewed as an anti-Metro decision, but rather as a decision that we must work aggressively to build a strong eastern sports association composed of like institutions with similar ambitions both academically and athletically,' said Gee.
Athletic Director Fred Schaus said no time frame can be put on how long WVU might remain in the Atlantic 10, or how long it might take to form an all-sports conference.
WVU's most visible affiliation with the Atlantic 10 has been in basketball. The Mountaineers won the 1983 and 1984 conference tournament championships and the 1982 and 1985 regular season crowns.
In men's sports, West Virginia's affiliation with the Atlantic 10 covers basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, swimming and tennis. In women's sports, the Atlantic 10 sponsors championship competition in basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, tennis and softball.
The WVU football program, ranked in the UPI Top 20 for the past four years, has operated as an independent since the Mountaineers withdrew from the Southern Conference after the 1968 school year.
