The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) has announced the return of the United States Air Force Academy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Wyoming to its men’s swimming & diving programs beginning with the 2025-26 season. This will be the second stint in the conference for all three programs, previously competing during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. All three athletic programs primarily compete in the Mountain West Conference, though their men’s swimming & diving teams have participated in the WAC since 2014.
This past February, the MPSF announced the California Baptist men and women, along with the women from the University of Idaho, New Mexico State University, Northern Arizona University, Northern Colorado University, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Utah Tech University would be joining the conference for the upcoming year. University of the Incarnate Word and University of Pacific men and women, along with the Pepperdine women, are the remaining programs, giving the MPSF 16 total teams--10 for women and six for men--for the 2025-26 season. The conference championships will be held at UTRGV, February 25-28.
Since hiring fifth-year MPSF Commissioner Foti Mellis in 2021, the conference has added 63 teams, 34 schools, and six sports. "The MPSF is proud to welcome the Air Force Academy, UNLV, and the University of Wyoming to our men’s swimming and diving membership," said Mellis. "These institutions bring a strong tradition of athletic and academic excellence, and their addition reflects our conference's continued growth and competitive depth, which will enhance the experience for all our student-athletes. We look forward to the contributions they will make both in and out of the pool as part of the MPSF family.”
Air Force captured WAC team titles in 2016 and 2017, and finished third in last year’s championship. Tanner Wilson was named the 2025 WAC Freshman of the Year, backed by 20 top-five placements during the regular season, in addition to a fifth-place 200 breast (and third-best time in Academy history) at the WAC Championships. Rob Clayton has been the head coach of the Falcons since the 1998-99 season. "We are excited to be joining the MPSF,” said Clayton. “They have some familiar faces with Wyoming, UNLV, and Cal Baptist, whom we have been competing with for years. We are looking forward to the challenge of continuing to compete against them, along with Pacific and Incarnate Word who we haven't competed against in a while, but both bring strong Division-I teams to our region. Air Force looks forward to having a conference that will be similar to the WAC, as there will be six competitive teams for great racing!" Located in Colorado Springs, CO, Air Force is also a current MPSF member in fencing and men’s gymnastics, and a former member in men’s soccer and women’s gymnastics.
UNLV won the last five-straight WAC championships, and won five-straight conference titles from 2005-09 when the Mountain West sponsored men's swimming & diving. The Rebels’ MPSF title came in 2013, by the slimmest margin of victory in conference history of 9.5 points.
Daniel Nicusan (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast) and
Alex Vazquez (one-meter diving) competed at the 2025 NCAA Championships, under first-year head coach Pat Ota. Anne Schwemmer was named the WAC Diving Coach of the Year. "We’re excited to be joining the MPSF this season,” said Ota. “We’re grateful to the conference to give us a competitive place to swim and dive as the WAC moves away from swimming. With much of the same competition, we remain dedicated to competing for a title again next season." Located in Las Vegas, NV, UNLV was also an MPSF member in men’s soccer when the conference sponsored the sport.
Wyoming recorded eight top-three team placements while competing in the WAC from 2014-25, highlighted by a conference title in Head Coach Dave Denniston’s first year in 2018. The Cowboys also placed in the top-three in both of their prior years in the MPSF Championships. “The MPSF has welcomed our men's swimming and diving program in their conference [along with other Mountain West teams] with open arms,” said Denniston. “They have been willing to accommodate our needs and have made us all feel wanted and welcome from the initial calls and conversations. We are excited to join the other programs in the conference to have some fast competitions on a very high level. I'm looking forward to next year when we will all be able to compete against each other as we take this significant step to elevate our men's swimming and diving program.” Located in Laramie, Wyoming, no other Cowboy athletic program has previously competed in the MPSF.
The MPSF enters the 2025-26 year with 121 total national championships, including four during 2024-25, with its 113 NCAA titles leading the nation amongst Division-I Non-Power Four Conferences.
MPSF Swimming and Diving information, including specific forthcoming championship details, is located on the conference website’s championship central page at mpsports.org. Follow the MPSF on social media @MPSFSports.