2009-10 Canada West participation by School & Sport (.htm format)

About CWUAA
“Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from Manitoba to B.C., the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic all-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in events such as the Olympics or Universiade Games.”

The Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU) was formed in 1919-20 as the first recognized western-based post-secondary athletic organization in Canada, though a few schools did play organized varsity sports a decade or more before. The University of Manitoba won the first-ever league championship, the men's hockey title in 1920.

In 1971, the WCIAU was split into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) and the Great Plains Athletic Association (GPAA), the latter consisting primarily of schools from Manitoba. In 1985-86, Canada West absorbed men’s hockey teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and all other sports have since followed, including the 2001-02 merger of basketball.

Of the 14 schools currently participating in Canada West varsity sports there are six charter members - Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Lethbridge, Saskatchewan and Victoria. Six more since 1971 - Brandon, Manitoba, Regina, Simon Fraser, Trinity Western and Winnipeg - have become official members and two more - Thompson Rivers and University-College of the Fraser Valley - have recently begun participation within the conference. UCFV was renamed UFV on April 21, 2008.

Men’s and women’s basketball are the only sports in which all 14 schools participate. Only one school, Alberta, takes part in all varsity competition offered by the conference.

During the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, eight of the CWUAA’s 14 teams won CIS national championships. In 2008-09 alone, eight different schools managed to win CWUAA conference titles.

Starting in the 2009-10 season, men’s and women’s basketball each have two divisions instead of three. The divisions are as follows:
West: UBC, UFV, Simon Fraser, Thompson Rivers, Trinity Western, Victoria
East: Alberta, Brandon, Calgary, Lethbridge, Manitoba, Regina, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg

Note: Due to the XXI Winter Olympics in Vancouver (Feb. 12-28, 2010), coast teams are unable to host some winter sport events. The highest-ranked team east of the mountains will host during that time.

Canada West is one of four conferences within Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the others being Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF) and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). Schools representing each conference compete annually for national supremacy.

Schools, teams officials and individual student-athletes must abide by posted Canada West and CIS policies, including bylaws, regulations and eligibility requirements.

Overall, Canada West schools compete for 19 conference and national varsity titles, though schools may participate in as few as four (two women’s, two men’s). CIS has added curling and may soon add golf to its list of varsity championships, but Canada West has not yet decided to formalize league competition in these sports.