RE: UTRGV to Southland
The WAC will be fine with ten members but should be working actively to add two more as a hedge against further departures. Ideally both should be in or near Texas to balance the geography of the conference.
The obvious place to look for candidates is the D2 Lone Star conference, which has grown to an unwieldy 17 members and has two more incoming over the next two years. Most of the members are recent additions with enrollments under 5,000 students.
I think one of the oldest and largest Lone Star schools, West Texas A&M University, should continue to be a prime target. The Amarillo market has a metro population of over 300,000 and there are no other D1 schools in the vicinity. Even though Walter Wendler opposes a move up, he's 73 years old and won't be president forever. WTAMU enrollment is down 10% over the last three years, from over 9,000 to a bit over 8,000, and upgrading athletics could help turn the trend around. The school's recently built football stadium seats 8,500 but is designed to be expandable to 14,000. The men's basketball team plays in a modern 4,700-seat arena, is 29-4 this season, and has reached the Elite Eight of the D2 national championship tournament.
Angelo State University is another legacy Lone Star member with the potential to move up to the WAC. The San Angelo metro area population is over 120,000. ASU enrollment recently surpassed 11,000. The school's football stadium is undersized, seating only 5,700, but the basketball team plays in a 6,500-seat arena and the baseball team has a 4,200-seat on-campus stadium that was built with amenities suitable for a minor league pro team.
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