CHICAGO - Officials say Chicago State University has accepted an invitation to join the Great West Conference.
Commissioner Ed Grom said Wednesday that the Cougars' acceptance is effective immediately.
The Great West formed as a football-only conference in February 2004 and expanded into an all-sports conference in July.
Officials say Chicago State will compete during the 2008-09 school year in cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track. Men's and women's basketball, volleyball, baseball and women's tennis will begin a conference schedule in 2009-10.
Other schools in the conference include the University of South Dakota, Houston Baptist, New Jersey Institute of Technology, the University of North Dakota, Texas Pan-American and Utah Valley University.
