​  
UTEP’s celebration and pep rally in anticipation of its impending July 1 move to the Mountain West Conference was all about a look to the future, and much of that excitement had to do with a nostalgic past.
Technically, the Mountain West is new ground for the UTEP athletic programs, but returning to places like New Mexico, Wyoming, Air Force and Hawaii isn’t untrodden ground.

More: UTEP set for Mountain West Conference move, leaving Conference USA after 20 years
”Entering the Mountain West Conference on July 1 feels good, it feels right, it’s where UTEP belongs,” voice of the Miners John Teischer told a crowd of 200 that included donors, coaches, student-athletes and virtually every local media outlet. “It’s home. It’s home. The Mountain West Conference is home.

University of Texas at El Paso Athletics Director Jim Senter speaks during a news conference Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center in El Paso, Texas. UTEP celebrated its upcoming transition to the Mountain West Conference ahead of officially joining the conference July 1.
”It is more than just a historic event for UTEP athletics. It is the fulfillment of a longtime dream for the most ardent Miner supporters.“
That dream began as a nightmare in 1999 when UTEP’s historic rivals, its “home,” broke away from the Western Athletic Conference to form the Mountain West and left the Miners behind.

More: The Pac-12 is raiding the Mountain West. What does that mean for UTEP sports?
Since that dark day, UTEP fans have longed for a chance to set its sights West, and that day arrives July 1. Friday’s event at the Durham Center was a celebration of the work and the journey that led to it.
“Ever since I was named director of athletics in 2019 … I had 50 town hall meetings in the first five or six months. I was here all over the city, and the number 1 thing I heard from people was, ‘When are you going to get us in the Mountain West?,” athletic director Jim Senter said.

1 / 21

University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson speaks during a news conference celebrating the university’s upcoming transition to the Mountain West Conference on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center in El Paso, Texas. UTEP officially joins the conference July 1.
(Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times)

”Some have waited 28 years for us to join the Mountain West. We’ll, we’re here. This is good for UTEP and it’s good for El Paso.”

There was excitement everywhere as UTEP announced a new phase of its Mountain West-themed fundraising initiative, as its “Climb Higher” campaign is moving to a “Reach the Peak” phase, kick-started by a $2.5 million pledge from Paul Foster and Alejandra de la Vega-Foster, announced at the event.
Senter then put that in perspective.

UTEP football coach Scotty Walden talks with University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson and Athletics Director Jim Senter before a news conference celebrating the university’s upcoming transition to the Mountain West Conference on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center in El Paso, Texas. UTEP officially joins the conference July 1.
”We’re in the resource fight of our lives if we want to have a viable athletic department and program,” Senter said. “As we continue to go about and talk to people and they said, ‘What do you need?’ We need to get people involved.
”Do what you can do.”
The feeling is that it will be an easier ask in the Mountain West Conference, and UTEP began that celebration five days early.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP celebrates move to Mountain West ahead of July 1 debut
      ​Read More