A new journey begins for Wichita State Athletics July 1, 2017, as the Shockers officially join the American Athletic Conference. The move to The American presents the opportunity to regularly test Shocker student-athletes against traditionally strong competition, on a grander stage. This new chapter in Shocker Athletics is expected to provide excitement and challenges for the 12 programs that will compete in The American. "This is the end of one phase and the beginning of another," said Darron Boatright, Wichita State Director of Athletics. "We're going to continue to push, we're going to continue to grow. We're going to continue to have the same expectations for our athletic department, our teams, our student-athletes and coaches, as we always have." The conference will consist of the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Connecticut, East Carolina University, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University, the University of South Florida, Temple University and Tulane University. The U.S. Naval Academy is a football-only member and Wichita State is a basketball and Olympic sports-only member.