The Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League (WWCHL) is an American Collegiate Hockey Association Women's Division 1 club level hockey -only college athletic conference for women's hockey teams. It is one of four ACHA Women's Division 1 conferences, along with the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association , Women's Midwest College Hockey , and the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League . The league has a large footprint spreading across the western United States, featuring members in Arizona , Colorado and Utah .
Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League Conference ACHA Founded 2014 Commissioner Lindsey Ellis Sports fielded
Division Women's Division 1 No. of teams 6 Region West Official website https://www.wwchl.com/
Among the ten members the conference has hosted, both Minnesota (2013) and Wisconsin (2002 and 2004) won ACHA national championships prior to joining the WWCHL, while Colorado and Colorado State also have lengthy histories pre-dating the conference's creation. The rest of the league roster, however, consists of newer programs, largely in emerging hockey locales. Denver began play, as the WWCHL itself did, for the 2014–15 season. Arizona State started its program in 2016–17[ 1] while Grand Canyon and the University of Utah did so in 2017–18 and 2019–20, respectively.[ 2]
Institution
Location
Nickname
Founded
Type
Enrollment
Colors
Primary Facility
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
Sun Devils
1885
Public
51,585
Maroon and Gold[ 3]
Oceanside Ice Arena
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado
Rams
1870
Public
33,877
Green and Gold
Edora Pool Ice Center
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
Antelopes
1949
Private/Christian
20,500
Purple, Black and White[ 4]
AZ Ice Arcadia
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Buffaloes
1876
Public
35,528
Silver, Black and Gold[ 5]
CU Recreation Center
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Pioneers
1864
Private
11,614
Crimson and Gold[ 6]
Joy Burns Ice Arena
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Utes
1850
Public
32,994
Red, Silver and Black
SLC Sports Complex
Playoff championship game results
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Regular season champions
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2014–15 Colorado State
2015–16 Lindenwood–Belleville
2016–17 Lindenwood–Belleville
2017–18 Colorado
2018–19 Colorado
2019–20 Colorado
ACHA National Tournament appearances
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Appearances made while a WWCHL member.
School
Appearances
Years
Championships
Lindenwood–Belleville
3
2016, 2017, 2018
None
Minnesota
3
2015, 2017, 2018
None
Colorado
2
2018, 2020
None
Midland
1
2019
None
World University Games selections
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Since 2011, the American Collegiate Hockey Association has supplied players for the United States team at the World University Games women's hockey tournament, held biennially and as part of the multi-sport event for college and university student-athletes.
Notable ACHA award winners
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Year
Winner
School
Award
2014–15[ 15]
Kelsey Brown
Colorado
Community Playmaker
2014–15
Emera Danos
Colorado
Off-Ice MVP
2015–16
Katherine Hannah
Lindenwood–Belleville
Coach of the Year
2018–19
Jason White
Midland
Coach of the Year
2018–19
Kenzie Bertolas
Midland
Off-Ice MVP
^ Modrich, Stefan (August 16, 2015). "ASU to add women's club hockey in 2016" . The State Press. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .
^ "ACHA approves Utah for Women's Division 1 team" . universityofutahhockey.com . Retrieved 2019-10-24 .
^ "W.P. Carey Brand Book" (PDF) . May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2017 .
^ "Brand Standards | Media & Branding | Grand Canyon University" . Grand Canyon University. Retrieved April 17, 2016 .
^ "Typography/Color" . University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved December 31, 2016 .
^ University of Denver Brand: Visual Guide (PDF) . Retrieved April 16, 2016 .
^ "Championship Game Result" . Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 22, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .
^ "Championship Game Result" . Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 27, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .
^ "Championship Game Result" . Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018 .
^ "Midland University - No. 12 Warriors Win WWCHL Title; Clinch Berth to Nationals" . www.midlandathletics.com . Retrieved 2019-10-24 .
^ "Arizona State University vs University of Colorado: 1-5" . pointstreak.com . Retrieved 2020-04-16 .
^ "2015 U.S. Women's National University Team Announced" . usawomenshockey.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017 .
^ "2017 U.S. Women's National Univ. Team Unveiled" . teamusa.usahockey.com. 3 January 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017 .
^ "2019 WWUG Roster" . usahockey.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
^ "Past Awards" . American Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .