PORTLAND, Ore. – The Humboldt State women's rowing program will join the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as an affiliate member the conference announced Thursday as it introduced women's rowing as its 17th championship sport.

GNAC teams will include full-member institutions Seattle Pacific and Western Washington along with affiliate members Central Oklahoma and HSU. The addition of women's rowing was unanimously approved in May by the conference's CEO Board. It is the first sport to be added to the GNAC menu of offerings since women's golf was added for the 2010-11 season.

"West Region teams in women's rowing have a long tradition of excellence. I am excited to see those schools come together to make women's rowing a GNAC sport," said GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund. "This alliance holds the potential to not only strengthen the sport across all of Division II, but to also grow the sport in the western United States."

The GNAC Women's Rowing Championships will be contested in April or May with the site and format of the championship to be determined.