UW President Ana Marie Cauce And Athletic Director Jen Cohen Press Conference On Move To Big 10 Notes

The Washington Huskies, along with the Oregon Ducks, made the decision on Friday to leave the Pac 12 and accept an offer to join the Big Ten in 2024. The move was historic, especially for Washington as it was one of the founding members of the conference over 100 years ago.With such an unprecedented move, president Ana Marie Cauce and athletic director Jen Cohen had to address the media and they did just that a little over 24 hours later.Cauce talked about the difficulty of making the "bittersweet", as she termed it, decision to leave the Pac 12, but felt it was in the best interest of the university as well as the student athletes and coaches.She also added that Washington is very excited about the move and that it provides numerous possibilities both athletically and academically.Cohen talked about some of the considerations they had to look at, including travel and, while declining to get into specifics about the financials, she said overall it would be a win for the Husky athletic programs.Both reiterated their support of continuing the Apple Cup series, including all sports, with Washington State even though they would not be in the same conference anymore, citing their close relationships with their counterparts with the Cougars.