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All of a sudden, Utah Valley University has a renewed hope for entry into the Western Athletic Conference.
Three weeks ago, UVU President Matthew Holland didn't hold an invitation to the WAC presidents meeting, which will take place Monday and Tuesday in Park City.
On Sunday, The Salt Lake Tribune learned that Holland has received an invite for the second time, and will be on hand to present UVU's case for a jump to the WAC.
"It's an encouraging sign for sure," Utah Valley Athletic Director Michael Jacobsen said. "It's a chance for us to make a case and … to be in the room."
The WAC visited UVU in late April, at which time an invitation for Holland was extended. Then, Holland was uninvited, which touched off speculation that Utah State was the school standing in UVU's way of inclusion.
Now, with the re-invite, optimism again surrounds the campus in Orem.
The WAC holds the option to expand after the meetings, which are expected to conclude Tuesday afternoon. The conference is reportedly considering Seattle University along with UVU. If either school were included, it would be a nonfootball expansion.
And with Denver University already included for nonfootball, skepticism remains that the WAC would want to invite two more schools that don't have football programs.
A WAC invite would be a major leap for UVU. The move would instantly give Utah State a travel partner and provide USU with recruiting competition for players in talent-rich Utah County.
It would be another step to relevance for the UVU basketball program, a member of the Great West Conference.
"It would be a great thing," Jacobsen said. "Teams could fly into Salt Lake City and play two games. It would be great for our basketball program, and a great thing for the Utah Valley community."
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
WAC presidents meeting
Monday and Tuesday in Park City • Utah Valley and Seattle are the prime candidates for WAC invites.