College of Western Idaho Otters? Growing school inches closer to athletics launch
The College of Western Idaho moved a step closer this week to adding intercollegiate athletics and intramural sports to its offerings.
Mahmood Sheikh was named the Nampa-based community college’s first athletic director on Wednesday, and he will guide CWI in the establishment of an athletics program.
The school has not yet announced which sports it hopes to offer, or when the first program might launch. But CWI’s mascot will be the Otters, and for a school whose enrollment has skyrocketed to 34,000 students, athletic competition probably can’t come soon enough.
It is the largest community college in the state.
“Our ambition is to launch intercollegiate sports through an endowment-funded model to ensure annual operational costs are made available before the first season begins and throughout the sport’s history,” CWI President Gordon Jones said in a news release.
“Rather than relying on yearly fundraising, this approach enables us to build high-quality, sustainable athletics supported by philanthropic contributions, in areas of interest to the Treasure Valley community.”
The College of Western Idaho — which is busy building a major Boise footprint — acquired the Ford Idaho Center from the city of Nampa last year, providing a potential venue for indoor sports such as basketball or volleyball.
Sheikh, who has served as CWI’s assistant chief advancement officer for strategic initiatives since September 2025, previously spent more than six years as the senior associate athletic director for development and executive director of the Vandal Scholarship Fund for the University of Idaho. He has 14 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, including two stints at Idaho and time at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
“Mahmood brings a combination of strategic vision, fundraising expertise, and deep experience in athletics as we build this program from the ground up,” Jones said. “He understands how to develop sustainable models, cultivate community partnerships, and create opportunities that put students first.
“I am confident Mahmood will lay a strong foundation for intramurals and athletics that support student success and helps prepare our graduates to thrive.”
Sheikh, a native of Moscow, Idaho, and a U of I graduate, will begin his new role on June 1.
