Conference changes

[Gray Fox]

UCSC would fit into the SCIAC if they were closer.
In it's history, the SCIAC has included UCLA and San Diego State.  But that was long ago.

[Jake Feldman]

Neither the SCIAC nor the NWC would ever consider UCSC.  It doesn't make sense for either of them.

They can all schedule UCSC as they see fit without being required to do so.

This. UCSC is unlike any of the SCIAC schools in two important ways: 1) it's a state school, and the SCIAC consists of private schools; and 2) it's in northern California, and, as the name of the conference indicates, the SCIAC is is in southern California. The Banana Slugs are a five-hour drive away from the nearest SCIAC campus.

The NWC is the same in both respects, except that the distances are even further between UCSC and the Oregon- and Washington-based NWC schools.

So it looks like they either can go D2/NAIA to cut travel budgets but add scholarships, or stay in C2C and struggle to compete with the Mary Washingtons, Christopher Newports, and Salisburys, all while adding further strain on the overall school budget for possible travel expenses. The SCIAC would be most logical for them, since the LA area is 300 miles away, but I recognize your point.

The UCSC student body passed an additional fee on themselves a few years back to keep athletics.

They could probably raise a chunk of athletics money just by aggressively marketing Banana Slugs merch.

You can get a t-shirt here (I'm tempted): https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/california/santacruz/uc-santa-cruz-athletics

My dad has an old shirt from there, with the Fiat Slug nerd logo.

[Gregory Sager]

Neither the SCIAC nor the NWC would ever consider UCSC.  It doesn't make sense for either of them.

They can all schedule UCSC as they see fit without being required to do so.

This. UCSC is unlike any of the SCIAC schools in two important ways: 1) it's a state school, and the SCIAC consists of private schools; and 2) it's in northern California, and, as the name of the conference indicates, the SCIAC is is in southern California. The Banana Slugs are a five-hour drive away from the nearest SCIAC campus.

The NWC is the same in both respects, except that the distances are even further between UCSC and the Oregon- and Washington-based NWC schools.

So it looks like they either can go D2/NAIA to cut travel budgets but add scholarships, or stay in C2C and struggle to compete with the Mary Washingtons, Christopher Newports, and Salisburys, all while adding further strain on the overall school budget for possible travel expenses. The SCIAC would be most logical for them, since the LA area is 300 miles away, but I recognize your point.

The UCSC student body passed an additional fee on themselves a few years back to keep athletics.

They could probably raise a chunk of athletics money just by aggressively marketing Banana Slugs merch.

You can get a t-shirt here (I'm tempted): https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/california/santacruz/uc-santa-cruz-athletics

Back in 2015 the UCSC men's soccer team visited North Park for a match against the Vikings. The Banana Slugs brought a boxful of t-shirts with them and a Slug parent sold them in the stands. They were sold out in minutes. (I'm happy to report that none of North Park's fans put on their new t-shirts that night until after the Vikings had claimed a 3-0 victory over the Banana Slugs.)

Wearing a Banana Slug t-shirt in Pulp Fiction is probably the closest that John Travolta has ever come to being hip.

[Jake Feldman]

Neither the SCIAC nor the NWC would ever consider UCSC.  It doesn't make sense for either of them.

They can all schedule UCSC as they see fit without being required to do so.

This. UCSC is unlike any of the SCIAC schools in two important ways: 1) it's a state school, and the SCIAC consists of private schools; and 2) it's in northern California, and, as the name of the conference indicates, the SCIAC is is in southern California. The Banana Slugs are a five-hour drive away from the nearest SCIAC campus.

The NWC is the same in both respects, except that the distances are even further between UCSC and the Oregon- and Washington-based NWC schools.

So it looks like they either can go D2/NAIA to cut travel budgets but add scholarships, or stay in C2C and struggle to compete with the Mary Washingtons, Christopher Newports, and Salisburys, all while adding further strain on the overall school budget for possible travel expenses. The SCIAC would be most logical for them, since the LA area is 300 miles away, but I recognize your point.

The UCSC student body passed an additional fee on themselves a few years back to keep athletics.

They could probably raise a chunk of athletics money just by aggressively marketing Banana Slugs merch.

You can get a t-shirt here (I'm tempted): https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/california/santacruz/uc-santa-cruz-athletics

Back in 2015 the UCSC men's soccer team visited North Park for a match against the Vikings. The Banana Slugs brought a boxful of t-shirts with them and a Slug parent sold them in the stands. They were sold out in minutes. (I'm happy to report that none of North Park's fans put on their new t-shirts that night until after the Vikings had claimed a 3-0 victory over the Banana Slugs.)

Wearing a Banana Slug t-shirt in Pulp Fiction is probably the closest that John Travolta has ever come to being hip.

Don't **** on Saturday Night Fever or Grease! Those are classics!