Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[Kuiper]

Ah... the fiercest bird of all... The mighty Sagehen!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIEPp81J3Dw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The athletic nickname "Sage Hen" first appeared in a Nov. 29, 1913, issue of The Student Life: "Once again the Oxy Tiger wanders from his lair and comes to peaceful, peaceful Claremont with intent to murder. The Sage Hen will fight—on the field. On the campus she is entirely amicable".

[Kuiper]

The USC All Region teams are out for Region X

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-NCAA-D3-Men-All-Region-Teams-112623.pdf

First Team
Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Alex Wolter So. Colorado College New Canaan, Conn.
D Curtis Hale Sr. Colorado College Richmond, Va.
D Rex Karjian Jr. Colorado College Seattle, Wash.
D JonConnor Rule Sr. Trinity University (Texas) San Antonio, Texas
M Will Bavier Sr. Colorado College Cambridge, Mass.
M Louis Instrall GR-5 Trinity University (Texas) London, England
M Jack Manke Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
M Rafael Otero Sr. Claremont-McKenna-Scripps Colleges Seattle, Wash.
M Alexander Ward Sr. Colorado College Portland, Ore.
F Hunter Cain Sr. Trinity University (Texas) Katy, Texas
F Adam Knutson Jr. Trinity University (Texas) Dripping Springs, Texas
F Phillip Kostenko Sr. University of Redlands Redmond, Wash.

Second Team
Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Brady Bachman Jr. University of Redlands San Diego, Calif.
D Owen Jamieson Sr. University of Redlands Danville, Calif.
D Diego Roman Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
D Raghav Sharma Jr. Southwestern University Austin, Texas
D Maxwell Winneker GR-5 Hardin-Simmons University Coppell, Texas
M Cody Bell Sr. University of Redlands Highland, Calif.
M Etienne Casanova Jr. California Institute of Technology San Jose, Calif.
M Michael Grimm Sr. Southwestern University Southlake, Texas
M Erick Lopez Sr. Texas Lutheran University Humble, Texas
F Jakob Fiol GR-5 Hardin-Simmons University Frisco, Texas
F Trevor Thompson Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Olympia, Wash.
F Adan Villarreal Sr. University of La Verne Pico Rivera, Calif.

[Kuiper]

I'm not ready to do a first iteration of my Region X recruiting classes yet, but this one caught my eye for several reasons.

Whitworth announced that Noah Whitman a defender from Central Valley HS in Spokane WA who last played at the University of Washington, has enrolled in Whitworth and is joining them for the spring.

1.  A D1 transfer from UW to Whitworth is a big deal, but I wasn't familiar with his play at Washington and had to look him up.  Turns out he is a 2017 HS grad, who redshirt his freshman year in F'17, played six games (including three starts) his redshirt freshman year in F'18 before rupturing his achilles and then missed his redshirt sophomore year in F'2019 due to that injury.  Not sure what happened to him after that, but I assume he wasn't able to or decided not to try to make it back.  Maybe he enrolled in a grad program at Whitworth and decided he has healed from his injuries and wants to take one last try on the pitch as a grad transfer at the ripe old age of 25 or 26.  People sometimes criticize colleges recruiting older players, but I'm rooting for him.  He's playing for all the players who had to quit before they were ready because of injuries and later fantasized about what would happen if they were given one more chance to walk out onto the pitch.

2.  The guy's last name is WHITMAN?!  Whitworth's most hated rival?  I think Whitworth's coach recruited him just to mess with that team from Walla Walla.

[Kuiper]

An article about the future of the American Southwest Conference from a football perspective.

It's pay walled, but the bottom line is it doesn't see any hope for the ASC to survive unless they pay millions to a couple of the schools that left the ASC for the SCAC recently.  Barring that, it thinks Howard Payne and East Texas Baptist might go to the SCAC eventually, but Mary-Hardin Baylor and Hardin-Simmons would likely go DI or DII. 

For soccer purposes, I think where the ASC schools end up might depend upon whether the NCAA lets schools split sports between DI/DII and DIII.  If they do, I could see the non-revenue sports going to something like the C2C or perhaps another DIII conference, while football goes elsewhere.  Otherwise, DIII will likely lose those teams.

[Ron Boerger]

It would also be possible for at least some of the Baptist 4, once the ASC folds, to do something like join the C2C for all sports but football and find a conference that would let them play football as an affiliate, though given the difficulties HSU and UMHB are having finding opponents that could be a tall ask for them.  It might be an option for HPU and ETBU.  The SCAC (and soon to be SAA) schools play all of the ASC in other sports so finding in-season games shouldn't be as much of a problem. 

What I heard through some fairly reputable sources is that the ASC to C2C deal was basically done until the ASC leadership insisted on dictating some terms that were non-starters for the C2C (one supposedly being that the C2C would change its name to the ASC). 

[Kuiper]

Cross-posting from the Coaching Carousel thread

I'll add that I think this is a hire in which La Verne is fully acknowledging where there recruits are coming from these days.  Rea has been coaching in the junior college ranks at Norco for the last 5 years and fully 1/3 (10 of the 30 players) of their roster last season consisted of juco transfers, including 3 from Norco, most of whom were regular contributors.  Their best player - Adan Villarreal - was a juco transfer.  Plus, as director of soccer for Legends FC, a top local club, Rea's likely to mine that area for possible recruits.

La Verne hires Drew Rea as its new head coach

"We are excited to welcome Drew to the Leopard family. He brings a wealth of coaching knowledge and has deep connections to Southern California. We are confident he can build on the positive momentum of the men's soccer program and accelerate its success on and off the field," said Panatier.

Rea joins the Leopards after most recently serving as the head coach at Norco College. At Norco, he led the Mustangs to two Inland Empire Athletic Conference titles, made the playoffs five times, and went from ranked 130th in the state to top five in Rea's six years in charge.

"I am thrilled to take on this role at the University of La Verne. I want to thank Dr. Panatier and the search committee for giving me this opportunity. I believe the future is bright at La Verne and I can't wait to get started," said Rea.

He spent 11 years at Cal State Dominguez Hills assisting both the men's and women's soccer teams and one year at UC Riverside as men's soccer's assistant head coach. With the Toro's, he claimed the 2008 Men's NCAA DII National Championship, the women's 2009 NCAA Division II runner up, six California Collegiate Athletic Association titles, and eleven total playoff berths. At UCR, he helped the Highlanders capture a Big West Championship.

Outside of collegiate athletics, Rea has served as the Director of Soccer for Legends FC since 2016. With Legends, he is the Boys Elite Club National League Director and acts as a college advisor for the boys. Under his supervision, the boys' program rose from 89th in the country to the top five in under three years.

Rea moved to the United States with his family in the 1980s from Downpatrick, Northern Ireland and played soccer at Aquinas High School in San Bernardino where he won a CIF Title. He began his college career at Western Michigan University before transferring to Cal State Bakersfield where he was a two-time All-American. After his collegiate career ended, Rea returned to Ireland to play professionally for Glentoran before transitioning into coaching.

[Kuiper]

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps announced that they will be playing @ DII Cal State San Marcos on Sat 3/29 at 10 am for their Spring game

https://www.instagram.com/p/DG6GFE2vWAm/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

[Kuiper]

Redlands announced its opponents for the Spring Match day on Saturday March 8th at the SoCal Sports Complex in Oceanside

9:30 am v. D1 University of San Diego

3:20 pm v. D2 Cal State San Bernardino

[Kuiper]

Occidental is playing its spring match day today against D1 UC Irvine and Juco Irvine Valley College 9 am and 12 pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFyMgF-TRRU/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

https://www.instagram.com/p/DG8VnUeJd3o/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

UPDATE:  Oxy tied UC Irvine 0-0 and beat Irvine Valley College 1-0

[SKUD]

Wow that is early.

[Kuiper]

Wow that is early.

Part of the reason for playing games so early is that there are no non-SCIAC D3 teams to play locally in the Spring.  DI or DII teams are willing to play some of the stronger D3 SCIAC teams, but only as their first match of the spring season when they are just getting going (which is why you see Claremont, Redlands, and Occidental all playing DI or DII teams on these dates), which started this weekend for those teams.  So, the Spring match date isn't necessarily the end of spring practices for these teams, but just when they schedule the matches. 

The SoCal weather also allows you to start practice right when school resumes after the New Year and wind up before mid-terms and spring break, which is what some teams used to do before the number of spring practice days increased or still do in some cases.

[SKUD]

Makes sense, thank you!

[Kuiper]

Massive news for the SCIAC and protection against any of the current, less financially stable, schools in the league dropping sports or closing altogether.

Azusa Pacific is reclassifying from DII to DIII and joining the SCIAC

The SCIAC will add Azusa Pacific University as a 10th full-time member, the conference announced through President Strom Thacker of Pitzer College, Athletic Administrators chair Erica Perkins Jasper of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and Commissioner Jenn Dubow.
 
The Presidents Council unanimously supported the addition of APU, currently an NCAA Division II member, to the SCIAC following the conference's established vetting procedures. With the Division III reclassification process now able to be completed within as few as two years, APU is expected to become a full-fledged member for the 2028-29 academic year but will be integrated into conference scheduling as soon as 2026-27.
 
"We were pleased to invite Azusa Pacific University to become a member of the SCIAC," President Thacker said. "President Morris and the leadership at APU are eager to become partners in our shared vision for the Division III student-athlete experience. We look forward to continuing to provide unparalleled opportunities for our students to succeed academically and athletically in a respectful environment."
 
As part of the move, APU also has announced the return of its football program discontinued in 2020. They plan to field a team in Fall 2026 when Whittier College also reinstates its football program, bringing the conference back to eight teams.
 
"Azusa Pacific will make a fantastic addition to the SCIAC and further position us as a leading conference in Division III," Commissioner Dubow said. "Their rising academic profile, competitive excellence and commitment to the true student-athlete experience all fit well within our regularly assessed membership criteria and we were thrilled to be able to welcome them to DIII."
 
APU, whose mascot is the Cougar, has finished in the Top 20 of the DII Learfield Directors Cup standings in seven of the past eight years after winning a record eight consecutive trophies as an NAIA member until 2012. Founded in 1899, Azusa Pacific University, a top Christian higher education institution, is located 20+ miles northeast of Los Angeles and offers more than 100 degree options from bachelor's to doctorate in liberal arts and professional programs. APU currently offers 18 varsity sports with a traditional undergraduate enrollment of 2,266 students. With the addition of football, APU will expand to 19 varsity sports beginning in Fall 2026 and will consider other additions that fit the SCIAC sport sponsorship portfolio, currently at 21 sports.
 
"As a proud member of SCIAC, APU is thrilled to join other top Southern California universities that share our commitment to providing a well-rounded educational experience, where students can excel in the classroom and in athletics," President Adam J. Morris, PhD, said. "We are confident that our transition to Division III will allow us to maintain this balance while continuing our athletic excellence in all sports."
 
"The move to the SCIAC will extend APU Athletics' culture of excellence, where student-athletes are empowered to reach their given potential academically, athletically and spiritually," Gary Pine, APU Director of Athletics, said. "In the days we all competed in the NAIA, some of the most memorable games in Cougar sports history were played against longtime SCIAC foes and we are excited to be a part of those renewed rivalries again."
 
The addition of APU will mark the third expansion of the SCIAC in the past 35 years. The conference most recently expanded from eight to nine members with the addition of former DIII independent Chapman University in 2011. The Panthers had reclassified from DII in 1994 and committed to add four sports with their move to the SCIAC. California Lutheran University joined the conference in 1991, reclassifying directly from DII.
 
"We are excited to welcome APU into the SCIAC as our 10th member," Erica Perkins Jasper, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Director of Athletics and current chair of the SCIAC Athletic Administrators, said. "They are committed to the holistic student-athlete model and will further elevate the conference competitively. It also allows us to keep our tight footprint which is a significant drawing point for recruits as they do not have to spend a single night away from campus for conference competition."
 
The SCIAC continues to be a leader in Division III in the classroom and in competition. Academically, the SCIAC garnered College Sports Communicators All-America honors with two team members of the year, seven First Team, eight Second Team and six Third team recipients in 2023-24 in addition to 363 student-athletes receiving Academic All-District honors. Member institutions captured five team and four individual national titles in 2023-24. Overall, the conference has won national titles in 11 team sports across six different institutions and eight of nine SCIAC institutions have won an NCAA team or individual title since 2013.

Founded in 1915, the SCIAC still retains its five original members in Caltech, Occidental College, Pomona College, University of Redlands and Whittier College. The University of La Verne first joined in 1926 before departing with UCSB in 1938, but then rejoined in 1971. Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd Colleges combined to form the remaining athletic program, now also associated with Scripps College, in 1958. The rich tradition of the conference also includes three current DI institutions among its former members: San Diego State (Teachers College at the time), the University of California Santa Barbara and UCLA (then known as the Southern Branch of the University of California).