FB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

That's what the story says.

[Kuiper]

APU announcement now official on their twitter and school website. Release says they were unanimously approved by the SCIAC presidents

Absolutely huge day for the SCIAC! A conference where football was on the ropes just a short while ago will get Whittier back and add a an Azusa program steeped in tradition

Hopefully this will mean the end of the divisions and double round robin silliness. The SCIAC is back!!

Here's the official SCIAC announcement

https://thesciac.org/news/2025/3/14/general-sciac-approves-dii-azusa-pacific-for-full-membership-reclassification-to-diii.aspx

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).

[Little Giant 89]

I know it was 17 years ago and at a different NCAA division level, but I'm trying to imagine Christian Okoye lining up against even an above average D-III defense.  Terrifying! 

[RFBredux]

Your move, Occidental! Time to stop being cowards and ducking Whittier for the "Battle of the Shoes"!!

[Gray Fox]

I know it was 17 years ago and at a different NCAA division level, but I'm trying to imagine Christian Okoye lining up against even an above average D-III defense.  Terrifying! 

I saw him play against one of Oxy's good teams.  It took three guys to bring him down.
He is still a legend in Kansas City.

[BLynn]

Congrats to D-III getting APU. Quality school that fell into some issues that hopefully are rectified. Would love to have them back in NAIA where they were a Top 10 team from 1997 thru 2004, (Won the NAIA title in 1998). Got to see them play in person in 2007 in the old NAIA First Down Classic in Mo.

[olddog]

APU

1) Going to make recruiting for LV, Whit, UR and CU more competitive ...UR has done well up and down the 10 and 210 fwy.
2) I wonder if APU will play FB on campus or at Citrus College? On campus facility needs to modifications since it was solely used for track with a discus platform in the east end zone and other mods needed
3) Felix Center, holds 4500 for BB, what a waste now that they are not going D1.
4) 10 teams in other sports really helps keep travel cost down for the minor sports too...Baseball wont have to leave and go out of town, given how many snow bird teams want to play in So Cal. One could have 20+ homes games if desired.

[Kuiper]

APU

2) I wonder if APU will play FB on campus or at Citrus College? On campus facility needs to modifications since it was solely used for track with a discus platform in the east end zone and other mods needed

Citrus College's stadium is dramatically better than what Azusa Pacific has now (10,000 seats, relatively new turf, etc) and is literally next door on what is effectively a shared campus.  My recollection is that APU often (always?) played football at Citrus College anyway before APU's program shut down.  APU listed Citrus Stadium as one of its athletic facilities on its website when it played football and the pictures were all of the APU football team.

[WashedUp]

I'm interested to see if APU can keep their track talent, they have the opportunity to be an absolute D3 powerhouse there.  Their school records would be top-3 D3 marks all-time in most events and they would've had the leading marks nationally in at least 4 events last year.

[that guy 31]

Citrus College is an extremely sweet facility and would be a excellent addition to a conference that already has a few pretty cool stadiums. Hopefully that is the plan.

[olddog]

JC stadiums in CA are very expensive to rent out, I know some cost 10k a game, by the time you pay the rental fees and for staff and security....many of the public HS avoid playing high attendance games at JCs now.

I hope you all are correct Citrus College is a nice venue, but ...its the SCIAC

[CalCat]

APU

2) I wonder if APU will play FB on campus or at Citrus College? On campus facility needs to modifications since it was solely used for track with a discus platform in the east end zone and other mods needed

Citrus College's stadium is dramatically better than what Azusa Pacific has now (10,000 seats, relatively new turf, etc) and is literally next door on what is effectively a shared campus.  My recollection is that APU often (always?) played football at Citrus College anyway before APU's program shut down.  APU listed Citrus Stadium as one of its athletic facilities on its website when it played football and the pictures were all of the APU football team.

I attended in 2007 Whitworth at APU a terrific game that APU won at the end 38-34. As l recall Whitworth led most of the way and APU came back with some terrific playing by their QB. That game was played at APU's stadium.

[RFBredux]

Redlands women's basketball raised the most money on giving day out of all the sponsored sports within the athletic department. Awesome for them!

Football should be dwarfing all the other sports combined based on the volume of players that came through the program over the last 30+ years. Sad state of affairs currently for the football program at Redlands.

[olddog]

UR, fund raising....If UR Football wants to really get back on track raising money from FB Alumni they need to rectify many issues. Jeff Martinez was not the guy to do it. I do not know who is it but... from Maynard to the direction of the school is heading is on the table (needs from the old head alumni. The school leadership is affecting fund raising. The best term I can use (sorry Pat) ...too liberal,...Of course as we are witnessing in society today, the last thing they will do is admit they are wrong or change their approach. See CA deficit ...City of LA 1b deficit, SF and Oakland too.

I guess Whittier figured out with declining enrollment, they could add another 100 males pretty easily.

[olddog]

Its spring ball for UR, I think D3 should have the option to go full pads, sure limit hitting, hours etc if you want but hitting trash cans is stupid. Let each league vote on it, players would get so much more out of it. It would only help D3 ball, shorten it to 5 days in shorts and 10 days in pads...Basketball, baseball, etc can do what they want to do but FB is limited.  Imagine if water polo could not go in the water in their off season. I need some DEI football too.