Vanguard Approved to Advance to Second Year of NCAA Division II Provisional Membership

COSTA MESA, California — Vanguard University (VU) was recently notified by the NCAA that its athletics department is approved to advance in the second year of its provisional membership in the NCAA Division II.

VU officially began its tenure as a member of the PacWest Conference (Pacific West) on July 1 after achieving solid success in 2023-24, advancing six teams and 22 individuals into postseason competition within the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), evidenced by women’s beach volleyball winning its second consecutive national championship, track and field winning the 4x400 relay, and the dance team being crowned NAIA Pom Champion.

Starting immediately, VU teams that will compete in the NCAA DII include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, Stunt, track and field, men’s and women’s wrestling, and women’s volleyball. Men’s volleyball will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Women’s beach volleyball and Stunt will compete as independents. All sports will be eligible for Player of the Week and All-Conference awards.

“The move to the NCAA DII is a testament to the excellence and progress of Vanguard Athletics, which has grown to more than 450 student-athletes, who represent the values of Christ-centered leadership, competitive excellence, collegiality and teamwork as they balance both sports and academics,” said VU President Michael J. Beals, Ph.D. “As we open our state-of-the-art Freed Center for Leadership and Service, our student body, alumni, and staff are excited to embark on a new chapter as we advance our athletics program while equipping students for well-rounded success both on and off the field.”

Vanguard’s transition toward NCAA DII membership parallels the Fall 2024 opening of the Freed Center for Leadership and Service — a dynamic 61,000-square-foot athletics and learning facility. The new headquarters of Vanguard Athletics and the university’s Kinesiology academic program, the Freed Center will house a 2,000-seat gymnasium, men’s and women’s locker rooms, weight and athletic training rooms, VU Athletics offices, as well as laboratories and classrooms.

“Today is another milestone moment in Vanguard University history,” said Jeff Bussell, VU director of athletics. “Moving to the NCAA is a shared responsibility, and I am grateful for the tremendous collaboration and hard work of our athletic department staff and coaches, Athletic Advisory Committee, Athletic Compliance Committee, Student-Athlete Leadership Team, and university staff and administration. We appreciate the NCAA’s assistance and support during this process. We look forward to continuing the journey with an uncommon faith, commitment, and attitude.”

Bussell notes that in addition to the NCAA being the premier college athletics association, it also provides the best regional fit for the university, as some former opponents have made or are making the transition to NCAA DII.

However, he says the transition will bring some challenges.

“We’ve heard from many of our peers who’ve made the transition, the conference is really balanced and there are no easy wins on any given night,” Bussell states. “Also, the conference travel schedule is more grueling with trips to both Northern California and Hawaii, along with the amount of conference games played due to a 14-member conference compared to an eight-member conference.”

Bussell also notes that the men’s volleyball team faces perhaps the stiffest challenge as the MPSF conference members in men’s volleyball also include multiple NCAA DI teams such as UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Pepperdine and is considered a DI league for championships.

Schools the Vanguard teams will compete against in the PacWest Conference include: Menlo College, Jessup University, Academy of Art, Azusa Pacific University, Biola University, Concordia University Irvine, Dominican University of California, Fresno Pacific University, Point Loma Nazarene University, Westmont College, Chaminade University of Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Hilo, and Hawai'i Pacific University. Like VU’s previous NAIA status, NCAA DII is a scholarship-granting association where current and future student-athletes will be eligible for athletics-based financial aid.

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