Concordia University Irvine on track to become NCAA Division II school
Concordia University Irvine is on track to become Orange County’s only NCAA Division II school.
The university announced this week that it was entering Year Two of its NCAA Division II membership application on schedule.
“We believe that the NCAA Division II model is an excellent fit with our Lutheran heritage, our core values, and our approach to educating the whole person,” Gary McDaniel, Concordia University Irvine’s executive vice president and chief enrollment officer said Monday. “Advancing in the Division II acceptance process is a testament to the quality of our University’s faculty, staff, and overall educational experience.”
Concordia University began the three-year membership application process in 2014. If everything remains on schedule, the university will join more than 300 colleges and universities in 44 states in Division II for the 2017-18 seaason.
2015-16: Provisional Member of PacWest Conference
A map of the PacWest Conference.
Although it remains ineligible for championship competition this season, Concordia University Irvine is now a Provisional Member in both the PacWest Conference and NCAA Division II. That makes the roughly 745 student-athletes in 19 varsity sports eligible for PacWest conference competition and non-conference action against all other NCAA Division II schools.
“We are thrilled to welcome Concordia University Irvine into the PacWest and the NCAA Division II membership process,” Bob Hogue, Commissioner of the Pacific West Conference, said last year when the university began its membership application. “The Eagles’ outstanding commitment to athletics, academics and their community make them a perfect fit for the PacWest.”
Their new PacWest rivals include Azusa Pacific University, California Baptist University, Fresno Pacific University, and Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as institutions in Hawaii, the Bay Area, and Southern Utah.
Concordia University Irvine: Accolades in athletics, academics
Over the last five years, Concordia University Irvine has won five NAIA National Championship Titles in baseball, softball, men’s basketball and both men’s and women’s volleyball.
“This announcement is a testimony to the hard work of the Concordia University Irvine faculty and staff,” said Dave Bireline, Concordia University Irvine’s Athletic Director. “The athletic program and institution as a whole are excited and well prepared to begin competition in the PacWest and in the NCAA Division II.”
He added, “The entire athletic administration, coaches, and university faculty and staff, have fully supported this transition and put in countless hours of hard work to help mold CUI into an NCAA Division II institution.”
Named by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the fastest growing private nonprofit master’s institutions, Concordia University Irvine enrolls more than 4,000 students. In 2015, U.S. News and World Report named Concordia University Irvine to its list of the Best Regional Universities in the West.
Concordia University’s transition process to join the NCAA Division II.
