CCAA Athletic Administrators to Discuss Move to Division I

California Collegiate Athletic Assn. athletic administrators are expected to talk about upgrading their conference to Division I in meetings today and Friday at Cal State Northridge.

“It’s not an agenda item, but there is bound to be some open dialogue about it,” said CSUN Athletic Director Bob Hiegert.

Cal State Los Angeles, a charter CCAA member, has already announced its intention to meet Division I standards by next September. UC Riverside, another CCAA member, has also expressed interest in leaving Division II.

Last summer, CSUN formed a six-person committee to study the role of athletics within its physical education department. The committee’s report is due next month.

Funding and scheduling problems have forced Northridge to seriously consider a jump to Division I, Hiegert said.

“Cal State L.A. kind of triggered a lot of us into taking a long look at what lies ahead in the next few years,” Hiegert said. “If they were to pull out and Riverside left, that would leave the conference two schools short. There are a couple of schools which may be interested in joining in their places, but there are some other schools who are looking at dropping programs.”

Hiegert said Northridge would prefer to maintain its 18 intercollegiate sports.