Vanguard University granted full NCAA Division II membership

Vanguard University’s athletic program was notified Thursday that it has been granted full NCAA Division II membership for 2025-26.

The Costa Mesa university had been a longtime member of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics since 1986, but two years ago Vanguard was provisionally approved for NCAA Division II status.

The final year of a three-year transition period was waived after Vanguard met all NCAA compliance, academic and operational benchmarks a year early.

“This process was really big,” Vanguard Athletic Director Jeff Bussell said in an interview Friday. “We looked at the climate of just where small college athletics on the West Coast was heading, and Division II was the best regional alignment for us as we navigate college athletics at this time. Everybody’s thrilled. We put in a lot of work.”

The completion of the move, combined with the opening of the 61,000-square foot Freed Center for Leadership and Service last fall, ushers in a new era for Lions athletics.

Vanguard University Athletic Director Jeff Bussell, shown last fall at the Freed Center for Leadership and Service on campus.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Bussell said Vanguard teams played an NCAA Division II schedule last year as well, with the caveat that they were on probation and not eligible for the postseason. The men’s soccer team and women’s basketball team would have made the Division II playoffs if they were eligible, he added.

Vanguard women’s basketball coach Russ Davis, entering his 29th season, said he was excited about the move to Division II. Last year, his squad finished its first Division II season 18-8 overall and 16-4 in the Pacific West Conference, good for second place.

Davis was a four-time NAIA Coach of the Year and his teams made five Fab Four appearances at the NAIA Championships, including winning the 2008 national championship.

“In our particular sport, it’s definitely a little step up,” Davis said of the move to Division II. “But I think if you were one of the top teams that were competing for championships at the NAIA level, then you should have an equal opportunity to be in the mix at the NCAA Division II level as well.

“For me, I was in the NAIA a long time, so you have a lot of friends and people you compete with. We were blessed to be able to accomplish a lot of things, but we’re going to try to do the same thing at this level. We’re just going to try to keep the ship moving in the right direction if possible.”

Vanguard teams are now full competitors in the PacWest Conference and eligible for that conference’s postseason events and Division II national championships, a boost for recruiting and competition.

The Vanguard baseball team is one of several Lions athletic teams that has now been granted full NCAA Division II status.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“I think our brand level has been impacted,” Bussell said. “We doubled our gate last year in ticket sales, just with the move last year. We’re hoping to continue to see that grow moving into the future.”

The university’s NCAA Division II teams include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field and women’s volleyball. Men’s volleyball and men’s and women’s wrestling will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while STUNT, women’s beach volleyball and dance vie for championships outside of the NCAA umbrella.

Delaney Hill, who went to high school close by at Calvary Chapel, is entering her senior year as an opposite on the Vanguard women’s volleyball team. While the Freed Center was under construction her first two years, Vanguard played its home matches at Hill’s alma mater of Calvary Chapel.

The Lions finished 13-11 last fall, including a 10-10 mark in the PacWest Conference. Hill admitted that the speed of the game was faster moving from NAIA to NCAA Division II, but she and her teammates are enthusiastic to meet the challenge moving forward.

“I think everyone’s very excited about it,” Hill said. “The school was NAIA for so long, and I think we were really able to build a legacy from that. I think everyone’s very excited to build a legacy within the NCAA now, to compete at a higher level and to compete with new teams that we haven’t played against before.”