California Pacific Conference
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The California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The secretary is Marv Christopher of California Maritime Academy. The conference was formed in 1996.
Conference members range from members of the University of California and California State University systems to religious and liberal arts colleges.
History
California State University at East Bay, California State University at Monterey Bay, Dominican University, Mills College, and Notre Dame de Namur University are former members of the conference that have left the Cal Pac and the NAIA for the Division II and Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
- Cal State–Monterey Bay and Cal State–East Bay left the Cal Pac to join the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in the 2004–05 and 2008–09 seasons, respectively.
- Patten University left the Cal Pac when the school chose to discontinue its athletic program after the 2004–05 season.
- Notre Dame de Namur left the Cal Pac to join the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference in the 2006–07 season, followed by Dominican in the 2008–09 season.
- Mills moved to NCAA Division III as an Independent in the 2011–12 season.
In June 2011, Bethany University announced it was ceasing operations effective immediately, decreasing the Cal Pac to seven active members.[1]
In 2012, Holy Names University left the Cal Pac to join the Pacific West Conference; while Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University at Prescott, Marymount California University, and Soka University of America joined to increase the conference membership to nine schools.[2]
La Sierra University joined in 2013 to bring the conference up to 10 members.[3] William Jessup University left in 2014, leaving the conference with nine members. Membership rose to twelve schools in 2015 when the University of Antelope Valley, Benedictine University at Mesa, Providence Christian College, and Sierra Nevada University joined; while Menlo College left for the Golden State Athletic Conference.
The University of Saint Katherine joined in 2019.[4] In March 2020, the conference announced two additions for the 2020–21 academic year when Park University at Gilbert and Westcliff University were admitted to the NAIA.[5]
Sierra Nevada approved in July 2021 an agreement to merge with NCAA Division I's University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada).[6] The merger was given accreditation approval in late December and scheduled for completion before 2022–23,[7] leading to Sierra Nevada's departure from Cal Pac.
On September 20, 2024, Cal Maritime announced it would withdraw from NAIA and Cal Pac membership at the conclusion of the 2024–25 academic year.[8]
On December 20, 2024, Northern New Mexico College and Stanton University had accepted an invite as full members to join the Cal Pac, with the latter contingent on NAIA approval for membership, while Walla Walla University accepted an invite as an affiliate member for men's volleyball; all effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year.[9]
Chronological timeline
- 1995 – The California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) was founded. Charter members included Bethany College (later Bethany University), California Maritime Academy (now California State University Maritime Academy, or CSU Maritime), California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB), Dominican College (now the Dominican University of California), Holy Names College (now Holy Names University), Menlo College, Pacific Union College, Patten College (now Patten University), and Simpson College (now Simpson University); beginning the 1996–97 academic year.
- 1998 – California State University at Hayward (now California State University East Bay, or CSUEB) and the College of Notre Dame (later Notre Dame de Namur University) joined the Cal Pac in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 1999 – Mills College joined the Cal Pac in the 1999–2000 academic year.
- 2004
- Cal State–Monterey Bay (CSUMB) left the Cal Pac to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) after the 2003–04 academic year.
- William Jessup University (now Jessup University) joined the Cal Pac in the 2004–05 academic year.
- 2005 – Patten left the Cal Pac to become an NAIA Independent after the 2004–05 academic year.
- 2006 – Notre Dame de Namur left the Cal Pac to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) after the 2005–06 academic year.
- 2009 – Two institutions left the Cal Pac and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and to their respective new home primary conferences: Cal State–East Bay (CSUEB) to the CCAA, and Dominican (Cal.) to the PacWest after the 2008–09 academic year.
- 2011 – The University of California at Merced joined the Cal Pac in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012
- Holy Names left the Cal Pac and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2011–12 academic year.
- Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott, Marymount California University, and Soka University of America joined the Cal Pac in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2013 – La Sierra University joined the Cal Pac in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2014 – William Jessup left the Cal Pac to join the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC; now the Great Southwest Athletic Conference) after the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2015
- Menlo left the Cal Pac to join the GSAC after the 2014–15 academic year.
- The University of Antelope Valley, Benedictine University at Mesa, Providence Christian College, and Sierra Nevada College (later Sierra Nevada University) joined the Cal Pac in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2019 – The University of Saint Katherine joined the Cal Pac in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020 – Park University Gilbert and Westcliff University joined the Cal Pac in the 2020–21 academic year.
- 2021 – Sierra Nevada left the Cal Pac at the end of the 2021–22 academic year as the school announced plans to merge with the University of Nevada, Reno, dropping all athletic programs in the process.
- 2022 – Marymount California left the Cal Pac after the 2021–22 academic year as the school announced its closure in August of that year.
- 2024
- Antelope Valley left the Cal Pac during the 2023–24 academic year as the school suddenly closed after an order from the state of California to cease operations.
- St. Katherine left the Cal Pac during the 2023–24 academic year ahead of its planned departure to the GSAC, as the university announced it would cease all operations at the end of the academic year.
- Benedictine at Mesa, Embry-Riddle Prescott, and Park–Gilbert all left the Cal Pac to join the GSAC, beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
- 2025
- La Sierra and Soka will leave the Cal Pac to join the GSAC, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
- UC Merced will leave the Cal Pac and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the CCAA, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
- Cal Maritime will leave the Cal Pac and the NAIA via withdrawal at the conclusion of the 2024–25 academic year, coinciding with the school's integration into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
- Providence Christian will leave the Cal Pac as the school announced it would discontinue its athletics programs, beginning after the 2024–25 academic year.
- Northern New Mexico College and Stanton University will join the Cal Pac beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
- Walla Walla University will join the Cal Pac as an affiliate member for men's volleyball beginning the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The Cal Pac currently has 8 full members, all but two are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | Basketball? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "sort". | Vallejo, California | 1929 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 700 | Keelhaulers | 1996 | both |
| Script error: No such module "sort". | Merced, California | 2005 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 9,148 | Golden Bobcats | 2011 | both |
| La Sierra University | Riverside, California | 1922 | Seventh-day Adventist |
2,199 | Golden Eagles | 2013 | both |
| Pacific Union College | Angwin, California | 1882 | Seventh-day Adventist |
1,400 | Pioneers | 1996 | both |
| Providence Christian College | Pasadena, California | 2002 | Reformed Christian |
160 | Sea Beggars | 2015 | none |
| Simpson University | Redding, California | 1921 | Christian & Missionary Alliance |
1,280 | Red Hawks | 1996 | both |
| Soka University of America | Aliso Viejo, California | 2001 | Nonsectarian | 441 | Lions | 2012 | none |
| Westcliff University | Irvine, California | 1993 | For-profit | 2,800 | Warriors | 2020[5] | both |
- Notes
Future members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoiningTemplate:Efn | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern New Mexico College | Española, New Mexico | 1909 | Public | 3,873 | Eagles | 2025 | Continental |
| Stanton University | Anaheim, California | 1996 | Nonsectarian | 379 | Fighting Elks | USCAA Independent |
- Notes
Future affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoiningTemplate:Efn | Cal Pac sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walla Walla University[10] | College Place, Washington | 1892 | Seventh-day Adventist |
1,940 | Wolves | 2025 | men's volleyball | Cascade (CCC) |
- Notes
Former members
The Cal Pac had 13 former full members, all but two were private schools:
- Notes
Membership timeline
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id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
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id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
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width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
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bar:3 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2004 text:Cal State Monterey Bay (1996–2004) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2004 till:end text:CCAA
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2009 text:Dominican (Cal.) (1996–2009) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:end text:PacWest
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2012 text:Holy Names (1996–2012) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2023 text:PacWest
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bar:7 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Pacific Union (1996–present)
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bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2009 text:Cal State–East Bay (1998–2009) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:end text:CCAA
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2006 text:Notre Dame de Namur (1998–2006) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2020 text:PacWest
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2011 text:Mills (1999–2011) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2013 text:D-III Ind. bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2016 text:GSAC bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2016 till:2017 text:D-III Ind. bar:12 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2017 till:2020 text:ACAA bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:2023 text:C2C
bar:13 color:FullxF from:2004 till:2014 text:William Jessup (2004–2014) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:2024 text:GSAC bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest
bar:14 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2025 text:UC Merced (2011–2025) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:CCAA
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2024 text:Embry–Riddle at Prescott (2012–2024) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:16 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2022 text:Marymount (2012–2022)
bar:17 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2025 text:Soka (2012–2025) bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:GSAC
bar:18 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2025 text:La Sierra (2013–2025) bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:GSAC
bar:19 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Antelope Valley (2015–2024)
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Benedictine–Mesa (2015–2024) bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2025 text:Providence Christian (2015–2025)
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2022 text:Sierra Nevada (2015–2022)
bar:23 color:FullxF from:2019 till:2024 text:Saint Katherine (2019–2024)
bar:24 color:FullxF from:2020 till:2024 text:Park–Gilbert (2020–2024) bar:24 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:25 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:Westcliff (2020–present)
bar:26 shift:-80 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Northern New Mexico (2025–future)
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</timeline>
Full member (non-football)
Sports sponsored
| A divisional format is used for women's volleyball. | |||
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| A divisional format is used for men's & women's basketball. | |||
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| |
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Green tick | |
| Basketball | Green tick | Green tick |
| Cross Country | Green tick | Green tick |
| Golf | Green tick | Green tick |
| Soccer | Green tick | Green tick |
| Softball | Green tick | |
| Volleyball | Green tick | Green tick |
See also
- Big West Conference, a conference that competes in Division I and that consisted entirely of California schools from 2005 to 2012
- California Collegiate Athletic Association, an all-California school conference that competes in Division II
- Golden State Athletic Conference, an NAIA conference that consisted entirely of California schools from its formation in 1986 until 2012.
References
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External links
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