THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The most successful athletic year in California Lutheran University history has ended in a familiar place for the Regals and Kingsmen in 2023-24, the NCAA playoffs.
In a year full of athletic accomplishments and highlights, TWO NCAA national championships stand out. Women's Soccer and Men's Volleyball both won their first NCAA National Championships. Cal Lutheran leaped to four NCAA championships since becoming an NCAA member in 1991. The two newest crowns made CLU one of only 23 Division III institutions (out of 430) to hold four national titles in four different sports. CLU's titles are divided evenly among genders, which exhibits the decades-long commitment to providing the highest quality equitable athletic programs. Cal Lutheran's NCAA postseason teams excelled, combining for a record of 11-3 against the top competition in the nation.
Another highlight was men's and women's basketball claiming SCIAC regular season titles in the same year for the first time in university history. The basketball programs were a combined 25-0 at Gilbert Sports & Fitness Center in the regular season. Kingsmen basketball's historic season included a record-breaking 19-game win streak and SCIAC regular season title, which led to CLU's selection as a regional host for the first and second rounds in the national tournament. Women's Soccer, on their way to the NCAA title, captured a piece of the SCIAC regular season championship.
"The remarkable athletic success this year is a testament to the hard work of our elite level coaches who have worked tirelessly to build their programs over several years, "said Director of Athletics
Howard Davis. "Of course, our student-athletes cannot be left out of that equation. Their dedication to athletic success at the highest level while maintaining their academic prowess is admirable."
The Kingsmen and Regals 23-24 progress goes beyond the national and conference championships. Several other programs made great strides and are trending upward. The five-year-old women's lacrosse recorded its first win, first conference sweep, and shattered virtually all program records. Men's and women's golf recorded their lowest stroke average and 2
nd lowest respectively in program history. Men's soccer continues its success with a program record fourth straight SCIAC tournament appearance.
Softball qualified for the SCIAC tournament for the first time in eight non-Covid years. Baseball continues to be a stellar program, qualifying for its third consecutive NCAA playoff. Men's water polo faced a challenging season after losing several key contributors from the national finalist team but is building to regain that lofty status. Women's Water Polo saw the hiring of their fifth head coach in five years. Even with that, the Regals qualified for their 17
th straight SCIAC postseason tournament.
Men's swimming and diving saw
Cole Weiderman earn All-American status in the 1,650. Women's Swimming had
Madi Bodhidatta qualify for the NCAA Championships. Swimming & Diving set four new school records and more than 40 additions to the university swimming program's Top Ten lists. Women's volleyball had the misfortune of four season-ending injuries at the same position and was still in contention for a SCIAC Tournament berth.
The track & field team continued to make strides as multiple student-athletes cracked the program's top-10 list.
Sarah Bjornson led the way, capturing her third high jump title in four years.
Eric Talbert impressed on the men's side and put the first sub-15-minute time in the 5000 meters since 1986.
Kingsmen cross country had two top 15 all-time marks at the Pomona-Pitzer Invite. Four Regals ran lifetime marks throughout the season. The tennis teams compete in arguably the toughest conference in the nation. The Regals doubles team of
Mina Ahmadi and
Carmen Bufkin won the West Regional doubles crown at the Ojai Tournament. The Regals were ranked throughout the year, defeating ranked opponents, with the men's side accomplishing the same feat.
While football did not experience competitive success, the program did begin a re-setting of team culture and student-athlete expectations that will surely pay dividends in years to come.
"I'm super proud of all CLU athletic programs," said Davis. "The staff commitment and dedication to the student-athlete experience while emphasizing on competitive excellence has us in a terrific position to enjoy athletic success for years to come"
- 6 NCAA Championship Appearances, 4 teams & 2 individuals
- Regals Soccer
- Kingsmen Volleyball
- Kingsmen Basketball
- Regals Swimming & Diving
- Kingsmen Swimming & Diving
- Kingsmen Baseball
- 3 SCIAC Regular Season Champions
- Kingsmen Basketball
- Regals Basketball (Co-Champs)
- Regals Soccer (Co-Champs)
- 1 Individual SCIAC Champion
- 8 All-Americans
- NCAA All-Tournament Teams
- Isabella Veljacic, Most Outstanding Offensive Player, Women's Soccer
- Eden Quiroz, Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Women's Soccer
- Brynn McMahon, Women's Soccer
- Kelsey Slaugh, Women's Soccer
- Michael Stahl, Most Outstanding Player, Men's Volleyball
- Jordan Cooper, Men's Volleyball
- Logan Marks, Men's Volleyball
- Taylor Marks, Men's Volleyball
- 2 Scholar All-Americans
- Women's Soccer was the National and Region X Coaching Staff of the Year
- 16 All-Region
- 1 Scholar All-Region
- 3 SCIAC Athletes of the Year
- 2 SCIAC Newcomers of the Year
- 3 SCIAC Coaching Staffs of the Year
- 45 All-SCIAC
- 47 SCIAC Athletes of the Week
- 42 Academic All-District
"This type of remarkable success does not happen without the dedicated work of an incredible support staff," said Davis. "Athletic Training Staff,
Kecia Davis,
Cody Owens,
Carlos Gonzalez,
Michelle Srott-Andrews, Athletic Performance Staff
Brent Rolling,
Madison Griess,
Spencer Afshari, and
Sinjin Todd, Associate Athletic Director
Brianne Talboom, Manager – Athletic Facilities & Sports Events Operations
Matt Lea, Director of Sports Information
Ryan Jorgenson, and Operations Coordinator & Budget Analyst
Elizabeth Brooks, all provide critical support to the 22 CLU athletic programs.
Another advance in the CLU athletic program this year has been far more engagement with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). These leaders of leaders have taken active roles in cross-sport and community engagement and support as well as events to build CLU SAAC into a vital resource for the athletic program, offering advice and counsel on several operational matters.
"Associate Athletic Director
Brianne Talboom and Track & Field and Cross Country Head Coach
Brett Halvaks have done a terrific job creating a more robust SAAC experience for those members, and all of our student-athletes," said Davis.
Non-competition advances include a renovation of the athletic suite (new flooring, wall décor, and branded furniture designed to make it a more attractive work environment for our coaches, support staff, and a critical recruiting space for prospective student-athletes. "This space is not only beautiful and appropriate but has proven to be a versatile go-to spot for watch parties, pre-game socials, NCAA selection shows and donor and parent gathering spots.
The year featured a new and enhanced Media Day. The Athletics Department and the Marketing Department collaborated to create a new masterpiece to feature athletes and bring teams together. The event included professional action shots, a video cube, and a step-and-repeat wall. The assets were used to bolster Cal Lutheran's marketing and media presence, through social media and on campus. Athletes were also given pictures and videos to have and remember.
Midway through the year, the CLU athletic program began publishing "Purple Reign," an electronic newsletter to campus personnel outlining the successes of athletic programs and student-athletes, Big Game alerts to generate greater attendance, spotlights on student-athletes and coaches to allow an up close and personal look at them.
It was a fantastic year for Cal Lutheran and the Athletics Department with continued success on its way! The Athletic Department will celebrate this record-breaking year with a community event in the fall. Stay tuned for more information.
