ATHERTON, Calif. – Menlo College has begun the process of applying for membership to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II, as announced by Vice President for Athletics Keith Spataro. Citing the need for more regionally-aligned scheduling partners in Northern California, Menlo College leadership recently engaged a consulting firm to perform a feasibility study, and has already completed a variety of internal assessments. The Oaks are exploring membership in the PacWest conference, which currently consists of 11 members, including four in Northern California, four in Southern California, and three in Hawaii.
“Our top priority in all this is the health and welfare of our student-athletes,” noted Spataro. “The senior leadership looked at the ever-changing landscape both within our current conference and college athletics as a whole. With this review it became clear that we needed to strategically align ourselves to more regional competition to decrease travel and missed class time, while also providing the best competitive environment for our entire community. We believe association with the NCAA and the PacWest checks all of those boxes.”
Menlo College is a current member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and has competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) since 2015. The GSAC is currently a 10-member conference with six members in Southern California, two in the Bay Area and two in Arizona.
“While the GSAC has been a great home for us, the travel, time, and financial demands of an Arizona and Southern California-based conference schedule contributed to our decision to explore a more regional opportunity at the NCAA Division II level,” said Spataro.
In addition to a more regionally-aligned conference schedule, a move to NCAA Division II also improves Menlo’s out-of-conference scheduling opportunities, as the neighboring NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) boasts seven Northern California members, four of which are in the greater Bay Area.
Currently, Menlo College and its NCAA transition team are preparing all supporting documents with the intention to submit an application to the PacWest Conference in early November. If accepted, the next stage will be to submit an application for NCAA membership by February 2023. Even if accepted by the NCAA, Menlo College would continue competition in the GSAC through the 2023-24 season before moving to the PacWest at the start of the 2024-25 season.
For further inquiry, please click here to see the FAQs or please contact ncaa@menlo.edu.
Menlo College was established in 1927. It is a small, private, non-profit, four-year, accredited, residential college located in Atherton, California. Menlo College’s location in Silicon Valley, one of the world’s most entrepreneurial and innovative geographical areas, has enabled the college to create a valuable market niche for its students locally — as well as globally. Menlo College cultivates in its students the skills, integrity, and passion to make meaningful contributions in an innovation economy.
