WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos Cougars can now call the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) home after being formally accepted for membership by the Conference's Presidents and Chancellors Board.

The Cougars' long journey to becoming a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member was completed on July 23 when they received their acceptance by the NCAA Division II Management Council for Division II candidacy.

"We are proud to be formally accepted into the CCAA," said CSUSM President Karen Haynes. "This move will benefit our athletics program on multiple levels: We will be able to establish exciting rivalries with regional universities. Our student athletes will spend more time in the classroom thanks to reduced travel time. And our University will be better aligned athletically with schools of similar size and stature. This is yet another great day for the University and our athletics program."

The Conference was committed to assisting Cal State San Marcos during the application process. Following a site visit by representatives from various CCAA schools, the CCAA Council voted unanimously to recommend that CSUSM be admitted to the Conference upon its admission to the NCAA on September 1, 2014. The CCAA presidents then made their final decision last week to ratify the recommendation made by the Council.

"On behalf of all the institutions of the CCAA, we congratulate Cal State San Marcos on its membership in NCAA Division II and welcome the Cougars to the Conference. Cal State San Marcos will be an outstanding member of the CCAA and is a perfect fit for membership in the Conference," stated Cal State East Bay President and chair of the Presidents and Chancellors Board, Leroy Morishita.

"The administrative staff, coaches, and student-athletes at Cal State San Marcos have been building toward this day for many months and have clearly demonstrated that the institution is ready to make the move to Division II. They are excited to join us and we are excited to have them," said Commissioner Mike Matthews.

With the successful application for NCAA Division II membership, CSUSM will now enter a minimum three-year transition period before earning NCAA active membership status. The Cougars will also be a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) for the 2014-15 academic year.

"This official acceptance by the CCAA means a great deal to CSUSM Athletics.  It means we finally have a home, a conference home. The CCAA is the strongest Division II conference in the country, it is a true honor to become the 13th member.  We are looking forward to contributing to the CCAA legacy. We are proud of the fact that the CCAA Mission Statement and the CSUSM Department of Athletics Mission Statement are both built upon providing an environment based on advancing academic and athletic excellence, while enhancing the student-athlete experience," said Cal State San Marcos Athletics Director Jennifer Milo.

During the second year of the candidacy period, CSUSM athletic schedules will include CCAA members, but the Cougars will not be eligible for postseason competition. During the third year of the transition, CSUSM will be granted provisional membership in NCAA Division II and will continue to play a CCAA conference schedule, but will still not be able to compete in NCAA Championships.

CSUSM will gain NCAA Division II active member status in the fall of 2017 as long as all benchmarks are met during the transition process, and be eligible to compete in the NCAA Championships during the 2017-18 academic year.

The Cougar athletics program fields 12 CCAA sponsored sports: men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's golf, men's and women's track and field, softball, and baseball.

The California Collegiate Athletic Association has been the nation's most successful Division II intercollegiate athletics conference since its establishment in December 1938. CCAA members have won 153 NCAA Championships (102 men, 51 women), far and away the most of any Division II conference.  

The 13-member league is home to some of the nation's finest NCAA Division II athletics programs. Current members are Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State L.A., Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Humboldt State, UC San Diego, San Francisco State, and Sonoma State. 

Information in this press release was provided by the CCAA.