Looking Back On 2013-14
Finally a fully-fledged member of the NCAA, the 2013-14 athletic campaigns took on a new meaning at California Baptist University. The Lancer athletic programs completed their transition to the NCAA Division II on July 12, 2013 and had five programs join conferences for the first time. Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, along with wrestling, while men’s and women’s water polo linked up with the Western Water Polo Association and Golden Coast Conference, respectively.
In all, CBU claimed four conference titles and had 12 of 19 eligible teams qualify for the NCAA postseason on their first shot. With 10 top-three finishes from 11 PacWest teams, the Lancers claimed the PacWest Commissioner’s Cup for the second time in three years. Men’s basketball, softball, men’s cross country and women’s swimming secured conference crowns for CBU in 2013-14, while the Lancers also earned their first NCAA championship in individual competition with swimmer Mary Hanson.
In the fall, both the men’s and women’s cross country and soccer teams qualified for the NCAA postseason for the first time. Men’s cross country won its third-straight PacWest title and went on to place 22nd in Division II, while the women took third in the PacWest and took ninth at the Division II West Regional. Women’s soccer finished runner-up in the PacWest with a 12-5-1, 10-2 in conference record, and men’s soccer took third in the PacWest with a 10-6-1, 9-3 in conference record. Women’s volleyball put together a winning season (17-11, 14-6) and men’s water polo went 15-17, 0-5 in the WWPA in its first season in a conference.
In the winter, history was made and two conference championships were claimed. Men’s basketball, both swimming squads and wrestling qualified for the NCAA postseason, while women’s basketball came up one game shy. Men’s basketball put together a historic run under first-year coach Rick Croy, with a program-best 16-game winning streak to open the season. The team went on to win the PacWest championship and finished the year with a 24-4, 18-2 in conference record. Women’s basketball took third in the PacWest regular-season standings before advancing to the conference tournament championship game and finishing the year with a 16-12, 13-7 mark. Wrestling won a program-high 11 duals with an 11-4-1, 3-1 record, took second in the RMAC and Division II Super Region IV, 12th in Division II, and had five wrestlers advance to the Division II Championships, with three earning All-American honors. Women’s and men’s swimming finished first and second in the RMAC, respectively, while combining for six All-American finishes at the NCAA Championships. The women’s swim team finished 9th overall in Division II, the highest team finish for the year.
Like in the winter, there was more history to be made and a conference championship to be won in the spring. Softball claimed a share of the PacWest championship and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division II West Regional I tournament before ending the year with a 46-13, 27-5 in conference record. Baseball set a program-best winning streak of 24 games by winning its first 15 games of 2014 and last nine of 2013, while also earning 11-year coach Gary Adcock’s 400th win with the Lancers. The team went on to take second in the PacWest and qualified for the West Regional tournament before ending their run with a 39-15, 20-12 mark.
CBU cheer continued its run of dominance, as it completed a two-year undefeated stretch with repeat championships at the National Cheerleading Association Collegiate Cheer Nationals. Both golf teams qualified for the NCAA playoffs, with the women winning four tournaments en route to a runner-up finish in the PacWest. The team took sixth at the West Regional tournament and saw Tina Yang qualify for the Division II Championships and place in the top-10 overall. The men’s golf squad posted three top-five finishes at tournaments this year, including a fifth-place performance at the PacWest Championships that helped it punch its ticket to the West Regional. The men’s and women’s track teams took fourth and fifth, respectively, at the PacWest Championships and combined for 10 all-conference finishes and four individual PacWest championships. Women’s water polo finished the year at 21-11, 3-3, and took fourth place in the Golden Coast Conference standings and fifth in the conference tournament. Men’s volleyball completed a tough trek through the ultra-competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, ending the year with a 4-24, 2-22 record.
