Azusa Pacific University announced March 17 through an online press release that its collegiate athletics program is set to join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SCIAC). According to the SCIAC website, Occidental was one of the original founders of SCIAC in 1915, and since then, the league has gone through numerous changes. The most recent addition of Azusa Pacific will bring the number of full-time SCIAC schools to a total of 10.
For Azusa Pacific, the move to SCIAC includes a reclassification of their NCAA division. Previously, Azusa Pacific competed in the NCAA Division II, and in moving to SCIAC, Azusa Pacific will compete at the Division III level.
According to Azusa Pacific’s press release, their move to SCIAC will come with the reinstatement of their football team, which was previously on a five-year hiatus due to budget reasons and the COVID-19 pandemic. Azusa Pacific’s athletic director, Gary Pine, released a statement on the revival of Azusa Pacific’s football program.
“We are committed to building a football program that embodies the enduring values and principles of APU Athletics and DIII philosophy,” said Pine via website. “Our goal is to create a culture of excellence, where student-athletes are empowered to reach their God-given potential academically, athletically and spiritually. We are excited to welcome talented and dedicated individuals who share this vision.”
With their 18-sport intercollegiate athletics program, Azusa Pacific will compete in various different SCIAC sports, according to their website. Those sports include, but are not limited to, men’s soccer and women’s basketball.
Occidental men’s soccer captain Aiden Aley (junior) said he heard about Azusa Pacific’s upcoming addition to SCIAC along with the general public through an Instagram post.
“I’m excited,” Aley said. “They were DII, so their team is good. The games will be competitive.”
Women’s basketball players Ashley Shelsta (junior), Dara Tokeshi (junior) and Ila Giblin (first year) all found out that Azusa Pacific would be joining the SCIAC through Instagram as well.
Shelsta said she is curious about Azusa Pacific joining SCIAC, especially since their teams will be transitioning from higher-level play.
“We are curious to learn more, curious to get to play them and see,” Shelsta said. “Obviously, coming from a DII level, that might kind of up the competition, but I think we’re ready for it. We can handle it, and you know we welcome the competition and the challenge of a new team.”
Azusa Pacific is located in Azusa, CA, which is about 20 miles east of Occidental’s campus. Occidental teams often travel to play SCIAC teams, and Tokeshi said she looks forward to playing on a new court.
“I think it’ll be really cool to go to a different school, because obviously for me and [Shelsta], we’ve been here for three years already, so perhaps it’ll be cool to travel somewhere else, play somewhere different and have a new team come here,” Tokeshi said.
Azusa Pacific will be integrated into conference scheduling in the 2026-2027 academic year, according to the SCIAC website.
Giblin said that after her first season, she already feels as if she knows the other teams and players in the conference pretty well.
“I always think it’s really fun to learn about a new team,” Giblin said. “I think it’ll be interesting too. There’s a new team and scouting-wise, everybody in the SCIAC kind of knows each other, so this will shake things up. I’m excited. I’m ready.”
Shelsta said the women’s basketball team is discussing what they think will happen to their season. According to Shelsta, women’s basketball plays every SCIAC team twice during the season, so it is unclear how Azusa Pacific will fit into their schedule.
“Our schedule is already way over this year, and so I feel like adding a new conference team has to lessen our load on the other side,” Shelsta said. “But I think we should still play every conference team twice, because I feel like that’s important.”
Aley also said the men’s soccer team’s schedule will likely change due to the addition of a new SCIAC team. According to Aley, it is unclear when Azusa Pacific will begin their scheduled SCIAC games, but he is looking forward to the upcoming competition.
“Bring it on,” Aley said. “We’re ready.”
Contact Nora Youngelson at youngelson@oxy.edu
