Westmont Gains Full NCAA DII Membership

Westmont Athletics received welcome news on Thursday in a conference call with the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. In addition to being informed that the Warriors had successfully completed year two of the NCAA probationary period, Westmont President Gayle Beebe, and Director of Athletics Robert Ruiz were informed that Westmont has been granted a waiver for year three of the transition process and has immediately been granted full membership.

As a result, Warrior teams will be eligible for postseason play beginning with the 2024-25 season in both the PacWest and NCAA Division II championships. As full members, Westmont is granted voting rights and has access to resources that the NCAA provides to its members. Additionally, Westmont student-athletes and coaches are eligible for awards and honors, and teams become eligible for regional and national rankings.

“I’m so excited for what this means for our student-athletes and for Westmont College,” expressed Ruiz. “It’s such a remarkable moment in the college’s history and our athletic department’s history. So much hard work has been put into this process. To see that work come to fruition with the announcement that we’re moving into full membership today is a bit surreal, but it just feels so rewarding because of what it will mean to each of our student-athletes and each of our programs on this campus.

“I’m grateful for the seniors who’ve decided to stick around and bear with us through this time, which has been a lot of learning and a lot of change. They’ve trusted our leadership. To be able to announce to them that they have an opportunity to go compete for something they thought was so far away is really rewarding.

“We heard a lot of things from other institutions about how students would have a hard time with not being able to compete for championships or being in provisional status. Our students bought in, stayed committed, and stayed positive. We have had such a phenomenal experience with their commitment and their desire to lead well through this process. Our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members, our captains and team leadership, and all the new students that have come in, have latched on to our vision and gone through this process with us. Their commitment has been exemplary. I’m grateful for them, and I’m glad that they get rewarded in this way.

“At the end of the day, we work here to serve our students. We want our student-athlete experience to be at the highest level and to be able to do things that make their experience better. That’s what drives us each day that we’re here. So, I’m excited for the coaches that get to lead those athletes. They are one step closer to accomplishing their goals. This moment allows us to do all of those things a lot sooner than we thought we could.”

Ruiz expressed his gratitude for a number of people who have contributed to the process.

“It is incredibly meaningful, and I’m grateful that we have so many great people on this campus that have poured their work into making this happen,” said Ruiz. “It certainly starts at the top. Dr. Beebe has partnered with athletics and given us the support that we need to be excellent. I can’t thank Dr. Beebe and the executive team enough for the time, energy, effort, and commitment to developing committees, developing policies, implementing and executing those policies, and buying into everything that we see from athletics to be the right way to do this.

“One person that has taken more of a behind the scenes role in recent years, but who has played such a pivotal role in our athletic program history is Dave Odell, our executive director of athletics. He spearheaded the decision to explore this move to Division II at the right time for Westmont College. He put the pieces in place. He helped develop the strategic plan. Then, behind the scenes, every single step of the way, he has worked side by side with me and our administrative team to execute that strategic plan, to have clear vision, to make sound decisions and to build out our vision piece by piece.

“Jeff Raymond, our associate athletic director for compliance, spent countless hours doing fantastic work that put us in a position to be successful. His work is often unseen, but he has educated our campus and our coaches, and developed and implemented those policies that have been supported by our administration.

“He spent countless hours working across campus with financial aid, the registrar, and admissions to make sure we’re doing everything right. We are not here today without his integrity, his work ethic and the quality product that he put together.

“Michelle Hardley and the registrar’s office, Irene Neller and Mike McKinniss in admissions, and Phil Rodgers and Kara Lopez in financial aid – they all have been incredible partners in making sure we’re doing this the right way across our campus.

“The buy-in of our athletic administrative team and our coaches has been what you hope for in situations where you’re navigating change and transition.

“Kirsten Moore, our Senior Woman Administrator and our women’s basketball coach, has poured so much extra time in making sure she shows up to all the things that make a difference and make us great. Her leadership has been fantastic.

“Jill Heckman has made so many contributions to our internal operations and helped me develop systems that allow us to function efficiently.

“One of the things that I’ve been so thankful for is the development of the faculty athletic representative role and specifically the hard work and the commitment that Ken Kihlstrom has put in as our FAR.

“Ken has helped us to develop systems of institutional control and oversight. He has interfaced with not only our faculty, but staff across campus to make sure that campus-wide education is something that has happened consistently over the years, so that we’re prepared to be in this moment. He took on this role that’s been at a higher level of expectation than in previous years, and he’s executed it masterfully. So, we’re beyond grateful for his dedication and commitment and all the ways he’s helped carry us forward in this process. We’re confident that we’re a better institution because of it.

“We couldn’t be here in this moment without each of these members of this community and the tireless efforts that they’ve given to the process.”

Providing significant guidance was Nancy Mitchell of Strategic Edge who served as Westmont’s consultant throughout the transition.

“It has been such a privilege to work with Nancy and all the ways that she has mentored, guided and led us through this process,” noted Ruiz. “She’s been so accessible. With her expertise, she was always looking out for our best interests and has been consistent with who we are as an institution. She cares deeply about doing things the right way with integrity, and that matters to us. So, we found an amazing partner in her in this process. She coached us from start to finish to put us in a place where we feel very confident about navigating what is ahead of us in the NCAA. I am incredibly thankful for her, her work and her partnership over the last couple of years.”

Reflecting on the future, Ruiz said, “Our goal is to be a model Division II program in the way that we operate. By no means do I feel like we’ve arrived. I feel very humbled and grateful in this moment for all the years of hard work from all these individuals and so many others.”

The fall sports teams, which report for training camp in the middle of August, will be the first Westmont teams to compete as full members in NCAA Division II. As the program moves fully into this new era, there is a great commitment to doing so with the character and priorities that has always typified Westmont Athletics.