Just the Way We Drew It Up

UC San Diego is going to the Big Dance—Loma helped call the tune!

In 2015, Triton Athletics had a Big Idea. As a world-class university, we compete at the highest level. Shouldn’t that include sports?

The university called on Loma to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of NCAA Division 1 reclassification. Following an in-depth analysis of best practices from 15 peer institutions, our study indicated that Division I competition would extend the university’s culture of excellence, improve the student experience, strengthen the UC San Diego brand, increase alumni engagement and further community connection.

We concluded: “Division I competition will amplify the university’s culture of excellence and elevate its world-class reputation.” The student body then voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move to D-I athletics, a decision strongly endorsed by the Academic Senate.

Well, guess what. Today, in their very first year of eligibility, both Men’s and Women’s Basketball qualified for the NCAA Tournament—making UC San Diego the ONLY university to have ever achieved that distinction.

Congratulations to the Tritons!

Don’t say you weren’t warned, opponents. Here’s the video we produced when the initiative began.