California Baptist Lancers


The California Baptist Lancers are the 18 varsity athletic teams that represent California Baptist University, located in Riverside, California, in NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. The Lancers compete as members of the Western Athletic Conference for most sports. Several Lancers teams compete in other conferences in sports that the WAC does not sponsor. Men's water polo competes in the Western Water Polo Association and women's water polo competes in the Golden Coast Conference.

History

On July 12, 2010, California Baptist University was accepted to the NCAA Division II transition process. During the transition process the university's athletic teams were ineligible for NCAA postseason competition. CBU received full membership into the NCAA during the 2013–14 academic year. The university previously competed in the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference. California Baptist had been a member of the NAIA since 1969 and has won 26 GSAC championships and 19 NAIA National Championships.
NACDA Directors' Cup
In January 2017, California Baptist announced a move to Division I, through the Western Athletic Conference. The transition began after the 2017–18 season and the school will be eligible for Division I postseason competition for the 2022–23 season.
After the 2017 season, men's volleyball was dropped as a sport by the university. The team previously competed at the Division I level in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation from the 2012 season since Division II did not sponsor a national championship.
On June 14, 2018, it was announced the Lancers won their first-ever NCAA Division II Learfield Directors' Cup after back-to-back top-four finishes the previous two years. It was the school's final season in Division II.
On July 1, 2018, the Lancers began the transition to the NCAA Division I and became a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The school previously competed in the Pacific West Conference and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for men's and women's swimming and diving and men's wrestling at the Division II level.

Sports sponsored

A member of the Western Athletic Conference, CBU sponsors teams in nine men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports with a future tenth women's team announced. The men's water polo team competes as a member of the Western Water Polo Association and the women's team has membership in the Golden Coast Conference.