UC San Diego Tritons
The UC San Diego Tritons are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, San Diego. UC San Diego has 23 varsity sports teams and offers student participation in a wide range of sports. As of July 1, 2020, all UC San Diego teams participate at the NCAA Division I (DI) level in the Big West Conference. During their time in NCAA Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association starting in the 2000–01 season, UCSD placed in the top 5 in the Division II NACDA Directors' Cup standings nine times, including three 2nd-place finishes. NCSA Athletic Recruiting ranked the Tritons as the nation's top Division II program for eight consecutive years.[2]
In May 2016, UCSD students voted to transition all sports teams to the NCAA Division I level. On November 27, 2017, it was announced that UCSD would begin the transition to NCAA Division I and join the Big West Conference on July 1, 2020.[3][4]
In 2010, UCSD considered elevating its athletics to NCAA Division I for all sports. They were looking to join the Big West Conference. However, there were several problems. After the Big West added the University of Hawaii in 2010, they would have 10 teams, meaning any extra member would require more conference games in basketball, upsetting the current schedule balance. In addition, in order to meet the minimum Division I scholarship requirements, the student body would need to vote for a fee increase sometime during the 2011–2012 academic year. After the Big West elected not to invite UCSD in May 2011, plans were put on hold and UCSD remained a Division II team.[5] However, a student-led movement resulted in a vote on a fee increase for UCSD students in the hopes to enhance the school's chances of becoming a Division I school.[6] In March 2012, the UCSD student body rejected an increase in activity fees to support the move to Division I. The vote fell 11,407 to 6,470 (51% of the student body voted).
In January 2016, Associated Students UC San Diego unanimously approved the wording of a new Division I referendum.[7] In May, UCSD undergraduates voted to increase athletic fees by $480 per year and transition UCSD athletics to Division I.[8] The fee increase will fund the athletic scholarships required for NCAA Division I schools.[9] The move was approved by the UCSD Academic Senate in December 2016.[10] UCSD's move remains contingent upon an invitation to join the Big West Conference.[11]
In a separate move by the Big West Conference to sponsor men's volleyball, Big West teams from the MPSF split to join their own conference that includes UC San Diego as an affiliate member starting in the 2017–18 school year (2018 season). The Tritons' joining the Big West as an affiliate for men's volleyball was not an indicator that the Tritons would be accepted as a full member yet since UC San Diego had long played the sport in the MPSF at a Division I level and was part of the original coalition talks with the Big West to split from MPSF men's volleyball.
Early in April 2017, the San Diego Tribune reported that the Big West had rejected UCSD's application to join the conference. The Big West commission overseeing new members into the conference consists of the Presidents and Chancellors of every member school. There has not been a formal public confirmation of the rejection, but UCSD may still attempt to make moves to join the Big West or another conference (such as the Western Athletic Conference) until its 2018 deadline set by the referendum.
