UCSD Athletic Director Earl Edwards has been with the Tritons since 2000.

In the spring of 2000, Earl Edwards took over as Athletic Director at UCSD. The program was transitioning from Division III to Division II and going through everything you’d expect as a result. I was also a freshman at UCSD at the time. 

Though I wrote for the newspaper on campus (the UCSD Guardian), covered a number of sports, and played in the school’s pep band, I had never met Mr. Edwards (now 17 years into his role there) before last week. 

In our conversation, he talked about UCSD’s ongoing efforts to move to Division I, the state of limbo they are currently in with the Big West Conference, and what’s new with UC San Diego athletics.

Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman joined the podcast on this edition. Oberhelman talked about some of the projects going on at Cal Poly, reflected on the 2016-17 school year, and was pretty straightforward when posed questions about conference expansion and conferences in general. 

UCSD has been trying to get into NCAA Division I for years. For a while, it looked like it was finally happening. Then, the Cal State system stepped in. 

In a shocker that shouldn’t have been, it seems as though Cal State Presidents voted “No” while UC Chancellors voted “Yes” to extending UCSD an offer. 

Here’s a paragraph from a recent OP-ED in the UCSD Guardian (a paper I used to write for):

When looking at the composition of the conference, it is evenly balanced between UC and CSU schools, with four of each as well as a ninth school in the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Seven of the chancellors or presidents in the conference needed to approve the move in order for UCSD to be admitted. Numerous sources have indicated that the UC Chancellors voted “yes” while the Cal State Presidents voted “no.” There is reliable speculation that the Cal State schools opposed UCSD’s membership as part of an ongoing effort to gain conference membership for Cal State Bakersfield. Thus, UCSD has seen its NCAA Division I ambitions stalled, not for lack of merit or conference fit, but as part of a political agenda.

For some history, CSU Bakersfield was not admitted into the Big West Conference when it made its move to Division I between 2006 and 2010. Apparently, CSU schools and UC Schools vote together a lot of the time like bad political parties. Parties with potentially long memories.

With Hawai’i as the 9th school, they are the current would-be tiebreakers. But, as it says above, you need seven schools to vote yes. And seven schools did not vote yes.

As indicated above, schools seem to have voted along party lines for and against UCSD’s admission. It could be the exact opposite of how CSU Bakersfield’s vote went. It’s also the kind of thing that makes a person just want to give up college athletics all together. But politics are a reality of NCAA sports at every level. 

The “logic” of it all

A logical decision by any of the individual schools throughout the Big West might be to let UCSD in. There is no real compelling reason not to. Many of their facilities are better than many of the current Big West schools. Their academic reputation would instantly vault them to being in the top 1-3 in the conference. They’d give the Big West a San Diego school and make the number of teams in the conference an easy one. You can see why any individual school in the Big West might think this is a good idea. 

But we’re talking about real life Survivor here. There are deep alliances. There may have been hurt feelings in the past. There is also money and unclear motives on the part of stakeholders that up the intrigue of the whole thing from an outsider’s perspective and engender distrust and disillusionment of the whole process and structure.

But, as an alum of both the UCSD and a CSU school (Cal Poly), I must come to understand realities at some point. Here we are.

One point I want to make sure I memorialize is that NOWHERE has anyone in the know said “UCSD wouldn’t be a great fit for the Big West,” or “We don’t want UCSD,” or “UCSD’s athletic department didn’t show us they were ready for Division I or the Big West.” They are ready. They have spent hours and days and years preparing for an invitation. Everyone thought it was a good idea. Athletic directors unanimously recommended the Tritons.

And when the time came… well… the Tritons were stood up. The invitation didn’t come.

Some possible scenarios

Moving forward, maybe these are tons of possible scenarios. Some of them are realistic. Some of them are me spitballing. Hopefully you can tell the difference.

1. The CSU decides to change their answer without any other changes to the deal. Maybe they were hung up on where in RIMAC UCSD was going to sell hot dogs, or on how the colors are too similar to the other UC schools. So maybe some of the presidents break with party lines vote yes and, presto! UCSD is in. UCSD has over a year to be invited, so we could all just wait. This is not a likely scenario.
2. Some kind of deal can be struck. Maybe this means along with UCSD, the Big West reverses course on CSU Bakersfield (which already competes in the Big West for beach volleyball). This would allow the conference to maintain an even number of UC’s and CSU’s. The problematic thing would be Hawai’i then. An 11th team does some weird things for schedules. Those issues are of much less import, apparently, than the two public school systems in California having uneven representation. I guess there could also be whatever issues with CSUB the Big West had a decade ago. They could still be issues. Maybe issues they’re willing to look past now? I dunno. Moving on. 
3. Would the CSU schools even block a move like number two? They could. CSU athletics already have a strong Division I program in San Diego. San Diego State has an FBS football program and competes in the stronger Mountain West Conference. Would CSU presidents be instructed to vote no, even if CSU Bakersfield was on the table? Sacrificing CSUB being in a conference that makes better geographical sense to maintain a stranglehold on D-1 athletics in San Diego seems like kind of a gangster move. Who knows? I’m really just thinking out loud here. 
4. Wait it out. For a long time. This is the thing that UCSD students, staff, faculty, and alumni are probably rooting against the most. They did everything they needed to. Everyone was poised to make it happen. And then it didn’t happen. In 5 or 10 years, it’s a possibility that the “Power 5” NCAA conferences (Pac 12, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big 10) will split off into their own system or governing body, leaving the rest of college athletics to sort out the ensuing mess. If UCSD doesn’t get into the Big West by their self-imposed deadline, they would be stuck in a Division they have long outgrown for the forseeable future. 
5. There are other shades of things above and probably outcomes I haven’t considered. I’m not the CSU Chancellor or the UC Chancellor. I do not sit with the UC Regents at their meetings (I sure did write those people a LOT of checks in my day, though). Maybe all it’ll take is for Janet Napolitano and Timothy White to have lunch together and hash it out. If it were only that simple.

If you want to just blow it up…

I’m going to throw this in here — you can comment below and tell me if I’m wrong or crazy or whatever… . Again, it’s just spitballing. 

If the CSU really wants all the power over its conferences, why doesn’t it just START ITS OWN CONFERENCE. Think about it. Members would be Sac State, San Jose State, Fresno State, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, CSUN, Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and San Diego State. Did I miss anybody? That makes nine teams. Have Cal Poly and Sac State still play in the Big Sky in football, let SJSU, Fresno State, and SDSU compete in whatever FBS conference they want for football, and call it a day. 

The outlier here would be Cal Poly in terms of academics. This would be really tough for Cal Poly, since getting into school there is often more difficult than most/all UC schools in the Big West. Having them only compete against other CSUs would only heighten that academic inequity.

Where does that leave the UC schools? In the cold I guess. The remaining schools (UCSB, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and presumably UCSD) could go off into their own conference. I don’t think there are any other UC’s with big athletic aspirations (the Division III UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs aren’t exactly an athletic powerhouse). Perhaps Hawai’i would go with the UC’s. Maybe they pick up a few WAC schools like Grand Canyon, Seattle, etc… to round out the conference. 

None of this nuclear option is good for anybody, but it was in my head for a bit, so I’m writing it down. Everybody takes their own ball and goes home so they can play by their own rules and have complete control over everything. It would be the ultimate third-grader-with-a-bad-attitude move. I’ve seen worse in college sports.

Here’s hoping nothing ever comes to ridiculousness like this. Having UC and CSU schools in the same conference is good for college athletics in the state, and using one school’s D-1 bid as a bargaining chip is lame. Figure something out people and stop leaving UCSD and their students, staff, and alumni hanging.

More reading on the Subject:

UCSD’s Way Forward to Division I (Union-Tribune) 

Big West Denies UCSD’s Quest for Div. I (Union-Tribune)

UCSD Students vote to fund Division I Sports (Union-Tribune)

Big West Denies UCSD Division I Membership (UCSD Guardian)

Athletics Director addresses UCSD’s Future for Going D-1 (UCSD Guardian)

On Tuesday afternoon, UCSD announced that the students had approved a measure to increase student fees in order to start the process of moving to Division I. It was a long time coming.

After multiple failed attempts over the past decade to make the move, the time was right. Of the over 8,000 students who voted (35 percent of the student body), about 70 percent of the voters said “Yes.”

“Division I will help extend the entire university’s culture of excellence, align us with peer academic institutions, improve the student experience, strengthen our brand, increase alumni engagement and further our community connection. This move will impact the entire campus in a multitude of ways,” said UCSD Director of Athletics Earl Edwards in a release from UCSD Athletics.

Excitement

People were pretty pumped on social media today.

UCSD students overwhelmingly pass the DI referendum. DI here we come! Go @UCSDtritons !! pic.twitter.com/V7UMGIOafs

— Brad Kreutzkamp (@UCSDcoachK) May 24, 2016

Got chills watching the announcement all said and done UCSD is D1 bound #tritonsrising

— Justin Donatella (@jdonatella9) May 24, 2016

UCSD IS NOW GOING DIVISION 1!!!! So proud to have taken part in the pro side of this referendum ??? #UCSD #Tritons

— Kelly Weldon (@kellyweldon20) May 24, 2016

Not D-1 yet

Many were tweeting on Tuesday that UCSD was now “officially Division I.” That’s actually not the case. The vote was provisional and dependent on the University finding a Division I conference.

Enter the Big West, which we are quite familiar with here at Fansmanship. The conference currently includes Cal Poly, UCSB, UC Davis, Hawai’i, CSUN, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and Cal State Fullerton. UCSD could be the tenth team –it makes so much sense from an outsider’s perspective — but including the Tritons will still take a number of steps on the part of the Big West and the UCSD administration.

@BigWestMD @Ghizal_Hasan Thanks Steve!

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) May 24, 2016

So, there’s still clearly some work to do, and the concept that UCSD is already rubber-stamped is one the Big West doesn’t seem to like very much.

In the end, UCSD seems to make way too much sense not to be the 10th Big West Conference school.

A proud alumnus

Hey, in case you haven’t heard, I did my undergraduate studies at UCSD. While I never voted in an election like this between 1999 and 2003, students before me voted to fund projects like the Price Center and RIMAC, adding tons of value to my college experience and that of thousands of other students over the years.

In terms of what matters to me about on-campus life, UCSD basically had everything I could want — except Division I athletics.

Over the past week, 6,137 students paved the way to change the future of UCSD. For that, I couldn’t be more proud. Way to go Tritons.

Over a week-long voting period that starts on Monday, UCSD students will vote on whether to raise student fees over the course of three years in order to make the move to Division I.

In a podcast last month, UCSD Senior Associate Athletic Director, Ken Grosse, talked with me about it at some length.

The results of the vote will not be known until next Friday afternoon, May 20th.

It makes sense for UCSD to be a Division I school. It has an academic reputation that rivals schools like UC Berkeley and UCLA and enrollment higher than other Division I UC schools like UCSB, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside, all of whom play in the Big West.

I am a former UCSD Guardian sports writer, a member of the UCSD Pep Band, Shuttle Driver, and supporter of the Division I move. Here’s hoping the student body does the right thing and approves the fee increase.

The Tritons a part of Division I and NCAA’s March Madness? It could happen!

As an alumnus of both UCSD and Cal Poly living in San Luis Obispo, I witnessed Cal Poly’s first Division I basketball tournament appearance last year from here on the central coast. The buzz around the university was palpable. So many of the people I deal with at work from around the country suddenly had some context for my town, and my school. Cal Poly is definitely well-known in academic and engineering circles, but this was different. Since those two appearances on national television (the Mustangs won a first-four game), lots of people in my field (education) understand the central coast based on the context of that tournament run. Later that year, the Mustang baseball team hosted a regional and again, people took notice.

Votes like this are always fascinating. There is a concerted effort online and on Library Walk from UCSD Students for Division I, along with other outreach efforts, but who knows how people will actually vote. Students have five days to make their voice heard starting Monday, so keep you updated here as best we can throughout the process.

UC San Diego Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Grosse joins me on the latest podcast. We talked about the Tritons’ upcoming Division I vote by the student body and what it would mean for the university and athletic department in La Jolla.

UC San Diego could be going Division I. An article by Kriti Sarin in the UCSD Guardian last week outlined the plan for students to vote during Week 8 of this quarter (I’m thinking like late February or early March?) on whether to increase student fees by $289.38 per quarter, though that rate would be gradually worked-up to over the course of three years.

As a UCSD alumnus and someone who watches a lot of Big West Conference sports (the conference the Tritons would presumably compete in), this is very exciting.

I loved my time at UCSD. I’m proud of the high academic standards there. Being so close to the beach was amazing.

During my sophomore year at UCSD, the Tritons made the move from Division III to Division II. With the facilities and wide array of sports that UCSD offered, the move didn’t seem like a huge step at all. Now, with a Division I opportunity looming, the Tritons could continue to raise their profile.

While they probably can’t make any guarantees or promises until the Division I move is complete, the Big West Conference would be an ideal landing spot for the Tritons.

In 2013, the conference thought it had San Diego State lined-up before the Aztecs pulled out of the agreement. Currently, the West Coast Conference (Univeristy of San Diego) and Mountain West Conference (San Diego State) have schools in the second-largest city in California. The Big West would be crazy not to covet UCSD as the tenth team in the conference — which currently has nine members for sports like men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.

If you’re wondering whether schools like UCSD are already Division I, the answer is yes. Well-established, long-standing Division I athletics programs like Cal and UCLA aside, the Big West actually holds four UC schools that are much like UCSD in many ways. UC Irvine is the geographically closest. UCSB is a long-time Division I program. UC Riverside is the team UCSD replaced in the CCAA in 2001 and UC Davis was a brief CCAA Division II rival before the Aggies made the jump in 2004.

Six of the nine University of California campuses not in San Diego are Division I already. Do you think UCSD most resembles UC Merced, UC San Francisco, and UC Santa Cruz? Or, does UC San Diego look a little more like UCI, UCSB, UC Riverside and UC Davis?

With an enrollment of more than 30,000, UCSD is already at a place in-line with other Big West schools. The campus is the best in San Diego. The facilities are D-1 ready — most are better than some of the current facilities at some Big West schools.

When I talk to friends who went to schools like UCSB, UC Davis, or even Cal Poly, one thing I’m constantly reminded of is the student life aspect surrounding being able to attend Division I games and rooting for my school. It’s the only thing about my decision to attend UCSD that I might go back and do differently.

I’m hoping to explore the current climate at UCSD from student and staff perspectives in the electronic pages of this website in the next few months, but in the mean time, it’s time. Let’s do it. Division I.

A few years ago, I married a sports nut. But he’s not the typical sports nut who only cheers for his teams and the sports he likes to watch or play. My husband is an ultra-crazy sports nut: one who appreciates all different types of sports, never discriminating between male and female, mainstream and Olympic, professional, college, high school and age group. My husband is open to watching and supporting anything that falls in the realm of athletics — anything. It’s actually the best type of sports nut to marry.

When Dave and I first started dating in 2008, he was quickly thrown into the world of water polo. He had seen a few high school games prior to meeting me, but it was limited exposure. His first game experience with me was a UC San Diego alumni game, where he was lucky enough to meet my closest friends (all former Triton teammates) and see us relive our glory days. Maybe it wasn’t the best environment to expose a new boyfriend to, but he clearly had no idea what he was getting himself into…especially witnessing my aggressive style of play.

Lucky for me Dave was still on the pool deck after that first game, and as our relationship progressed, Dave accompanied me to many more water polo games at UC San Diego. Always willing to go to the pool and learn the game, Dave showed an amazing appreciation for the sport and the work that goes into training for a game and a season. I felt lucky that I found someone who genuinely cared the same about the sport that I love.

But, truth be told, you don’t have to be an ultra-crazy sports nut to love watching water polo: the intensity and athleticism of the game alone will captivate you. 

Water polo, in my opinion, is one of the most fan-friendly sports to watch. Games are about an hour long (compared to a basketball game that can last up to two hours, or a football game that is pushing three. Don’t even talk to me about baseball!)

Collegiate games are comprised of four, eight minute quarters, with a two minute break between quarters, and a five minute break at half time. The game is fast paced thanks to a 30 second shot clock, always challenging the athletes to pass and shoot quickly. The swimming is impressive and the athleticism these athletes portray would be difficult to achieve on land, let alone in 15 feet of water.

The game might be confusing at first (in the words of my husband “I have no idea what just happened.”) Whistles are blown every five seconds, hundreds of ordinary fouls are called, and players get ejected for unknown reasons to the untrained eye. In addition, the sport has also adopted rules that seem unnatural to any sport: if a defender shot blocks a shot on the goal, the ball is rewarded to the defense (where as in most sports, last person to touch the ball is penalized, and the ball is rewarded the other team-usually the offense.) Amongst all the quirks and confusion to the game of water polo, however, the great thing is fans know when an athlete steals the ball, when a great pass takes place, and when a goal is scored. Fans know when a team is playing well and winning, and they can feel the energy on the pool deck.

I am lucky enough to have a career in collegiate athletics, where I witness students coming to Canyonview Pool at UC San Diego every year to watch their very first water polo game. These students, many of whom are not well versed in athletics to begin with, turn into ultra-crazy fans by the end of the game. They don’t know why there was a foul, or why someone got kicked out, but they feel the energy of the players. They see the intensity in the student-athlete’s eyes, are in awe of their physique, and can’t believe the athletic moves they are seeing. They leave recharged and ready for the next game, because for the whole 60 minutes they never took their eyes off the pool.

If you get an opportunity, I challenge you to go watch a water polo game. Whether it is at the high school level, or on the Pac-12 network, watch for at least a quarter. I can’t promise that you will understand everything that is going on, but I can promise you that you will enjoy 60 minutes of a sport that shows a heightened level of athleticism and passion that you might not see every day. Just remember that being an ultra-crazy sport nut is not required; simply being a fan of sport is.

Editor’s Note: On December 6-7, the NCAA men’s water polo championships are being held at Canyonview Pool at my alma mater — UC San Diego. Having lived with a goalie on a Final Four team while in college and covered water polo at the UCSD Guardian while in school, the sport holds a special place for me. Watching what looked like guys basically drowning each other the entire game.

So, with the Final Four coming up, I’ve asked a fellow Triton and former Arroyo Grande Eagle — Danielle Boyle Melman — to get us warmed-up for the upcoming Final Four by helping fans understand a little more about the sport that I think might be the most underrated one out there. – OM

Danielle Boyle Melman (with the ball) winds up during the 2003 WWPA championships.

Water polo: a fast action sport frequently compared to an alligator feeding frenzy from a spectator’s viewpoint. Above water, fans witness rigorous swimming, a flawlessly-passed ball that rarely touches the water, treading of water that appears as if the pool is only three feet deep, and the intensity of athletes playing their heart out for four, eight minute quarters. I love this game. But what many fans don’t realize is what happens under water, stays under water.

The game of water polo is different than most Olympic sports in the fact that it can only be assessed by referees who are positioned on the pool deck. Referees call appropriate fouls when above waterline play is deemed unjust and does not uphold the 179 rules FINA and USA Water Polo established for the sport. Everything that happens out of the water is seen and judged by referees. But do you ever wonder what goes on under water that cannot be managed by the referees or even held accountable by the fans when play is deemed unfair?

As a former age group, high school, collegiate, and now master’s water polo player, I have seen it all; I have experienced it all. After countess ripped water polo suits, four broken fingers, a handful of stitches, a few corneal abrasions, and bruises that seem like permanent body art, the question should be, what doesn’t go on underwater?

Water polo players endure kicks, punches, scratches and being held under water for what seems like eternity. We have all found ourselves swimming with a stronger kick than normal, hoping to fend off any opponents on our tail. We have found ourselves adding a few breaststrokes kicks, or perhaps positioning our bodies to gain leverage on the player we are defending. At the end of the game, the practice, the day, the fact of the matter is, what happens under the water, stays under the water…and for the most part, is all perfectly legal in the eyes of the sport.

My collegiate teammates would tell you I was one of the more “assertive” ones on our team. We played hard and aggressive; however, we were skilled at our craft and relied on our ability to pass, shoot and defend rather than our ability to kick, scratch and claw. The latter came with the game; the former was the foundation of being a successful teammate on a prosperous team. I am certainly guilty of giving black eyes to teammates, or dishing out “donkey kicks” during an intersquad practice, but that’s what we all signed up for; that is why we love the game.

Next time you find yourself watching a water polo game, try to keep a close eye on what is happening below the waterline. You might not see the punch, the kick, or the suit grab, but you might see that little pause in a counter attack, or that small athlete struggle as one athlete asserts themselves over another. Continue to have appreciation for the athleticism these athlete’s possess and the hard work it takes to train for the game of water polo; but now you know the secret to the game of water polo.

Danielle Boyle Melman played water polo at UCSD from 2000-2003. Her 60 assists in 2003 ranks second all-time at UCSD and her 101 career assists puts her in the career top-10 for the Tritons.