UC Merced Magazine | Volume XVIII, Issue IV

Campus Hosting Record Number of Championships

By Andrew Mitchell For the rst time in the university's history, UC Merced will host the men’s and women’s basketball California Paci c Conference Tournament Championships. e postseason tournaments are scheduled to take place March 2-5, 2024, on Hostetler Court inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium with 12 total teams from across the conference coming to the Central Valley. Overall, UC Merced is hosting a record number of postseason events in the 2023-24 academic year, starting with men’s and women’s cross country on Oct. 30, 2023, and ending with men’s volleyball April 19-20. UC Merced also hosted the California Paci c Conference women’s soccer championships and the NAIA men’s water polo nals this fall. Until now, UC Merced had been awarded the host position for as many as four conference championships in a given year. e championship events will bring over 500 student athletes and coaches to UC Merced’s campus. Spectators could exceed 5,000 combined across all championship events. “We are excited to host these championships on campus. is provides

our student athletes an opportunity to compete for a spot in the NAIA National Championship on their home court, while allowing us to highlight our campus and the Merced community,” Executive Director of Recreation and Athletics Dave Dunham said. Quali cation for each postseason event is unique to its respective sport, but the Bobcats made a postseason appearance a year ago in every sport that will now be hosted by UC Merced. Last year, UC Merced men’s basketball advanced to the California Paci c Conference Tournament Championship game played in Mesa, Ariz. Head Coach Kevin Pham’s squad won the 2020-21 Cal Pac Phase Two Tournament Championship in Riverside. Pham also won a Cal Pac Tournament Championship with the women’s team in 2015 and the program has four titles overall. On the women’s side, all four tournament championships were won in Vallejo. Playing in playo games in the Gallo gym will be momentous events for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. e tournaments begin March 2 with four games in the Cal Pac’s First Round. e semi nals are scheduled for March 4 with both the men’s and women’s championships set to take place March 5.

e last time UC Merced hosted a head-to-head Cal Pac-sponsored championship event was the 2021 men’s soccer tournament. UC Merced came out hoisting the trophy with a 3-2 golden goal victory in double overtime over Marymount California University. e previous year, UC Merced women’s volleyball and men’s soccer won their respective conference championships on their home turf. However, that was during the pandemic and no spectators were allowed. UC Merced is a consistent host of the cross-country championships, which take place at Woodward Park in Fresno. Championships hosted by UC Merced in 2023-24: Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Oct. 30, 2023, Fresno Women’s Soccer: Nov. 9 & 11, 2023, Bobcat Field Men’s Water Polo: Nov. 10-11, 2023, UC Merced Aquatic Center Men’s and Women’s Basketball: March 2, 4-5, 2024, Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium Men’s Volleyball: April 19-20, 2024, Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium

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