Concordia University Irvine in Irvine, California has announced the elimination of four swimming programs, including its NCAA Division II men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs. The school also eliminated its men’s and women’s tennis programs, effective at the end of this season.
This reduces the school’s athletics department to 20 varsity programs (counting all track & field programs separately), and does not field a varsity football team.
“The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the university’s academic and athletic offerings, resource allocation, and long-term strategic priorities,” the school said in a statement. “University leadership, in partnership with the Department of Athletics, determined that the current model is not sustainable in the midst of increasing operational costs, facility limitations, and significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape.”
Student athletes who choose to stay at Concordia will retain their scholarships.
Concordia head coach Bert Bergen informed the team of the news on Tuesday. His email read, in part:
“I am so terribly sorry about this news and am horrified by the timing. You put your faith in me, you chose this program to continue your athletic pursuits and I cannot imagine what you are feeling.I understand how terrible this timing is. I want each of you to know that I will be available for phone calls and will do everything I can with every available NCAA and NAIA institution in this country to find you a new home.I am sickened that you won’t get to be a part of this community, that I will not have the wonderful opportunity to coach, mentor and learn from you. You will always be very special to me and I know that God has a plan for your futures. Please do not be discouraged. Take time to process and then, let’s find solutions for each of you.”
According to Federal data, the swimming program had 23 men and 25 women to start the season, while the tennis program had 10 men and 10 women.
The school, which has undergraduate enrollment of 1,474, is a private Lutheran-affiliated school. The school was an NAIA school but completed its transition to become a full NCAA Division II member in summer 2017. Student-athletes make up almost a third of the school’s enrollment.
The swimming & diving teams finished 6th on the women’s side and 4th on the men’s side at the 2025 PCSC Championship meet.
The swimming & diving programs (and water polo programs) use the nearby William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, which is about a 10 minute drive from the school’s main campus. That pool is part of the United States’ national hosting rotation and will host the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships, among many other meets.
The men’s tennis team, meanwhile, just won their first-ever NCAA West Regional and advanced to the NCAA tournament, where they lost 4-2. The women’s team finished 5th in the PacWest.
The swimming program joins Union Commonwealth University in Kentucky, and Cal Poly in California as programs lost this summer. That has been offset, though, by the addition of programs at D1 Marquette University and D2 Pitt-Johnston University in recent weeks.
Unfortunately my child is on this team. The timing of this announcement is totally wrong. No prior “warning” or “rumor” that any sport programs were on the “chopping block”. I find it hard to believe that this action by the Regents and Athletic Administration (AD) was a comprehensive evaluation with University leadership and the Athletics Department. Coach Bergan claims he was blindsided. He said he was not told (by Administration) that the sport was in jeopardy. He said the decision is irreversible and at best the sport could be reinstated only as a club team.
This decision truly shows the heart and soul of the Regents (mostly Alumni) and the school. CUI constantly asks for donations (i.e. giving days,… Read more »
Title 9 challenges for at least one of the schools mentioned!
How does the school only cut the swim and dive teams but keep the water polo teams?
Why not drop to DIII?
I am so very sorry for all those involved with the program. I admire Coach Bergen’s words especially about processing and then finding the solutions. The future is still bright and I hope everyone’s paths can lead them to new journeys in life!
For context, this university is part of a system, one that has been going downhill. Concordia Alabama (USCAA) closed in 2018, Concordia Portland (D2) closed in 2020, Concordia New York (D2) closed in 2021, and Concordia Ann Arbor (NAIA) is dropping their athletics department this year, while Concordia Texas (D3) is in a battle with the system over ownership. Other Concordia campuses include St. Paul (D2), Wisconsin (D3), Nebraska (NAIA), and Chicago (D3). In better news, D1 Pacific is adding men’s and women’s diving to go with their existing swimming programs.
This is very interesting. I looked it up because I was curious, and the schools in the same system are:
Ann Arbor
Chicago
Irvine
Saint Paul
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Texas as you alluded to is trying to leave.
Portland was and closed
Then there are a handful with the Concordia name but that aren’t/weren’t affiliated with the system, but are with the Lutheran church, like the one in Edmonton.
This is a great comment, thanks Juddy96 for sharing this info.
Realistically, how could a student base of 1500 support any Varsity sports. My kid’s high school is bigger than that
The school has almost 5000 students, which is still small for a university, but comparing a highly funded college to a high school is unbelievably unfair. do your research.
To elaborate on what John Doe said: California HSs spend on average $20,000 per student. Undergrad tuition and fees at Concordia are about $45,000 per student, with a lot more options for revenue streams than a HS has.
The 5,000 student number includes online students and may not include degree seeking students. The 1,463 number is their federally-reported undergraduate enrollment.
Well… given that Google is free and looking up campus populations of any school you want, I think you could find the answer on your own.
This is some inside baseball, but you wouldn’t believe how ungooglable current campus populations are, especially for schools where enrollment is declining. It’s all out there, but it’s not as easy to find as you would expect.
Thanks Grant House!
Has nothing to do with House.