Courtesy: Westmont Athletics
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Westmont Women’s Swimming, which will begin competing next year, has been granted membership in the Pacific Coast Swim and Dive Conference. The conference features four NAIA schools as well as teams from all three divisions of the NCAA.
“The PCSC is proud to announce the addition of Westmont College for the 2019-2020 season of competition,” said PCSC Commissioner Joyce Phelps. “Their addition increases the competition among the NAIA member teams in the PCSC. The PCSC is also comprised of NCAA Division I, II and III teams. The cohesive goal of these varied teams is the support of student athletes by providing an end of season competition. This competition goes above any qualification at the various national level championships.”
In addition to Westmont, NAIA members of the PCSC are The Master’s, Arizona Christian and Soka. NCAA Division II institutions include former GSAC members Azusa Pacific, Biola, Concordia and Fresno Pacific.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to compete with this strong group of established universities,” said Westmont Athletic Director Dave Odell. “I’m especially excited to renew rivalries with our old friends from the GSAC.”
“Our acceptance into the PCSC is very exciting because we will have the opportunity to compete against NCAA Division I, II, and III universities in addition to those in the NAIA,” said Westmont’s head coach Jill Jones-Lin. “The PCSC is a very competitive conference and presents a great opportunity for a broader range of swimmers to compete and pursue their college swimming career here in California.”
The swim season begins in October with the PCSC Championships conducted in mid-February. The season concludes with the NAIA National Championship in early March. Similar to track and field, individuals and relay teams qualify for the national championship by beating qualification standards set for the various events.