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Last week, Azusa Pacific University announced that they will be transitioning from Division Two to Division Three starting in the fall of 2026. The move will allow the Cougars' to bring back football as a sponsored sport. Women’s flag football and another women’s sport will also be added.
APU dropped football from their athletic offerings in 2020 due to financial and restructuring challenges.
Azusa Pacific will eventually join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 2028 after finishing their transitionary periods. Their future conference rivals will feature programs such as Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, two established powerhouses in Division Three distance running.
Of course, the Cougars have developed a reputation of their own for being a talented middle and long distance group.
The Azusa Pacific men have qualified for the last three NCAA D2 XC Championships, placing 10th at the 2023 national meet. The Cougar men have also been known to develop a handful of individual stars, the most recent being Felix Perrier and Ben Sumner.
The women, meanwhile, have lit up the middle distances on the track, at least over the last few years. Athletes such as Olivia Alexandre, Jessica Kampman, Sofia Camacho, Philippine de la Bigne and Briseida Garcia Meza (to name a few) have either produced national-caliber marks or have thrived on the national stage (or both).
However, the Division Three level does not allow for the distribution of athletic scholarships. That could potentially be a limiting factor in how the Cougars opt to recruit in the future, specifically in regards to international athletes.