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ӣ����Ƶ of California is pleased to announce that both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have been elevated into the NCAA and will be joining the rest of its Dominican counterparts in participation at the NCAA Division II level, effective immediately.

This will be the first NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse program and the second NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse program in California, with student-athletes joining the teams from throughout the United States.

“Both the men’s and women’s programs have been led by two exemplary leaders in coach (Samuel) Vogel-Seidenberg and coach (Joseph) Manna,” Director Amy Henkelman said. “Coach Vogel-Seidenberg had a clear vision for the men’s program and has done a great job of championing the sport and its development. I’m very excited for the future of both programs. The young men and women of both programs have done everything we asked of them and have been a great addition to the Dominican community, campus and department.”

The team has been participating at the club level as a member of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) conference since 2015 while the spent its inaugural season in 2023 the Western Women’s Lacrosse League (WWLL) conference of the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (WCLA). The two teams will play as independent programs, void of any conference.

“We are very excited to be back participating in the NCAA,” Vogel-Seidenberg said. “My goal when I got here was to change the culture and grow the support of the university so we could make the jump to the NCAA level. The players are excited to compete at a higher level and get a chance to put California lacrosse on the map.”

Both programs are already working hard to put together a competitive schedule that includes teams from all over the country as they seek a permanent conference. The transition into the NCAA is supported by a large anonymous gift that will support the growth of both programs through scholarship money.

“To be the first ever NCAA DII women’s lacrosse program in California is an incredible honor,” Manna said. “Our players are pioneers of the game in this region and have already opened so many doors for future growth of the game. It's a huge bonus that we get to make the jump with the men’s lacrosse program, too.”

The Penguin men will return 28 players from last season with offensive production led by junior Kenny Seiler who finished this past season with 30 goals and 23 assists and senior Brennan Krebs scoring 26 goals to go with 14 assists. Senior long-stick midfielder Noah Gibson also returns after being named Honorable Mention MCLA All-America after leading the team with 68 groundballs. Dominican will also return three players with game experience in the net in Brandon Stuckey, Tristan Hunter and Matt Padilla.

“Coach Manna did an amazing job building a competitive team which made it clear we were ready to move back the jump into the NCAA together,” coach Vogel-Seidenberg said. “We both cannot wait to make an impact on west coast lacrosse and continue to bring a positive impact to the campus community.”

The Penguin women expect to return all of its initial roster led by junior attack Brooke Vafi who tallied 62 points to lead the WWLL and being named First Team All-WWLL. Vafi was joined on the First Team All-WWLL by midfielders Morgan Newkirk and Olivia Johnson, and defenders Morgan Dougherty and Jordyn Dangerfield with all four finishing their first season of competition.

“This is a huge step in the right direction for the game. The lacrosse community won today,” coach Manna said.