SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The Liontree Arena is the home court of the UC San Diego Men's and Women's team. Now, they're both hitting the road to the NCAA Tournament.
"I didn't expect it in our first year,” Earl Edwards, UC San Diego Athletic Director, said.
It a moment that Edwards had hoped for and expected.
"I expected it earlier on within our move to D1 because we just have that tendency to have a winning culture. We had it at D3. We had it at D2. And now we have it at D1,” Edwards said.
Edwards has been the AD for the Tritons for 25 years, stewarding the athletic program from Division 3 to Division 1, which is the apex of amateur athletics.
"Division 3 was about switching conferences. Moving to Division 2, it was about moving to another conference that was very competitive,” Edwards said.
Edwards told ABC 10News there were some things needed before UC San Diego to make the jump from Division 2 to Division 1. That being the finances and support staff. For example, he said that when they were in Division 2, he had 45 full-time employees on staff. When they made the jump to D1, that number went to 180.
WATCH: See Ryan's full interview with Edwards below. Topics covered include an in-depth breakdown of the move to D1, the positive future outlook for UCSD Athletics and more.
"Looking at scholarships, D3, you had no scholarships. D2, you had limited scholarships. D1, you have more scholarships,” Edwards said.
In their first year of eligibility, both the Men's and Women's teams made history by punching their ticket to the tournament.
"To do it in this historic fashion is really the cherry on top of the cake. It was my vision all along that we would be involved with March Madness moving forward,” Edwards said.
March Madness and success on the court could also forward the popularity of the Pacific Coast campus.
"So, our reputation will just continue to grow. And what I really like about UC San Diego, we are showing that the academic prowess and athletic prowess can mesh,” Edwards said.
