Quick, name the newest Division II college sports program in the Bay Area.

Name any Division II college sports program in the Bay Area.

OK ... how many of you thought of a Division I team like Cal or Stanford, or even St. Mary’s, before coming up with a DII team? Be honest. 

While we’re being honest, the first question is kind of trick question. A number of Bay Area teams are advancing through the membership process into Division II athletics, making this a great time to be a college sports fan in the Bay Area. 

For those who named a Bay Area DII team, was it the Holy Names University Hawks? The Hawks recently made news when it was announced they would be moving from the NAIA to Division II, starting play in the PacWest Conference for the 2012-13 season. The announcement was made on June 1, the deadline to apply to the NCAA for admission to DII. Bay Area schools already in DII or in the process include Cal-State East Bay, Dominican University, San Francisco State University, Academy of Art University and Notre Dame De Namur University. 

Dennis Jones, director of Athletics at Holy Name, told me that there was “a buzz around campus” about moving up. Jones expects the Hawks to be competitive in the new conference, in some sports later rather than sooner. And he was not worried about recruiting.

“We get great kids, and we’re adding teams – men’s baseball, women’s tennis and golf – so now we’ll get more great kids.”

That is assuming not only that HNU’s application is accepted (Academy of Art applied twice), but that they also make it through the three-year transition process. 

“The NCAA is very clear about what you need to do,” CSU-EB Director of Athletics Debby De Angelis told me. “And it can be a lot of work.” 

She ought to know. She has been leading CSU-EB through the membership process, now into its third and final year.

“This year’s final report (to the NCAA) was 1,549 pages and weighed 15 pounds,” De Angelis said, helping illustrate that there was a “huge compliance piece” to the process.

The NCAA, on its Division II website emphasizes:“Very few of the 100,000 student-athletes competing in Division II receive a full athletics grant that covers all of their expenses, but most of them will receive some financial aid to help them through school.” This might make it seem that it’s not about money, but, to a significant extent, it is.

DII schools need to provide funding not for just a certain amount of teams, but also for a certain amount of scholarship money - a combination of either scholarships and/or total amount. De Angelis did her best to explain this formula to me, but I was still kind of trying to imagine the 1,549 pages.

De Angelis pointed out that while there was an increase in cost to field teams and fund student-athletes, there were significant cuts in travel costs. Both De Angelis and HNU’s Jones noted that the moves up to DII by their and other Bay Area teams made scheduling much less of hassle and increased competition. The spirited and friendly rivalry started between the two schools mostly through basketball competition, can now expand into other sports. 

Jones seemed especially appreciative of the scheduling opportunities provided by playing not just in the new conference but in DII.

“The NAIA is a Midwest-centered organization," he said. "The women’s basketball championships were played in Sioux City, Iowa.”

You don’t have to be from around Sioux City, like me, to know that weather-wise, at least, you’d much rather play Academy of Art than Dordt. (Of course, I can’t speak about Dixie State ... )

July 8 is the next big date for just about everyone concerned, that’s when CSU-EB, Holy Names and Dominican find out from the NCAA where they are in the process. 

Maybe, with the growing bounty of Division II schools in the Bay Area it will help solve a conundrum. Having more events to offer at reduced prices, but being relatively undiscovered by the larger public, Division II sports are strangely accessible and inaccessible. Much is made of the amateur spirit in college athletics, but this is actually true in DII, where hardly anyone is expecting to go pro as an athlete, and it’s doubtful that you’ll be hearing about anyone exchanging team memorabilia for cars (unless those are some pretty crappy cars). Backing Bay Area DII teams is a great way to support amateur student/athletes, and it’s also a great way to have good time. (Who wouldn’t want to watch a HNU/CSU-EB soccer game in the beautiful East Bay weather?)

As Jones said about Bay Area D II teams, “Our athletes play hard, have fun, and they’re fun to watch. We’re the best kept secret in sports.”