Sonoma State University on Monday announced it will be reinstating its NCAA Division II athletics program in Fall 2027.
The announcement comes just over 18 months after the Rohnert Park university announced it would be eliminating its entire NCAA Division II athletics program as part of sweeping budget cuts to address a budget deficit of nearly $24 million.
The Sonoma State Seawolves will compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference, with 10 teams — women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball; and men’s basketball, cross country, golf and soccer — a program minimum for teams required by the NCAA and CCAA.
Sonoma State hired Joan McDermott as its interim athletic director in April and will soon begin a national recruitment to fill coaching and athletic department staff positions. Once these positions are filled, the university will begin recruiting athletes, with the intent of beginning competition in 2027-28.
Revival backed by state funding
According to the university, funding for the athletics program will be made possible by a variety of sources including the state of California’s Sonoma State Commitment, a $45 million one-time investment added to the 2025-26 state budget to support Sonoma State as it faced a $23.9 million budget deficit.
“Sonoma State is one of the North Bay’s largest economic drivers — it’s a hub for innovation and job creation,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, in a statement, who helped lead the initiative to secure $45 million from the state and additional funding from California State University system. “That’s why the North Bay’s legislative delegation was unified in our fight to secure $90 million to turn this campus around and move SSU forward.”
The Sonoma State commitment fund will also be used to upgrade the school’s athletic facilities, according to the university.
In addition, the university listed sports-specific student fees, community fundraising and sponsorships to support athletics, and fees for outside use of campus facilities as other funding sources, while stating it has identified “several” potential athletic sponsors.
The decision to bring back athletics comes after the university’s Athletics Fiscal Feasibility Team, which was established by Sonoma State President Michael Spagna in January to study the financial sustainability of Division II athletics at the university, recommended the program’s reinstatement to the university in a June report. The AFFT also identified the 10 chosen sports teams as the most “fiscally sustainable” options for the university.
The program’s reinstatement is part of what Spagna describes as a “reimagining” of the university as it recovers from its budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year due in part to a 38% decline in enrollment from 2015 to 2025.
Spagna was inducted as the 11th president in the university’s history in January, with hopes that his experience working in periods of instability at four other CSU universities could help revive Sonoma State. He most recently served as the interim president of Cal Poly Humboldt in 2024, after the university’s previous president faced backlash for his handling of pro-Palestinian student protests.
Speaking about the return of athletics to the university, Spagna said that athletics “are an exciting way to engage our communities, help generate school spirit, enhance the student experience and increase recruiting efforts.”
In addition to the reinstatement of athletics, Spagna has worked to reincorporate geology, physics and history degree programs into the university’s curriculum; instituted plans for a $25 million renovation to Nichols Hall, which will expand the school’s nursing and health sciences programs; and launched the Campus Vibrancy Project, to make student life and campus improvements by Fall 2026.
The post Sonoma State University to reinstate NCAA Division II athletics program appeared first on Local News Matters.