RIVERSIDE – The California Baptist University Athletics Department is off to an incredible start, claiming six outright conference championships thus far during the 2020-21 academic year. Nationally, CBU and Texas are tied with the most league titles to date.
The Lancers have won conference championships in men's cross country, men's water polo, STUNT, women's basketball (regular season and tournament) and women's cross country.
Other schools on the Top 10 list in addition to CBU and Texas include: Alabama, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Gonzaga, Liberty, Prairie View A&M, South Dakota State and Stanford. The list, compiled by the CBU Athletics Communications office, includes only outright regular season or postseason event championships and excludes any shared titles.
Women's basketball recently completed a 26-1 season after picking up a pair of wins in the 2021 Postseason WNIT. The Lancers were the first women's basketball team since UConn in 2017-18 to complete an undefeated regular season and win their conference tournament in the same season, and just the fourth school since 1998 to accomplish the feat along with Notre Dame and Baylor.
Men's and women's cross country pulled off the perfect sweep at the Western Athletic Conference Championships in February. The Lancers won both team and individual titles, a feat that had only been accomplished one other time in league history. The women secured the three-peat, as they remain undefeated in their three years in the WAC.
Men's water polo made school history with its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships after taking the Western Water Polo Association conference championship. The Lancers earned a program-best No. 6 national ranking prior to battling No. 3 UCLA in the opening round of the NCAA Championships.
The varsity STUNT program launched earlier this school year and already clinched its first conference crown in its brief history. The Lancers took the West Coast Conference championship in February.
CBU is currently in its third year of the four-year transition process to full NCAA Division I membership that began July 2018. Prior to the D-I transition, CBU earned the 2017-18 NCAA Division II Learfield Directors' Cup, awarded annually to the top athletics department in the nation. Since joining D-I primarily as a member of the WAC, the Lancers have already won a total of nine conference championships.
Full list of schools with the most 2020-21 outright conference championships as of March 24, 2021:
T1. California Baptist – Six Conference Championships
- Men's Cross Country WAC Championship
- Men's Water Polo WWPA Tournament Championship
- STUNT Varsity West Coast Conference Championship
- Women's Basketball WAC Regular Season Championship
- Women's Basketball WAC Tournament Championship
- Women's Cross Country WAC Championship
T1. Texas - Six Conference Championships
- Men's Basketball Big 12 Tournament Championship
- Men's Indoor Track Big 12 Championship
- Men's Swim/Dive Big 12 Championship
- Women's Indoor Track Big 12 Championship
- Women's Swim/Dive Big 12 Championship
- Women's Volleyball Big 12 Regular Season Championship
3. Stanford – Five Conference Championships
- Men's Cross Country Pac 12 Championship
- Men's Water Polo Pac 12 Championship
- Women's Basketball Pac 12 Regular Season Championship
- Women's Basketball Pac 12 Tournament Championship
- Women's Cross Country Pac 12 Championship
T4. Alabama – Four Conference Championships
- Football SEC Championship
- Men's Basketball SEC Regular Season Championship
- Men's Basketball SEC Tournament Championship
- Women's Gymnastics SEC Championship
T4. Arkansas – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Cross Country SEC Championship
- Men's Indoor Track SEC Championship
- Women's Cross Country SEC Championship
- Women's Indoor Track SEC Championship
T4. Arkansas State – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Indoor Track Sun Belt Championship
- Women's Cross Country Sun Belt Championship
- Women's Indoor Track Sun Belt Championship
- Women's Soccer Sun Belt Regular Season Championship
T4. Gonzaga – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Basketball WCC Regular Season Championship
- Men's Basketball WCC Tournament Championship
- Women's Basketball WCC Regular Season Championship
- Women's Basketball WCC Tournament Championship
T4. Liberty – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Basketball ASUN Regular Season Championship
- Men's Basketball ASUN Tournament Championship
- Men's Indoor Track ASUN Championship
- Women's Cross Country ASUN Championship
T4. Prairie View A&M – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Basketball SWAC Regular Season Championship
- Women's Bowling SWAC Regular Season Championship
- Women's Bowling SWAC Postseason Championship
- Women's Indoor Track SWAC Championship
T4. South Dakota State – Four Conference Championships
- Men's Basketball Summit League Regular Season Championship
- Men's Cross Country Summit League Championship
- Women's Basketball Summit League Regular Season Championship
- Women's Cross Country Summit League Championship
Notes: Research was conducted by the California Baptist University Athletics Communications office and includes outright regular season or postseason event championships and excludes any shared titles. Information was submitted to all conferences through the Western Athletic Conference and is verified to the best of CBU's knowledge as of March 24, 2021. Sports included in research: FBS football, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's fencing, men's gymnastics, men's ice hockey, men's indoor track, men's swim/dive, men's water polo, men's wrestling, rifle, varsity STUNT, women's basketball, women's bowling, women's cross country, women's fencing, women's gymnastics, women's indoor track, women's swim/dive and women's volleyball.