MORAGA, Calif. - As we enter the 2025-26 athletic season at Saint Mary's College, over the past year and into this summer, the athletic department has been busy adjusting to new NCAA guidelines, creating new revenue streams and preparing Gael Athletics for success now and into the future.
I would first like to recap our exciting previous year, filled with accomplishments, postseason tournaments and tremendous growth across our department.
The Gaels capped off the 2024-25 season with an exciting WCC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth from baseball, earning their second tournament appearance in school history. Both of those appearances have been under head coach Eric Valenzuela, who continues to push the program to new heights. Softball, under head coach Sonja Garnett, also pulled off a first in school-history, winning their second straight WCC title to close out the school year for Saint Mary's.
For the fourth consecutive year, a first in school-history, the men's basketball team earned a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Round of 32 for the third time in the past four years. The men's basketball team also won a program-first third straight West Coast Conference title and finished ranked in the national polls for the fourth straight year.
On the trails and track, women's cross country competed in the NCAA West Regionals with two runners finishing inside the top-100 of the field. In the spring, track & field sent two individuals to the NCAA Regionals for the second consecutive year to cap off a successful 2025 campaign.
For the sixth straight year, Saint Mary's had more than 150 student-athletes earn a spot on the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll, announced over the summer by the conference.
Off the playing surface last year, the Saint Mary's Athletics Department once again set single-season records in philanthropic donations, ticket sales and attendance numbers across all 18 sports.
To enhance the student-athlete experience, the athletics department completed several major projects, including new women's basketball and women's volleyball locker rooms, lounges and office spaces. The women's soccer team received a remodeled locker room, staff office spaces were built and remodeled, a new academic center and student-athlete support area was created and several branding projects were completed.
As we turn our attention to the start of 2025-26, there are several major changes across the NCAA that will require being able to adjust with the times. That includes the new House settlement approved revenue-sharing model, roster limits and governance structure.
With this critical changing landscape, it's more important than ever to drive new revenue streams for the department, through several avenues. That will be a major focus of the athletic department for the years to come.
The success and visibility of the athletic department has never been higher, and we plan on continuing to grow upon where we stand today. With that goal in mind, we ask the Saint Mary's community to support the athletic department in any way you can, from philanthropic donations, to attending games, to spreading the word to your friends and family.
The new governance structure has also allowed us to eliminate the use of a third-party collective and now directly accept contributions to the athletic department for a variety of gifts.
The Saint Mary's Athletic Department has always been strongly supported by the Gael community and we want to keep it that way as we take the next steps forward with your help.
Thank you for all that you've done and continue to do, and we look forward to seeing you on campus this year.
Mike Matoso
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
#GaelsRise
