| Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt |
| Conference | CCAA (primary) GNAC (women's rowing) Independent (women's triathlon) MPSF (men's wrestling) |
| NCAA | Division II |
| Athletic director | Dr. Nick Pettit |
| Location | Arcata, California |
| Varsity teams | 13 (5 men's, 8 women's) |
| Football stadium | Redwood Bowl |
| Basketball arena | Lumberjack Arena |
| Softball stadium | Humboldt Softball Field |
| Soccer stadium | College Creek Soccer Field |
| Nickname | Lumberjacks |
| Colors | Green and gold[1] |
| Website | humboldtathletics |
 | |
| Team NCAA championships | |
| 6[2] | |
TheCal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks are the 13 varsity athletic teams that representCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, located inArcata, California, inNCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Lumberjacks compete as an associate member of theCalifornia Collegiate Athletic Association for all sports except women's rowing, which competes in theGreat Northwest Athletic Conference; women's triathlon, which competes unaffiliated; and men's wrestling, which competes in theMountain Pacific Sports Federation.
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Soccer | Rowing |
| Track and field1 | Soccer |
| Wrestling | Softball |
| Track and field1 | |
| Triathlon | |
| Volleyball | |
| 1 – outdoor only | |
Recently the men's basketball team achieved its first-ever West Region title and advancement to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II for the first time in the program's 81-year history.
The men's head coach is Chris Tifft, and the women's head coach is Michelle Bento-Jackson.
The women's rowing team claimed the NCAA Division II national rowing championship title in 2012, 2014, and 2023. In 2012 they took first in both the varsity 8 and varsity 4 boats. In 2014 the varsity 8 was first, and the varsity 4 took third.[3] In 2023 they swept every category, winning both the four and eight heats, as well as the four and eight finals. In 2011 the team finished third overall at the national championships, placing second in the varsity 4 and third in the varsity 8.[4] The women's rowing program advanced both its varsity 4 and varsity 8 boats to the NCAA Championships in 2004, with the varsity 4 earning the individual boat national title and the varsity 8 placing second at nationals. In 2024 they finished in fourth, but needed one more point to tie for third, and three more points to tie for first. This likely was a result of Cal Poly Humboldt excelling in the heats, but falling short in the finals that year. Women's rowing became an intercollegiate sport at Cal Poly Humboldt in 1994.[5]
CPH's softball team has qualified for the NCAA post-season 18 times between 1990 and 2008, capturing the national championship in1999 and in 2008.
The Lumberjacks have produced national champions andAll-Americans in cross country and track and field. In 1980, the school's first year in Division II, the CPH men's cross country team claimed a national title. A year later, cross country runner Mark Conover earned the individual crown and later represented the US as amarathoner in the1988 Summer Olympic Games.[6] The women's track and field team, led by future1928 Olympic sprinter,Elta Cartwright, won the 1926 national championship meet conducted in telegraphic form by the Women's National Collegiate and Scholastic Track Association.[7]
The most recently added sport is men's wrestling, reinstated in 2024–25 after being dropped at the end of the 1988–89 season.[8][9]
Cal Poly Humboldt won theGreat Northwest Athletic Conference in 2011 and 2015. The championship in 2015 led them to the Division II playoffs, during which they made it to the second round before losing to eventual championNorthwest Missouri State. The Lumberjacks played their home games in theRedwood Bowl.
Their biggest rivals in football wereWestern Oregon andAzusa Pacific. The university dropped football in 2018.
The 2015 season was one of the most successful in Cal Poly Humboldt history. The Lumberjacks won 10 games, 9 in the regular season, en route to a perfect 6–0GNAC record, and the conference championship. For the first time in school history, CPH hosted anNCAA Division II home playoff game, played againstAugustana University. The Lumberjacks defeated Augustana by a score of 45–31 to secure the first DII playoff victory since 1960. They lost their second round matchup with top seed and eventual championNorthwest Missouri State 54–7.
The season saw individual success as well, as running back Ja'Quan Gardner was named an All-American and finished as the runner-up in theHarlon Hill Trophy, the Division II version of theHeisman Trophy. Gardner rushed for 2,266 yards on 337 carries, bothGNAC records. Gardner also led the country in rushing yards per game (188.8) and rushing touchdowns (25). Gardner won theGNAC Offensive Player of the Year award, and set a school record for single-game rushing yards by running for 305 yards againstAzusa Pacific. Offensive LinemanAlex Cappa was named the conference Offensive Lineman of the Year award for the second straight season, and was a second-team All-American.
In July 2018, the university announced that the football program would be discontinued after the 2018 season.[10]
The Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks competed in the NCAA Tournament across 12 sports (5 men's and 7 women's), 113 times at the Division II level.[11]
The Lumberjacks earned six NCAA team championships at the Division II level.[12]
Results
| School year | Sport | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Men's cross country | UNC Pembroke | 115–120 |
| 1998–99 | Softball | Nebraska–Kearney | 7–2 |
| 2007–08 | Softball | Emporia State | 1–0 |
| 2011–12 | Rowing | Western Washington | 20–13 |
| 2013–14 | Rowing | Nova Southeastern | 16–15 |
| 2022-23 | Rowing | Central Oklahoma | 30-25 |
Below is one national club team championship:
Cal Poly Humboldt has had 39 athletes win NCAA individual championships at the Division II level.[12]
| NCAA individual championships | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | School year | Athlete(s) | Sport | Source |
| 1 | 1967–68 | Gary Tuttle | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 2 | 1968–69 | Bill Scobey | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 3 | 1968–69 | Gary Tuttle | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 4 | 1971–72 | Mike Bettiga | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 5 | 1972–73 | Chuck Smead | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 6 | 1973–74 | Frank Logan | Men's swimming and diving | [14] |
| 7 | 1973–74 | Chuck Smead | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 8 | 1980–81 | Mark Conover | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 9 | 1981–82 | Mark Conover | Men's cross country | [15] |
| 10 | 1981–82 | Dan Grimes | Men's outdoor track and field | [13] |
| 11 | 1984–85 | Eric Lessley | Wrestling | [16] |
| 12 | 1990–91 | Luke Parham | Wrestling | [16] |
| 13 | 1998–99 | Trinity Davis | Women's indoor track and field | [17] |
| 14 | 2003–04 | Jolie Smith Winnie Bell Jessica Lev Lisa McDonnell Melanie Rowsey | Rowing | [18] |
| 15 | 2011–12 | Kaitlyn Shanle Amanda Nelson Shenae Bishop Julia Smith Ka'ena Sado | Rowing | [18] |
| 16 | 2011–12 | Katie Lepley Molly Fisher Anna Wagner Alex Torquemada Ashley Frakes Edi Sullivan Jacki McPherson Chyna Balonick Katie Harris | Rowing | [18] |
| 17 | 2013–14 | Jamie Larrabee Ripley McChesney Maggie Wilhelm Kayley Weber Maddy Guillaume Samantha Morford Katie Dedrick Mariah Smihter Katrina Rehrer | Rowing | [18] |
| 18 | 2016–17 | Marissa McCay | Women's outdoor track and field | [19] |
