Lori E. Varlotta, PhD. President | California Lutheran University
Lori E. Varlotta, PhD. President | California Lutheran University
Members of California Lutheran University's national champion women's soccer and men's volleyball teams visited the White House on July 22, 2024. The visit was part of a celebration for the 2023-2024 NCAA champions. The event featured Vice President Kamala Harris' first public comments since President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
“To be invited to the White House along with 1,000 other athletes who were the best in their sport this year … I mean, that’s a big deal,” said men's volleyball coach Kevin Judd.
More than 90 college teams attended College Athlete Day, which gathered NCAA champions from all three divisions. Vice President Harris addressed the athletes in place of President Biden, who was recovering from COVID-19. She stated: “Each of you has faced challenges and obstacles, and you have endured. … By doing so, you demonstrated that true greatness requires more than skill. It requires grit and determination. You all know what it means to commit and to persevere. And you know what it means to count on teammates.”
In other developments at Cal Lutheran University, women's flag football is set to become a new club sport this spring. The university plans to develop it into an NCAA Division III-sanctioned program by the 2026-27 school year.
Athletic Director Howard Davis commented on this decision: “The demand in our area and throughout the state is unmistakable given its growth and success. Very quickly flag football will be ubiquitous throughout the college athletics landscape,” he said. “I’m proud that Cal Lutheran is an early adopter and excited to add what I believe will be another elite athletic program for us.”
Flag football has seen significant growth over recent years and will debut as an Olympic event at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. According to USA Football, over 230,000 girls aged 6 to 17 played flag football in the United States in 2023.
Cal Lutheran is now one of two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member schools announcing plans for women's flag football, following the University of Redlands.
“We’re very confident that we’ll be able to build a schedule come spring and, in the coming years, recruit some of the best student-athletes around,” Davis added.
Cal Lutheran also recently relaunched its Victory Club during an event held on October 17 at Lundring Events Center. This sports booster organization supports student-athletes through teamwork, determination, and achievement.
Matt Ward, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success at Cal Lutheran University stated that student-athletes represent “the best of who we are as an institution.”
An eight-minute video narrated by longtime supporter Karsten Lundring ’65 highlighted Cal Lutheran's sports history during the event.
Women’s soccer coach Frank Marino expressed gratitude for Victory Club support which enabled his entire team to attend a memorable NCAA tournament experience: “Every one of our players ― all 37 of them ― got to go to the NCAA tournament...it was Victory Club support that got us there.”
The reimagined Victory Club offers members opportunities such as exclusive experiences like "coach for a day" with monthly membership options starting at $10.
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