Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[Kuiper]

SCIAC/Region X/Claremont Schools

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

Other than the 2022 season when the last five games of the season were cancelled because of a hazing incident, 2025 had to be the worst CMS season in a long time.  After a 16-4-3 season in 2024, they went 4-10-6 in 2025.  It was their first losing season since 2017 and only the second team in history they've finished as low as 8th in the SCIAC.  When you drill down, though, they weren't that bad as a team.  Nine of their ten losses were by one goal (the 10th was by two in a late season non-conference game against an NAIA team where they played down a man for the last 30 minutes due to a red card and conceded goals in the 85th and 90th minutes) and all but one regular starter returns.  Many of their starters were freshman and sophomores too.  Nevertheless, their non-conference schedule in 2026 is not an easy one.  They play UC Santa Cruz away, North Park and Wheaton away at Wheaton, and host NCAA finalist Trinity (TX).  The only gimme non-conference game before SCIAC play starts is home to Lewis & Clark and there's an odd sort of pressure when you're playing a team that has not won in 67 games.  Plus, they open the SCIAC with Whittier and my sense is they will be strong this year.  They've been recruiting heavily and their contingent of Swedes continues to grow.

Pomona-Pitzer

Unlike CMS, Pomona-Pitzer had one of their best years in recent history, finishing 10-5-3 and 3rd in the SCIAC. It's not often they beat CMS, Oxy, and tie Redlands in the same season. They lose a bunch of seniors who kind of represented their "golden generation" (especially SCIAC defensive player of the year Nic Ulrich), but they have a lot of talent returning.  The 2026 schedule is pretty challenging though.  They host Linfield and Willamette, which likely will be manageable games, but the road trip to Ohio for games against Kenyon and Denison is a killer.  Plus, they play Redlands twice.

[Kuiper]

More SCIAC/Region X

Chapman

Chapman takes a trip up the coast to play Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound in Tacoma on opening weekend.  Surprised they don't play at least a couple of NAIA teams to round out the non-conference schedule like last season.  Gets CMS and Oxy only one time and at home this year.

Cal Lutheran

Cal Lu follows up a SCIAC-worst 2-11-5 record (1-6-5 in conference) with the most diverse schedule in the conference.  They somehow managed to schedule 5 straight non-conference home games to open the season, all against D3 opponents (very rare in the SCIAC), and all 5 are from different conferences and different parts of the country.  Russell Sage (Empire 8), Gordon College (CNE), Linfield (NWC), Colorado College (SCAC), and Emory (UAA).

Whittier

Whittier was in first place in the SCIAC for a large part of the season last year, but went winless in their last four games and fell completely out of the conference playoffs.  This year, they start with a rare non-conference game against Redlands, and then they have a similarly diverse all home, all D3 non-conference schedule, hosting UC Santa Cruz, Willamette (on the return game from their trip up north last season), Russell Sage, and Elmhurst.