60 Years of Anteater Athletics: 1966-75
January 22, 2026 | General, Features
As the young university would continue to grow, the athletic teams didn’t take long to establish themselves as a national power, winning 13 national titles by the end of the 1975 school year.
1966-75
UC Irvine added a men’s gymnastics team in 1966-67 and was coached by 1956 Olympian Richard Becker.
March 6, 1967 – Athletic Director Wayne Crawford received a telegram from the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Kansas City, Mo., that UC Irvine had been approved for NCAA college division membership in District 8 and that the Anteaters were eligible to compete in collegiate sports championships by the NCAA, effective immediately.
March 18, 1967 – The swimming and diving team wasted no time in NCAA competition, finishing second behind UC Santa Barbara, 255.5-246. UCI’s first ever NCAA Competition ended in a second place finish in only the second year of the program. Men’s swimmer Dave Belknap (100-yard freestyle) and diver Bob Wilhite (3-meter) became the first individual national champions in Anteater history. The 400-yard freestyle relay of Steve Farmer, Bob Sharp, Bob Nealy and Belknap also picked up a national title in an NCAA record time of 3:14.9. Nine of the team’s 15 members scored all but two points - Pat Glasgow (42), Dave Belknap (37), Bob Nealy (25), Bill Leach (33), Steve Farmer (30) Bob Sharp (28.5), Bob Wilhite (27), Pete Stys (12.5) and Dave Smith (9).
January 14, 1968 – Campus Hall was one of the original buildings opened in 1965. The building was renamed Crawford Hall in honor UCI’s first Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education.
March 1968 – Men’s basketball, led by Coach Dick Davis, advanced to the first of two consecutive NCAA regionals.
March 1969 – Men’s swimming won the first NCAA title in UCI history. The Anteaters also captured the national championship in 1970 and 1971.
May 1970 – Under the direction of head coach Myron McNamara, the men’s tennis team won the first of four-straight NCAA Division II Championships. Individually, Earl O’Neil defeated Craig Neslage in the NCAA singles final, 6-3, 6-3, while Greg Jablonski and Chuck Nachand claimed the NCAA doubles title.
March 1971 – Mike Martin capped his stellar UCI career with five NCAA gold medals at the NCAA Men’s Swimming Championships. He ended his career with 16 NCAA gold medals in swimming, helping UCI to three consecutive NCAA team titles. He also won a NCAA Championship with the men’s water polo team to start the year.
May 1971 – The Anteaters won back-to-back NCAA Division II men’s tennis team and singles titles. Bob Chappell claimed the first of his two individual championships as he went on to accomplish the feat again in 1973.
May 1972 - UC Irvine captured the Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association (ICYRA) Dinghy title.
June 1974 – UCI won 32 consecutive games and captured the second of two straight NCAA baseball titles, defeating the University of New Orleans, 14-1, in the final to complete a 48-8 season. Jeff Malinoff is named MVP of the national tournament.
June 22, 1974 – Lindsay Morse and Jean Nachand became UC Irvine’s first female All-Americans. Morse was the singles runner-up, while Morse/Nachand also finished second in doubles at the National Women’s Collegiate Tennis Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Morse was later inducted into the Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
May 1975 – Men’s tennis won their fifth NCAA Division II Championship in six years. Scott Carnahan and Bob Wright took home the NCAA doubles title.
June 1975 – Men’s golf won the program’s first and only NCAA title. Jerry Wisz led the way as he was the NCAA individual champion with a 54-hole score of 211. Wisz and teammate Steve Ryan were named All-Americans.
June 1975 – Hall of Famers Steve Scott and Mike Sabatino claimed UC Irvine men’s track & field’s first individual national titles. Scott won the 1500m at the NCAA meet in 4:09.7, while Sabatino topped the field in the pole vault, clearing 4.97 meters (16-4).
November 1975 – Men’s cross country won their first NCAA Division II team title with 59 points, holding a comfortable 32-point lead over runner-up CSUN. Ralph Serna was the individual champion, completing the 8K in 23:40.6. Serna, Brian Hunsaker, Steve Scott, and Robert Slick garnered All-America distinction.
