Brian BelardiA football championship. A record-breaking season. Three All-American honors. Hundreds of scholar- athletes recognized for academic excellence. Chapman Athletics found success in many forms during the 2025–26 season.
“What inspires me is what these students carry on their plates as scholars and competitors,” said Doug Aiken ’99 (M.A. ’09), interim director of athletics. “This year, the wins were proof of that work.”
FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Chapman captured its fifth Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) football championship with a 27–17 victory over Cal Lutheran. The Panthers followed with an 18–16 road win over Whitworth in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, advancing to the second round for the second time in program history.
First-year Head Coach Casey Shine guided the Panthers to the historic post-season run, and the coaching staff earned SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
The SCIAC named senior quarterback Tyler Pacheco ’26 its Offensive Player of the Year and senior linebacker Tate Zimmerman ’26 its Defensive Player of the Year.
CROSS COUNTRY: RECORD PACE
Junior Brenda Daza ’27 broke Chapman’s 6K school record, finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Division III West Regional, and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
She became the fifth woman in the program’s Division III era to reach the national meet.
“Brenda once again ran a stellar race. Top ten in this region is remarkable,” said Assistant Coach Mircea Bogdan. “She deserves to be there.”
DIVING: A FOUR-TIME ALL-AMERICAN
Senior Reid Omilian ’26 concluded his Chapman career as a four-time All-American. The communications major and dive captain won the SCIAC title on the 1-meter springboard in February and took silver on the 3-meter.
He capped his career finishing 16th on the 1-meter springboard at the NCAA Division III Championships, earning College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America Second-Team All-American honors.
EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
Chapman student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom, with 327 Panthers earning SCIAC All-Academic recognition. Collectively, the university’s more than 600 student-athletes posted a 3.47 department GPA, with nearly 54% achieving the conference’s minimum 3.4 cumulative GPA for academic honors. Ten student-athletes finished the year with perfect 4.0 GPAs, and 49 more earned GPAs above 3.9.
