Varsity athletics are highly competitive and part of the NCAA. Athletes compete against other athletes in the PAC-10 Conference.

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics believes that participation in athletics provides an arena whereby the student-athlete can be developed, tested and encouraged to reach his/her maximum potential. The opportunities athletics offers to the individual through training, practice and competition contribute in a unique way to the development of that individual as a citizen of the future.

• Moreover, the existence of athletics produces ancillary services, which include but are not necessarily limited to providing:
• Resources for research in such academic areas as sports psychology, physiology of exercise and athletic medicine;
• Events and activities which enrich and support the University and local and State economy both directly and indirectly;
• A showcase for equality of opportunity, offering affirmative experiences and access for excellence to males and females;
• Increased institutional visibility through camps, clinics and the hosting of major national and international events and contests; and
• A major focus by which the general public, alumni and students come together to participate in pro-social activities of a bonding and identifying nature.