UC Santa Cruz offers a full range of recreation and athletics programs, including NCAA Division III collegiate teams, athletics clubs, intramural leagues, and a recreation program that has been called one of the best in the world by Outside magazine. As an NCAA Division III institution, UC Santa Cruz does not offer athletic scholarships.

NCAA teams at UC Santa Cruz include:

men’s tennis
women’s tennis
men’s basketball
women’s basketball
men’s soccer
women’s soccer
men’s volleyball
women’s volleyball
women’s cross-country
women’s golf
men’s and women’s swimming and diving

Following are some of UC Santa Cruz's recent athletic achievements:

• In 2009, men's tennis won its seventh NCAA National Team Championship. Men's tennis coach Bob Hansen was named National Coach of the Year in 2007.
  
  
• In 2009, men's volleyball took third at the Molten Division III Invitational Volleyball Championship in New Jersey.

• Women's soccer made NCAA post season appearances in 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2008. In 2006 and 2007, they earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for Excellence.
  
  
• Women's soccer player Annick Lamb received a 2008-09 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

• Women's cross country ranked 7th in the West Region in 2008.

• Seven men and women slug swimmers qualified for the National Championships in 2008.

• Women's volleyball finished its 2008 season ranked 8th in the NCAA Division III West Region.

• Men's soccer appeared in NCAA tournaments in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and made the Final Four in 2004.
  

UC Santa Cruz also has competitive clubs in baseball, cheerleading, women's competitive dance/drill team, cross-country, cycling, equestrian and dressage, fencing, table tennis, rugby, sailing, track and field, Ultimate Frisbee, and water polo. For more information on UC Santa Cruz club sports, go to the sports clubs web site.

Intramural leagues at UC Santa Cruz include flag football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, floor hockey, and Ultimate Frisbee.

UC Santa Cruz’s nationally recognized recreation programs include a variety of classes and outings featuring rock climbing, kayaking, surfing, bicycle maintenance, holistic health, first aid, wilderness skills, camping, wine tasting, whale watching, and many other activities. A wide range of courses provide opportunities for beginners as well as more advanced participants.
Recreation offerings

Recreation and sports facilities include:

• an Olympic-sized pool; playing fields
• a jogging track
• rooms for martial arts and dance
• a state-of-the-art fitness center with sweeping views of Monterey Bay
• tennis, racquetball, and basketball courts
• two fully equipped gyms
• boating facilities