Athletics

Gary Stewart, who has won 385 career games across all levels of NCAA basketball, has been named the University of California, Merced head men's basketball coach, Executive Director of Recreation & Athletics David Dunham announced today.

The Campos Foundation, one of UC Merced’s most dedicated supporters and partners, has made a $5 million gift for the development of a new state-of-the-art campus facility dedicated to track and field. The university shared plans to name the facility Campos Field in recognition of the foundation’s transformative contribution.

The announcement to name the field was made during halftime of the women’s soccer team season opener Sept.5. The celebratory and symbolic moment also marked the Bobcats’ first time competing in NCAA Division II.

Twenty years to the day after students first crossed Scholars Bridge into the campus, UC Merced celebrated its milestone birthday with a party, a drone show, and the university’s first NCAA Division II sporting event.

To mark UC Merced’s entry into National Collegiate Athletics Association NCAA Division II competition, the university is launching the Bobcat Club – an initiative designed to support scholar-athletes and the campus’s elevated level of intercollegiate sports.

Give to UC Merced, the university’s annual year-end fundraising campaign, was the most successful of its 11-year history, garnering nearly $1.43 million from 647 donors. The tremendous show of generosity far exceeded the original goal of $250,000 from 500 donors.

Each year, the UC Merced campaign launches on Giving Tuesday, the worldwide day of charitable giving on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2020, the university’s fundraising effort was extended to encompass the month of December.

2024 was a remarkable year for UC Merced. From groundbreaking research and academic excellence to inspiring student achievements and impactful community engagement, it has been a year of growth, innovation, and resilience. All of this was documented by our newsroom staff in more than 200 articles.

Here’s a look back at the stories that shaped 2024. 

On Dec. 3, the date of this year's Giving Tuesday, UC Merced will participate in the worldwide day of charitable giving by launching Give to UC Merced 2024. For the fifth year, the university's annual fundraising initiative will extend beyond its original 24-hour period to the entire month of December.

The significance of soccer in the San Joaquin Valley cannot be overstated. It’s a sport that connects communities, bridges borders and stretches across generations of fathers and mothers and daughters and sons.

So it is fitting that the Valley’s youngest university has already established a strong presence in collegiate soccer at a coast-to-coast level. Both of UC Merced’s intercollegiate soccer teams are making return trips to national championship tournaments after stellar regular seasons.

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2024 semester.

Jenna Hinds, a Central Valley native, is bringing spirit to UC Merced. Hinds discovered a passion for cheerleading as a senior in high school. After participating in UC Merced tryouts, will join the university cheer team’s elite squad this fall.

Where I come from: I’m from Stevinson and I graduated from Turlock Christian High School.

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2024 semester.

Alexis “Lexi” Wright gives her all, excelling in school and on the soccer field. A transfer from Saddleback Community College in Orange County, Wright also spent a year at San Francisco State helping knock out the prerequisites for attending UC Merced.

If you're looking for someone to make a late-night sushi run with and teach you the finer points of sudoku, Lexi might be your new best friend.