COSTA MESA -- Vanguard Athletics is ready to reveal the schedules for all four winter sports!  Basketball and wrestling are a month from starting, and here is where the Lions will be in 2025-26.
 
Women's Basketball

Early Season:  Head Coach Russ Davis has a quartet of non-conference road games to open the year for his squad, all of which are against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents. The first two will be on November 14th-15th against Montana-State Billings and Simon Fraser at Westmont, with the back-half against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.
 
December:  The entirety of the last calendar month will be spent in the safe confines of the Freed Center, where Vanguard won 11 of 12 games in the venue's inaugural season.  Life Pacific returns to Costa Messa in a rekindling of old foes, followed by the PacWest opener versus Menlo on the fourth. Westcliff sneaks in for one final non-conference contest before Chaminade and Fresno Pacific close out the semester in league play on the 15th and the 20th.
 
Tough Stretches:  Biola and Westmont await the Lions to restart the season out of the holiday break starting January 3. Vanguard then takes a week long trek to Hawaii in mid-January for three games in five days and the last road swing will be a quick-hitter too.  The squad finishes the season in Northern California, with games against Jessup, FPU, and Menlo in the span of four days.
 
Marquee Matchups:  January 22-24.  It is a quick turnaround to host two of the best teams in the conference from last year; Azusa Pacific and conference champions Point Loma. Vanguard swept the Cougars in 2024-25, while splitting the Point Loma series, but this year, the Blue and Gold play both schools in one week after returning from Hawaii.
 
Other Notes:  On February third, the women will switch the usual start times with the men to celebrate Women in Sports Day, putting the game against Hawaii Hilo at 7:30 p.m…Senior Day is February 21st at 5:30 p.m. versus Biola…the PacWest Tournament will be hosted by PLNU if the Lions can secure a spot in the top four of the standings.
 
Men's Basketball
 
Early Season:  There will be no time to waste for Head Coach Rhett Soliday's crew. They open the season on November 14 hosting a tough CSU San Bernadino team that reached the semi-finals of the NCAA DII West Region a season ago. The following day for the Lions? The national runners-up from last year, CSU Dominguez Hills arrive, a team that VU has not played since 2010.
 
Thanksgiving:  This year's PacWest-GNAC Challenge sees the Lions head up to Seattle Pacific on Black Friday to take on the hosts, followed the next day with a clash against Central Washington.  VU toppled both teams last year and want to secure their strategy before starting December with three PacWest contests.
 
Key Stretches:  Coming out of the New Year, VU has five of its first six games on the road, including a week in Hawaii to take on all three island schools. Their lone home game in that stretch is a rivalry showdown with Westmont on January 6. The other tough duration is the road trip to finish the campaign, as the Lions take on Jessup, Fresno Pacific, and Menlo in the span of four days.
 
Other Notes:   The men play against Hawaii Hilo at 5:30 p.m. on February 3…Senior Day is on February 21st at home versus Biola…PLNU is hosting the Conference Tournament if the Lions can qualify in their first year of playoff eligibility.
 
Women's Wrestling
 
Early Tests:  Head Coach Joe Evano's platoon hit the mat in hostile territory right away, going up to Atherton for the Menlo Open on November 2nd. Then it is off to Montana for the Battle of the Rockies hosted by Providence, a tournament that always boast a strong field of national champion hopefuls. 
 
A busy Calendar Turn:  Vanguard has a bit of time coming back from the Christmas break before heading up to Ashland for a pair of matches on January 19th against Simon Fraser and hosts Southern Oregon. But those are the only duals on the slate before the MPSF Tournament on February 1st, hosted by the Lions this year on campus.
 
Other Notes:  VU goes to the Sacramento Open on February 8…Women's wrestling is an official championship sport, and the first NCAA Championship will be contested at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, March 6-7, with all three divisions present.
 
Men's Wrestling
 
Busy First Semester:  Head Coach Caleb Flores packed in four event dates in November and two more in December.  The team participates in the Menlo Open on November 1st and has a split tournament day at the CSUB Roadrunner Open and the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by Nebraska at Kearney on November 22.  The Reno Tournament of Champions closes out the calendar year on December 21, with duals against Western Colorado, Westcliff, and Menlo sprinkled across both months
 
Gauntlet:  The respite provided by the holiday intermission is certainly needed, as the Lions have three events in seven days starting on January ninth.  The Blue and Gold wrestle at Western Colorado, then go against SF State at home on the 16th, and a week later, the squad tries to conquer the Lumberjacks of Cal Poly Humboldt on the road.
 
Closing:  After hosting the MPSF Tournament on February 1, Vanguard hosts a trio of teams (Simon Fraser, Westcliff, and Simpson) in a quad-match on February 7th.  VU has its last dual against Hope International on the 12th, while Valentine's Day will be spent in Arizona at the Firestorm Open.  The Lions will either take part in the NCAA Championships on March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or send members to the NCWA Tournament as the team did last season.