ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - With the 2024-25 athletic year complete in NCAA Division II, the CCAA announced its final standings for the year for the Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup. Since joining the CCAA, Cal State East Bay had its highest finish in department history, placing fourth among the 12 CCAA member institutions. 

Cal State East Bay's final standings score was 70.28. The fourth place finish surpassed the previous high of sixth, set twice, as recently as 2021-22. 

"The highest finish East Bay has had in the Hiegert Cup is a testament to the outstanding effort of our coaches and student-athletes this year," stated Cal State East Bay Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Allison Kern. "I am so proud of the work our entire department has put in to continually raise the bar and compete at a higher level. I look forward to seeing our teams exceed expectations and set new standards for Pioneer Athletics."

The highest finish for the department was aided by several Pioneer teams in 2024-25. Below are some of the most notable team accomplishments by the Pioneers in the CCAA:

• Men's soccer finishing sixth in the regular season standings to clinch its first-ever CCAA Tournament berth. Not only did the men's soccer team qualify, but won the opening round to advance to the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament, which were hosted on the CSUEB campus. 
• Women's Soccer made an incredible run of seven straight matches unbeaten to climb into second place in the regular season standings to secure the No. 2 seed in the CCAA tournament and a first round bye. The Pioneers won their semifinal match to advance to the CCAA Tournament Championship Match. 
• Another East Bay team to reach the CCAA Tournament in the fall was women's volleyball. Needing a win on the final night of the regular season, the Pioneers swept Chico State to qualify for the CCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed. 
• Winning 11 straight games to start the 2025 season was only a start of what became a historical season for Cal State East Bay softball. East Bay finished with the best regular season record in the CCAA for the top seed in the CCAA Tournament and would be awarded as one of the host sites for the NCAA Division II Softball West Regionals. Head softball coach Claire Sua-Amundson was named CCAA Softball Coach of the Year and sophomore Marissa Quintero was named CCAA Pitcher of the Year along with two All-America honors. The program reached 40 wins for the first time since 1992. 
• Women's Golf placed third at the CCAA Golf Championships with Sophia Tejeda and Jasmin Krishna finishing tied for ninth on the leaderboard. The Pioneers went on to compete in the NCAA Division II West Regional, and with a furious comeback in the final round, climbed the leaderboard to advance to the NCAA Division II Championships. 
• And another Cal State East Bay golf team helped the department add to its point total in the Hiegert Cup standings. Men's golf won the CCAA Championships for the second time in program history, finished third at its NCAA regional tournament and competed at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. A testament to the success of men's golf was evidenced by the CCAA Men's Golf Coach of the Year honor bestowed upon Pioneers head golf coach Alan Sue. As for individual golfers, Cooper Groshart was the CCAA individual champion adding to the celebration for Cal State East Bay. 
• The point count for each Cal State East Bay track & field team was assisted by a series of podium appearances. Benjamin Chang won gold in the long jump at the 2025 CCAA Track & Field Championships, becoming the first gold medalist for Cal State East Bay men's track & field since 2015. Additional for men's track & field, Michael Greco won bronze in the triple jump. For women's track & field, Jenna Rodriguez won gold in the 800 meters as the first from women's track & field to win CCAA gold since 2022. Also, Julia Carmona earned silver in the women's triple jump and would be named CCAA Freshman of the Meet. 

An institution's Hiegert Cup ranking is calculated using its top two Conference finishes in the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons, as well as the next two highest finishes, regardless of the season. The specific number of points garnered per sport is determined by the number of institutions that sponsor the sport.

The Hiegert Cup is named in honor of former and long time CCAA Commissioner and CCAA Hall of Famer Robert J. Hiegert in 2013. Hiegert served as commissioner from 1997 to 2013. In 2014, he was inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame.