Saddleback College shatters scholarship awards record

MISSION VIEJO - The Saddleback College athletics department has set another milestone to reach as it recently broke the record for the most scholarship monies awarded to its athletes for the 2024-25 seasons.  The athletes are now approaching $3.25 million dollars (approximation) in scholarship awards, which eclipses the old record set in 2019-20.

Saddleback has reported on 45 different athletes receiving some sort of scholarship at the four-year level.  Leading the way is football with 25 different players transferring.

“It goes to show what is possible when you combine really good athletes with a commitment to academics,” Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics Dan Clauss said.  “Our coaches and staff have done an amazing job at getting the athletes prepared physically, academically and mentally to play at the next level.  It’s an entire staff working in concert towards a goal.”

Saddleback also had a banner year in the classroom this past year when 220 of the 410 athletes achieved a 3.0-or-higher Grade Point Average (GPA), with one team winning the 3C2A Scholar Team Award and another three winning Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Scholar Team Awards. 

The $3.232 million (approximation) in scholarships for 2024-25 breaks the old record of $3.033 million set in 2019-20.  It is the third time in the past six years that the number has eclipsed $3 million in scholarship awards.  Saddleback athletics has been tracking this data since 2010-11. 

(Brad Hoiseth, Saddleback College Athletics)