Mar 29, 2024  
2014-2015 Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Recreation and Athletics


Return to: About UC Merced 

Phone: 209-228-7732
Email: recreation@ucmerced.edu
Web: recreation.ucmerced.edu or ucmercedbobcats.com

The Recreation and Athletics Program provides a wide variety of sports and recreational activities ranging from aerobics and other group fitness classes to diverse intramural sports, sport clubs and comprehensive outdoor experience activities.

The Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center and the new Student Activities and Athletics Center feature a full complement of fitness programing along with cardiovascular machines, strength training equipment and drop-in recreational activities such as basketball, badminton and volleyball. The Recreation Program also provides structured recreational opportunities in a range of intramural sports.

For those students who are looking for more competition, the Sports Club Program offers students the opportunity to be a part of club teams which compete against other colleges and universities. Our current list of competitive sport club teams includes Baseball, Softball, Men’s Lacrosse, Archery and Dance.

Recreation and Athletics also offers a full range of group fitness classes for students. These classes range from group cycling and yoga, to cardio and core stability classes. There are classes to fit everyone’s interest and ability. In addition to group fitness classes, one-on-one personal training sessions and the interactive “Ask the Trainer” sessions are available to provide individual attention and answer any fitness related question you may have.

The Student Activities and Athletics Center is home to the Outdoor Center. The Outdoor Center is the hub of the Outdoor Experience Program (OEP).The OEP offers an array of outdoor activities for students, faculty and staff ranging from the Week of Wilderness, Granite Clinic and Speaker Services, Open Wrench Bicycle sessions and the ever popular Outdoor Adventure trips.  Outdoor Adventure trips range from exploring the Yosemite backcountry, skiing and snowboarding in the Sierras, rafting the American River, and kayaking the San Francisco Bay.  In addition, the Outdoor Center has an extensive equipment rental program that provides users with the opportunity to rent backpacks, sleeping bags, stoves and tents, as well as snowshoes and trekking poles.  The reasonably priced equipment rental is available to students, faculty and staff.

Partnering with UC Merced’s Recreation and Athletics is the Wilderness Center, located in the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation Center.  The Wilderness Center is staffed by both UC Merced student and Yosemite Park Rangers.  The Wilderness Center is a great resources for Yosemite National Park information.  UC Merced’s proximity to Yosemite National Park makes it a popular destination for day trips, too!

Recreational opportunities are plentiful at UC Merced. Adjacent to the campus, Lake Yosemite offers swimming, boating and other outdoor activities, while the City of Merced has an extensive network of biking and running paths for the campus to explore and access the heart of the city. Regarding Intercollegiate Athletics, UC Merced sponsors eight varsity sports including Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Men’s and Women’s Basketball.  As a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), UC Merced competes in the California Pacific (Cal Pac) Conference.