Scott Lacombe has been named chairman of the NCAA Women’s DI Soccer Commission for the 2022-23 season. The DI Football Committee is responsible for ranking teams competing in the NCAA Tournament and how best to determine the weight of a draw.
We are honored to have Leykam, now in his 11th year with the UP and sixth year as Vice President of Athletics, appointed as Chairman.
“I think it’s great to be recognized by my peers as someone who deserves this role,” said Lacombe.
Leykam started his career in media relations, earning the title of co-director of media relations at Stanford University. After his stint at Stanford University, he was appointed Senior Associate for External Relations at the West He Coast He Conference (WCC) He Commissioner.
The NCAA Women’s DI Soccer Committee is made up of 10 members. 5 coaches and her 5 administrators. Celebrities on the committee include her head coach of the Dartmouth women’s soccer team and her athletic director, associate of CalPoly.
The Football Commission meets weekly to discuss current rankings, specific players to watch, and provide insider information on the various teams they may face.
“We discuss how ties are determined, what changes need to be made for the Final Four, and current trends,” said Leykam.
In the name of keeping things fair, Raycombe cannot be in the room when the UP itself is being discussed.
“Whenever we are [UP] Talked in the room, I have to leave…’ Lacombe said. I’ll go out into the hallway until you tell me to.”
Scott Lacombe and Megan Rapinoe at the UP in 2015
Photo courtesy of the University of Portland Athletics
His main goal in stepping into this position is to ensure fair treatment of women’s and men’s football, especially when it comes to year-end tournaments.
“We take seriously concerns that the women’s basketball finals are not the same as the men’s basketball finals,” Lacombe said. “I think we’re trying to be very intentional that the women’s championship is treated similarly if not better. It makes sure that fairness comes first. It’s something we’ve been talking about every step of the way for the UP to always focus on women’s football…at an elite venue.”
Leykam is also looking to increase women’s tournament exposure (now working closely with ESPN) and increase rest time between games.
This is the first year that NCAA football does not go into overtime during regular season games. Leykam wants to reflect Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) by prioritizing student-athlete health.
“It’s hard to ask a student-athlete to play 120 minutes on Friday and then do it on Monday,” says Leykam.
Lakem is looking forward to the season, citing head coach Michelle French and assistant coach Mayte Zavala as contributing to the Pilots’ strong start to the season.
“For Coach French and Coach Zavala, who do all of our scheduling, it was really hard to go to Nebraska to play Washington State, play Utah, and have three power-five teams at home.” Raycombe said. “So I give them a lot of credit. We got off to a great start.”
Wilder Isom is The Beacon’s sports editor.she can be reached at isomw24@up.edu
