Cal Poly Pomona Athletics

The 1981-82 Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team authored one of the most significant seasons in NCAA Division II history, capturing the first-ever NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship in the inaugural year of NCAA sponsorship for women’s sports. Under the leadership of legendary head coach Darlene May and assistant coach Barb (Thaller) Fulton, the Broncos transitioned from the AIAW era to the NCAA stage and immediately set the national standard.

“Forty-four years later, I am still so proud of the 1982 team and so happy that they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Fulton when asked about the induction. “They gave their all to become first-time Champions that year. They played amazing basketball during the tournament while representing Cal Poly Pomona and the NCAA like the champions they are. They are very deserving of this honor, and I would like to thank the HOF committee for recognizing their achievement.”

Fueled by their season-long motto, “Going For The Gold,” Cal Poly Pomona finished the year with a 29-7 overall record, went a perfect 12-0 in conference play, and claimed the CCAA regular season championship before rolling through the postseason. The Broncos closed the year in dominant fashion, winning 10 straight games and 20 of their final 22, peaking precisely when the national spotlight was brightest.

The championship run featured decisive victories at every stage of the NCAA tournament. Cal Poly Pomona defeated San Francisco State (81-60) in the NCAA West Regional final, Fort Valley State (95-80) in the Elite Eight, and Mount St. Mary’s (71-58) in the Final Four before sealing the title game with a commanding 93-74 win over Tuskegee. Coach May later noted the team’s composure and execution, particularly against full-court pressure, as a defining factor in the championship victory.

“Darlene May coached every team with the goal of making them champions,” added Fulton when talking about Hall of Fame coach Darlene May. “She was intense and very driven. She was a winner, and she expected her players to be the same. She coached every single game from opening tip-off to final buzzer, as if they were all one-point games. When that championship game approached the final minute on the clock and we were up by 20 points, I suggested that she take a moment to sit back and allow herself to take it all in. But she coached that game like all the others, until the final buzzer. That is who she was, and that is what she taught.”


Individually, the Broncos were led by Jackie White, who delivered a brilliant postseason and was named the unanimous NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, receiving all 35 media votes. White totaled 45 points and 10 assists across the final two games and scored 22 points in the national championship game. Carol Welch was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, while Lisa Ulmer and Jeannette Tjaarda were named to the NCAA Quarterfinals All-Tournament Team.

When asked about the title run, Tjaarda recalled, “We played as a team with one goal in mind: to win the National Championship. We came close the year before and we all had such a deep desire to win that year. We knew it was possible and we wanted it. So, we worked hard all year even through injuries. I remember cutting down the nets and how exciting that was for me. We had fun on and off the court which resulted in some lifetime friends.”

Beyond the trophy, the 1981-82 team left a lasting imprint on the Cal Poly Pomona record book. The Broncos ranked among the program’s most efficient offensive teams, shooting .501 from the field and setting the program’s best single-season free throw percentage (.778). Their 2,839 total points remain one of the highest single-season outputs in program history.

Ulmer, who was named an AWSF All-American during the 1981-82 season, added, “Being on the first-ever NCAA championship team is a great honor. Being the ‘first’ is something no other team can match. We were a well-balanced team, good perimeter shooters as well as a strong inside game. We had excellent role players too . . . Coach Darlene May was the driving force behind the team. She was a tough, no nonsense coach. Her focus and high expectations set the standard for all of us. Also, players that came before us like Musiette McKinney, Robbie Beyer, Karen Olson, Carol Groth, and Janice Campbell laid the foundation that allowed our team to thrive.”

As the first NCAA Division II women’s basketball national champions, the 1981-82 Broncos did more than win a title - they established Cal Poly Pomona as a national powerhouse and helped shape the future of women’s collegiate basketball. The program has since gone on to win four additional national titles, marking the most in NCAA Division II history. Their induction into the CPP Athletics Hall of Fame honors not only a championship season, but a team that made history at the exact moment the sport entered a new era.