A trivia question for new UCSB students: How many NCAA Division 1 championships have been won by Gaucho sports teams?
The answer is two: men’s water polo in 1979 and men’s soccer in 2006.
Those are not trivial accomplishments. In the business of college sports, where extravagantly funded programs breed success (UCLA has won 118 national titles), UCSB’s modest outlay leaves it in a scrappy state. The two NCAA trophies on display in the Gaucho Athletic Hall of Fame — known as the Phil Womble Hall of Champions — are like precious Rembrandts in a small-town art museum.