2026 3C2A JUCO ALUMNI LEADERBOARD
ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE
Golden West Leads the 3C2A Orange Empire’s Alumni Placement Score as Santa Ana Sets the Efficiency Standard
Golden West leads the 3C2A Orange Empire with a 180.0 Raw Alumni Placement Score (APS) — the highest Raw APS of any of the conference’s 8 reporting colleges.
Across all 8 Orange Empire colleges, 235 alumni are currently active on four-year rosters — spanning NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA programs. The Orange Empire is ranked by Alumni Placement Score (APS) rather than raw alumni count alone — a model built to reflect where a program’s alumni are playing, not just how many of them there are. These counts are an annual snapshot, updated as alumni move levels year to year (JUCO to D2, then D2 to D1, for example) — not a full transfer history.
What Is Alumni Placement Score?
Alumni Placement Score (APS) weights each alumnus by the level they’re playing at: NCAA Division I counts for 5.0 points, NCAA Division II for 4.3, NAIA for 4.0, NCAA Division III for 3.7, NCCAA for 2.5, and USCAA for 2.0. A program’s Raw APS is the sum of those weighted points across all of its alumni. Two programs with the same number of alumni can post very different Raw APS totals if one is sending players to NCAA Division I rosters and the other to NCCAA rosters — a distinction a simple headcount can’t capture.
A Tenth of a Point Decides Second
Golden West’s 40 alumni produce a Raw APS of 180.0 — the highest of any 3C2A college — including 23 NCAA Division I alumni, also the most in 3C2A. Behind it, Saddleback (157.7) edges Riverside (157.6) by a tenth of a point for second place; both have 35 alumni, and Saddleback’s extra NCAA Division I alumnus (15 to 14) makes the difference. Cypress (153.6) sits four points back in 4th.
Full 3C2A Orange Empire Conference Alumni Rankings (2026)
Santa Ana posted the best win percentage in the Orange Empire at .846 (44-7-1) in 2026 and leads the conference in Efficiency APS (4.67), even though its Raw APS (130.7) ranks 5th.
How These Rankings Are Calculated
Rankings are based on Alumni Placement Score (APS), which weights each alumnus by the level they’re playing at rather than counting every roster spot the same. Total alumni is highlighted alongside Raw APS in the table. When two or more colleges tie on Raw APS, the higher total alumni count breaks the tie; win percentage is the second-level tiebreaker if Total Alumni is also equal. See the 2026 APS methodology for the formula, weights, and FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many alumni does the 3C2A Orange Empire have on four-year rosters in 2026?
The 3C2A Orange Empire has 235 alumni currently active on four-year rosters across its 8 reporting colleges, spanning NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA programs.
Which 3C2A Orange Empire college has the highest Alumni Placement Score?
Golden West leads the Orange Empire with a Raw APS of 180.0, built on 40 alumni currently active on four-year rosters. Saddleback (157.7) and Riverside (157.6) rank second and third.
What is Efficiency APS and why does it matter?
Efficiency APS divides a program’s Raw APS by its total alumni count, showing placement quality per alumnus rather than total volume. Santa Ana leads the Orange Empire in Efficiency APS at 4.67, despite ranking fifth in Raw APS.
Which Orange Empire program has the best win percentage?
Santa Ana posted the best win percentage in the Orange Empire at .846 (44-7-1) in 2026, the top mark among all 8 reporting colleges, despite ranking 5th in Raw APS.
How does the Orange Empire compare to the rest of 3C2A?
The Orange Empire’s 235 alumni account for about 14.0% of the 1,679 total alumni tracked across all 12 3C2A conferences in 2026. See the full 3C2A Conference Rankings for the complete conference-by-conference picture.
Explore more 3C2A rankings: Conference Rankings · Top 10
More Than Just Rankings
A CBI subscription unlocks the full Orange Empire leaderboard, plus the detailed division breakdown for every program — exactly how many alumni play at each NCAA division, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA level.
Insights reflect data available at time of publication and are subject to change.
