Cal Lutheran forward Josh DeVore will be the university's only representative at a national student leadership conference in Chicago Sept. 18–20.
DeVore, a Kingsmen men's basketball player, was selected for the 2026 Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU) Student Leadership Summit, Cal Lutheran athletics announced Thursday, Sept. 10. The three-day event runs Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20, in Chicago.
Pastor Elizabeth Gallen, Cal Lutheran's campus pastor, nominated him.
The NECU is a network of Lutheran-affiliated colleges and universities. Its signature summit gathers student leaders from member schools for discussions on advocacy, community engagement and the role of liberal arts education.
"As a member of the men's basketball team here at CLU, I am very excited to attend this event to show that there is truly so much more to being a Division III athlete than just being excellent at your sport …" DeVore said.
DeVore wears No. 35 and played in all 26 games during his sophomore season in 2025-26. He scored 156 points, shot 41.0% from the field and pulled down 94 rebounds for the Kingsmen, who compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) at the NCAA Division III level.
Off the court, DeVore is active in student clubs and organizations at Cal Lutheran, according to Gallen. She said she nominated him because of his "eager and earnest faith and emerging leadership," calling him a natural leader who brings "energy, curiosity and a willingness to say 'yes' to opportunities to serve."
Head coach Russell White said DeVore has embraced the Cal Lutheran community since his first day on campus and will do "a great job representing us in Chicago and beyond."
This year's summit theme is "Context Creators: Student Leadership for Purpose, Belonging, and the Common Good." Sessions will cover vocational identity, interfaith dialogue, international student support and collaboration across institutions.
DeVore will return to Cal Lutheran after the summit wraps.
