UCU Athletes of the Week are Gonzalez and Varsity 8+ Crew - UC San Diego (2024)

EMILIANO GONZALEZ, BASEBALL, GR., C

Catcher Emiliano Gonzalez celebrated his senior weekend by slashing .462/.769/.556 to lead UC San Diego to a series win over Cal Poly. Gonzalez went 6-for-13 with a double and a home run, collecting seven RBI and three runs scored. He also tallied four walks and was 2-for-2 in stolen bases. Gonzalez finished first on the team with 46 RBI this season which ranks eighth in the Big West.

VARSITY 8+, WOMEN'S ROWING

It was another tremendous weekend for the UC San Diego Varsity 8+ boat as they picked up a first and second place finish at this weekend's CAA Conference Championships in New Jersey. As a team, the Tritons came in second overall place of the eight schools competing by accumulating 40 team points across both days of racing. Scholar-athletes Sophia Gordon and Bianca Tung were named to the CAA's All-Conference Team for their stellar overall seasons as key members of the Varsity 8+ crew. The rest of the Tritons' boat featured the following scholar-athletes: Kiera Cooper, Ciara Auran, Iza Gwizdak, Annica Ford, Lily Feagler, Natalie Norstad and Natasha Vallancey.

ANTHONY POTESTIO, BASEBALL, FR., 2B

Freshman Anthony Potestio had a strong week for the Tritons, finishing 8-for-18 (.444) with three doubles and a home run. Splitting time between second base and left field, he collected five RBI, four runs scored and 14 total bases to help UC San Diego secure the series victory at CSUN. Potestio recorded a .778 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage, recording at least one hit in all four games for the week.

SYLVANA NORTHROP, TRACK AND FIELD, JR., DISTANCE

At the APU Last Chance meet, junior Sylvana Northrop broke her own record in the 5000m for the third time this season. Ending the season in the 5K, Northrop finished third overall with a time of 16:48.38 to break her own record one more time. That new record moves her into 14th overall in the Big West.

TAMARA AIMUFIA, WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD, FR., TRIPLE JUMP

Leading the Triton women in the field at the Titan-Tune Up Invitational, UC San Diego freshman Tamara Aimufia won the women's triple jump. One of seven first-place finishes on the women's side, the freshman jumper posted a mark of 12.27m (40' 3.25"). She currently holds the No. 2 spot on the programs top 10 all-time list and is fourth in the Big West in the event.

KYLE GIBBS, MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD, SR., POLE VAULT

UC San Diego senior Kyle Gibbs continues his win streak after placing first at the Titan-Tune Up Invitational in men's pole vault. As the current school record holder, Gibbs continues chasing his own mark each meet and was just shy this past weekend, vaulting a height of 5.12m (16' 10.75"). In the Big West, the senior sits in second place overall and this was his third event win in a row.

COURTNEY OKUMURA, WOMEN'S WATER POLO, JR., ATTACKER

Courtney Okumura totaled a team-high nine points with five goals and four assists over two games at the Big West Championship. Against top-seeded, second-ranked, and eventual conference champion Hawai'i, Okumura finished with five points on three goals and a pair of assists. She also added a steal and a drawn exclusion. The day prior, Okumura led the Tritons to a quarterfinal win against CSUN by scoring two goals and dishing out two assists. Her four assists gave her 33 helpers for the season, the most by any Triton by a single assist. In addition, she ended her season with a five-game scoring streak.

ROGER WU, FENCING, FR., SABER

Competing at this week's USA Fencing National Championships, Wu had an impressive showing as he finished in seventh overall place for the Division I level and ninth in the junior men's saber as well.

BROCK KLESZCZ, BASEBALL, SR., LF

Brock Kleszcz finished the week, 5-for-13 with eight RBI and four run scored for UC San Diego. The senior slashed .385/1.000/.429 with a pair of two-run home runs and two doubles to lead the Tritons offensively at Long Beach State. He started the week with a 2-for-2 performance with a double, two RBI and a run scored against UC Riverside on Monday. In the Friday opener at LBSU, Kleszcz recorded a career-high four RBI, accounting for four of the Tritons five runs by way of two two-run homers. In the Sunday finale, Kleszcz added another double, two RBI and a run scored to help UC San Diego earn the series victory.

KATE MACNAUGHTON, TRACK AND FIELD, SR., JUMPS/SPRINTS

Leading UC San Diego over the weekend, senior Kate MacNaughton tallied two first place finishes and a top 10 finish at the 31st annual Triton Invitational. Beginning the day on the track, MacNaughton finished 10th in the 100m hurdles moving her into 16th overall in the Big West. In high jump, the senior earned her first place finish with a personal record jumping the height of 1.72m (5' 7.75"). Back on the track, she joined the women's 4x400m relay as the third leg to help them finish first with a time of 3:47.41.

CAROLINE CHRISTL, WOMEN'S WATER POLO, JR., ATTACKER

Caroline Christl scored a career-high five goals Friday in a Big West match-up at No. 2 Hawai'i, accounting for more than half of the team's eight goals. She found the net once in each of the first three quarters and added two more in the final stanza. Two of her tallies came on power plays and another was scored on a five-meter penalty shot. Christl upped her scoring streak to a team-best nine games with the performance. For the season she leads the Tritons in goals, points, and shots.

DAVIS MCDOWELL, GOLF, JR.

Davis McDowell made a huge comeback in the final round and was the Tritons' top finisher at the team's own UC San Diego Invitational at Torrey Pines. He shot a 67 (-5) in round three to move up 39 spots on the leaderboard into seventh in the 107-player field. McDowell's outstanding round featured one eagle, four birdies, 12 pars, and just one bogey. He has been UC San Diego's top finisher in four of six tournaments this season.

MATTHEW DALQUIST, BASEBALL, R-FR., RHP

Starter Matthew Dalquist pitched a career-high 7.1 innings to help UC San Diego earn a 2-1 victory at UC Davis on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander tallied five strikeouts, while allowing one walk and just two extra-base hits—seven total—in his no-decision start. Dalquist's outing was his first appearance working seven innings since 2022—he sat out the entire 2023 season due to injury.

MAXINE SCHULTZ, TRACK AND FIELD, SR., SPRINTS

Joining the nation's top track and field teams at the 45th annual Aztec Invitational, senior sprinter,Maxine Schultzran 55.21 in the 400m dash finishing seventh at the invite. Her time now puts her fourth in the Big West in the event. Schultz now holds the third fastest time in program history. In the 200m dash, the senior earned another top 10 finish with a time of 24.75. Continuing to score for the Tritons, Schultz led the 4x400m relay team to a third place finish with a time of 3:46.46, the second fastest of the season.

JULI ARZAVE, WOMEN'S SWIM, SR., DISTANCE

Returning to the CSCAA National Invitational for the final time, senior Juli Arzave won two national titles to defend her title in 1650 yard freestyle. On the final night of the NIC, Arzave swam the challenging mile swim to win the 1000 free and 1650 free in one swim. She went back-to-back for the 1650 free title with a time of 16:19.80 and still holds the meet record. In the 1000 free, the senior swam a time of 9:53.66 to win it. Arzave was one of three Tritons to win an individual title at the national meet.

DIOGO TINOCO, MEN'S TENNIS, SO.

Helping to lead the Tritons to a perfect 3-0 week, Diogo Tinoco bested his singles opponent in all three matches he competed in for UC San Diego this week. Beginning play by facing No. 51 Indiana, Tinoco was able to pick up a three-set victory after dropping the initial set as he helped the Tritons pick up the 4-3 victory and their first victory over a ranked opponent since moving to the Division I level.

Continuing his stellar week in a Saturday doubleheader against Boston U, Diogo clinched both matches against the Terriers with his victories in singles. Both wins were two set victories for Tinoco, who also teamed up with Carson Lee in doubles and bested his BU opponents by a 7-6 score. Thanks to the pair's efforts, UC San Diego won the doubles points in both parts of the doubleheader against the Terriers.

EMILIANO GONZALEZ, BASEBALL, GR., CATCHER

Emiliano Gonzalez finished 8-for-13 (.615) to lead UC San Diego to a 3-0 sweep of Pacific over the weekend. The Tritons' catcher recorded five RBI and two runs scored with a .692 slugging percentage and .615 on base percentage. He was pivotal in the Tritons' walk off victory on Friday night, knocking a two-run single with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, 3-3. Gonzalez finished the contest 3-for-5 with three RBI, following the performance on Saturday 2-for-4 with a run scored and wrapping up Sunday 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. He currently leads the Big West with a .429 batting average. Gonzalez also recorded a perfect fielding percentage with 35 putouts and one assist.

GRACE GAMAL, WOMEN'S TENNIS, SO.

Sophom*ore Grace Gamal had a strong week as the Tritons went a perfect 3-0, including a win over defending Big Sky champ Weber State as well as a comeback Big West victory over UC Irvine. Gamal went 3-0 in singles action, with a pair of straight sets wins at No. 3 and a three-set victory over UTRGV on court two. In doubles, Gamal paired with senior Ella Pachl for a 6-4 win that clinched the doubles point in a 4-3 triumph over the Vaqueros.

INDIA CALDWELL, SOFTBALL, JR., RHP

Tossing her second complete game to open the Tritons seven-game week, junior-transfer India Caldwell earned her first NCAA Division I win over St. John's University as she held them to two runs. The righty got the start against North Florida in the opening game of the ASU Invite where she tossed four innings as the Tritons were in the lead. In the time she came out, she ran to the locker room to take a quiz with a professor on zoom before returning in the seventh to shut the door on the Ospreys as they came within two in her absence. Caldwell leads the Big West with batters SO looking at 14 and is sporting a 2.49 ERA.

BENJAMIN ROSENGARD, BASEBALL, SR., 2B

Second baseman Benjamin Rosengard had a strong weekend at the plate to help UC San Diego sweep a four-game series with Stephen F. Austin. Rosengard finished 6-for-15 (.400) with a double, a triple and two home runs. The Chicago native tallied a team-high eight RBI across four games and added five runs scored, finishing with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .438 on-base percentage. Rosengard currently leads the Big West with 17 hits, ranks sixth in runs batted in (12) and 10th in slugging percentage (.583).

MIRANDA RENNER, WOMEN'S SWIM, SR., FREE

In her final appearance at MPSF Conference Championships, fifth-year Miranda Renner led UC San Diego scoring 60 points over four days of the competition to bring home three individual championships and three relay championships. Renner swam five program record swims: four in finals and one in prelims.

200 Free Relay | Program Record |1:29.96 (22.75)
200 Medley Relay | Program Record | 1:38.86 (22.45 Fly)
400 Medley Relay | Program Record | 3:36.16 (23.19 Fly)
100 Free | Program Record | 49.41
50 Free | 22.70
100 Fly | 53.26
100 Fly Prelims | Program Record |52.72

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

UC San Diego senior guard Bryce Pope hit adramatic buzzer-beaterand scored a career-high 32 points – the most points ever scored by a Triton in a Division I game – on 11-of-19 shooting as UC San Diego moved back into a first-place tie in The Big West with an overtime win against UC Irvine. Pope moved into sixth place all-time at UC San Diego with 1,530 career points. For the week, he averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as the Tritons went 2-0.

RYAN FORCUCCI, BASEBALL, JR., RHP

Junior right-hander Ryan Forcucci was exceptional in his season debut, setting the Tritons' Division I single game record with 11 strikeouts. Forcucci pitched a perfect game through 4.0 innings against the defending Mountain West champions, San Jose State. He allowed just one hit in his five innings of work to earn the 3-1 victory on Friday evening. He struck out at least two batters in each inning and closed out his performance by striking out the side in the fifth. Of his 64 total pitches, only 18 were off the mark.

LEXI O'GORMAN, SOFTBALL, FR., CENTER FIELDER

Playing three top 25 teams, Lexi O'Gorman finished the weekend with a batting average of .556 going 5-for-9. Averaging a .667 slugging percentage, the first year knocked in a run and scored one of her own with a double to earn six total bases. O'Gorman continues her six-game hitting streak and is seventh in the conference batting a .458 average overall. Against some of the nation's top pitching staffs, O'Gorman did not strikeout once in her nine plate appearances.

LEXI O'GORMAN, SOFTBALL, FR., CENTER FIELDER

UC San Diego's freshman center fielder, Lexi O'Gorman, made an immediate impact in her first collegiate weekend leading the Tritons at the plate with a .400 batting average after playing all five games of the La Jolla Invitational. Going 6-for-15 overall with five runs batted in and eight total bases. Knocking a hit in four of the five games, O'Gorman batted in three of the nine runs and scored her own run against FDU and batted in two against Cal Baptist.

ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., GUARD/FORWARD

First year-Triton Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones paced UC San Diego in its lone game of the week, an overtime setback at Hawai'i. Tait-Jones scored a game-high 24 points. He was remarkably efficient, connecting on 6-of-8 field goal tries and draining 12 free throws. The New Zealand native led the Tritons with six rebounds. He also had three assists and a pair of steals, committing just one turnover during 41 minutes played.

ANDRIJA PETKOVIC, MEN'S SWIM, SR., FREE

Leading the men against No. 2 Cal, UC San Diego's Andrija Petkovic earned two wins over the Golden Bears on Friday and then swam a Senior Nationals qualifying time on Saturday at the Triton Invitational. In the 200 free,he finished with a time of 1:37.76 to take first place by two seconds from Cal with teammatesfinishing in third and fourth behind the senior. His second win came in the 100 free after posting a time of 44.67. On Saturday, Petkovic swam a SRN qualifying time in the 100 free with a time of 50.43.

MIRANDA RENNER, WOMEN'S SWIM, SR., FREE/FLY

UC San Diego senior Miranda Renner led the Triton women to victory on Friday over USD with two first-place finishes before setting a program record on Saturday at the Triton Invitational. Against the crosstown foes, Renner helped the Tritons in the 200 medley relay to a first-place finish swimming the fly stroke for a time of 1:43.34. In the 50 free, the senior posted a time of 23.74 to win the event and add another nine points to the Tritons' score. At the Triton Invitational, Renner broke the long course record in the 50 free by 0.28 and was 0.36 seconds shy of an Olympic trial qualifying time with a time of 26.05.

KENDALL THOMAS, WOMEN'S WATER POLO, JR., CENTER

Junior Kendall Thomas scored five goals to help UC San Diego to a 2-0 record at California Baptist's Lancer Joust Saturday. The center found the net four times against the host Lancers while also adding a steal and a field block. Later that day, she added another goal to her season total against Fresno Pacific. Thomas currently leads the team in goals (11), points (12), shooting percentage (.647), shots (17), drawn exclusions (5), and field blocks (2). She has scored at least once in five of six games and has multiple goals in three.

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

With his team leading by two at halftime in a battle of first place teams at UC Davis, Bryce Pope took over in the second half Saturday. Pope scored 22 after halftime – nearly outscoring the Aggies (23 points) – as the Tritons earned a 92-59 win, the program's first Big West win in Davis. Pope finished with 29 points, matching his season high, as the Tritons improved to 8-1 in conference action. For the week, Pope averaged 22 points on 47% shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and only one turnover in a pair of UC San Diego victories.

ANDRIJA PETKOVIC, MEN'S SWIMMING, SR., FREE

UC San Diego's Andrija Petkovic continues to lead the Triton men with three first place finishes over Cal Baptist and Grand Canyon University this past weekend. The veteran opened the meet with a victory in the 200 yard medley relay as the lead swimmer. The group of four snuck to the wall 0.19 seconds before the second place finishers for a time of 1:29.43. In his individual wins, Petkovic swam a 1:37.57 in the 200 free and a 44.42 in the 100 free. Currently ranked 10th in the MPSF, Petkovic has eight top 16 conference swims.

KYRA WU, WOMEN'S FENCING, JR., FOIL

Posting a team best 15-3 record at the Philadelphia Invitational this weekend, Wu was a force for the Tritons' women's team who picked up numerous individual wins in the spring opener. Kyra picked up victories dueling with opponents from Princeton, Temple, UNC and NYU over the weekend that helped the foil squad post a 7-1 record throughout the three days of competition.

FRANCIS NWAOKORIE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., FORWARD

UC San Diego junior Francis Nwaokorie had a standout week in leading the Tritons to a pair of Big West wins. Nwaokorie matched his career-high with four three-pointers, scoring 14 and pulling down a game-high seven rebounds as the Tritons beat Long Beach State for the first time in La Jolla Thursday night. On Saturday at Cal Poly, Nwaokorie finished with 13 and four over limited minutes as the Tritons moved into a first place tie atop the conference standings with a perfect 5-0 record. For the week, Nwaokorie averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line, shot 50% from the field and 57% (4-for-7) from distance.

ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN'S SWIMMING, FR., FREESTYLE/INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

Over the three days of competition at the TYR Pro Swim Series, freshman standout Asia Kozan led the group of nine swimmers with a program record and two finals swims. Setting the long course record in the 200 meter freestyle, Kozan posted a time of 2:03.22. She returned to the finals in that same event as well as the 200 meter IM. The freshman has set three UC San Diego program records so far this season.

KATIE SPRINGS, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., GUARD

Katie Springs set the Tritons' Division I record with 20 rebounds in a 71-58 victory over Cal State Fullerton. The junior center finished one point shy of her first double-double, setting career marks in points (9) and steals (4) against the Titans. Springs was a defensive force for UC San Diego in a 2-0 week, helping the Tritons' hold the Big West's top offense, UC Santa Barbara, to its second lowest field goal percentage (.333) of the season in a 64-50 victory. For the week, Springs averaged 12.5 rebounds per game and currently leads the Big West (10.0). Springs has recorded seven games with double-figure rebounds this season.

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

UC San Diego senior guard Bryce Pope scored 20 points as the Tritons earned their first-ever win at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night. Pope followed that up with a season-high 29-point effort as UC San Diego earned a 76-58 win at Cal State Fullerton – the largest Triton margin of victory ever in a Big West road game. Pope was remarkably efficient at Fullerton, hitting 11-of-17 shots. For the week, he averaged 24.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, sinking all nine free throw attempts. UC San Diego is 3-0 in Big West play for the first time in program history.

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

UC San Diego senior Bryce Pope led the way in the Tritons' Big West-opening win over Cal State Bakersfield. Pope scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting – including knocking down four-of-six three-point tries. Pope was 5-for-6 from the free throw line, pulled down five rebounds, and registered three assists and a steal in the Tritons' lone game of the week. The 20-plus point effort was Pope's third of the season and the 20th such game of his career.

IZZY FORSYTH, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., GUARD

Izzy Forsyth led the Tritons with 16 points in the Big West opener at Cal State Bakersfield, shooting 5-for-12 (41 percent) from the floor with two threes. The junior finished just shy of her first career double-double with nine rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

SUMAYAH SUGAPONG, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, FR., GUARD

Freshman Sumayah Sugapong had back-to-back career games for UC San Diego at the USD Winter Classic, collecting a career-high 22 points against Boise State on Wednesday and following it up with a 25-point performance against Montana on Thursday. Sugapong shot 40 percent from the field and 13-of-17 from the free throw line, averaging 23.5 points over two games. The San Diego native added eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and one block.

TYLER MCGHIE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., GUARD/FORWARD

Playing in his first two games as a Triton, Tyler McGhie made quite an impact for UC San Diego, averaging 21 points on 50% shooting (14-28) while knocking down 11 three-pointers (in 22 tries). In his Triton debut, McGhie scored 22 off the bench in a dominant win at Sacramento State. Two days later, McGhie drained five threes and scored 20 at Cal. For the week, he grabbed four rebounds, registered three steals and a pair of assists without committing a turnover.

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

Bryce Pope paced the Tritons over two games last week, averaging 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and one steal. Pope averaged a team-high 37 minutes in the games at Washington and against San Diego State, and he leads The Big West in average minutes per game. With 1,170 career points, Pope ranks 13th all-time in UC San Diego program history for points scored. It marks the second week in a row that Pope was selected as a UCU Athlete of the Week.

SUMAYAH SUGAPONG, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, FR., GUARD

True freshman Sumayah Sugapong averaged 17.5 points to lead UC San Diego in a two-game week. The San Diego native led the Tritons to their first Division I victory over crosstown foe San Diego State—and first since 2001—collecting a game-high 18 points, including three three-pointers. She led the team again on Saturday at Fresno State with 17 points and has reached double-figures in seven of the Tritons' eight games this season. For the week, she finished with 35 total points, five assists, four rebounds, and one block, shooting 46 percent from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.

DENALI PINTO, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, GR., GUARD

Denali Pinto matched her UC San Diego career high with 17 points on Sunday against Penn. The graduate student went 8-for-14 from the field, adding three rebounds and one assist for the Tritons. A grad transfer, Pinto matched her highest point total as a Triton—scored in her UC San Diego debut last season.

BRYCE POPE, MEN'S BASKETBALL, SR., GUARD

UC San Diego senior guard Bryce Pope averaged 20 points six rebounds, and two assists over two games played last weekend in Seattle. Pope shot 42% for the week (16-38), sinking four three-pointers. He scored 18 points on Friday against Idaho and followed that up with a 22-point effort Sunday at Seattle U. Through 78 career games played, Pope has scored 1,140 points. With eleven more points, he'll pass current associate head coach Clint Allard for 13th on the program's all-time scoring list.

BENNETT AXLINE, MEN'S WATER POLO, SO., CENTER

Sophom*ore Bennett Axline led all tournament players in goals (8) and was second in points (9) despite playing just two games during the Big West Championship at Canyonview Aquatic Center. In a 16-5 first round win over sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton, Axline registered five goals for the third-seeded and 13^th-ranked Tritons. In a semifinal loss against second-seeded and ninth-ranked UC Santa Barbara, he scored another three goals and added an assist. Axline also had four drawn exclusions and three steals over the two games. Four of his eight goals were netted during a power play. For the season, Axline led UC San Diego in goals (59), scoring multiple times in 16 of 30 games.

ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN'S SWIMMING, FR.

Leading UC San Diego to a first place finish at the Trailblazer Invitational, freshman standout Asia Kozan took six first-place finishes with two program records. Setting an individual program record in the 200 fly, she finished with a time of 1:57.24 and then helped the 400 medley relay squad to a program record with a time of 3:37.38. Of the868.5 team points, Kozan is responsible for 214 points with only one second place finish over the three-day event in the 400 free relay. The Triton women are now 6-3 in dual meets and this is their first invitational win of the season. This is the second time during the 2023 fall season that Kozan has been selected as a UCU Athlete of the Week.

LAUREN BROOKER, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, FR., SETTER/OPPOSITE

Setter/Opposite Lauren Brooker averaged 2.22 kills, 3.89 assists and 3.67 digs for UC San Diego over the weekend. The true freshman recorded her first triple-double—the first of the Division I era for the Tritons—on Saturday at UC Santa Barbara. Brooker recorded career highs in kills (14), points (17) and digs (25), adding 21 assists as UC San Diego pushed the Big West leaders to five sets. She also finished with 14 assists, eight digs and six kills against Cal Poly the previous evening. Brooker finished the week second on the team in digs (33) and third in kills (20) and points (25), leading the Tritons in hitting percentage (.283).

ANIWANIA TAIT-JONES, MEN'S BASKETBALL, JR., GUARD/FORWARD

UC San Diego newcomer Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones had quite the debut in a pair of Tritons wins on opening week. The junior transfer scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists with only three turnovers in UC San Diego's win over Denver. He followed that up with a 21-point, eight rebound, four assist effort in Saturday's win over San Diego, connecting on 8-of-11 field goal tries as UC San Diego won its 800th game in program history. Through two games as a Triton, Tait-Jones is averaging 17.5 points, nine rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game (which leads The Big West). The Tritons have started 2-0 in three of their four Division I seasons.

BRENDON FEZZEY, MEN'S WATER POLO, SO., DEFENDER

Brendon Fezzey scored four goals, including the game-winner with 28 seconds left on the clock, to lift No. 12UC San Diego to a huge, 11-10 Big West victory over No. 6 UC Davis Saturday in La Jolla.The four goals are a new single game high for the sophom*ore. Fezzey also found the net once in the first quarter before erupting for three in the final period, the first of which tied the score at 8-8 and the second that evened it at 10-10. His four goals came off five shots, an .800 shooting percentage. The win helped the Tritons secure the third seed for the upcoming Big West Men's Water Polo Championship, which UC San Diego will host at Canyonview Nov. 17-19.

ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN'S SWIMMING, FR.

Swimming back-to-back meets, UC San Diego freshman Asia Kozan posted one of two Triton wins over Cal on Friday, and then led the Tritons to a meet sweep over Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Touching the wall 0.37 seconds ahead of Cal with a time of 2:00.49, Kozan snagged the victory in the 200 fly. Against Pepperdine and UCSB, Kozan earned four of the nine wins on the day in the 200 medley relay, the 400 free relay, the 400 IM, and the 100 free. The freshman set a program record in the 100 free with a time of 49.51 and finished ahead of the 14 other swimmers by a full two seconds.

KEARA FITZGERALD, WOMEN'S SOCCER, SR., GOALKEEPER

UC San Diego senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald registered eight saves over 68-plus minutes as the Tritons posted a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at then-first place Cal Poly Thursday night in the team's regular season finale. Fitzgerald left the game in the 69th minute due to injury. For the season, Fitzgerald led The Big West with 97 saves as well as a 5.39 saves per game average. The Tritons finished fifth in The Big West standings but were forbidden from competing in the conference's postseason tournament due to conference policy prohibiting tournament play during UC San Diego's transition to Division I.

AVA MCINNES, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, JR., OUTSIDE HITTER

Ava McInnes was efficient for the Tritons, hitting .431 with just two errors on 51 swings to help UC San Diego earn a pair of road sweeps over the weekend. The junior outside hitter averaged 4.00 kills per set and totaled 24 kills in two matches, adding 13 digs, five blocks and three aces. In Thursday's 3-0 victory at UC Davis, McInnes recorded her 18th match with double-figure kills this season, leading the team in both kills (15) and blocks (4) and totaling 18.5 points. During the match, she also moved into sixth all-time in the UC San Diego record books for career kills (1,133). On Saturday, McInnes tallied nine kills on 20 swings with zero errors (.450) and added 11 digs in the contest. This marks the second time during the 2023-24 athletic year that McInnes has been selected as an Athlete of the Week.

ZENO CASTIGLIONI, MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, SR.

In the Tritons' final meet of the 2023 season, senior Zeno Castiglioniled the Tritons on both sides with the top finish of the afternoon and a UC San Diego sweep of the invite. The senior posted a time of 24:08.2 in the 8K, finishing in fourth place to help the Triton men to a first-place finish.

JASMINE SARAN, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, SO., MIDDLE BLOCKER

Sophom*ore Jasmine Saran averaged 2.43 kills, 2.14 blocks and 1.14 digs per set to lead UC San Diego defensively in a 2-0 weekend. The middle blocker finished the weekend with 28.5 points which ranked second for the Tritons. In Thursday's sweep at Cal State Fullerton, Saran led the team with six blocks, five digs and eight kills. On Saturday, Saran had a career day in a 3-1 victory over UC Irvine, recording a career-best nine blocks (2 solo), while leading the team in aces (3) and adding three digs. Saran also hit .643 in the contest with nine kills on 14 swings with no errors.

EMMA DUNMIRE, WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, SO.

Leading UC San Diego at the Highlander Invite,Emma Dunmireled the gold and blue with a sixth-place finish. Her top finish of the season came in at 20:36.5. Dunmire's time in the 4K was the fastest time posted for UC San Diego on this course, ever. The sophom*ore's top-ten finish led the Triton women to a eighth place finish, beating out Utah Tech, Northern Colorado, and USC.

MAX CARVALHO, MEN'S SOCCER, JR., FORWARD

UC San Diego's Max Carvalho led the Tritons to a 2-0 week after defeating UC Riverside on the road and Cal State Bakersfield at home. After going down 2-0 to the Highlanders, the Tritons scored five unanswered goals with Max Carvalho scoring the equalizer in the 25th minute. On Saturday, Carvalho took two shots against the solid defense of Cal State Bakersfield and found the back of the net in the final minute to secure the victory for the gold and blue. Carvalho has four goals, one assist, and nine points so far this season.

ANTE BUZOV, MEN'S WATER POLO, JR., UTILITY

Junior Ante Buzov registered the second hat trick of his first season as a Triton in a tight 10-9 loss against Big West opponent UC Irvine at home. He also finished with three steals and two drawn exclusions. Buzov scored the game's first goal just 59 seconds into the opening quarter and his other two came in the third period. All three gave UC San Diego a one-goal lead and two of his scores came during power play situations. The three goals were a team high in the game and also matched the transfer's career high.

NEVADA KNOWLES, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, JR., SETTER

Nevada Knowles set UC San Diego's Division I single match record for service aces, collecting seven in a 3-0 sweep at CSUN. She followed it up the next day with four more aces in a 3-1 victory at Cal State Bakersfield, totaling 11 for the weekend (1.57 per set). The junior setter collected 48 assists (6.86 per set) and directed the Tritons' offense to .262 team hitting percentage in a 2-0 weekend. Additionally, she finished second on the team with 17 total digs (2.43 per set). Knowles finished one dig shy of a double-double against the Matadors with 26 assists and nine digs, and collected 22 assists and eight digs the next day against the Roadrunners.

MITCHELL WILSON, MEN'S SOCCER, SR., GOALKEEPER

In UC San Diego's opening week of Big West play, Mitchell Wilson led the Tritons to a 1-0-1 result, allowing no goals in over 180 minutes of play.Facing a total of 28 shots and making 12 saves, Wilson recorded two clean sheets, shutting out both teams. On Saturday, Wilson earned a career game-high nine saves at Sacramento State after the teams drew even at 0-0. The nine saves are the second highest saves in Big West play and the third highest for a single game so far this season. The senior is third in the conference for saves per game at 4.14/game.

RAQUEL KALPAKOFF, WOMEN'S SOCCER, JR., FORWARD

UC San Diego junior Raquel Kalpakoff netted the game-winning goal as the Tritons earned a come-from-behind 3-1 victory at UC Davis on Sunday. Combined with her goal Thursday night at Hawai'i, Kalpakoff has scored five goals this season – third most in The Big West – over just seven matches played off the bench. With her fifth goal of the season on Sunday, the junior has now equaled the UC San Diego program record for most goals scored in a season during the Tritons' Division I era.Today marks the second time that Kalpakoffhas been selected as the women's Athlete of the Week for the 2023-24 athletic year.

LANDON AKERSTROM, MEN'S WATER POLO, FR., ATTACKER

Freshman Landon Akerstrom racked up a team co-high 14 points on 10 goals and four assists over four games at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Invitational in Los Angeles. His 10 goals were the most scored by any Triton at the tournament. Akerstrom established a new career high by finding the back of the net four times in a win against Occidental. He also had hat tricks against #4 Pepperdine and #14 California Baptist. Akerstrom assisted on two goals against both #12 UC Irvine and California Baptist. UC San Diego went 2-2 at the tourney. Overall this season, Akerstrom leads UC San Diego in points (41), goals (28), and shots (58) and is second in steals (19). He has scored in 13 of 14 games with multiple goals in nine contests.

ISABELLE SHEPHERD, WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR

Leading both Triton cross country squads at the Cougar Challenge, senior Isabelle Shepherd took second place out of 190 runners. Shepherd helped the women to a third place finish as a team and posted a career-best finish for herself with a time of 20:52.4. The senior has led the women's side as the top finisher in all three meets so far this season. Today marks the second time that Shepherd has been selected as the women's Athlete of the Week for the 2023-24 athletic year.

AVA MCINNES, WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL, JR., OUTSIDE HITTER

Ava McInnes led the Tritons to a perfect 3-0 weekend at the TSU/Belmont Invitational in Nashville. The junior outside hitter was named tournament MVP for her performance, collecting 59 kills (4.92 per set) and totaling 67.5 points (5.63 per set). McInnes recorded a season-high 24 kills and 27.5 points in a four-set victory at Tennessee State and led the Tritons with 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. McInnes also led UC San Diego in kills (13) and blocks (5) against Jackson State and capped the weekend with a 22-kill performance against Belmont. She extended a 15-match streak of double-figure kills dating back to last season and moved into eighth all-time in total attacks (2,855).

ROGER WU, MEN'S FENCING, FRESHMAN

UC San Diego's freshman Roger Wu made his collegiate for men's saber at the BladeRunner tournament where he earned the silver medal. After going undefeated in the pool competition, Wu was seeded at number one for the single-elimination bracket. He went undefeated for five rounds with 76 points scored before falling in the final to the No. 2 seed in a four-point difference. Out of the 90 fencers, Wu was one of four to go undefeated in the pool.

JORDAN HANEY, MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR

UC San Diego's senior cross country runner, Jordan Haney led the team for the second week in a row with a sixth-place finish at the Waves Invitational. Battling with Pepperdine for top position, Haney's 18:36.3 time scored three points for the Tritons, propelling the team to a first-place finish. This is the men's best finish in the Division I era led by the Carlsbad product.

ISABELLE SHEPHERD, WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR

Finishing in the top 15, UC San Diego's Isabelle Shepherd led the women's squad in the field of 91 runners at the Waves Invitational. Her time of 4:08.1 and 11th-place finish helped the team to tie for third with USC.

EMILY McDANIEL, WOMEN'SVOLLEYBALL, JR., MIDDLE BLOCKER

Emily McDaniel was named to the all-tournament team for the second week in a row after helping the Tritons go 2-1 at the Gonzaga Tournament. The junior middle blocker averaged 1.33 blocks per set, collecting a team-high 16 blocks—including eight solo stops—over three matches. McDaniel recorded a season-high 12 kills and added three blocks on Friday against Air Force. In the second match of the day, McDaniel tallied five kills with no errors (.417) and added another three blocks to help the Tritons sweep Idaho. On Saturday, McDaniel matched her career high with 10 blocks—six solo stops—in a four-set victory over Gonzaga and added eight kills, finishing the weekend with 37.0 total points.

FELIPEFERREIRA, MEN'S WATER POLO, JR., ATTACKER

First-year Triton Felipe Ferreira had an outstanding debut weekend for 11^th-ranked UC San Diego. Over four games during the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, the junior transfer led all UC San Diego players in point production, finishing with 15 on six goals and a team-high nine assists to help the Tritons go 2-2 in a stacked field. He also produced six steals, the second-most on the team. Ferreira's top performance came in a win against No. 20 Navy when he registered five points on two goals and three assists. He also logged two steals against the Midshipmen. In a tight 11-9 loss to No. 2 USC, Ferreira had four points on a goal and three assists while adding a steal. Against California, the No. 1 team in the country and two-time defending national champion, the Brazilian had a goal and two assists plus two steals. Ferreira opened his Triton career Saturday morning with two goals, an assist, and a steal in a 17-4 win over Biola.