LA JOLLA, Calif. - A historic year in University of California San Diego sports was celebrated Thursday as the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics held its annual Athletics Recognition Night at the Price Center's West Ballroom on campus.
With a capacity crowd of 700 in attendance, the event honored Triton student-athletes for their athletic achievements, excellence in the classroom and outstanding community service efforts over the 2015-16 academic year. The banquet was also a chance to recognize exemplary coaches, staff, donors and alumni.
Nine of UC San Diego's 23 teams won conference regular season or tournament championships, including women's basketball, men's and women's fencing, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's water polo and women's water polo.
Seventeen teams competed in NCAA postseason play - men's basketball, women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's fencing, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, men's water polo and women's water polo.
Thirty Tritons earned All-America accolades, while 119 were named to all-conference teams.
Thursday night, sixteen Athletes of the Year were selected by the Athletics Department - Chase Cockerill (men's water polo), Michael Cohn (men's swimming and diving), Danielle Dahle (women's volleyball), Colleen Daley (women's swimming and diving), Drew Dyer (men's basketball), Dan Golubovic (men's track and field), Jamie Katuna (women's basketball), Laurel Kistler (women's water polo), Adam Klie (men's basketball), Jack Larsen (baseball), Kelsi Maday (softball), Courtney Miller (women's water polo), Katie O'Laughlin (women's soccer), Farrah Shokoor (women's basketball), Leanne Singleton-Comfort (women's fencing) and Dari Watkins (women's swimming and diving).
Cohn, Dahle, Larsen, Miller and Shokoor were all repeat Athlete of the Year winners, with Dahle procuring the award three times over her illustrious career.
Cockerill and Miller were also honored as UC San Diego's Outstanding Senior Student-Athletes. The award is presented in conjunction with UCSD Alumni and Cockerill and Miller will receive a $500 scholarship for graduate studies.
On the coaching front, men's basketball's Eric Olen was the recipient of the Excellence in Coaching Award. Olen led the Tritons to their best-ever season, setting program records for victories (24) and California Collegiate Athletic Association wins (15). UC San Diego, which advanced all the way to the NCAA Sweet 16, was nationally-ranked for the first time as a Division II team, climbing as high as No. 6.
Men's fencer Drew Dickinson and Kyra Scott of the women's tennis team received the Karen E. Reis Award for leadership and campus/community service. Scott also won the honor in 2015.
Speaking of women's tennis, the entire squad was recognized with the Leon T. Roach Team Spirit Award. It was the first time the team had won it since the award's inception in 1998.
For the second straight year, men's golf earned the Team GPA Award for having the highest GPA of any Triton team.
Six Tritons received the Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award, including Karinne Caisse (women's fencing), Cockerill, Dickinson, Katuna, Miller and Shokoor.
Special recognition was given to the Division I Student Leadership Group for playing an instrumental role in UC San Diego's initiative to elevate its entire athletics program to NCAA Division I status. In late May, the student body voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move.
---
2015-16 Athletics Recognition Night Award Recipients
Outstanding Senior Student-Athletes
Chase Cockerill, Men's Water Polo
Courtney Miller, Women's Water Polo
Athletes of the Year
Chase Cockerill, Men's Water Polo
Michael Cohn, Men's Swimming & Diving
Danielle Dahle, Women's Volleyball
Colleen Daley, Women's Swimming & Diving
Drew Dyer, Men's Basketball
Dan Golubovic, Men's Track & Field
Jamie Katuna, Women's Basketball
Laurel Kistler, Women's Water Polo
Adam Klie, Men's Basketball
Jack Larsen, Baseball
Kelsi Maday, Softball
Courtney Miller, Women's Water Polo
Katie O'Laughlin, Women's Soccer
Farrah Shokoor, Women's Basketball
Leanne Singleton-Comfort, Women's Fencing
Dari Watkins, Women's Swimming & Diving
Excellence in Coaching Award
Eric Olen, Men's Basketball
Karen E. Reis Award (Leadership/Campus and Community Service)
Drew Dickinson, Men's Fencing
Kyra Scott, Women's Tennis
Leon T. Roach Team Spirit Award
Women's Tennis
Team GPA Award
Men's Golf
Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award
Karinne Caisse, Women's Fencing
Chase Cockerill, Men's Water Polo
Drew Dickinson, Men's Fencing
Jamie Katuna, Women's Basketball
Courtney Miller, Women's Water Polo
Farrah Shokoor, Women's Basketball
#TritonsRising
