IRVINE, Calif. - Following a historic season for the University of California San Diego men's volleyball team, three scholar-athletes have been honored by the Big West Conference as the league announced its annual postseason awards Monday.

Junior outside hitter Kyle McCauley and senior setter Connor Walbrecht were selected to the All-Big West Conference First Team, while junior outside hitter Wyatt Harrison was an honorable mention.

The trio was instrumental in leading UC San Diego to one of its finest seasons in program history.

The Tritons finished with a 14-5 overall record, the team's highest win total since becoming an NCAA Division II program prior to the 2001 season. They climbed to No. 6 in the national rankings, their highest ever, and won seven matches against ranked teams. One of those victories came against No. 5 UC Irvine, the first-ever Big West Conference win for UC San Diego. The following week, the Tritons downed the Anteaters again. Another was against third-ranked UCLA, the first time the Tritons had defeated the Bruins since 2012. Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 28, the team reeled off six-consecutive wins, a program best.

Unfortunately, UC San Diego's extraordinary season was unexpectedly cut short when, on March 12, the NCAA canceled the remainder of its winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tritons had seven regular season matches remaining on their schedule, all of those Big West contests. In addition, the conference tournament was left unplayed.

Three Tritons have now been named to the All-Big West Conference First Team as opposite Tanner Syftestad earned the honor in 2018. Harrison was a member of the Big West All-Freshman Team that year as well.

KYLE McCAULEY
Junior Outside Hitter
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Urban Studies & Planning
• First season at UC San Diego after transferring from Orange Coast College
• AVCA National Player of the Week (1/14)
• Two-time Big West Conference Player of the Week (1/13, 2/17)
• San Diego Sports Association Star of the Month for January
• UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/13)
• Played in 18 of 19 possible matches, starting all of those
• Led team in kills and points and was third in hitting percentage, fourth in aces, and fifth in blocks
• Nationally, ranked ninth in kills/set, 14th in points/set, 23rd in attacks/set, and 30th in hitting percentage
• Among Big West Conference players, ranked first in kills and points, second in kills/set and attack attempts, and third in points/set
• Had 10-plus kills in 15 of 18 matches, 15-plus kills in 11, and 20-plus kills in four
• Career-high 24 kills at UC Irvine (2/15), which was team's first-ever Big West win
• Totaled at least 11 kills in 10 of his last 11 matches
• Made Triton debut on Jan. 9 at home, recording 20 kills, six digs, two aces, and two blocks in a five set victory over No. 11 Loyola

CONNOR WALBRECHT
Senior Setter
La Canada, Calif.
International Business
• Team Captain
• Two-time Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week (2/17, 2/24)
• Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/9)
• Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team
• UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (2/24)
• Finished career with 1,447 assists, averaging 7.1/set
• Started all 19 matches and played in 70 of 71 possible sets
• His 705 assists, 19 aces, 146 digs, 44 blocks, and 63.5 points were all personal single season highs
• 705 assists were the most in the country
• Among Big West players, ranked first in assists and digs, third in assists/set, fourth in digs/set, and fifth in aces
• Nationally, ranked eighth in assists/set and 20th in digs/set
• Led Tritons to a .280 team hitting percentage, their highest since 2010
• 10 or more digs in six matches
• Career-high 57 assists vs. McKendree (1/25)
• Career-high 20 digs at UC Irvine (2/15), the Tritons' first-ever Big West win
• Career-high seven blocks at Concordia (2/4)

WYATT HARRISON
Junior Outside Hitter
Santa Cruz, Calif.
International Business
• Team Captain
• Big West Player of the Week (1/27)
• Off the Block National Outside Hitter of the Week (1/27)
• Off the Block National Offensive Player of the Night (1/17)
• Lindenwood Invitational All-Tournament Team
• UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week (1/20)
• Started all 19 matches
• One of just two Tritons to play in all 71 of the team's sets
• Led team in service aces and receptions and was second in kills and points, fourth in digs
• Among Big West Conference players, ranked first in aces and attacks, third in kills and points, seventh in points/set, and 15th in digs
• Nationally, ranked 26th in aces/set and 30th in attacks/set
• Had 10-plus kills in 12 of 19 matches and 15-plus in five
• His .260 hitting percentage, 28 aces, and 21 assists were personal single season highs
• Recorded career-highs and team season-highs with 27 kills and 31 points vs. McKendree (1/25)

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2020 ALL-BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Player of the Year
Rado Parapunov, OPP, Hawai'i

Co-Freshmen of the Year
Mason Briggs, L, Long Beach State
Kyle Hobus, OH, CSUN

Coach of the Year
Rick McLaughlin, UC Santa Barbara

First Team
Simon Anderson, MB, Long Beach State
Colton Cowell, OH, Hawai'i
Randy DeWeese, OPP, UC Santa Barbara
Patrick Gasman, MB, Hawai'i
Kyle McCauley, OH, UC San Diego
Casey McGarry, S, UC Santa Barbara
Rado Parapunov, OPP, Hawai'i
Carlos Rivera, S, Long Beach State
Keenan Sanders, MB, UC Santa Barbara
Joel Schneidmiller, OH, UC Irvine
Scott Stadick, MB, UC Irvine
Connor Walbrecht, S, UC San Diego
Daniel Wetter, MB, CSUN
Gage Worsley, L, Hawai'i

Honorable Mention
Mason Briggs, L, Long Beach State
Wyatt Harrison, OH, UC San Diego
Kyle Hobus, OH, CSUN
Roy McFarland, OH, UC Santa Barbara
Spencer Olivier, OH, Long Beach State
Maciej Ptaszynski, OH, CSUN

All-Freshman Team
Mason Briggs, L, Long Beach State
Chaz Galloway, OH, Hawai'i
Kyle Hobus, OH, CSUN
Brett Sheward, S/L, Hawai'i
Akhil Tangutur, OH, UC Irvine
Patrick Vorenkamp, S, UC Irvine
Guilherme Voss, MB, Hawai'i

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles, and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in the summer of 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's pre-eminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. In competition, almost 1,400 UC San Diego scholar-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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