LA JOLLA, Calif. – On the weekend of what would have been the 2020 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Track and Field Championships, the University of California San Diego Track & Field team is reminded of what the program has accomplished as a 20-year contender of the league. The women have captured a total of five crowns, all which came in consecutive years from 2005-09, while the men earned their first title in 2015. 

Take a look back on some of the greatest CCAA Championship moments via the track and field social media accounts:

Facebook: @TritonTF
Instagram: UCSDtrackfield
Twitter: @UCSDtrackfield

Beginning with the 2005 campaign, when the women initiated their five-year reign and concluding with the men's 2015 solo banner, various former scholar-athletes are recognized for their outstanding postseason performances. 

2005: The CCAA Championship was highlighted by Mimi Hodgins and Lindsay Stalker who went 1-2 in the 800 and 1500, while Kendra Canape won the high jump. Ultimately, the team edged Chico State by 1.5 points with final scores being UC San Diego 199.5, Chico State 198.0. Head Coach Tony Salerno notched CCAA Coach of the Year.

2006: The women defended their CCAA title for the first time, easily ousting Cal State Los Angeles, 265.5 to 158. Madeleine Flint grabbed first-place in the pole vault, clearing a height of 12'0.5", the school record at the time. Salerno claimed CCAA Coach of the Year for the second straight season. 

2007: For their three-peat, the women's squad took down Chico State 260 to 182.5. Laiah Blue was one of the many to take home a CCAA individual title. Blue placed first in the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles. Additionally, Linda Rainwater was the overall winner in the high jump and Whitney Johnson garnered CCAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year for her efforts in the long jump and triple jump. Lauren Anderson and Sarah Hendy secured titles in the shot put and discus, respectively, while both relay units (4x100/4x400) finished first as well. 

2008: The following year, the Tritons won with a total score of 248, 49 points ahead of Chico State. Christine Merrill was the champion in the 400 hurdles and Kelly Fogarty dominated in the 100 and 200. Johnson was back-to-back CCAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year after resetting her school records in the long jump and triple jump. Her triple jump record still remains at 42'4.25". Kayleigh Knudson snatched first in the 100 hurdles and Head Coach Darcy Ahner received her first of two CCAA Coach of the Year honors. The relay squads swept as repeat CCAA Champions too.

2009: To cap off an impressive five-year dynasty, the women outscored Cal State Los Angeles 247.5 to 164. Once again, the Tritons brought home multiple individual awards including Rainwater in the high jump Fogarty in the 100, Blue in the 100 hurdles, and Merrill in the 400 and 400 hurdles. The relay teams controlled the field, mimicking their displays from the two years prior. As a result, Merrill achieved CCAA Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Ahner was granted Coach of the Year. 

2015: The men trailed 11-time defending champion Chico State 212 to 204 with one event left, the pole vault. Clint Rosser's third-place finish was all the Tritons needed to come up victorious and obtain their first CCAA banner. Dan Golubovic was responsible for 23 of UC San Diego's 216 total points. To name a few, Matt Bowen earned the crown in the triple jump, while Connor Macky did the same in the 400. Markus Woods was the overall winner in the 400 hurdles and Nash Howe won his third-consecutive javelin title maintaining the Howe family legacy. Salerno tagged CCAA Coach of the Year again. 

In July of 2020, the entire athletics program will begin a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.

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 summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent 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, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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