LA JOLLA, Calif. – A new era is here! UC San Diego has begun its transition to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. As part of the move to Division I, UCSDtritons.com introduces our fans to the Big West and the other 10 members - our new conference foes.

Today on our new rival series, we highlight UC Riverside. Get to know all about the Highlanders below.

School: UC Riverside
Nickname: The Highlanders
Location: Riverside, California
Founded: 1954
Undergrad Enrollment: 22,055
Joined Big West: 2001
Mascot: Scotty Highlander
Website: https://www.ucr.edu | https://gohighlanders.com/index.aspx
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
 
National Championships

• Vesta Bell: 2016 Indoor Track and Field (Div I)
• Baseball: 1977, 1982 (Div II)
• Women's Volleyball: 1982, 1986 (Div II)

 
Did You Know? 

• The Princeton Review ranked UC Riverside as one of the Top 50 Green Colleges in 2019.

• UC Riverside got its current nickname after a write-in campaign in the 1950s, led by the men's basketball team. They petitioned for the name "Hylanders". The nickname was changed to the current spelling and has been that way ever since.

Notable Alumni:

• Steve Breen (two time Pulitzer Prize winner)
• Billy Collins (Author, 11^th U.S. Poet Laureate)
• Tim D. White (Paleoanthropologist)
• Brenda Martinez (Track and Field Athlete, represented USA in 2016 Olympics)

 
Triton Connections:

• Head softball coach Nikki Palmer is a 2007 graduate of UC San Diego.
• Prior to arriving at UC San Diego, assistant baseball coach Bryson LeBlanc spent seven seasons as the assistant coach at UC Riverside.

Distance from UC San Diego

Be sure to check UCSDtritons.com on Tuesday to learn more about UC Santa Barbara. 

Meet Our New Rivals Series
Big West
Cal Poly 
Cal State Bakersfield
Cal State Fullerton
CSUN
Long Beach State
UC Davis
UC Irvine 
UC Riverside 
UC Santa Barbara
Hawai'i