Photographs have the ability to capture important pieces of our past and help us recall people, places, feelings and memories that made an impact on our lives. For many scholar-athletes, pictures secure those special moments and assist in making their collegiate careers last forever.

In a new feature called “Fab Five”, Triton scholar-athletes are tasked to pick five of their favorite photos throughout their career to be highlighted on UCSDtritons.com.

LA JOLLA, Calif. – This Friday, UC San Diego softball second baseman Isabel Lavrov shares her collection and a brief caption describing each moment. 

Lavrov hails from Berkeley, Calif., majoring in communication and minoring in psychology at Roosevelt College. She serves as a member of Triton Athletes' Council (TAC) and will enter her fourth year this fall. 

1. UC San Diego vs. Team USA

Throughout the early months of 2020, Team USA Softball toured the country playing exhibition games against several collegiate softball teams. We were lucky enough to be one of those teams. On March 8, 2020, my teammates and I defended some of the best hitters and battled against one of the best pitchers in the world. Pictured sliding into second is future Olympian, UCLA All-American, and Division I National Champion Bubba Nickles. It was truly a surreal experience, and although we ended up losing, we scored first and fought hard through all seven innings. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. 

2. Epic Regional Victory

After a long weekend of playing on our home field, it all came down to this one game against rival Chico State. You win and you’ve earned one of two spots in the 2019 West Super Regional. Lose and your season is over. Coming in from the loser’s bracket, we had to beat Chico twice in order to move on to Supers. We won the first game 5-4. In the second game we scored twice and they scored once, 2-1 UC San Diego. With another one-run win, UC San Diego softball was headed to the Super Regional for the first time since 2012. But first, of course, a massive celebration with my teammates on the mound!

3. Walking Off to the Natty

We were playing against Concordia Irvine in the 2019 West Super Regionals. The day before, we dominated with a 9-1 win, so we just needed to take one more game to earn a plane ticket to Denver for the NCAA Division II Softball National Championship. The score was 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh. Throughout the season we had several walk-off wins, so we were more than used to the pressure of close games. I was on first base, Danica Kazakoff on third and Mikaila Reyes at the plate. Mik launched a ball to the wall and we immediately knew it was over. The rest was a blur, a blur full of smiles, hugging and tears of joy. We were off to the Natty!

4. My Throwing Partner

In softball, having a throwing partner is like having a best friend. Right now, as a team we play catch virtually every day, but in 2019 I was lucky enough to play catch with Alyssa Wing. The unwritten rule of the sacred throwing partner is that you and your partner always play catch with each other. No exceptions. Here, Wing and I are warming up with infield fundamentals before California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament play. Upon spending countless hours warming up with each other, Wing and I grew a close bond that I will always hold close to my heart. 

5. Pregame Antics

One of my favorite parts of game day is our pregame routine. Run, hit, stretch, throw, defense, visualize, lineup introductions, national anthem, and finally our circle. This season Danielle Stedman was the chosen one to read (scream) the lineup in the middle of the circle while the rest of us sing (scream) our pregame cheer. You can tell by the smiles on our faces that this is a beloved and exciting part of game day.

Stay tuned for future editions of “Fab Five” from other UC San Diego scholar-athletes. Below are previous “Fab Five” collections: 

• Zeinab Torabi (women's track and field)
   

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as amember of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I.  The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in DivisionsIII and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  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, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.