Fab Five: Collin Shannon

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 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.

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Today, Collin Shannon, an opposite on the men's volleyball team, shares his collection. 

Heading into his senior year this fall, Collin has been a major contributor on the court for the past two seasons, starting 40 of the 43 matches he has played in.

A cognitive science major out of UC San Diego's Revelle College, Collin was named to the Big West Conference All-Academic Team in 2019 and 2020. As a sophomore, he earned CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honors.

Hailing from Westwood, Collin is a 2017 graduate of Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, where he also played water polo.

1. Setting Expectations

This photo comes from our victory against UCLA in January of 2020 at RIMAC Arena. At the time, UCLA was ranked number third nationally and it was exhilarating to beat not only a top-ranked team, but also a well-known institution. In addition, it was a moment that set our team’s expectations for the rest of our season. After this match, we were 3-1 with two of our victories coming against ranked opponent. It showed that we should be a highly-ranked team this season, and we ended up climbing as high as No. 6 in the country. Overall, it was an incredible season and this was one of the most memorable moments.

2. Serving Up a Win

Here I am taking my first step for a serve against Loyola Chicago in the fifth set this past season. You can tell from the fans holding their hands up that it is match point. We were up 15-14 and after having such a long and tough match, I was hoping that we would be able to end it now. At this point, it is important to have a good internal dialogue in order to remain focused. I remember repeating the steps in my head and focusing on the serve that I had done thousands of times. Fortunately, this serve resulted in an overpass that put my teammate in a great position to end the match, our first victory of the 2020 season.

3. Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

One of the things I enjoy most about volleyball is the opportunity we have to celebrate each individual point. Energy plays a major role in controlling momentum, so celebrating is almost necessary to win. Often, big plays will give you a boost of energy to get one or two more points. In this photo, it looks like we are celebrating a big block from our middle Logan Clark. As you can see, we are all excited not only to win a point, but for our teammate. Celebrating with and for teammates after each point not only makes volleyball exciting, but brings us closer together as a team.

4. Lining it Up

I like this photo because hitting line is one of my favorite shots on the right side. It can be a little risky as more than once I have sent the ball sailing wide. I can’t help but think about how excited I must have been. As you can see from this photo, there is a lot of line open, thanks to my setter tricking the block. It is incredibly satisfying as a hitter when the blockers leave a hole because you have an opportunity to unload on the defenders without worry of being blocked.

5. More Than Wins and Losses

I think many athletes share my sentiments that your teammates become more than just teammates. So much of an athlete’s time is spent around your teammates that you get to know them and value your relationship with them. I have enjoyed my time at UC San Diego these past three years and more than any individual win or loss, I remember coming together one or two nights a week, putting on our jerseys, and playing volleyball. This photo reminds me how it felt to be part of a team and how amazing it was to be among this stellar group of scholar-atheletes.

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)
• Isabel Lavrov (softball)
• Cameron Leonard (baseball)
• Neil Tengbumroong (men's tennis)
• Sarah Proctor (women's rowing)
• Konami Masui (women's fencing)
• Natalie Widmer (women's soccer)
• Anu Bhadada (women's tennis)
• Calder Hilde-Jones (men's water polo)
• Jake Selstad (men's cross country/track and field)
• Cindy Tran (women's volleyball)
   

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 a member 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 Divisions II and III and helped guide more than 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. In addition, 83 Tritons have been named Academic All-Americans, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.