LA JOLLA, Calif. – Juli Arzave of the UC San Diego swim and dive team earned a spot on the 2021-22 US Open Water National Team this past weekend with her performance at the US Open Water National Championships.
"I was very excited to compete at the 2021 Open Water Championships," state Arzave "I hadn't had the opportunity of racing an OW event since the 2019 OW National Championships, so I was very excited to get back into the open water. This was also my second ever 10K, however I felt very prepared with the training I had leading up to the race. As the venue was not in a lake but in the ocean, there were more unpredictable factors that led to an exciting race. I am thrilled and honored to have qualified for the US National Team and also qualified to represent the USA at the FINA World Junior Open Water Championships! I am very thankful for my coaches, family, and all the support from the UC San Diego Athletic Department. Go Tritons!"
Head Coach
Marko Djordjevic was at the event and shared his thoughts on Arzave's outstanding performance and what it meant to the program.
"First I want to congratulate Juli on this great success. This came as a reward for all the hard work that she put in both in and out of the pool. Making a podium at US Nationals and being selected to the US National Team is a great honor. This was a hard year for all of us and this comes as a very well-deserved reward for not only for Juli, but also for the whole team. It is the proof that our program is moving in the right direction."
Arzave claimed a spot on the National team with her seventh-place finish in the 10K with a time of 2:12:27. The top five swimmers qualified outside of Ashley Twichell and Haley Anderson, who earned National Team qualifications by punching tickets to the 2020 Olympic Games. Arzave also placed ninth in the 5K with a time of 1:08:41.
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 began 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 III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 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.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
