LA JOLLA, Calif. – Ciara Franke of the No. 9 UC San Diego women's water polo team was named the Big West Player of the Year, as announced by the conference May 6. The Tritons were well represented in All-Conference Honors with five players recognized by the Big West. Franke becomes the first athlete from any sport at UC San Diego to be named Big West Player of the Year.
Franke proved to be one of the top players on both ends of the pool. She ranked first in the conference in goals (34) and second in steals (22). Franke also led the team in drawn exclusions with 31, giving the Tritons multiple power play opportunities throughout the season. In addition to being named the Player of the Year, Franke was named to the All-Big West First Team.
Bennett Bugelli joined Franke on the All-Big West First Team. Bugelli's play in the net led the defense and provided a confidence boost to the offense. She started off the season with a career performance in a sudden death overtime win with a career high 17 saves. Bugelli led the conference in saves (190) and save percentage (.574).
Grace Pevehouse and
Annika Arroyo were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Pevehouse finished third on the team in goals (23) and points (31) and also added 12 steals on the season. Arroyo had a big start to her career as a Triton and finished second on the team in goals (32) and tied for second in steals (17). Arroyo also earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Tera Richardson earned Honorable Mention, making it the first time Richardson has earned conference honors in her career. Richardson had 15 goals, 13 assists and was tied for second on the team with 17 steals.
UC San Diego women's water polo finished their first full season as members of the Big West after their inaugural 2020 season was cut short. The Tritons went 9-8 on the season and 3-2 in conference action.
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 has begun a new era 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 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered 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.
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.
