LA JOLLA, Calif. - Throughout the summer, UC San Diego Athletics will be taking a look back at the greatest moments and accomplishments from the 2020-21 school year. Each week, a Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday segment will be featured on UC San Diego Athletics' Instagram and Twitter accounts.
For this Flashback Friday, we look back at
Ciara Franke being recognized as Big West Player of the Year.
On May 6,
Ciara Franke of the UC San Diego women's water polo team was named the Big West Player of the Year, marking the first time any UC San Diego athlete earned top honors in the Big West Conference.
Franke led the Tritons to a 9-8 record and 3-2 record in Big West Conference games. The Tritons picked up conference wins over UC Santa Barbara, Hawaii and UC Davis. The wins against Hawaii and UC Davis were the first since 2014 and 2013 respectively. Franke led the team iin goals (34), steals (22), drawn exclusions (31) and field blocks (nine) in 2021. In addition to being named the Big West Player of the Year, Franke earned Third-Team All-American Honors and was named the UC San Diego Female Athlete of the Year.
Franke will return for one final season in 2021-2022 and compete in both swimming and water polo. Franke and the Tritons will look to continue to build on a strong first season in the Big West and win a Big West Championship.
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 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 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.
