LA JOLLA, Calif. - Graduate student Ciara Franke of the 12th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team was named the Big West Athlete of the Week by the conference Wednesday afternoon. This is the first time this season Franke has earned the accolade.

Franke led the Tritons in all aspects of the game in an upset over Big West Conference opponent No. 9 Long Beach State on Friday at Canyonview Pool last week, leading the team with four steals and three goals on eight shots. With the performance, Franke is now one goal away from moving up to 10th all-time in UC San Diego history and is just a handful of steals away from 10th place on that leaderboard as well. Franke leads the Tritons in goals (42) and steals (17) this season.

The Tritons will play their final home games of the regular season when they host UC Davis on March 25 and Loyola Marymount on March 27 for Senior Day. 

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 accolades, while 37 have received 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.