Fab Five: Julia Macabuhay

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 to be highlighted on UCSDtritons.com. 

Today, Julia Macabuhay from the women’s basketball team shares her some of her favorite memories as a Triton.

Julia has had a decorated career with UC San Diego and announced she plans to return for a fifth season in 2022-23. Most recently, Julia was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention for the 2021-22 season. She finished second on the team with 8.1 points per game and 2.1 assists. At the Division II level, Julia was a WBCA All-American, earning CCAA Most Valuable Player, All-CCAA First Team and UC San Diego Athlete of the Year as a sophomore in 2019-20 and helping the Tritons to back-to-back CCAA Championships and a NCAA D-II Tournament in 2019. 

A Los Angeles native, Julia is a psychology major in UC San Diego’s Marshall College.

1. Take A Breath

This is one of my favorite pictures. Throughout all the craziness and madness that’s happening in a game, taking a moment to just take a deep breath and re-center yourself and your mind can go a long way and I think that can also apply to life off the court as well.

2. Gratitude

This moment is something I will always remember. This was during the last few seconds of our CCAA Championship game win my sophomore year. We’d been through a lot of ups and downs that season and getting to that finish line was amazing. We had a great coach/person lead us there and I had to make sure to give her a big hug to show my appreciation towards her and her belief in me.

3. Lean On Me

This picture pretty much sums up the majority of my college career. I think every athlete knows the pain I’m feeling in this picture. But I’ve got the best in the business helping me out [Allison Pastor]. She’s been in my corner through this whole crazy process, doing everything she can to make sure I can be out there on the court doing what I love. Forever props and love to one of my favorite people on this planet.

4. Making A Statement

I remember this game like it was yesterday. We just beat the five-time Big West regular season champions, UC Davis, in only our second year in the Big West. This was a monumental moment for our team because we proved that we belong in this conference and we’re a team to lookout for. Just knowing our hard work paid off to get a big win like that one was memorable and I still get chills thinking back to this game.

5. Family

This team is my second family. I’m blessed to be able to play the sport I love with the people I love. I always try to make it a point to have fun and not take everything too seriously. This sport has brought me so many opportunities and lifelong friends and building those relationships off the court has been one of the highlights of my college career. Knowing each other in that way makes it a lot easier for us to show up every day and put in the effort and hard work to make things happen on the court.

Check back on UCSDTritons.com all summer for future editions of “Fab Five” from other UC San Diego scholar-athletes. Previous “Fab Five” entries are below.

2022
• Kate Hottinger (Women's Soccer)
• Katja Pavicevic (Swimming & Diving)
• Deena Pederson (Softball)
• Manuel Augusto (Men's Water Polo)
• Sam Feinberg (Men's Rowing)
• Ava McInnes (Women's Volleyball)
• Adee Newman (Track and Field)
• Jake Kosakowski (Men's Basketball)
• Rachel Wagner (Women's Tennis)
• Matt Palma (Men's Volleyball)
• Nick Cirrito (Men's Soccer)

2020
• Sergi Mata (Men's Golf)
• Gabe Hadley (Men's Basketball)
• Jonathan Sabouri (Men's Soccer)
• Grace Murphy (Swimming & Diving)
• Collin Shannon (Men's Volleyball)
• Cindy Tran (Women's Volleyball)
• Jake Selstad (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field)
• Calder Hilde-Jones (Men's Water Polo)
• Anu Bhadada (Women's Tennis)
• Natalie Widmer (Women's Soccer)
• Konami Masui (Women's Fencing)
• Sarah Proctor (Women's Rowing)
• Neil Tengbumroong (Men's Tennis)
• Cameron Leonard (Baseball)
• Isabel Lavrov (Softball)
• Zeinab Torabi (Women's Track & Field)

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 38 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.