LA JOLLA, Calif. – Following a successful season of sports where UC San Diego claimed its first Big West title since the move to Division I, UC San Diego scholar-athletes were celebrated and recognized for their excellence by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics with the department's annual Triton Awards, revealed Thursday evening at Price Center West Ballroom.
Triton scholar-athletes were recognized for their achievements during the 2022-23 academic year in athletic competitions, in the classroom, and in serving their community.
"I am extremely thrilled with the progress we made over these three years, despite all the obstacles caused by the pandemic, you all persevered through the challenges and came out stronger as a result. We did this together, again as Tritons," UC San Diego Director of Athletics
Earl W. Edwards shared with the crowd. "I've been impressed with how you all remained resilient in the face of adversity and the tremendous amount of innovation to how you approach your everyday lives. Finding solutions to life's complications, the hallmark of being a Triton."
UC San Diego baseball captured the first Big West Conference Championship in UC San Diego history. 11 Tritons were named All-Region and 39 Tritons were selected for Academic All-District. 77 Tritons earned the All-Conference recognition. The Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athletes award highlighted athletes
Bobbi Aguirre and
Michael Fuhrman for their successes this past season. Athletes of the Year
Izaak Martinez and
Katja Pavicevic have been recognized for their outstanding performances over the past year.
The department took time to honor long-time coach
Liz LaPlante of the women's tennis team, who will be retiring at the end of June. Her 44 years of excellence with the women's tennis program will forever be remembered by UC San Diego.
Here are the 2023 Triton Award honorees:
Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athletes
Bobbi Aguirre, Softball
Michael Fuhrman, Baseball
Athletes of the Year
Izaak Martinez, Baseball
Katja Pavicevic, Swimming & Diving
All-Triton Scholar-Athlete Team
Stuart Boynton, Men's Rowing
Sydney Brown, Women's Basketball
Jada Cecil, Softball
Caroline Christl, Women's Water Polo
Vedran Latkovic, Men's Water Polo
Vedran Markota, Fencing
Davis McDowell, Golf
Ava McInnes, Women's Volleyball
Dominic Peters, Men's Soccer
Bryce Pope, Men's Basketball
Daniel Traxler, Men's Tennis
Katelyn Vu, Women's Tennis
Mark Appelbaum Academic Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Isabelle Shepherd, Cross Country
All-Triton Academic Scholar-Athlete Team
Naomi Chin, Track & Field
Naya Dong, Women's Volleyball
Emma Goode, Men's Rowing
Isaac Ive, Fencing
Gloria Kalt, Track & Field
Vedran Markota, Fencing
Miranda Renner, Swimming & Diving
Sarah Shen, Fencing
Christine Teng, Fencing
Karen E. Reis Memorial Award
(leadership/campus and community service)
Madison Baxter, Women's Basketball
Excellence in Coaching Award
Eric Newman, Baseball
Léon T. Roach Team Spirit Award
Softball
Triton Changemaker for Inclusion Award
Tiara Nourishad, Women's Tennis
Team GPA Award
(highest team GPA)
Women's Rowing
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.
