LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego swim will compete one final time in 2024 as they head north to Cal State Bakersfield to dual the Roadrunners in a conference matchup. The meet is set to begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21.
 
MEET INFO
CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
Saturday, Dec. 21| 11 a.m.
Bakersfield, Calif.
John S. Hillman Memorial Aquatic Center
 
LAST TIME OUT
After three days of competition, UC San Diego swim won the Trailblazer Invitational hosted by Utah Tech.
 
The Triton women defeated 10 teams to win their side outright with a score of 763.5 and the Triton men finished second with a score of 796. UC San Diego's combined score was enough to push the Tritons ahead of the field by two points with a total of 1,559.5.
 
UC SAN DIEGO LEADS IN GRADUATION RATES
The NCAA has released its latest report on graduation rates for student-athletes, and once again, the UC San Diego athletics program stands out as the top-performing public institution in the nation.
 
For the past decade, according to data provided by the NCAA, UC San Diego scholarship student-athletes have graduated at the highest rate among all public universities across the NCAA's three divisions.
 
Read full story here.
 
O'CONNELL AND FRANCO SWEEP CONFERENCE WEEKLY AWARDS
UC San Diego's Luigi Franco and Madison O'Connell swept the Big West Swim Athletes of the Week honors as announced by the conference on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
 
Madison O'Connell earns her first collegiate nod after performing well against Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara. The freshman helped the Triton women to victory over the Waves in a 184.5-109.5 decision and fell to the Gauchos by four points in a result of 133-129. The freshman was the starter for 200 medley relay and 200 free relay and led the Tritons to victory both times. In her individual performance, O'Connell finished second with a time of 1:49.58 in the 200 free.
 
This is the second Big West distinction of Luigi Franco's career and his second this season.  Franco found the Tritons their first win of day against conference foe UC Santa Barbara in the 200 back, claiming the victory by 0.09 seconds with a 1:44.74 time. This was the ninth-best time overall and top result for the UCSD men this weekend.

In the MSPF Conference, the Tritons tallied a total of 26 weekly award winners and now have tallied three in the Big West.
 
FRANCO NAMED BIG WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
UC San Diego's Luigi Franco is the Triton's first Big West Swimmer of the Week after an outstanding performance vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Oct. 19.
 
The Brazilian junior led the UC San Diego men's swim team to a 160-95 victory over the CMS men's team. Swimming four events at the meet, Franco finished third in the 100 back and swam the opening leg of the 200 medley relay and the anchor leg of the 400 free relay. His most notable swim came in the 200 back when he posted a time of 1:44.34 for the win. He was 0.08 seconds from breaking the record from 2016.
 
In the MSPF Conference, the Tritons tallied a total of 26 weekly award winners and now tally the first Big West weekly honor in Franco.
 
NOTABLE
The Tritons return 31 veterans this season including MSPF Conference Freshman of the Year, Asia Kozan, on the women's side. Head coach Marko Djordjevic adds 21 newcomers to the squad including two junior-transfers from El Camino College and conference rival Hawai'i. 
 
UC San Diego swim returns to the Big West along with 7 other universities and after completing the four-year mandated NCAA transition are now eligible to qualify for the NCAA championships.
 
UP NEXT
Traveling to their annual midseason meet, UC San Diego will head east to St. George, Utah for three days of competition as Utah Tech will host the Tritons from Nov. 21-23 for the Trailblazer Invitational.

ATTENDING THE MEETS
Admission to UC San Diego home swim meets is free, but parking permits are required seven days per week on campus. For UC San Diego Parking information, click here.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at Canyonview Aquatic Center this season must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than noon the day before the meet.

ALUM TRAVIS MILLER RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE ALL-TIME BEST
UC San Diego alumnus Travis Miller '94 was recognized in the College of Swimming and Diving Coaches Association's list of the 100 Greatest Men's Swimmers and Divers. 
 
To celebrate CSCAA's 100th year as the nation's first college coaches' organization, they constructed a list of the top 100 greatest college swimmers and divers. Out of 973 finalists drawn from nearly three thousand nominations, Miller secured one of the 100 selections.

To read more, click here.
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
 
SWIM AND DIVE ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
24	9/9/20	Katja Pavicevic, Junior Worlds/Pan Pacific	Listen
26	12/23/20	Adam Burgasser '96, National Champ	Listen
59	9/7/22	Ciara Franke '21, Water Polo/Swim	Listen
64	10/12/22	Miranda Renner, FINA Worlds	Listen

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO SWIM
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdswimming.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
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.