LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego is excited to announce the addition of five Tritons to its
Athletics Hall of Fame. The Class of 2025 includes Tom Black (volleyball), Alexandra Henley (swimming), former women's tennis head coach Liz LaPlante, Bruce Nakamura (golf), and Renee Sprowl Kalt (track & field).
The group brings the total number of UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Famer members to 47. Black will be the second inductee from men's volleyball, Henley the fourth from women's swimming and diving, Nakamura the second from golf, and Sprowl Kalt the third member of the women's track and field program. LaPlante will become the fifth coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
An official induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8 at The Great Hall on the UC San Diego campus as part of Homecoming Weekend. The event will be open to the public and tickets will go on sale in October. The inductees will also be recognized at a men's basketball game later that night.
Tom Black
Men's Volleyball | 1993-1996
Reseda, Calif. (Crespi HS)
- Four-year letterwinner
- Graduated as all-time kills leader
- MPSF honorable mention
- Volleyball Magazine Small College Player of the Year
- Small College All-American
- Head women's coach at UC San Diego for five winning seasons (115-29 overall)
- Division II national quarterfinalist in 2006
- Current head women's coach at Georgia
- Head coach of Canadian Women's National Team
- Seven seasons as head women's coach at LMU
- Assistant coach with U.S. Women's National Team that won bronze at 2016 Olympics
Alexandra Henley
Women's Swimming | 2009-2012
Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Thousand Oaks HS)
- Won three NCAA individual titles:
- 200 Fly (2011)
- 200 Fly (2010)
- 400 IM (2010)
- Team placed third at NCAAs three times during her career
- Top ten in program history for seven different strokes and remains second in the 200 backstroke
- Posted six NCAA runner up finishes
- 200 backstroke (2012, 2011, 2010)
- 200 IM (2012, 2011)
- 400 IM (2012)
- Finished third nationally three times
- Competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 200 backstroke and 400 IM
- Physiology and neuroscience major
Liz LaPlante
Women's Tennis Head Coach | 1980-2023
San Diego, Calif. (Clairemont HS)
- Four Division III National Championships
- Five Division III runner-up finishes
- Three Division III National Champion third place finishers
- 608-342 overall record, 0.640 winning percentage
- 1991 NCAA Division III Coach of the Decade
- 2000 ITA Division III Coach of the Year
- Named CCAA Coach of the Year (Division II) in six consecutive seasons
- Coached 30 All-Americans
- Retired in 2023 after 44 years of service to UC San Diego
Bruce Nakamura
Golf | 1981-1984
Vista, Calif. (Rolling Hills HS)
- Three-time NCAA Division III All-American (1981, 1982, 1983)
- Tritons finished 14th at NCAA Division III Championships (1984)
- Team won NAIA District III (1984)
- Won two events and was the Tritons' top placer in four events (1984)
- NAIA All-District III (1984)
- Tritons ranked 12th in nation (1984)
- Tritons finished 15th at NCAA Division III Championships (1983)
- Placed eighth at NCAA Division III Championships (1983)
- Won two events (1983)
- Placed fifth at NAIA Individual Championships (1983)
- Tritons finished ninth at NCAA Division III Championships (1982)
- Won five events (1982)
- Placed fifth at NCAA Division III Championships (1981)
- NAIA All-District III First Team (1981)
- Played in three U.S. Senior Open Championships (2013, 2015, 2018)
- Played in one Senior PGA Championship (2016)
- Won over 30 PGA events in Southern California
- Third at 2013 TaylorMade National Championship at Spyglass/Pebble Beach
- Management Science major
- Current PGA instructor at Aviara Golf Academy, where he has been for over 25 years
Renee Sprowl Kalt
Track & Field | 1992-95
Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Thousand Oaks HS)
- 1995 NCAA long jump champion
- Part of 4x100 relay team that earned All-America honors in 1992
- Three-year Nationals qualifier:
- As a freshman: triple jump, 4x100
- As a sophomore and senior: triple jump, long jump and 4x100
- Currently tied for seventh all-time at UC San Diego in long jump
- Certified USAT&F official
- A double major in History and Political Science at Marshall College
The UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 2013. Its purpose is to recognize and honor scholar-athletes, teams, coaches, staff, and others who have made exceptional contributions to the tradition and heritage of UC San Diego Athletics.
Any scholar-athlete who has competed, met the eligibility of his/her time, and graduated from UC San Diego is eligible for consideration once 10 years have passed since the completion of his/her eligibility. Scholar-athletes must have competed for a minimum of two years at UC San Diego, unless there is unanimous agreement from the selection committee to waive this requirement.
No coach on the current UC San Diego staff is eligible for the Hall of Fame.
A Hall of Fame selection committee identifies candidates and selects inductees. No more than eight individuals will be accorded Hall of Fame status in each class. Hall of Fame inductions currently take place every-other-year.
To view all of UC San Diego's Hall of Fame honorees,
click here.
Nominations for potential inductees are accepted from the public.
CLICK HERE to nominate a UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame candidate electronically
CLICK HERE to download a printable UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame nomination form to fill out and mail in
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 39 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 93 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
