LA JOLLA, Calif. — As the 2024-25 athletic year has come to an end, Triton scholar-athletes were celebrated and recognized for their excellence by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics on Thursday evening. The 2025 Triton Awards took place at LionTree Arena on the UC San Diego campus.

Tritons scholar-athletes were recognized for their achievements during the 2024-25 academic year in athletic competitions, the classroom and serving their community.

"What an extraordinary journey we have shared together this year," UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards said. "Tonight, we celebrate not just a year of outstanding accomplishments, but also a milestone in the UC San Diego fairy-tale story that continues to define who we are. When we began our transition from Division II to Division I, we knew it would not be easy. But we also knew that with a focus on our values—excellence, integrity, inclusion, innovation and resilience—that the UC San Diego tide would rise to meet the challenge. This year, I can say with full confidence, we did just that. Time and time again, you showed the nation why the Triton name stands for excellence."

The event also served as a celebration of UC San Diego's first season as full Division I members, which included the ability to participate in the postseason for the first time. Four Triton teams captured conference championships this year: Men's basketball, women's basketball, men's fencing and women's fencing.

In total, 96 UC San Diego scholar-athletes rose above the pack to earn All-Conference honors across The Big West, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Coastal Athletic Association. Nine scholar-athletes were also recognized for performing at the highest level of their sports, earning All-American honors.

UC San Diego's All-Americans from the 2024-25 season were:

• Landon Akerstrom, Men's Water Polo
• Bennett Axline, Men's Water Polo
• Anthony Cherfan, Men's Volleyball
• Caroline Christl, Women's Water Polo
• Bryce Dvorak, Men's Volleyball
• Katherine Kim, Women's Fencing
• Lucas Romaguera, Men's Water Polo
• Josh Schellinger, Men's Volleyball
• Kendall Thomas, Women's Water Polo

The Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete award highlighted Matthew Dalquist (baseball) and Kyra Wu (women's fencing) for their academic and athletic successes this past season. Athlete of the Year awards went to Chloe Braun (women's swimming), Julia Haynes (women's tennis) and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (men's basketball) in honor of their outstanding performances in their respective sports during the 2024-25 athletic year.

Here are the 2025 Triton Awards honorees:

Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athletes
Matthew Dalquist, Baseball
Kyra Wu, Women's Fencing
 
Athletes of the Year
Chloe Braun, Women's Swimming
Julia Haynes, Women's Tennis
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Men's Basketball
 
All-Triton Team
Landon Akerstrom, Men's Water Polo
Tamara Aimufia, Women's Track & Field
Chloe Braun, Women's Swimming
India Caldwell, Softball
Anthony Cherfan, Men's Volleyball
Caroline Christl, Women's Water Polo
Michael Crossland, Baseball
Anthony Flowers, Men's Track & Field
Hayden Gray, Men's Basketball
Julia Haynes, Women's Tennis
Katherine Kim, Women's Fencing
Emily McDaniel, Women's Volleyball
Tyler McGhie, Men's Basketball
Sylvana Northrop, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Sumayah Sugapong, Women's Basketball
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Men's Basketball
 
Excellence in Coaching
Juan Ignacio Calderon, Fencing
 
Mark Appelbaum Academic Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Brendon Fezzey, Men's Water Polo
 
All-Triton Academic Team
Natalie Abel, Women's Soccer
Cincy Chen, Women's Tennis
Lucia Doak, Women's Water Polo
Sam Hasegawa, Baseball
Eamon Hennessey, Men's Water Polo
Ryan Kirton, Men's Swimming
Emily McDaniel, Women's Volleyball
Lauren Schiele, Women's Track & Field
Kyra Wu, Women's Fencing
 
Leon T. Roach Spirit Award
Fencing
 
Karen E. Reis Memorial Award
Alexa DeMarse, Softball
 
Triton Changemaker for Inclusion Award
Lauren Schiele, Women's Track & Field
 
Team GPA Award
Women's Tennis
 
Meritorious Service Award
Earl W. Edwards, Director of Athletics
 
Retirement Award
Brad Kreutzkamp, Women's Water Polo Head Coach
 
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 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 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 93 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.