The Jackrabbits finally returned to the NCAA tournament in 2024, and Zgonc was the catalyst.

The sophomore outside hitter was named the Summit League Player of the Year, becoming just the second Jackrabbit to claim the honor and the third player in league history to earn Freshman of the Year and then follow that up with POTY as a sophomore.

In total, Zgonc tallied 374 kills on the season to go along with 207 digs. She notched more than 20 kills on four occasions, including a career-high 26 kills on Oct. 17 at rival South Dakota.

Editor’s note: Check out the 2024-2025 College Athletes of the Year page to see our selections for other sports.

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.

LA JOLLA, Calif. — After spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the UC San Diego men’s water polo program, Arman Momdzhyan has been promoted to associate head coach ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.

Head coach Matt Ustaszewski made the official announcement Friday.

A 2018 UC San Diego graduate and former standout player for the Tritons, Momdzhyan has been an assistant coach since July of 2022. 

“I’m incredibly honored to step into the role of associate head coach for our men’s water polo program,” said Momdzhyan. “I want to sincerely thank head coach Matt Ustaszewski, sport supervisor Danielle Melman, and the entire UC San Diego Athletics team for their continued trust and support. I’m also grateful to our dedicated Triton scholar-athletes – past and present – who inspire me every day as well as my family and mentors who have supported me throughout this journey.”

With Momdzhyan on staff, the Tritons finished with a winning record in each of the last three seasons. Overall, the team went 48-38, good for a .558 win percentage. UC San Diego also posted a winning record in conference action, going 6-4 over the team’s first two seasons as a Division 1 member of the Big West (2023 and 2024) and 6-2 in its final campaign as a Division II team and member Western Water Polo Association (2022).

Momdzhyan was instrumental in helping UC San Diego land standout recruits Landon Akerstrom, Eamon Hennessey, and Lucas Romaguera in 2023 and 2024. Akerstrom earned ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention and All-Big West First Team accolades in 2024. Hennessey was an All-Big West Second Team performer in 2024 and Romaguera was an ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention and All-Big West First Team pick in 2024.

“The Triton men’s water polo family has a rich history and an even more exciting future,” said Momdzhyan. “I’m thrilled to help shape the next chapter, continue to focus on developing our scholar-athletes both in and out of the pool. Our coaching and support teams stay committed and excited to provide the best Division 1 collegiate experience for our scholar-athletes.”

Momdzhyan played for UC San Diego for two seasons after transferring from Los Angeles Valley College. He was named the Association of Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) NCAA Division 2 Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Momdzhyan also earned ACWPC All-America Division 2 First Team as well as All-Western Water Polo Association First Team accolades in each of his seasons with the Tritons. Over 43 career games, he scored 98 goals and added 16 assists for 114 points. His 44 goals in 2016 led the team and his 54 goals in 2017 were second on the Triton roster. He led UC San Diego to back-to-back WWPA final appearances and a No. 9 national ranking.

Momdzhyan currently serves as the technical director and head coach of the La Jolla United Water Polo Club, where he trains over 300 youth athletes between the ages of 7 to 19. La Jolla United Water Polo Club has become a nationally-ranked youth program since its inception in 2018 under Momdzhyan’s leadership, highlighted by the first USA Water Polo National Championship in club history in 2023 as well as multiple top-10 finishes across all age groups nationwide.

From 2019-21, Momdzhyan was the head men’s water polo coach and a member of the Adjunct Exercise Science Faculty at Miramar College in San Diego. He led the Jets to their first conference championship appearance in program history and was tabbed the Miramar Athletics Coach of the Year and the Pacific Coast Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2021.

The Glendale, Calif., native graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in human developmental sciences. He earned a master’s in kinesiology from Fresno Pacific.

“This is a team effort in every sense,” said Momdzhyan. “From our coaching staff to support personnel and, most importantly our scholar-athletes, we are growing stronger together. I look forward to building on the foundation we’ve laid, fostering a competitive yet supportive environment, and continuing to develop scholar-athletes who represent the Triton legacy with pride and contribute to the world as future leaders. Go Tritons!”

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 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 84 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.

As UCLA Athletics takes a break for the summer, professional sports are still in full swing, with many current and former Bruins taking part. Each week during the summer, Daily Bruin Sports will take a look at the standout performances of the past week from UCLA athletes as we count down the days until fall.

Softball: Jadelyn Allchin, Megan Faraimo, Sharlize Palacios, Delanie Wisz, Bubba Nickles-Camarena, Rachel Garcia, Lisa Fernandez

Flare often defines a league’s inaugural season, helping it capture an audience.

And the Bruins may provide the talent needed to draw viewership.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League began its first season June 7, and UCLA softball has cemented itself as a significant contributor to the professional league’s launch.

Seven Bruin alumni occupy roster spots on three of AUSL’s four teams, while UCLA associate head coach Lisa Fernandez serves as the Talons’ general manager, a squad featuring four Bruins.

And the Talons have earned a league-high 12 wins, riding a seven-game winning streak.

Former Bruin outfielder Jadelyn Allchin has helped spearhead the Talons’ hitting success, slashing .438/.538/.656 and leading the team in all three categories. The Fountain Valley, California, local’s disciplined plate approach has helped her record the league’s third-highest on-base percentage.

Behind the plate, former Bruin catcher Sharlize Palacios has limited opponents’ base-running success, throwing six runners out on steal attempts. The 2025 Big Ten Network softball game analyst carries a powerful bat too, blasting two home runs this season for the Talons.

Yet, Palacios’ chemistry with the Talons’ pitching staff may represent her most underrated attribute.

Along with ace Georgina Corrick, former UCLA pitcher Megan Faraimo has a 3-0 record in the circle. The USA Softball National Team pitcher threw a combined shutout with fellow Talon pitcher Raelin Chaffin, blanking the Volts for four complete innings in the Talons’ 4-0 win Wednesday night following a complete-game outing against the Blaze Tuesday night.

Former Bruins Delanie Wisz and Bubba Nickles-Camarena compete for the Bandits.

Wisz blooped a walk-off single down the left field line to help snap the Bandits’ three-game losing streak against the Blaze Wednesday afternoon. The infielder’s game-winning single was her second walk-off of the season, also barreling a single up the middle to secure the squad’s 6-5 victory against the Volts on June 12.

Although the Wisz’s timely hitting can steal the show, Nickles-Camarena’s batting power has helped spearhead the Bandits’ winning record.

Nickels-Camarena boasts a .431 slugging percentage, and her three home runs this season are tied for third-most in the league. Yet the outfielder, who serves as an assistant coach on UCLA’s coaching staff, has struggled to make consistent hard contact, logging a batting average below .220.

For the Volts, former Bruin two-way player Rachel Garcia recently pitched a complete game in the team’s 5-3 victory against the Bandits Monday, striking out nine batters. The Palmdale, California, local’s 2.65 ERA is the second-lowest mark in the league.

But Garcia is also a viable lineup option for the Volts, riding a three-game hitting streak with two doubles across that span.

The Bruins will continue to compete in the AUSL until late July, with the postseason starting July 26.

But some won’t stop there.

Garcia, Nickels-Camarena and Faraimo, along with former Bruins Ally Carda and Maya Brady, are set to travel to the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, which begin Aug. 7.

Beach Volleyball: Savvy Simo, Abby Van Winkle, Lexy Denaburg

Representing your country on the world stage is an honor that few athletes experience.

But former UCLA beach volleyball players Savvy Simo and Abby Van Winkle got a taste for international competition with Team USA at the Alanya, Turkey, Challenger Event in the main draw – part of the Beach Pro Tour – from June 11 to June 15.

Simo and Van Winkle occupied court one as the premier pair during UCLA’s pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, concluding the season with a 13-2 record.

And their chemistry has carried them onto the world stage.

The pair qualified for the main draw tournament after defeating Canadians Devin Corah and Dana Roskic in three sets during the preliminary round June 11.

The American pair – which ranks 27th in the world rankings – defeated France’s Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard to open the main draw June 11, boasting seven combined service aces and just four blunders across the second and third sets to bounce back after dropping the first set.

The former Bruins dropped their second contest but responded with a sweeping victory over Canadians Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec on June 13. The American pair used a multifaceted attack, with each boasting double-digit attack points, combining for 25 against the Canadian duo.

Simo and Van Winkle lost their final match of the tournament, falling to 13th-ranked pair Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau in two sets.

The next Challenger event of the Beach Pro Tour tournament is in Baden, Austria, and is set to occur between Aug. 5 and Aug. 10.

But the world circuit isn’t the only place where athletes can flash their capabilities.

Former Bruin Lexy Denaburg is in the midst of her first season with the Brooklyn Blaze in the Association of Volleyball Professionals, partnering with Julia Donlin.

The three-time AVCA All-American has posted the league’s second-highest passing rate at a .944 clip, facilitating the ball to the attacking-focused Donlin, whose 93 kills are the second-most in the league.

Denaburg faced the New York Nitro women’s pair June 21 in East Hampton, New York, controlling the game at the net. The Merritt Island, Florida, local racked up nine kills and two blocks to help sweep the Nitro.

The Brooklyn duo lost its first contest of the season the following day, falling to the undefeated Austin Aces’ women’s pair in three sets. Yet, Denaburg opened the affair with four kills on a .571 hitting percentage to help secure a first-set victory.

Denaburg is scheduled to play next on Aug. 8 in Dallas against the Dallas Dream women’s pair.

Men’s Volleyball: Miles Partain

Beach and indoor volleyball require two distinct skill sets.

But Miles Partain appears to have mastered both.

After competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics on the Team USA beach volleyball squad, the setter returned to the UCLA men’s volleyball program, but NCAA eligibility restrictions stopped him from playing last season.

The 2022 MPSF Player of the Year is competing in the AVP this summer for the Dallas Dream along with partner Andrew Benesh. In 2022, Partain captured the AVP championship with Paul Lotman.

And the Pacific Palisades, California, local has made a strong two-way impact, hustling for a league-high 73 digs while recording 111 kills. Partain sports the second most kills in the AVP, compared to just 23 attacking errors.

Partain and Benesh recently split two contests between June 21 and June 22.

The Olympian showcased his versatility in the first match, boasting a 100% passing rate and recording 8 digs along with 10 kills to help sweep the Austin Ace men’s pair.

The duo lost its second affair of the East Hampton, New York, circuit, despite Partain’s 15 kills.

Partain and Benesh have a 4-2 record, holding the fourth-place spot in men’s pair standings, and are set to return to the court against the Brooklyn Blaze men’s pair Aug. 8.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The ACC announced the 2025 Outdoor Track & Field All-ACC Academic field on Friday afternoon.

To qualify, individuals were required to maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester, a 3.0 or higher cummulative GPA and compete in the ACC and/or NCAA Championships during the 2025 outdoor track & field season.

Virginia Tech had 19 men’s selections and 17 women’s.

Men’s Selections
Lukas Baroke, Systems Biology
Linus Chepkochei, Sports Media & Analytics
Ethan Coleman, Agribusiness
Ben Conacher, Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Cameron Davis, Exercise & Health Sciences
Dylan DeCambre, Engineering
Maddox Hamm, Criminology
Jack Helmich, Financial Planning & Wealth Management
Sam Herenton, Agriculture and Life Sciences
Viktor Idhammar, Mechanical Engineering
Roan Kelly, Financial Planning & Wealth Management
Tomas Kersulis, Computer Science & Applications
Nate Paris, Biology
Nick Plant, Management
Vlad Puchko, History
Ben Reynolds, Economics
Jacob Rice, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Declan Rymer, Mechanial Engineering
Kahleje “KJ” Tillmon, Marketing

Women’s Selections
Caitlyn Bobb, Collaborative Community Leadership
Katrin Brzyszkowska, Communications
Lindsey Butler, Sociology
Elizabeth Coe, Exercise & Health Sciences
Logan Daley, Human Development
Julia Fixsen, Business
Sophia Holgado, Animal & Poultry Sciences
Erin Kelleher, Marketing
Faith Jeruto Kipmaiyo, Human Development
Mary Kate McGranahan, Computer Science & Applications
Mariana Pestana, Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise
Star Price, Biological Sciences
Lyndsey Reed, Nutrition & Dietetics
Katie Seyfang, Agriculture & Life Sciences
Chiara Sistermann, Biological Sciences
Barbora Stejfova, Psychology
Lila Waters, Marketing

Texas A&M volleyball opens its season late next month but, the Aggies are already getting some preseason love.