Tritons Advance to Big West Semifinals with 15-10 Win Over UC Davis
Next Match: vs. Hawaii (Semifinal) 4/26/2025 | 12 PM
Apr. 26 (Sat) / 12 PM
vs. Hawaii (Semifinal)
History
IRVINE, Calif. — The fourth seeded UC San Diego women’s water polo team defeated fifth-seeded UC Davis, 15-10, in a Big West Championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Anteater Aquatics Complex in […]
IRVINE, Calif. — The fourth seeded UC San Diego women’s water polo team defeated fifth-seeded UC Davis, 15-10, in a Big West Championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Anteater Aquatics Complex in Orange County.
The Tritons advance to Saturday’s semifinal round and will face top-seeded Hawai’i at noon. The Rainbow Wahine punched their ticket into the semis with a 16-6 thumping of Cal State Fullerton, the eighth seed, in Friday’s first game.
There are still two quarterfinals to be played as of press time. Second-seeded Long Beach State takes on No. 7 CSUN while No. 3 UC Irvine, the Big West Championship host, plays No. 6 UC Santa Barbara for the remaining two semifinal spots.
The final is set for Sunday at noon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Courtney Okumura scored the game’s opening goal at 5:07 of the first quarter and UC San Diego enjoyed a lead for the rest of the contest.
The Tritons led 4-1 after the first, 7-4 at halftime, and 11-7 following three quarters of play.
Late in the second period the Aggies closed within a goal. Trailing 4-1, they scored two straight times to make it 4-3. However, UC San Diego responded by putting three-consecutive goals on the board to go up 7-3.
After trading multiple goals in the third, Kendall Thomas, Abigail Schechter, and Lucia Doak went back-to-back-to-back, bringing the score to 12-7 Tritons at the 7:18 mark of the fourth frame. The Aggies couldn’t gain any momentum as the Tritons kept the pressure on until the final horn.
Ten different Tritons scored in the game and Okumura lead the way with a hat trick. Caroline Christl, Doak, and Holly Roberts each scored twice. Six other UC San Diego players contributed one goal apiece.
Lexi Stahl was busy in net for the Tritons, making 15 saves, two short of her career high, in the complete game victory.
For UC Davis, Sam Yoo netted three goals while Gianna Nocetti scored twice. Lucy Holland and Eva Stein split time in goal and made seven and four saves, respectively.
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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.
Connor Koski lifts El Camino Real to City Section boys’ volleyball title
It was fitting Connor Koski clinched El Camino Real’s championship with a block on match point in Saturday night’s City Section Open Division boys volleyball final at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa. “I timed my jump and I thought it was going out but I guess it hit [an opposing player’s] foot on the way […]
It was fitting Connor Koski clinched El Camino Real’s championship with a block on match point in Saturday night’s City Section Open Division boys volleyball final at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa.
“I timed my jump and I thought it was going out but I guess it hit [an opposing player’s] foot on the way down,” said an exuberant Koski, who moved from middle blocker to opposite hitter before the playoffs. “I asked [coach Alyssa Lee] to switch me and it worked.”
El Camino Real’s triumph culminated in a 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21 victory over top-seeded Venice, but the title was four years in the making. Eleven of the Royals’ 12 players are seniors.
“We’re all friends, we all trust each other, and it’s a dream come true to win a championship in one of our last matches together,” said Tyler Lee, who paced the squad with 14 kills. “We’ve lost our share of five setters, so we wanted to end this thing in four.”
Connor Koski hammers a kill over Venice’s Sam Engelen in the City Section Open Division boys’ volleyball final at Birmingham High on Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Koski, El Camino Real’s lone junior, had eight kills, including one to end the second set. Dev Vunnam and Christian Romero also each had eight kills, Jackson Riepe had seven and Nicolas Gerola served four aces, the first of which gave El Camino Real the first set.
The third-seeded Royals (27-13) got hot at the right time and avenged a pair of West Valley League losses to Chatsworth by ending the Chancellors’ bid for a third straight Open title with a shocking 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 semifinal upset Tuesday.
“I’ve known this group since their freshman year and I’ve push them hard in practice to prepare them for those situations,” said Lee, who understands the intensity of every match in the West Valley League, having played libero for Granada Hills before graduating in 2009. “The physical talent is there but the mental training is so important. You have to stay focused and can’t let up.”
Lee coached the boys to the Division I title in 2016 (the Open Division debuted in 2018) and guided the girls to the Open championship in 2023. She also has coached the girls to two beach volleyball crowns.
El Camino Real’s (left to right) Christian Romero, Connor Koski and Jackson Riepe celebrate a match point during the City Section Open Division championship match against Venice on May 17, 2025.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“The first two times we played Chatsworth I just let the boys play but I game-planned a lot for the semifinals,” Lee said. “We needed a big guy on the right like Connor to block and get some kills.”
Trailing by four points early in the third set and in danger of being swept, the Gondoliers (36-6) used an 8-0 run to surge into the lead and finished it on Nathan Hoggatt’s emphatic kill. Noah Smith had 10 kills for Venice, last year’s Division I champion.
Something had to give as Venice entered on an 11-match winning streak dating back to April 21 (dropping only one set in the process) while El Camino Real had won five consecutive matches and 15 straight sets since April 9.
In Saturday’s Division II final, hitter Izac Garcia helped Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences take home its first City title after a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-15 triumph over Mendez, which was seeking its first crown since back-to-back Division III championships in 2021-22.
Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences players celebrate after defeating Mendez to win the City Section Division I boys’ volleyball championship Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Hamilton, last year’s Division V champion, moved up to Division IV and beat Port of LA for the championship. In Division V, Wilson downed Harbor Teacher for its first-ever title.
On the same floor Friday, top-seeded Taft captured its seventh section crown, sixth in Division I and first since 2015 with its 25-10, 25-20, 25-17 sweep of No. 2 Carson. Arman Mercado, who took over the girls’ program in 2000 and the boys two years later, coached the girls to their first Open Division title in the fall and has guided the Toreadors to 22 finals appearances.
East Valley swept Maywood CES for the Division III title — the Falcons’ first in boys volleyball.
Also on Friday, Mira Costa outlasted Huntington Beach in five sets in a South Bay showdown for the Southern Section Division 1 championship at Cerritos College. The top-seeded Mustangs prevailed, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11, behind 25 kills from Grayson Bradford — the last from the right side to end the match.
Mateo Fuerbringer added 17 kills for Mira Costa, which fell in three sets to Loyola in the finals last spring. Logan Hutnick led the charge for the second-seeded Oilers, who staved off four championship points in a wild fourth set. It was the Mustangs’ ninth section title and first since 2021.
Mater Dei rallied to beat Peninsula 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 in Division 2.
Naperville North girls water polo captures ninth sectional title after beating Naperville Central
What seems to be a yearly occurrence, Naperville North competes in the IHSA Girls Water Polo Sectional Final, as they take on Naperville Central. North is in search of the program’s ninth sectional plaque, and seventh in a row. Today marks the final home game for Hall of Fame Head Coach Andy McWhirter, who looks […]
What seems to be a yearly occurrence, Naperville North competes in the IHSA Girls Water Polo Sectional Final, as they take on Naperville Central. North is in search of the program’s ninth sectional plaque, and seventh in a row. Today marks the final home game for Hall of Fame Head Coach Andy McWhirter, who looks to go out with a bang against a Naperville Central squad that’s looking for its first sectional title since 2017. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Huskies get right to work and open with a commanding lead
Huskies waste no time! Ria Vaid lobs a pass over to Ava Podkasik and fires in the first goal of the game.
One goal is nice, but two are even better. Natalie Brown chases the loose ball, dribbles, and wins the one-on-one battle.
Later on, Brown dry passes to Payton Schrier, and she skips it in. North leads 5-0.
The Redhawks need an answer, but Rugi Stackevicius jumps out of the net for a save and swims the rock out of harm’s way.
The Huskies get back to the scoring. Podkasik sidearms a shot into the right corner as North continues to open the floodgates.
Into the second quarter, and Cate Czochara finds Ria Vaid as she throws a laser right into your living room.
Naperville North adds another IHSA girls water polo sectional title to the trophy case
It’s all blue and orange since the first whistle, with Molly Depies tallying up the goals. Caire Plackett scores the lone goal for the Redhawks, but it’s Naperville North that emerges victorious, 12-1, culminating in the program’s ninth sectional title.
New Naperville North AD Jon Periero jumps in the water to celebrate with the team as the Huskies move on to the state series! They’ll face Fremd in the IHSA Girls Water Polo State Quarterfinals at 5:45 p.m. at Stevenson High School on Thursday, May 22.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
Josh Heupel Ties Deion Sanders, Lane Kiffin in ESPN's Top College Coaches Poll
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel. Photo via Tennessee Athletics. It’s the middle of the college football dead season right now, but that isn’t stopping people from figuring out ways to talk about the sport. Whether it’s conference power rankings, depth chart projections, or recruiting lines, there’s still plenty of opinions to give and react to for […]
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel. Photo via Tennessee Athletics.
It’s the middle of the college football dead season right now, but that isn’t stopping people from figuring out ways to talk about the sport.
Whether it’s conference power rankings, depth chart projections, or recruiting lines, there’s still plenty of opinions to give and react to for college football fans and analysts.
On Friday, ESPN released its list of the Top 10 coaches across the college football landscape. These rankings were compiled from several ESPN reporters making individual lists, with the coaches receiving points for where they are ranked in each list. For example, the No. 1 coach would get 10 points while the No. 10 coach would receive one point.
Entering his fifth season on Rocky Top, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel did not make the list from voters. Georgia’s Kirby Smart led the way with 119 points, followed by Ohio State’s Ryan Day with 97 and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney with 87.
The points go way down as you go down the list. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell is ranked at No. 10 and only has 15 points.
Josh Heupel was one of the 13 coaches who received at least one point, though. Heupel received three points, which is the same as Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin, Colorado’s Deion Sanders, and SMU’s Rhett Lashlee. Only Kansas State’s Chris Klieman and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz have lower spots with one point each.
Heupel does have wins over four of the coaches on the list while at Tennessee, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, LSU’s Brian Kelly, and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
In four years in Knoxville, Heupel has achieved a 37-15 record in 52 games with wins in the Orange Bowl and Citrus Bowl, a loss in the Music City Bowl in his debut year, and a loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs this past season. He enters his fifth season with a solid roster but major quarterback questions after the Vols’ dramatic divorce with Nico Iamaleava in the spring.
Heupel, a former National Championship-winning quarterback at Oklahoma, will oversee a quarterback battle between incoming transfer Joey Aguilar, rising redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and true freshman George MacIntyre. Aguilar feels like the early favorite because of his prior experience, but we’ll have to wait and see how things unfold during training camp this spring.
The winds of change are clearly blowing through the New York Mets organization, particularly when it comes to pitching development. Since the arrival of David Stearns, the Mets have seemingly unlocked a new level of pitching transformation at the major league level. This newfound prowess isn’t confined to Queens, however. Across the various minor league […]
The winds of change are clearly blowing through the New York Mets organization, particularly when it comes to pitching development. Since the arrival of David Stearns, the Mets have seemingly unlocked a new level of pitching transformation at the major league level. This newfound prowess isn’t confined to Queens, however. Across the various minor league circuits and Mets affiliates, a palpable improvement in pitching staffs, especially their ability to generate swings and misses, has become increasingly evident this season.
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets currently rank second in Major League Baseball in the sheer number of minor league pitchers boasting a strikeout rate of 30% or higher. This impressive statistic underscores that the Mets’ pitching infrastructure is evolving into a significant advantage not only at the MLB level but is also beginning to bear fruit within the farm system – a crucial area where the Mets have yearned for consistent success for quite some time.
Strikeout surge throughout Mets system
The Mets are now showcasing a wealth of promising pitching talent across all levels of their minor league affiliates. While the organization might not possess the same echelon of top-tier prospect pedigree it did in the previous decade, the potential within their bullpen ranks is undeniable. Many of the pitchers highlighted by Sammon in his recent post on X are demonstrating an exceptional ability to rack up strikeouts.
A compelling case in point is Raimon Gomez, whose electric velocity has garnered attention. He currently sports an impressive 36.4% strikeout rate while simultaneously inducing near-elite levels of weak contact, allowing a mere 12% hard-hit ball rate. Similarly, Jack Wenninger, a Double-A Mets pitcher, appears to be on a trajectory to contribute at the major league level sooner rather than later. His stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio highlights not only his ability to miss bats but also his commendable command.
Perhaps the most captivating pitching prospect within the Mets’ system since last season is Jonah Tong. This young left-hander, currently dominating hitters at the Double-A level, has put up staggering numbers.
According to Fangraphs, Tong boasts an absurd 44.7% strikeout rate, holding opposing hitters to a paltry .162 batting average, all while maintaining an ERA around 2.50 supported by an equally impressive Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). Tong is joined on this list of high-strikeout arms by Blade Tidwell, who has already experienced his MLB debut, albeit in a less-than-efficient outing. However, Tidwell has consistently demonstrated a strong ability to limit damage during his time in the minor leagues.
The data clearly indicates a system-wide boost in pitching prowess. Among all eligible pitchers within their organization, the Mets boast at least 43 hurlers who are striking out batters at a rate of at least one per inning. This figure surpasses even the Boston Red Sox, the team cited by Sammon as leading the league in the percentage of minor league pitchers with a 30% or higher strikeout rate.
The burgeoning strikeout numbers throughout the Mets’ minor league system offer a compelling glimpse into a brighter future for the organization’s pitching depth. This wave of arms, capable of consistently missing bats, signals a significant step forward in the Mets’ long-term strategy and provides a much-needed foundation of talent that could pay dividends in the years to come.
Sammi Thiele Joining Emory For 5th Year After Undergraduate Career With Austin College
Sammi Thiele will join Emory for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year to use her COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Thiele spent her undergraduate career at Austin College and spent the last year finishing her masters degree at Austin College while teaching at the local high school as the head swim coach. In addition to swimming […]
Sammi Thiele will join Emory for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year to use her COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Thiele spent her undergraduate career at Austin College and spent the last year finishing her masters degree at Austin College while teaching at the local high school as the head swim coach. In addition to swimming at Austin College, she also played water polo for four years.
“So incredibly excited to announce my commitment to swim at 5th year at Emory University while pursuing a master’s in business management”
As a junior, Thiele qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships finishing 23rd in the 100 backstroke in a 56.73. That was just off her lifetime best at the time of a 56.23 that she swam at the 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
She made huge strides as a senior, dropping about a second and a half in the 100 backstroke to finish 3rd at 2024 NCAAs touching in a 54.73. She also was 7th in the 200 back in a 2:02.55 but swam a 1:59.67 in prelims. She finished 4th in the 200 IM in a lifetime best of a 2:01.86.
Thiele’s SCY best times are:
100 back: 54.73
200 back: 1:59.67
200 IM: 2:01.86
The Emory women finished 6th at the 2024 NCAA Championships, the last meet Thiele swam at, and moved up to 5th this past season with 337 points. Denison was 4th with 370.5 points.
Thiele’s time from 2024 NCAAs in the 100 back would have finished 4th this year. Emory notably did not have any ‘A’ finalists in the event but had two ‘B’ finalists. Her 200 back best time would have been 7th at 2025 NCAAs, adding points to another event the team had no ‘A’ finalists in. Emory also had zero ‘A’ finalists in the 200 IM, an event she would have been 5th in.
Bissoondial, Men’s 4×100 Meter Relay Nab Spots in NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
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Indianapolis, IN — WPI graduate student Avinash Bissoondial (Millbury, MA) and the Engineers 4x100m relay squad of Sam Manteria (Wilbraham, MA), Ethan Schnyer (Nashua, NH), Alex Cole (Weymouth, MA), and Tristan Andrew (Newtown, CT) have earned spots in next weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day […]
Indianapolis, IN — WPI graduate student Avinash Bissoondial (Millbury, MA) and the Engineers 4x100m relay squad of Sam Manteria (Wilbraham, MA), Ethan Schnyer (Nashua, NH), Alex Cole (Weymouth, MA), and Tristan Andrew (Newtown, CT) have earned spots in next weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day event will begin on Thursday, May 22 at the SPIRE Institute’s Outdoor Track and Field and hosted by the North Coast Athletic Conference.
The 4×100 meter relay will make its debut Thursday at 5:15pm in the preliminaries. The foursome secured a spot in field on the final day of competition on Thursday, May 15th by smashing their own school record in a time of 40.66 at the UMass Amherst Final Qualifier. The Crimson and Gray shared the 12th best time nationwide with Roanoke and WPI was the only New England in either of the two men’s relay event’s 16-team fields. If the Engineers are qualify for the finals, they would race again on Saturday, May 24th at 1:05pm.
Bissoondial will be making his first appearance at an NCAA Track and Field Championships but is no stranger to NCAA competition as the graduate student appeared in three Cross Country championships, including this past fall, and was an alternate for a fourth championship. Bissoondial will race in the 5,000 meters and secured his spot in Ohio by winning last weekend’s Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza (FIRE) Meet at Williams. The graduate student shattered his own school record by 25 seconds by registering a time of 14:09.22, the 13th quickest in the 22-person field. The 5,000 meter is the penultimate track event on Saturday and slated for a 5pm start.
