UCU Athletes of the Week are Spriggs and McGhie

AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER
Ava McInnes led the Tritons with 29 points and 26 kills in a 2-0 weekend to help UC San Diego move into a tie for first place in the Big West. The senior outside hitter averaged 3.63 points and 3.25 kills per set, inching closer to UC San Diego’s all-time kills record. She is currently 32 kills away from moving solely into first place all-time with 1,493 career kills. McInnes led the Tritons offensively in both matches, collecting 14 kills and hitting .294 against UC Irvine on Friday and tallying 12 kills at Cal State Fullerton and hitting .400. For the week she finished with 26 kills on 59 swings with six errors to hit .339.
December 23, 2024

	SUNNY SHARMA, FENCING, JUNIOR, EPEE Junior Sunny Sharma paced UC San Diego over the weekend at the West Invitational, held in San Diego. Sharma went 12-6 on the weekend including a pair of wins over Ohio State. As a team, the Tritons went 4-2 for the weekend including a 15-12 victory over Ohio State.
	ZENO CASTIGLIONI, MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SR., 8K Opening the season at the Mark Covert Classic, the Triton men were led by Zeno Castiglioni for a third-place finish as a team. Castiglioni posted a time of 24:31.3 for eighth place. His time was a full minute faster than the team’s fast time in 2023.

December 16, 2024

AUDREY HOLLIS, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, FRESHMAN, SETTER/OPPOSITE Freshman Audrey Hollis recorded a double-double in each of UC San Diego’s matches on the opening weekend of Big West play. The Tritons’ setter/opposite averaged 2.00 kills, 6.13 assists and 2.13 digs with 20.5 total points in two matches. Hollis collected a career-high 15 kills, adding 22 assists, six digs, two aces and one block against UC Riverside on Thursday. Against UC Davis, she finished with 27 assists, 11 digs, two blocks and one kill on Saturday.

FELIPE FERREIRA, MEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, ATTACKER Felipe Ferreira played a major role in UC San Diego earning its first Big West win of the season this past week. Against Cal State Fullerton Friday in La Jolla, the senior attacker totaled three points on a pair of goals and an assist while also grabbing a steal. It was Ferreira’s 10th-straight game with at least one point.

December 9, 2024

	KYLIE PRIES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, GRADUATE STUDENT, OUTSIDE HITTER In the opening round of the Big West Championship, Kylie Pries led the Tritons with 20 kills and finished just shy of a double-double with nine digs against Long Beach State. The Tritons’ outside hitter also collected one ace for a team-best 21.0 points. Her 20 kills were a season best for the graduate transfer and set a new career high for the San Juan Capistrano native in her fifth season.
	KYLIE PRIES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, GRADUATE STUDENT, OUTSIDE HITTER In the opening round of the Big West Championship, Kylie Pries led the Tritons with 20 kills and finished just shy of a double-double with nine digs against Long Beach State. The Tritons’ outside hitter also collected one ace for a team-best 21.0 points. Her 20 kills were a season best for the graduate transfer and set a new career high for the San Juan Capistrano native in her fifth season.
	KYLIE PRIES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, GRADUATE STUDENT, OUTSIDE HITTER In the opening round of the Big West Championship, Kylie Pries led the Tritons with 20 kills and finished just shy of a double-double with nine digs against Long Beach State. The Tritons’ outside hitter also collected one ace for a team-best 21.0 points. Her 20 kills were a season best for the graduate transfer and set a new career high for the San Juan Capistrano native in her fifth season.

November 25, 2024

TYLER McGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD Triton sharpshooter Tyler McGhie paced UC San Diego over its first two games, averaging 20.5 points per game. He scored a game-high 21 points at San Diego State and followed that up with a 20-point performance in a win over Pepperdine. McGhie connected on a Big West-best ten three-pointers in 20 attempts (50%). He also averaged four rebounds per game and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.2024-25 University Credit Union Athletes of The Week The University Credit Union Athletes of the Week are selected by the Athletic Communications staff.

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November 18, 2024

JACOB LEVY, MEN’S FENCING, JUNIOR, FOIL Triton junior Jacob Levy won gold in the men’s foil at UC San Diego’s BladeRunner at LionTree Arena. Seeded 20th, Levy posted a perfect 7-0 record to take the top spot in the men’s Division I-A foil. Last year at BladeRunner, Levy finished 12th in the event.

JULIA HAYNES, WOMEN’S TENNIS, GRAD STUDENT Playing as a Triton for the first time, UC San Diego grad student Julia Haynes won the singles championship at the Beach Tennis Fall Tournament, hosted by Long Beach State. Playing as the tournament’s top seed in an event which featured nine Big West schools, Haynes went a perfect 5-0 over the four-day event to win the title in dominant fashion. In Sunday’s championship, Haynes was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over UC Santa Barbara’s Raphaelle Leroux, the tournament’s third seed. For the weekend, Haynes won 10 of the 11 sets she played.

November 11, 2024

NORDIN KAPIC, MEN’S BASKETBALL, JUNIOR, FORWARD First-year Triton Nordin Kapic paced UC San Diego in a pair of Big West wins. Kapic averaged 22 points per game on 56% shooting. He scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in Thursday’s win at UCSB. On Saturday, Kapic sank a career-high seven three-pointers on eight tries and finished with a season-high 25 points as the Tritons downed Bakersfield. Kapic was 8-9 from the free throw line for the week.

COURTNEY HILLIARD, WOMEN’S SOCCER, SR., FORWARD Women’s soccer senior captain Courtney Hilliard scored a goal and added an assist as UC San Diego posted a clean sheet in a 3-0 victory over Nevada on August 25. Through two weeks of play, Hilliard leads the team with five points and is tied for the team lead with a pair of goals. Hilliard has scored six career goals, good for third in the program’s brief Division I history.

November 4, 2024

LOGAN ESTES, MEN’S WATER POLO, SR., GK Senior goalie Logan Estes was instrumental in guiding UC San Diego to a 3-1 record at its own season-opening Triton Invitational. Over the four games, Estes racked up 34 saves, an average of 8.5 stops per contest. He also accumulated seven steals, the most by any Triton during the tourney. Estes had a double-digit save total in two games, matching his career-high with 14 against Pomona-Pitzer and turning aside 11 scoring chances vs. UCLA, the No. 1-ranked team in the country. He also had seven stops vs. Bucknell and two against UC Merced. Estes’ four steals vs. Bucknell also equaled his career best.

TYLER MCGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWAR Sharpshooter Tyler McGhie paced the Tritons in a pair of road wins last week. McGhie scored 26 and was 6-of-14 from distance with six rebounds and three steals as the Tritons won at Utah State Tuesday – handing the Aggies their first loss of the season and just their fourth at home in their last 46 games. On Saturday, McGhie matched his season high with 27, draining seven-of-10 from beyond the arc as the Tritons won at USD. The seven threes matched a career high. McGhie averaged 26.5 points with no turnovers and was 13-for-24 from distance (54.2%) this week. UC San Diego is in the midst of a nine-game win streak, the program’s longest in Division I. The Tritons won three true road games over a seven-day stretch from Dec. 15-21.

October 28, 2024

BENNETT AXLINE, MEN’S WATER POLO, JUNIOR, UTILITY  Junior Bennett Axline scored five goals over two games for the Tritons this past week including a hat trick against No. 1 Loyola Marymount. His three scores against the Lions led to a 12-9 Triton victory in the annual Battle of the Kings game in front of 1,300 fans in La Jolla. Axline also contributed four drawn exclusions, two steals, and a field block in the game. Against Pacific, the fifth-ranked team in the country, the San Diego native scored twice, both coming during power plays. In addition, he logged two drawn exclusions and two steals. Axline is riding a seven-game goal-scoring streak with multiple goals in four of those. He is second on the team with 23 goals so far this season.

SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SR., 5K Opening the season at the Mark Covert Classic, senior captain Sylvana Northrop led the Triton women to a first place team victory on Saturday, Aug. 31. Coming from behind and nearly stealing the race on a late kick, Northrop posted the highest finish for both squads taking second place with a time of 17:48.0.

October 21, 2024

In Saturday’s regular season finale, McInnes recorded a match-high 15 kills to help the Tritons clinch their first ever berth to the Big West Championship. She hit .483 against Cal State Bakersfield with just one error in 29 swings and finished with 17 points on her senior night. For the week, McInnes averaged 4.33 points, 3.50 kills, 1.83 digs and 1.00 block per set. She now holds the program’s career kills record (1,531), the single match kills record (31) and the second place spot in single season kills (469).

October 14, 2024  

SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR Making their Big West championship debut, the Triton women finished fourth overall with two top 15 finishes. Sylvana Northrop led the way again for the sixth time this season. The Cupertino runner earned a sixth-place finish running a time of 20:04.1. She is the first cross country Triton to earn All-Conference honors for her top 10 performance.

MAX CARVALHO, MEN’S SOCCER, SENIOR, FORWARD  The senior forward led the Tritons in the opening week of Big West conference play earning a goal and tallying an assist. Against No. 22 UC Santa Barbara, Carvalho’s goal in the sixth minute held strong into the second half as the lone goal scored between both squads. Returning home on Saturday, Carvalho continued his offensive action against CSUN as he assisted Quinn Sellers in scoring the game winner and earning the Tritons’ second win of the season.

October 7, 2024

AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER Senior outside hitter Ava McInnes averaged 3.75 kills per set, with 30.5 total points to lead UC San Diego to a 2-0 weekend on the road. McInnes recorded her 200th kill of the season and 1,400th career kill for the Tritons at CSUN (Oct. 12). She recorded a .328 hitting percentage with 30 total kills in eight sets. On Friday at Cal State Bakersfield, McInnes collected a match-high 17 kills, hitting at a .394 clip. On Saturday at CSUN, she finished in double-figures once again with 13 kills.

ANIWANIWA TAIT-JONES, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 21 points in UC San Diego’s win at Idaho on Sunday. Tait-Jones was remarkably efficient, connecting on 8-of-9 field goal tries (.889). The New Zealand native finished with five rebounds, a block, and a steal in the win. The victory was the team’s seventh straight – the longest win streak in the program’s Division I era.

ANTE BUZOV, MEN’S WATER POLO, SENIOR, UTILITY Ante Buzov matched his career-best with three goals in Thursday’s Senior Night victory against Westcliff. Two of his goals came in the first quarter and his third was in the fourth period. It was his third career hat trick. He also contributed a drawn exclusion in the game.

September 30, 2024

RAQUEL KALPAKOFF, WOMEN’S SOCCER, SENIOR, FORWARD  UC San Diego senior forward Raquel Kalpakoff led the way for the Tritons again last week, scoring the team’s lone goal in a 1-0 road win at San Diego State – the Tritons’ first-ever victory over the Aztecs. In the 18th minute, Kalpakoff raced into the box, taking a centering feed and firing a left-footed rocket into the back of the net to put UC San Diego in front. Kalpakoff leads the team and ranks third in The Big West with four goals scored this season. Her pair of game-winners sits second in the conference.

September 16, 2024

ASIA KOZAN, WOMEN’S SWIM, SOPHOMORE, FREE/MEDLEY Opening the 2024-25 season on the road, Asia Kozan led the Triton women to victory over UC Davis with three first-place finish swims. The sophomore standout led the sweep of the 200 free with a time of 1:50.17 as the Tritons took first through fourth. Posting a time of 50.78, Kozan won the 100 free and then won the 400 IM with a time of 4:20.16. The Tritons took second in the 200 free relay to end the meet with Kozan swimming the fastest split of her group at 23.05 to end her day with a total of 27 points.

JASMINE SARAN, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, JR., MIDDLE BLOCKER Junior Jasmine Saran was named tournament MVP at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational, hosted at Navy. The Tritons’ middle blocker averaged 2.00 kills and 1.00 blocks per set to help UC San Diego go 2-1 over the weekend. Saran totaled 12 blocks and three solo stops, adding 24 kills in three matches. The Temecula native tallied six kills and four blocks in a three-set victory over Navy on Friday. She followed up with 12 kills and five blocks against Liberty and ended the weekend with six kills and three blocks against Cornell.

September 9, 2024

AVA McINNES, WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, SENIOR, OUTSIDE HITTER On her senior night, outside hitter Ava McInnes set the UC San Diego women’s volleyball all-time program record with 1,531 career kills. With the achievement, she becomes the first Triton competing her entire career in the Division I era to hold an all-time career record in any sport at UC San Diego.

TYLER McGHIE, MEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, GUARD/FORWARD Triton senior Tyler McGhie averaged 21 points on 4.3 made threes per game and also dished out 4.3 assists with just one turnover  as UC San Diego won three games in three days to claim the Boardwalk Battle championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. McGhie was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. In the opening game, he set a new Division I career high with 27 points scored in a win over La Salle. In the championship game – an 80-45 rout of four-time MAC champion Toledo – McGhie scored 27 more and was 7-for-11 in three-point field goal tries.

September 2, 2024

DAMILOLA SULE, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, FORWARD Damilola Sule recorded a career-high 18 points and matched her career high with 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season at California Baptist. The senior forward put together a nearly perfect game, shooting 5-for-6 (.833) from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line with no turnovers to help the Tritons earn the program’s first Division I win over CBU, 81-58.

MADISON O’CONNELL, WOMEN’S SWIM, FRESHMAN, MEDLEY Returning to competition after a two week hiatus, UC San Diego women’s swim returned to action against Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara. Madison O’Connell 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 final 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.

August 26, 2024

KAYANNA SPRIGGS, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SENIOR, FORWAR Senior forward Kayanna Spriggs averaged a double-double for UC San Diego with 11.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in a 1-1 week. Spriggs tallied her first double-figure rebounding performance of the season against Northern Kentucky with 10 boards in the contest. She followed it up with a season-high 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tritons to victory against La Salle. Saturday’s game against the Explorers marked Spriggs’ first double-double at UC San Diego, finishing two boards shy of her career high. She added three assists and one steal for the week.

SYLVANA NORTHROP, WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY, SENIOR UC San Diego cross country wrapped the regular season on the road at the Highlander Invite where team captain and senior Sylvana Northrop won the women’s 6K for a second-place team finish. The senior jumped out with the front group of the race right away and stuck with them until making a move in the final 800m to pull away and win the race with a time of 20:27.7.

 

GRACIE GALLEGOS, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE, GUARD
UC San Diego guard Gracie Gallegos averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Tritons in the opening week of Big West play. Gallegos recorded a career-high 20 points including 3-for-3 from three-point range and was one rebound shy of her second career double-double at Cal State Bakersfield. She also scored double figures against UC Santa Barbara with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. For the week, Gallegos collected 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She shot 83.3 percent (5-for-6) from beyond the arc and 57.9 percent from the field on the week.