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LA JOLLA, Calif. – Kicking off the new year at home in La Jolla, the UC San Diego swim team will host the UCLA women’s squad alongside both Wisconsin teams on Saturday, Jan. 4. The competition is scheduled to commence at 11 a.m.
MEET DETAILS
UCLA (W)
No. 18 WISCONSIN (M)
No. 12 WISCONSIN (W)
Saturday, Jan. 4 | 11 a.m.
La Jolla, Calif.
Canyonview Aquatic Center
TEAM OVERVIEW
The UCLA women concluded 2024 with two invitational victories at the Fresno State and UNLV invites. The Bruins also triumphed over Arizona in a dual meet, achieving a score of 189-106. During the Ohio State invite, UCLA secured fourth place with 16 top-eight finishes.
The Badger women stand at 3-0 in dual meets, having defeated Green Bay, Notre Dame, and Minnesota. At the Texas invite, Wisconsin claimed two NCAA-A cuts in the 400 free relay and the 200 back. The Wisconsin men recorded a 2-1 outcome in 2024, with wins against Green Bay and Minnesota. Their loss was to the then No. 16 Michigan. At the Texas invite, the Badger men also recorded several NCAA-B cuts.
LAST COMPETITION
After a month-long break from competition, the UC San Diego swim team returned to the pool against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon at the Roadrunners’ aquatic facility.
The Triton women emerged victorious over Cal State Bakersfield with a score of 181-99, while the Triton men defeated the Roadrunners 169-124.
UC SAN DIEGO EXCELS IN GRADUATION RATES
The NCAA has published its latest findings regarding graduation rates for student-athletes, showcasing UC San Diego’s athletics program as the top-performing public institution in the country.
For the past decade, according to data from the NCAA, UC San Diego scholarship student-athletes have enjoyed the highest graduation rate among public universities across the NCAA’s three divisions.
Read the complete story here.
O’CONNELL AND FRANCO SWEEP CONFERENCE WEEKLY HONORS
UC San Diego’s Luigi Franco and Madison O’Connell achieved the Big West Swim Athletes of the Week awards as announced by the conference on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Madison O’Connell gains her first collegiate recognition following an impressive performance against Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara. The freshman contributed to the Triton women’s victory over the Waves in a 184.5-109.5 outcome and narrowly lost to the Gauchos by four points with a final score of 133-129. The freshman was the anchor for the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay, leading the Tritons to triumph in both instances. In her individual event, O’Connell claimed second place with a time of 1:49.58 in the 200 free.
This marks the second Big West accolade for Luigi Franco in his career and his second this season. Franco secured the Tritons their first win of the day against conference rival UC Santa Barbara in the 200 back, clinching the victory by 0.09 seconds with a time of 1:44.74. This was the ninth fastest time overall and the best result for the UCSD men this weekend.
In the MSPF Conference, the Tritons amassed a total of 26 weekly award recipients and have now received three in the Big West.
FRANCO NAMED BIG WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
UC San Diego’s Luigi Franco is recognized as the Triton’s first Big West Swimmer of the Week following his outstanding performance against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The Brazilian junior propelled the UC San Diego men’s swim team to a 160-95 victory over the CMS men’s squad. Competing in four events at the meet, Franco secured third place in the 100 back and swam the opening leg of the 200 medley relay as well as the anchor leg of the 400 free relay. His most remarkable swim occurred in the 200 back, where he clocked in with a time of 1:44.34 for the win, falling just 0.08 seconds short of breaking the 2016 record.
In the MSPF Conference, the Tritons recorded a total of 26 weekly award winners and now celebrate the first Big West weekly honor for Franco.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Tritons bring back 31 returning athletes this season, including MSPF Conference Freshman of the Year, Asia Kozan, on the women’s side. Head coach Marko Djordjevic adds 21 newcomers to the team, among them two junior transfers from El Camino College and conference rival Hawai’i.
UC San Diego swim re-enters the Big West alongside seven additional universities, and after completing the four-year mandated NCAA transition, they are now eligible to contend for the NCAA championships.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Heading to their annual midseason meet, UC San Diego will travel east to St. George, Utah for three days of competition as Utah Tech is set to host the Tritons from Nov. 21-23 for the Trailblazer Invitational.
ATTENDING THE MEETS
Entry to UC San Diego home swim events is free; however, parking permits are necessary seven days a week on campus. For UC San Diego Parking details, click here.
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media representatives intending to cover a UC San Diego event in-person at Canyonview Aquatic Center this season must inform a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than noon the day prior to the meet.
ALUM TRAVIS MILLER HONORED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST
UC San Diego alumnus Travis Miller ’94 was acknowledged in the College of Swimming and Diving Coaches Association’s compilation of the 100 Greatest Men’s Swimmers and Divers.
To commemorate CSCAA’s centennial year as the nation’s premier college coaches’ organization, they compiled a roster of the top 100 collegiate swimmers and divers. Out of 973 finalists selected from nearly three thousand nominations, Miller earned one of the 100 spots.
For more information, click here.
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is defined as the progeny of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the ocean possessing a fish-like lower body. It is recognized as a powerful and formidable sea warrior. Due to UC San Diego’s closeness to the Pacific Ocean and its affiliations with the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton was adopted as our mascot in 1964.
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS INTRODUCES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego’s move to Division I, the Athletics Department has initiated a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast includes in-depth interviews with UC San Diego figures such as scholar-athletes, alumni, coaches, and administrators. Triton enthusiasts will gain insight into the workings of the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on leading podcasting platforms. Additionally, each episode can be streamed and downloaded from UCSDTritons.com. For individualshow details and audio links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
SWIM AND DIVE ON TRITONCAST
CONNECT WITH UC SAN DIEGO SWIM
Stay updated with the Tritons throughout the season on social platforms via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team’s username is @ucsdswimming.
FOR THE YOUNGER AUDIENCE
Do you have young Triton supporters in your household? If they are in eighth grade or below, explore the Junior Triton Club. Membership entails a complimentary t-shirt, access to over 100 UC San Diego home sporting events, and much more!
APPAREL
For the most recent Triton clothing and merchandise, click here.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After 20 years as one of the leading programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has commenced a new chapter as a participant in the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons secured 30 team and nearly 150 individual national titles during their tenure in Divisions II and III and assisted in guiding 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America accolades. A total of 83 Tritons have achieved Academic All-America recognition, while 38 have received esteemed NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes embody the academic principles of one of the globe’s leading institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For additional details on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
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