Tritons Lay a Foundation for Hoops Success
What a wild ride! Over the last four months, the UC San Diego men and women's basketball teams each overcame the loss of key players, persevered through adversity and, as league favorites, overcame the pressure of entering each game with a target on its back. Despite all that, they just kept winning. In their penultimate season of NCAA Division II competition, the Triton basketball teams combined to win nearly 90 percent of their games, claimed California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season and tournament titles, ranked among the top 10 in the nation and claimed first round victories in the NCAA Tournament. Both Mikayla Williams and Chris Hansen were named CCAA Players of the Year, while Brianna Claros earned league Freshman of the Year honors on the women's side and Tyrell Roberts was selected as the men's Newcomer of the Year. The best news' All four, along with seven of the 10 primary starters between the two teams, return next year for UC San Diego's last season as a member of NCAA Division II. In summer 2020, the entire Triton athletics program will officially transition to NCAA Division I with the majority of its teams becoming members of the Big West Conference. CCAA Coach of the Year Heidi VanDerveer and the UC San Diego women registered the finest season in program history by almost every measure.
