Each year, UC Irvine Athletics provides great moments for fans, alumni and the campus to be proud of. Here are a few of the best over the last 12 months (in no particular order).

The women's water polo team captured the Big West Tournament championship for the sixth time with an 8-7 victory in sudden-death overtime over Long Beach State. Big West Player of the Year Mary Brooks fed Kelsey Thornton with three seconds on the clock where she lobbed it in as time expired to give UCI the golden goal victory. UCI advanced to the NCAA Championship, dropping a 9-7 decision to Cal in a quarterfinal game at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. The Anteaters finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally.
 
Keston Hiura was drafted ninth in the Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, the highest-ever pick in UC Irvine program history. The junior led the nation in batting average (.442) and on-base percentage (.567). UCI recruit Royce Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by the Minnesota Twins.
Men's basketball earned the Big West regular-season championship for the third time in the last four years with a 79-49 victory over UC Davis on Mar. 4 at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters advanced to a postseason tournament for the fifth straight year.

Lloyd Sicard (110H) and Isaiah Jewett (800m) advance to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The duo represented UC Irvine well as they both earned second-team All-America honors for their performances at the national meet. Jewett, who was in his first year running the 800m, finished 11th overall with a personal-record 1:47.43. That time ranks second in school history as he passed the legendary Steve Scott. Sicard came in 14th in the 110m hurdles to close out his Anteater career as a three-time All-American. Both Jewett and Sicard also won their respective events at the Big West Championships, while running a leg on UCI's first-place 4x400 relay.
 
The men's volleyball team toppled No. 1 Ohio State, 3-0 at St. John Arena, snapping the Buckeyes' 42-match winning streak. The sixth-ranked Anteaters handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season and the first defeat in 399 days.

Just an hour before volleyball's win over the Buckeyes, the baseball team defeated No. 1 TCU for the second consecutive day. The Anteaters scored eight runs in the first inning on Friday and never looked back snagging an 11-2 upset over the top-ranked Horned Frogs at Anteater Ballpark. The next day, the Anteaters did it again with a 6-3 victory.
 
Lili Andino scored in the 30th minute and Maddie Newsom stopped five shots for the team's 10th shutout of the season defeating Cal State Fullerton, 1-0 to claim the program's third Big West regular season title. With the title, UCI will serve as host for the 2018 Big West Tournament.
 
The UC Irvine women's basketball team erased a 13-point deficit in the final minutes and Deijah Blanks capped the rally with a half-court shot that banked in at the buzzer for a thrilling 87-84 season-opening victory over Utah State. The game-winning sequence, which started with a steal from Yazzy Sa'Dullah, was featured as the No. 1 play on Sports Center's Top-10.
 
The women's golf team won the Wyoming Cowgirl Invitational in April, the 17^th tournament win in program history. The Anteaters were led by Janet Yeo's then-career best third place finish (214). Yeo would win the Chip-N Club Invitational in October at the Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Nebraska, becoming the first Anteater medalist since Hillary Packard won the Lady Aztec Invitational on Feb. 17, 2009.

The men's water polo team upended No. 1 UCLA, 9-8, in front of a capacity crowd at Anteater Aquatics Complex on Saturday, Sept. 30. It was UCI's first victory over the Bruins since 2007.  Senior Antoine Lena scored the game-winning goal, his third of the afternoon, with 39 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Freshman Fynn Schuetze led all players with four goals, while goalkeeper Matej Matijevic recorded 13 saves.

The women's volleyball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, the first postseason appearance since 2004. The Anteaters advanced to the Elite 8 with a 3-0 sweep of Sacramento State then a 3-2 victory over Pacific in Stockton before losing to Texas Tech, 3-1. UCI tied the school record for most wins with 24, including the two postseason victories which were most in program history.

In head coach Yossi Raz's fifth game at the helm of the Anteaters, the men's soccer team knocked off No. 8 Denver, 1-0 at the Grange and Ashwill Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. Following the upset victory, the Anteaters were ranked No. 23 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, its first ranking since September 4, 2015. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CLASSROOM
Women's volleyball player Arden Davis delivered the undergraduate student address at the Paul Merage School of Business Commencement Ceremony.

Women's water polo player Allie Loomis received the Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each NCAA Championship.