IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine stacked up four conference awards Monday as the 2020-21 All-Conference and Specialty Teams were announced.

Brad Greene, Collin Welp and Dawson Baker were all recognized by the conference.



Redshirt senior Brad Greene was named the Big West's Defensive Player of the Year. He continues the tradition of UCI big men recognized for this award as this marks the seventh time in the last nine years an Anteater frontcourt player has won. The list includes Will Davis II (2013), Mamadou Ndiaye (2014 & 2016) and Jonathan Galloway (2017-19). Greene was also named on the All-Big West second team.

Greene led the Big West in total blocks (44) and blocks per game (1.83). He grabbed a career-high nine blocks against Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 20), tying for third on the Big West single-game list. He has started every game this season and has posted two or more blocked shots in 12 games. Greene is also the Big West's active career leader in blocked shots with 132.

Greene ranks third in the Big West in rebounds (7.5 rpg), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.9 drgp) and first in offensive rebounds (2.63 orpg). This season he became the 15^th Anteater in history to amass 600 career rebounds and currently sits at No. 11 all-time at UCI with 670 career boards.


Redshirt junior Collin Welp was named on the All-Big West first team for the second-straight year. Welp leads the 'Eaters and ranks sixth in the Big West in scoring (14.8 ppg) and is first in the Big West in rebounding (7.7 rpg). He leads UCI in steals per game (1.25) and is second in assists per game (1.5).

He became the 31^st Anteater to reach 1,000 career points on Feb. 20 and also the 25^th UCI player to notch 500 career rebounds on Feb. 26. Welp leads the Big West with six double-doubles this season and has scored in double-figures in 21-out-of-24 games.





Dawson Baker was named the Big West's Freshman of the Year after an impressive campaign in his first season as an Anteater. Baker is the first UCI player to win the award since Luke Nelson in 2014 and becomes the sixth player in history joining Nelson, Alex Young (2013), Jerry Green (1999), Kevin Simmons (1995) and Ben McDonald (1981).

Baker ranks second in scoring on the team and second among Big West freshmen averaging 10.6 points per game. He is first on the roster and 11^th overall in the Big West in field goal percentage (.484) and tied for second on the team with 21 steals. He had a career-high 23 point performance at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 20).

UCI earned the No. 2 seed at the 2021 Big West Tournament and will play the winner of No. 7 CS Fullerton/No. 10 Cal Poly in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11 at 5 p.m.