UC Irvine vs CSF

Best of 2023: Stocking Stuffers

| By: Stacey Shackleford
Championships and NCAA appearances were frequent in 2023, but there were many more moments that showcased the best of UC Irvine. As we close the year, enjoy some of the most exciting moments from our Anteater family.

>On Jan. 27, the women's water polo team started the Lancer Invitational with a 20-6 victory over California Baptist. The Anteaters weren't tired as they would set a new school record for goals in a game with a 24-7 win over Azusa Pacific later in the afternoon. Nioka Thomas led a crew of 12 Anteaters that scored with four goals on five attempts. 

>Jolie Robinson and Emma McCarthy combined to take down three school records in two days at the UNM Team Open in Albuquerque, Jan. 27-28. Robinson shattered a 14-year-old standard in the long jump with a mark of 19-2 (5.84m). She became the first Anteater to eclipse the 19-foot mark in indoor competition. On the track, McCarthy made her way to the top of UCI's all-time charts in the 600m, clocking a program-best 1:33.74. She came back the following day to break the 800m school record with an altitude-adjusted time of 2:12.41. McCarthy bettered her 800m time at 2:12.10 the next weekend at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. 
 
>With a 7-0 defeat of Cal State LA on Feb. 9, the women's tennis team opened the year 3-0, the best start since the 2018-19 season when they won their first four matches. The pair of Alyssia Fossorier and Jenna Schlatter won their No. 2 doubles contest 6-1 to clinch the doubles point for the Anteaters while Haily Huynh, playing at No. 5 singles won the match for UC Irvine with her 6-0, 6-2 victory.
 
>The UC Irvine women's basketball team's school-record 22nd win came in dramatic fashion as Nevaeh Parkinson's layup with 0.4 seconds left in overtime gave the Anteaters a 68-66 victory over Hawai'i at the Bren Events Center on Feb. 25. The Rainbow Wahine took a 66-64 lead in the extra period but after coming up with some big defensive stops, Amelia Scharpf knotted the score on a jumper in the paint. UCI continued to lock in defensively, forcing missed shots on two more UH possessions. On the second, Diaba Konate corralled the rebound with five ticks on the clock. Her driving layup was blocked on the other end, but UC Irvine got the ball back on the baseline with 1.4 seconds remaining. That is when they executed the game-winning play with Déja Lee finding a wide-open Parkinson for the win.  
 

 
>Men's Volleyball player Hilir Henno fired a career-high and school record nine aces against No. 3 Penn State on Mar. 5, which was tied for the most in the country in 2023. Henno would go on to lead the country in ace average with a .880 mark. 
 


>In her steeplechase season debut on March 11, Hannah Chau broke her own school record at the UCSB Invitational. Chau saw an eight-second improvement, winning the event in 10:20.11. 
 
>UC Irvine took over sole possession of first-place in the Big West standings with a 4-0 victory over UC Davis on April 14. In addition to helping secure a share of the regular-season title, it was significant as it capped a 10-match win streak and marked head coach Mike Saunders' 100th career dual-match victory. The Anteaters took the doubles point with 6-4 decisions from Brandon Park/Noah Zamora at No. 1 and Lawee Sherif/Thomas Smart at No. 2. They continued to roll in singles as Rithvik Krishna and Zamora each picked up their ninth consecutive victories before Smart delivered the match-clinching point on court five. 
 
>Sameen Andar broke a 37-year-old school record in the 5,000-meter on the first day of the Steve Scott Invitational (April 28). Andar's 23-second personal-best of 16:13.12 topped All-American Beth McGrann's record of 16:16.30, which was set back in 1986. 
 
 
>On May 25, the Anteater offense erupted as the baseball team beat UC Riverside, 28-1 at Anteater Ballpark, breaking the old mark of 25 runs. The 28 were the most runs by a Big West game in 2023 and was the 12th-most runs in a game nationally. It was also the largest margin of victory in UCI history and fifth-largest margin of victory nationally. UCI did it on just 18 hits thanks to 16 walks, which tied a record set in 1972. 
 

>Darien Zhao kicked off the 2023 UC Irvine men's golf fall season with a record-breaking performance on Sept. 25. Zhao finished the first day of the Nick Watney Invitational with a 36-hole program-best 128 (-14). After carding a 5-under 66 in the opening round, Zhao fired an 18-hole school-record 62 (-9). His score topped the Anteaters' previous standard of 63 (-7), which was set by Pete Fernandez in 2015. Zhao went on to finish the season-opening tournament with a runner-up showing.
 
 
>Freshman Brady Treinen knocked in his first career goal to start off the scoring in the sixth minute as the men's soccer team took down No. 13 Cal State Fullerton in a 2-1 victory on Oct. 11.   
 

>Women's soccer set the pace with four goals in a span of 3:20 minutes early in the second half of a 5-1 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 19. Three of the goals came in an 82 second span, including two goals by Desiree Mendoza in the span of 34 seconds. 
 
>Women's golfers Jasmine Chen and Megan Yang both carded second round scores of 68 at The Clash at Boulder Creek on Oct. 23. Chen, who tied her career-best round, had five birdies on the day, while Yang caught fire on the back nine, recording an eagle 2 on the Par 4 12th hole then two consecutive birdies on 13 and 14.
 
Jasmine-Chen-Megan-Yang-WGOlf-23



>UC Irvine cross country had two All-Big West performers in 2023. On Oct. 27, Sameen Andar made her way onto the podium with a ninth-place finish in the women's 6K at the conference meet, while Lukas Amare was 10th in the men's 10K. Both Amare and Andar earned All-Big West distinction for the second year in a row. The women's team would go on to finish 19th at the NCAA West Regional. 
 
>Women's volleyball knocked off No. 25 UC Santa Barbara 3-1 at Crawford Hall on Oct. 27. The Anteaters snapped UCSB's 11-match winning streak and handed the Gauchos one of only three regular season losses. Four Anteaters recorded double-figure kills led by outside hitter Marianna Bertolone with 15 kills to go with six digs and two blocks. Middle blocker Isabella Scarlett was impressive not committing an error and was one shy of a career-best, logging 14 kills and hitting .636 (14-0-22) with four block assists. 
 
>In the early going of 2023, the men's basketball team went on a six-game win streak, the then-third longest in the country, that included a win over a No.16/20 ranked USC, 70-60, in Los Angeles and a perfect 3-0 week at the Ball Dawgs Classic. In the win over the Trojans, guard Justin Hohn poured in a career-best 25-points to lead the Anteaters. Hohn went 10-16 shooting from the field including 3-6 from three-point distance in the victory.
 
 

>Trailing 10-7 with six minutes to play in the semifinal contest of the Big West Championship against UC Davis, UCI came alive with four goals. Luka Krstic started the scoring at 5:35 and after goals by Stewart Campbell and Samuel Otta, Krstic notched the game-winner with just 34 seconds remaining. UCI would go on to win the Big West Championship and advance to the NCAA Championship.

>After being on the road for 28 days, the men's basketball team returned to the Bren Center with a bang. Led by Dean Keeler's career-best performance, seven Anteaters scored in double figures in UCI's 121-78 victory over South Dakota on Dec. 16. Keeler was impressive scoring 22 points in 14 minutes, shooting 9-11 (.818) from the floor to go with eight rebounds and two blocks. Guard Pierre Crockrell II added a double-double behind 12 points and career-high 11 assists. It was just shy of the record for points against a DI opponent which stands at 125 vs VMI in 1980.
 


 


>2023 was the Year of the Goalie as four keepers came up big throughout the year.

Women's soccer player Glo Hinojosa earned her third All-West Region selection after posting 10 shutouts to tie her for the program record of 31 in her career. In the opening round of the Big West Championship against Long Beach State, Hinojosa gave UCI the advantage by saving Long Beach State's first penalty try and the Anteaters would advance on a 4-1 penalty kick victory. Her share of the shutout record came in UCI's 1-0 upset of UCLA in the first round of the NCAAs.

Women's water polo player Erin Tharp was named the 2023 Big West Championships Most Valuable Player with her 14 saves in a 10-9 overtime win against No. 2 Hawaii. She had a career-high 17 saves in a win over Fresno State on Jan. 20, the second most in program history.  

Men's soccer player Luke Pruter was ranked in the top 11 nationally in minutes and shutouts this season. After a scoreless draw against UC Davis in the Big West final, Pruter came up big in penalty kicks. An Anteater miss in the shootout's second round was nullified by his save on a UCD shot in the fourth round. He would reject the ninth shot on the way to UCI's 8-7 victory. 

Men's water polo Jacob Pyle was named the 2023 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship Most Valuable Player with his 14 saves to earn the title for the Anteaters. In UCI's pivotal 13-12 overtime victory against UC Davis, Pyle entered the contest at halftime and registered eight saves, not allowing a single goal in overtime.
 

Print Friendly Version