IRVINE, Calif. – Women's distance runner Sameen Andar and men's water polo player Jacob Pyle have been named UC Irvine's 2023-24 Big West Scholar-Athletes of the Year the conference office announced Wednesday.
 
Two student-athletes from each Big West school - one male and one female - were honored by their institution and conference for their accomplishments in competition, in the classroom and in the community. The Anteater duo will be highlighted in the Big West honors show on ESPN+
 
Andar finished ninth at the 2023 Big West Cross Country Championship (21:03.2) to earn All-Big West honors for the second year in a row. It was her third-straight top-10 showing as she also placed sixth at the UCR Invitational (20:23.0) and Bronco Invitational (20:06.3). The junior was named the Big West Athlete of the Week on Oct. 17, after the Bronco Invitational where she ran the second-fastest 6K of her career. During the indoor season, she broke her own school record in the 5,000m (16:31.81) to claim runner-up honors at the MPSF Championships. On the outdoor track, Andar qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the 10,000-meter run for the second year in a row and finished 22nd at the regional meet. At the Big West Championships, she earned all-conference honors with a third-place finish in the 10K. She had a personal-record 33:07.48 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, ranking second in program history and was only .38 seconds shy of the 35-year-old school record. At the end of the season, Andar's mark stood as the best in The Big West, while ranking 12th in the West Region and 33rd in all of NCAA Division I. The biological sciences major was recognized as a USTFCCCA All-Academic athlete for the second time in her career. She also made the Big West Fall and Spring All-Academic Team, Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll and Dean's List. Outside of competition, she is a member of UCI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Pyle was a member of a historic men's water polo season with the Anteaters claiming both the Big West regular season title and Big West Championship. Pyle was named the 2023 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship Most Valuable Player with his 14 saves in the title match. In UCI's pivotal 13-12 overtime victory against UC Davis in conference play, Pyle entered the contest at halftime and registered eight saves, not allowing a single goal in overtime. Pyle, who was named All-Big West Honorable Mention, led the Anteaters to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1993. For the season, he recorded 154 saves, 17 steals and 14 assists. Pyle posted a career-high 14 saves four times in 2023. He graduated with a degree in economics and a minor in business management, earning American Water Polo Coaches All-Academic, Big West Commissioner's Honor Roll and Dean's List honors. He will return to the cage in 2024, pursing a master's degree at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business.