2025-26 Year in Review: Top Individuals

7/6/2026

UC Irvine Athletics continues its 2025-26 Year-in-Review with a look at some of the season’s top individuals. UCI finished the campaign with nine All-Americans, a national Newcomer of the Year, three Big West Players of the Year, 78 All-Big West performers, and 53 Big West Athletes of the Week.

AVCA NATIONAL NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Andrej Jokanovic – Men’s Volleyball

Andrej Jokanovic cemented his name as one of the most decorated players in UC Irvine history. The freshman became the second Anteater to be honored as AVCA National Newcomer of the Year, joining libero Brent Asuka in 2006. The Big West Freshman of the Year ranked fifth in kills (3.41/set), aces (0.41/set) and points (4.10/set), eighth in digs (1.49/set), and 13th in hitting percentage (.279) in the conference. Jokanovic also led the team in aces with 49 which was tied for seventh best in a UCI single season. He was named Big West Freshman of the Week seven times, the most by an 'Eater, and was the third UC Irvine freshman to be named AVCA National Player of the Week. The outside hitter started the year as the lone freshman on the AVCA's first Player of the Year Watch List and ended as an NCAA All-Tournament Team selection.

Andrej Jokanovic flexes after scoring a point at the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship

BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Hunter Hernandez – Women's Basketball

Senior Hunter Hernandez was named the Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Year after leading the Anteaters to the regular season championship and an automatic WBIT bid. Hernandez closed out the campaign ranked second in the conference in scoring (19.8 ppg) and free throw percentage (85.4%), while she was also 10th in 3-pointers made (58) and 11th in rebounding (5.9 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard shattered the single-season school record with 655 points, beating Cheri Graham’s standard of 593 that stood since 1983-84. In addition, Hernandez tied UCI’s single-game record with 41 points at Cal Poly on March 5.

Over the course of her career, Hernandez spearheaded the most successful stretch in program history. Since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22, the ‘Eaters went 116-45, won the 2024 Big West Championship, and secured two Big West regular season titles (2023, 2026). Hernandez broke the all-time school record in career free throws made (402) and finished second in points (1,477) and free throw percentage (83.1%). She is the Anteaters’ only three-time first-team All-Big West selection, and set a program record with seven Big West Player of the Week awards, including five in 2025-26.

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BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Hiroki Sakagawa – Men's Tennis

Senior Hiroki Sakagawa was named the Big West Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. Sakagawa led UC Irvine to a Big West regular season championship, finishing the campaign with a team-best 14-3 dual-match singles record, all at the top of the lineup. He went a perfect 5-0 in Big West play, including a straight-set victory over No. 87 Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara. It was his second ranked win of the year as he also defeated No. 103 Manvydas Balciunas of San Diego in non-conference action. Sakagawa was a four-time Big West Player of the Week, received his second career first-team all-conference nod in singles, and was a second-team selection in doubles. He closed out the season at No. 20 in the ITA Southwest Region singles rankings. In Sakagawa’s three years at UC Irvine, the Anteaters won two Big West Championships and one regular season title.

BIG WEST MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR

Mia Colombini – Women's Soccer

Senior midfielder Mia Colombini was decorated as Big West Midfielder of the Year, the second in program history, after finishing 2025 as the leading scorer in Big West matches with five, and her seven goals overall tied for the Big West high, all from the midfield position. Her highlights included a three-point match to start the season at Grand Canyon, and she registered three game-winning goals that all came in Big West wins to top UC Riverside, Cal State Bakersfield, and Hawai'i. Colombini also added Academic All-District honors, All-Big West First Team, and Second Team All-West Region for her efforts.

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FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Shane Aitken – Men’s Volleyball

Shane Aitken was recognized as one of the top liberos in the country. The redshirt sophomore was the lone libero on the AVCA’s 12-man first-team All-America list. He became the third Anteater libero to be named to the first team, joining assistant coach Michael Brinkley (2013-15) and Brent Asuka (2006). The elite passer registered a .949 reception percentage, committing only 31 errors on 609 attempts. Aitken was also second in the Big West with a 1.98 dig average. He recorded double-digit digs 10 times, including a career-high 15 versus UC Santa Barbara which was tied for second most by a Big West player this season.

Shane Aitken dives to make the dig in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship match

SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

Trevor Clark – Men's Volleyball

Trevor Clark was one of the most dominant middle blockers in the nation. In his first season at UC Irvine, Clark claimed second-team AVCA All-America accolades and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. He led the Big West and ranked second nationally in hitting percentage with a .507 mark, hitting over .600 10 times in 2026. Clark also averaged 0.97 blocks per set, which was fourth best in the Big West. He rejected at least one attempt in every match he played in and recorded a career-high seven total blocks on two occasions. The junior added 2.04 kills per set with nine double-digit performances, including a career-best 14 kills in the NCAA Regional Final at UCLA. He matched that total in the NCAA semifinal against Ball State where he hit .722 (14-1-18). Clark was an All-Big West honorable mention choice and named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Jan. 26.

Andrej Jokanovic – Men's Volleyball
In addition to being named the AVCA National Newcomer of the Year, freshman Andrej Jokanovic received second-team All-America honors.

Trevor Clark in the air hitting a ball out of the middle at the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICANS

Joy Anderson – Women's Track & Field
Freshman Joy Anderson was an NCAA qualifier and the Big West champion in the heptathlon. She placed 19th at the national meet to earn All-America honorable mention recognition. The 2026 Big West Women’s Track & Field Freshman of the Year broke her own school record at the conference championships with 5,750 points. She originally took down the 17-year-old standard with a score of 5,572 in her first career heptathlon at the Bryan Clay Multis. Anderson also made her way into the top-10 in program history in the high jump, 200m, and 100m hurdles.

William D'Arcy – Men's Volleyball
Senior Willam D'Arcy earned honorable mention All-America and first team All-Big West selections. The two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week ranked 10th in kills (2.84/set), 11th in points (3.34/set) and 12th in hitting percentage (.281) among Big West players. The opposite recorded kills in double-figures 20 times this season, including a career-high 22 at No. 8 BYU (Jan. 24).

Micah Goss – Men's Volleyball
Sophomore Micah Goss earned his second AVCA All-America honorable mention nod after averaging 1.53 kills and 0.70 blocks per set. He also owned a .361 hitting percentage. Goss established single-match career-highs of 14 kills against USC and six aces at Concordia. In addition, he had a season-best .778 (7-0-9) hitting percentage in a 3-0 win over Princeton.

Lauren Hett – Women’s Water Polo
Junior Lauren Hett secured All-America honorable mention, her second All-America selection of her career. She also landed on the All-Big West First Team after pacing the team across nearly every major category, leading in goals (73), assists (39), points (112), steals (34), and field blocks (24), while setting new single-season bests in both goals and points. She ranked among the conference’s top performers as well, finishing second in the Big West in both goals and points, fourth in assists, and first in field blocks. Her 34 steals placed eighth, while her per-game averages, 2.7 goals (first), 1.4 assists (fifth), 4.1 points (second), and 1.3 steals (sixth), further display her all-around impact. Her 73 goals this season rank second all-time for single-season scoring, just one shy of the program record of 74 set by Tara Prentice (2022) and Jessy Cardey (2012).

Cameron Kosty – Men's Volleyball
Redshirt freshman Cameron Kosty took over the starting setter role and was recognized as an honorable mention All-American as well as earning Big West All-Freshman honors. The setter averaged 8.69 assists per set, which was sixth in the Big West. Kosty totaled a career-high 54 set assists against Hawai'i, which was fourth most by a Big West player this season. The two-time Big West Setter of the Week guided the Anteaters to a hitting percentage of .376 or better seven times and .400 or better on three occasions.

Jolie Robinson – Women's Track & Field
Senior Jolie Robinson earned an honorable mention All-America nod after finishing 22nd in the heptathlon at her first career NCAA Championship meet. Robinson qualified for nationals with a personal-record 5,647 points in a runner-up showing at the Big West Championships. It was her fourth-straight top-two conference finish after winning the title in 2023 and 2024, and placing second in 2025. Robinson ranks second in school history in the heptathlon, fourth in the long jump, and fourth in the javelin.