What a year! The 2023-24 season was the most successful year in department history with seven teams making NCAA appearances.
UCI was fourth in the nation in the LEARFIELD Director's Cup D-IAAA (non-football) final standings which highlights the most successful athletic departments based on NCAA Championship success.
Six teams (women's soccer, men's water polo, men's volleyball, men's tennis, women's water polo, baseball) ended the year nationally ranked, including three teams ranking in the top 5 during the season.
In a three-part series, ucirvinesports.com will bring you some of the highlights of the 2023-24 season, starting with all of the championships.
Anteater teams won five Big West Championships and two Big West regular season titles, while track and field athletes accounted for eight individual championship moments.
WOMEN'S SOCCER (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA First Round Gallery) (NCAA Second Round Gallery)
Women's soccer advanced in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, reaching the Sweet Sixteen for a second consecutive year. UCI became the first-ever women's soccer program to win their first round matchup against a No. 1 seed, dropping UCLA, 1-0, on an 87th-minute goal. Alyssa Moore put away the game-winner after the Anteaters had gone down to 10 women in the 75th minute. Goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa and the defense weathered the Bruins attack, seeing 22 shots and turning away the five on target. The team would go on to win the second-round matchup versus Gonzaga, 2-1 before falling at Nebraska.
The Anteaters reached the NCAA tournament by winning their third straight Big West Championship as a 5-seed and beating Cal Poly, 1-0, in the final. It was the third three-peat in conference history with help from Big West Championship MVP, sophom*ore Emilie Castagna.
The Anteaters ended the year ranked 20th nationally.
MEN'S SOCCER (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA First Round Gallery)
Men's soccer claimed its fifth Big West Championship and first under head coach Yossi Raz. After a 2-1 comeback win over UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals, the Anteaters beat UC Davis, 8-7 in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw with the Aggies. In the sudden death rounds, Rafael Espinoza, Nolan DiCenzo, Josh Kenworthy and Kellan Barry were all true to extend the shootout. In the ninth round, goalkeeper Luke Pruter came through with his second save on a shot to seal the win. Midfielder Oscar Cervantes was awarded Big West Championship MVP.
UCI advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a second time under coach Raz falling in the opening round, 4-2, at LMU. Key wins during the regular season included a scoreless draw with No. 8 Creighton and a win on the road at No. 13 Cal State Fullerton.
MEN'S WATER POLO (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA First Round Gallery)
In a pivotal game, the men's water polo team beat Big West-leading and previously undefeated in league play, UC Davis, in a thrilling 13-12 overtime victory. Jack Stevens scored the game-winner off a spinning backhanded move with 1:09 left on the clock in the final extra period. The Anteaters went on to capture the regular season title with a 4-1 record and earned the No. 1 seed for the Big West Championship.
In the semifinals of the inaugural Big West Championship,top-seeded UC Irvine trailed No. 4 UC Davis, 8-6 entering the fourth period. The Anteaters would hold the Aggies to one goal while scoring four unanswered to mount the comeback and complete the 11-10 victory. Luka Krstic, who netted the game-winner with 34 seconds left, topped the squad with five goals, an assist and a steal. UCI would go on to defeat No. 2 UC Santa Barbara, 11-9, to capture the Championship title. The Anteaters led by a goal with 30 seconds left in the contest, before Jake Liechty recorded a goal to virtually clinch the victory. Krstic had two goals and four assists in the win.
Goalkeeper Jacob Pyle was named the 2023 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship MVPafter recording 25 saves over two championship games, including a career-high 14 in the finale.
UCI, who ended the year ranked sixth nationally, advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993, taking on No. 5 Princeton. The Tigers would jump out to a quick lead and go on to win 12-7 in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA First Round Gallery)
The 2023-24 UC Irvine women's basketball team won the second Big West Championship in program history. The second-seeded Anteaters earned a bye into the semifinals where they defeated No. 7 seed Long Beach State, 69-57. They then routed fifth-seeded UC Davis, 53-39, in the championship game to claim their first title since 1995. Junior Déja Lee, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, finished with a game-high 21 points, going 8-of-12 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds and two steals.
UCI, which ended a 29-year NCAA Tournament drought, earned a No. 13 seed and traveled to Spokane, Washington, to face host and fourth-seeded Gonzaga in the first round. The 'Eaters raced out to an 11-point lead in the opening quarter but were unable to hold off the hot-shooting Zags who would eventually advance to the Sweet 16. UC Irvine closed out its championship season with a 23-9 overall record and was ranked 23rd in the final College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (NCAA First Round Gallery) (NCAA Semifinal Gallery)
The men's volleyball team would take down two No. 1 teams in the regular season to lead to an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters' eighth NCAA appearance began with a 3-0 sweep of Penn State. UCI out-blocked the Nittany Lions, 10-6 behind National Player of the Year Hilir Henno's season-best five block assists. He also had a match-high 15 kills in the win. UCI went on to battle No. 1 UCLA in the semifinals where they would fall in an exciting five-set battle. After losing starter Akhil Tangutur to an injury in the first set and going down 1-2, UCI rallied to win the fourth set by out-hitting the Bruins .381 to .067 and force a final frame. Henno, who was named to the All-Tournament team, had a match-high 22 kills to go with nine digs, four blocks and an ace.
UCI would end the year ranked No. 4 nationally.
MEN'S TENNIS (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA First Round Gallery)
For the second time in the last three years, the UC Irvine men's tennis team won the Big West Championship. As the No. 2 seed, the Anteaters earned a bye into the semifinals where they took down No. 3 Cal Poly, 4-1. They carried that momentum into their third-straight championship appearance where they upended top-seeded and 45th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, 4-1. UCI combined to go 8-0 in singles in the tournament with Hiroki Sakagawa clinching both victories on court two.
The 'Eaters went on to make their 13th NCAA Division I Championship appearance where they fell to fourth-ranked and eventual national champion TCU.
BASEBALL (NCAA Gallery)
Anteater baseball had an historic season which ended with a 10th Division I NCAA Regional appearance. Coach Ben Orloff's team went 2-2 in the Corvallis Regional beating Nicholls, 13-12 and Tulane 17-7 before losing in the regional final to No. 15 national seed, Oregon State, 11-6. Jo Oyama, Caden Kendle, and Myles Smith were named to the All-Regional Team.
The Anteaters finished with a .763 winning percentage, the best for the program on the Division I level, winning 45 games, third-most in program history. UCI began the season with a 12-game win streak and finished second in the Big West with a 22-8 mark to earn their postseason berth via an at-large selection.
The team had an historic season breaking numerous records including team marks for a season in runs scored, home runs, total bases, walks, and pitching strikeouts. Pitcher Nick Pinto set a new career record with 334 strikeouts passing his coach, Daniel Bibona. Offensively, Woody Hadeen smashed single-season records for runs scored and walks, Anthony Martinez did so in RBIs, and the team set a new single-season NCAA record for hit by pitch with 175, 23 more than the previous record set in 2011.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The men's basketball team clinched their second consecutive Big West regular season title with a 17-3 record in conference games. It's the seventh regular season title under head coach Russell Turner and eighth Big West championship in a ten-year span. UCI ended the year with a 24-10 overall record and received an at-large selection to the NIT. UCI was one of nine teams in the country to have finished the season with a winning record in conference in play in each of the last 12 seasons and is the only California school on that list.
The Anteaters were a perfect 13-0 inside the Bren Events Center, going undefeated at home for the first time in program history.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Big West Championship Gallery) (NCAA Gallery)
The UC Irvine men's and women's outdoor track & field teams combined for six individual Big West titles in 2024. The Anteaters swept the multi-events with Josh Farmer winning the decathlon and Jolie Robinson repeating as the heptathlon champion. The men's throwers then went to work, claiming the crown in three of the four events. Liam Miksic defended his title in the javelin, while Jacob Hawkins was the discus champion and Justin Willingham was the shot put champion. Kailah McKenzie, who was tabbed the Big West Women's Freshman of the Year, also brought home the program's first high jump crown since 2009.
Nine 'Eaters advanced to the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Farmer continued on to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships where he finished 12th in the decathlon for his third career second-team All-America honor.
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Two Anteaters claimed an individual conference title at the 2024 MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships. Reyna Johnson won the long jump and broke her own school record in the process with a leap of 5.97m/19-7. Deandra Tyler also led wire-to-wire in the shot put (14.93m/48-11.75), which she won by over a foot.
Print Friendly Version
