We wrapped up our season with the 2017 Sports Clubs Banquet, held on June 2nd at the Marina Village Bayview Room, which highlighted all the amazing things our athletes, coaches and teams accomplished this year. Sports Clubs had over 1300 athletes, 11 teams qualified for nationals, and over 190 hours of community service were completed by participants. We also honored 8 individuals for their talents and contributions to their teams and/or the program as well as 2 teams on their all-star performances in community building. And the award goes to….
Male Athlete of the Year
Alberto Montilla – Field Hockey
- Plays on the U21 USA Men’s National Team
- Plays in a high-level league in LA on weekends
- Scored multiple times in the Men’s Super Division at Cal Cup (Field Hockey Super Bowl)
Chris Griebenow – Men’s Club Volleyball
- Leader on and off the court
- Has played volleyball for 17 years
- Started in every position during the 16-17 season
- Played internationally – summer 2016
Female Athlete of the Year
Tran Huynh – Table Tennis
- Co-Ed Varsity player, a team usually dominated by men
- Carried women’s team to 1st in Divisionals
- 1st Place in Women’s Singles
- Competed at Nationals, winning Women’s Consolation Bracket
Captain of the Year
Taylor Williams – Dance Team
- Captain for 3 years
- Balances schoolwork, research labs, sorority life, and her responsibilities as captain
- Great communication, organization, & leadership skills.
- Dedicated to her team and inspirational to her peers
Coach of the Year
Tiffany Coles – Women’s Club Water Polo
- Full-ride to Long Beach State & then transferred to UCSD to play NCAA for a year
- Coached Granite Hills High School for 6 years & UCSD for the past 3 years
- Cares about individual athlete & team goals, and leads them to strong league performances
- Hoping to lead the team to a National Championship tournament in the 2017-2018 season
Dustin Newell Memorial Award
Hannah Caskey & Macey Rafter – Women’s Club Water Polo
- They supported numerous other Sports Club teams throughout the 16-17 academic year and encouraged their team to attend SC community events.
- They lead by example both in and out of the pool
- Macey’s impact will be greatly missed by her team and the Sports Clubs Community next year
- Hannah will be returning for the 17-18 season and continue to improve upon their success
- They also represented both Recreation and Sports Facilities as Co-Chairs for the Sports Facilities Advisory Board
Jeff Simon Memorial Award
Wing Ly – Women’s Rugby
- On-field captain who was the first one to the field and the last one off
- Would have been a contender for MVP, but tore her ACL in the fall of her senior season. She still attended every game, practice, team event, meeting, etc.
- Helped develop new players with different drills and techniques and took on a coaching role throughout the season
- Ever since freshman year has done everything to grow in the sport and is truly an inspiration to her teammates, coaches, & peers.
The “One Team” Award
Women’s Club Water Polo
- Participated in every Sports Clubs Community event from Dodgeball and Challenge Course to the Campus Clean-Up.
- Won the Sports Clubs Super Fan challenge by attending other games and supporting the most teams in the program this year.
The Community Service Award
Dance Team
- Participated in 4 community service events totaling 23 hours
- Helped with Celebrate San Diego, an event that celebrated the San Diego community where over 12,000 people attended
- Had almost full team participation at all events, including working with the Surfing Madonna Ocean Project with their annual Beach Run
Thanks to all of our incredible Sports Clubs Athletes for another amazing year! If you are interested in joining a Sports Club you can find out more information and contact team captains directly here.