MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Long Beach State held serve in the national postseason, upholding their No. 1 ranking for much of the season by claiming the crown at the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship in Columbus, Ohio. The Beach swept through back-to-back defending champion UCLA to hoist their fourth national title trophy.
The Beach were joined by Big West champion Hawai’i on the national stage, where the Rainbow Warriors advanced to the semifinal round as the No. 2 seed in the brackets.
Long Beach State freshman phenom Moni Nikolov was named AVCA National Player of the Year, giving The Big West five straight awards. Nikolov was also named National Newcomer of the Year.
UC Irvine senior Hilir Henno earned the AVCA’s Distinction of Excellence Award whose contribution to the sport extends beyond accolades, uniting generational athletic excellence with personal integrity, academic commitment, and a long-term impact.
All six league programs were ranked in every poll throughout the season and finished up in the AVCA listings as: No. 1 Long Beach State, No.3 Hawai’i, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 9 CSUN, No. 10 UC San Diego and No. 17 UC Santa Barbara.
Including honorable mention selections, a total of 22 Big West men’s volleyball players earned recognition on the AVCA’s All-American listings. Six men representing four member-institutions were named to the first team.
A total of six men’s volleyball student-athletes representing four member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.
GOLF
The Cal State Fullerton women enjoyed an historic season, first winning their first-ever Big West crown at the 2025 Championship. Then, the Titans made their way through the regionals as the No. 10 seed to qualify for the NCAA Championships. They are the first 10th-seeded team to advance to the final site in the six-region era.
With UC Davis women selected as an at-large entrant into the regional field, The Big West saw two teams in the national postseason for the first time since 2010. Three individuals were also tapped for regional play. This was the first time The Big West enjoyed three or more individual selections since 2016.
Long Beach State men’s golf won an impressive third consecutive title at the 2025 Big West Men’s Golf Championship, in record-breaking fashion. The comeback win was punctuated by an individual crown for Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa, who claimed top honors in wire-to-wire fashion.
LBSU’s Charlie Forster and Alejandro de Castro Piera were both named to the PING All-West Region team.
Forster was selected to compete in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup, competing as just the second Big West player to earn selection.
A total of seven men’s and six women’s golf student-athletes representing three member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.
TENNIS
Coming down to the No. 1 court, second-seeded UC Irvine took down No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara by a score of 4-3 to win its second straight Big West Men’s Tennis Championship, third in four years, and sixth overall title.
Both the Anteaters and the Gauchos were rewarded for their impressive seasons with entry into the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship bracket.
In comeback fashion, No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara defeated No. 2 seed Cal Poly by a score of 4-2 to win the 2025 Big West Women’s Tennis Championship. It was the Gauchos’ 11th overall title, third in the last five seasons and fifth in the last nine.
UCSB recorded a victory in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship, knocking off Rice in the first round, 4-3.
In the fall, UC Irvine’s Noah Zamora advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA Men’s Singles Tennis Championship.
UCSB’s Amelia Honer was named an ITA Honorable Mention All-American.
A total of 12 Big West men’s and women’s tennis student-athletes were named to the CSC Academic All-District teams.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
The 2025 Big West Beach Volleyball Championship came to a dramatic close as Long Beach State captured the crown, defeating top-seeded Cal Poly, 3-1, in a thrilling final. The Beach earned the league’s automatic entry into the national collegiate championship field, with Cal Poly claiming an at-large berth. It is the fourth straight season multiple teams were placed in the bracket.
The Mustangs were able to advance all the way to the national semifinals after upsetting No. 3 Stanford in the quarterfinal round. Cal Poly’s rally fell just short against the eventual national champion TCU in the semifinal round.
Six student-athletes were honored as AVCA All-Americans, with the top tandems from Cal Poly and Long Beach State each receiving first-team distinction.
Natalie Glenn of Long Beach State was selected as a CalHOPE Courage Award winner for February 2025.
A total of seven beach volleyball student-athletes representing three member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.
WOMEN’S WATER POLO
Top-seeded and defending conference champion Hawai'i bested No. 2 Long Beach State 8-6 in the 2025 Big West Women’s Water Championship to go back-to-back and pick up a sixth title in program history for the Rainbow Wahine.
Entering the national postseason as the No. 4 seed, Hawai’i upended California in its quarterfinal match, 8-7, to advance to consecutive semifinals at the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship.
An impressive 16 Big West student-athletes were named to the ACWPC/CWPA All-America teams. Two student-athletes from Hawai’i and one from Long Beach State headlined the honorees with second team honors to lead the listings.
Seven Big West programs finished the season listed in the final CWPA Women’s Varsity Poll: No. 4 Hawai'i, No. 6 Long Beach State, No. T-8 UC Irvine, No. 13 UC San Diego, No. T-16 UC Davis, No. 19 UC Santa Barbara and RV CSUN.
Kate Cornejo of CSUN was selected as a CalHOPE Courage Award winner for April 2025.
A total of 14 women’s water polo student-athletes representing five member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.
SOFTBALL
No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara clinched the title at the 2025 Big West Softball Championship with a 7-5 victory over No. 2 seed CSUN in the first-ever event of its kind. Coming through the elimination bracket after dropping the first game of the championship, the Gauchos punched their ticket to the Division I NCAA Softball Championship for the first time since 2007.
In the regionals, UCSB again made its way all the way to the final before eventually falling to hosts and Women’s College World Series participants UCLA. The Big West has had a team advance to the Regional Final in consecutive seasons.
Three players were named to the NFCA All-West Region teams, representing three different Big West programs.
A total of 22 Big West softball student-athletes representing seven member-institutions were named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
BASEBALL
After forcing the if-necessary game, No. 2 seed Cal Poly secured a 6-4 triumph over top seed and 20th-ranked UC Irvine to win the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship, presented by Ontario International Airport. Both the Mustangs and the Anteaters heard their names called as the bracket for the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced.
At the Eugene regional, Cal Poly fought back from the loser’s bracket to make it to the regional final. The Mustangs narrowly fell to Arizona 3-2 before upsetting national No. 12 seed and host Oregon 10-8 in an elimination game. In a second elimination game, Zach Daudet blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Cal Poly a 7-6 win over Utah Valley and advance to the regional final.
UC Irvine dropped the regional opener against Arizona State 4-2. The Anteaters downed Fresno State 8-3 and Arizona State 11-6 in elimination games to face UCLA in the regional final.
Cal Poly senior second baseman Ryan Fenn and UC Santa Barbara junior starting pitcher Tyler Bremner received ABCA All-West Region First-Team accolades. Cal Poly sophomore third baseman Alejandro Garza, UC Irvine sophomore outfielder Jacob McCombs, UC Irvine sophomore starter Trevor Hansen, UC Irvine junior closer Max Martin and UC Irvine sophomore reliever Ricky Ojeda were placed on the second team.
Cal Poly shortstop Nate Castellon and UC Santa Barbara reliever Nathan Aceves were honored as Freshman All-Americans by the NCBWA. Cal State Fullerton infielder Carter Johnstone was named a Freshman All-American by Perfect Game.
The Big West had two All-Americans with UC Irvine reliever Ricky Ojeda and UC Santa Barbara starter Tyler Bremner.
No less than 13 former Big West baseball players suited up for Opening Day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
A total of 12 Big West baseball student-athletes representing four member-institutions were named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
TRACK & FIELD
The Cal Poly men and UC Irvine women captured titles at the 2025 Big West Track & Field Championships. For the Mustangs, the win came in back-to-back fashion for a second ever title after compiling 186 points. The Anteaters earned their first women’s track & field crown with 150.5 points, a slim 1.5 points ahead of second-place Cal Poly.
The Big West sent an impressive batch of 116 overall qualifiers to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in College Station, Texas. The figure is a marked improvement from 84 last season, 62 from 2023, 47 from 2022, and 41 from 2021.
The Big West had student-athletes compete at the 2025 NCAA Championships - Rory Devaney (Cal Poly), Tristyn Flores (Long Beach State), Ryan Gregory (Long Beach State), Joshua Hornsby (Cal State Fullerton), Travis Martin (Cal Poly), Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly), Liam Miksic (UC Irvine), Claudine Raud-Gumiel (Long Beach State), Brad Thomas (UC Santa Barbara) and the Cal State Fullerton men’s 4x100 relay.
The Big West took nine slots on the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-America First and Second Teams.
Three Big West student-athletes were podium finishers at nationals. 800m – Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly), Hammer Throw – Rory Devaney (Cal Poly), Decathlon – Brad Thomas (UC Santa Barbara).
Justin Watterson of Long Beach State was selected as a CalHOPE Courage Award winner for October 2024.
A total of 25 Big West track & field student-athletes representing seven member-institutions were named to the CSC Academic All-District team.