General

Reflection of the 2024-25 Big West Season

As we look back on the stellar 2024-25 campaign across all 21 Big West conference-sponsored sports, see some of the top teams, players and moments from the field of play and beyond. Whether exhibiting pacific sprit, practicing fearless innovation, participating in bold activism, displaying enduring integrity or celebrating boundless opportunity, The Big West pillars shone bright all season long. 

  • The Big West Postseason 

    Provided a championship experience for every Big West sport offered, with postseason competition opportunities for up to 2,645 student-athletes.  

    Every member-institution had at least nine teams compete in The Big West postseason. 

    Showcasing the parity of the league and competitiveness of Big West postseason events, only three No. 1 seeds claimed a Big West crown in bracketed sports (UC San Diego men’s basketball, UC Santa Barbara women’s tennis, Hawai’i women’s water polo). 

    National Postseason 

    SIX team sports with multiple participants in the national championship, also known as #TwoBidBigWest (men’s volleyball, beach volleyball, men’s soccer, baseball, women’s golf, men’s tennis) 

    SEVEN team sports with at least one win on the national stage (women’s tennis, men’s volleyball, beach volleyball, softball, women’s water polo, men’s basketball [NIT], men’s soccer) 

    THREE team sports representing three schools had at least one team advance to the national semifinals – women's water polo (Hawai’i), beach volleyball (Cal Poly), men’s volleyball (Long Beach State and Hawai’i).  

    ONE national champion in men’s volleyball, making five titles in the last seven seasons belonging to a Big West program. 

    Individual Awards & Accolades 

    To date, 44 student-athletes in six sports have earned All-Region honors. 

    To date, an impressive 72 student-athletes have claimed All-American status in 2024-25. 

    Long Beach State freshman setter Moni Nikolov was named the AVCA Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year, as well as winner of multiple Off the Block individual end-of-year awards. 

    Student-athletes from men’s basketball, men’s volleyball, baseball and beach volleyball were named national players of the week for their respective sports 

    UC Santa Barbara freshman Manu Duah was selected with the first pick in the MLS Superdraft, the second No. 1 pick across all Big West sports. 

    Beyond Sports 

    445 student-athletes earned recognition on The Big West Fall All-Academic team, marking three straight years of overall improvement. Additionally, 221 student-athletes were named to The Big West Winter All-Academic team. The spring team and commissioner’s honor roll will be announced at the conclusion of the academic calendar. 

    CSC Academic All-District Teams have included 227 Big West student-athletes, to date, with more yet to be announced.

    The Big West boasts two Academic All-Americans in swimming & diving. 

    UC Irvine’s Will Bermudez was named a 2024-25 CalHope Courage Award winner, earning a $2,000 donation to support mental health services for students at UCI. Also receiving monthly distinction was Natalie Glenn (Long Beach State indoor/beach volleyball), Kate Cornejo (CSUN women’s water polo) and Justin Watterson (Long Beach State track). 

    Long Beach State’s Lovely Sonnier was named one of 14 Kay Yow Servant Leader Award winners across the country, honoring student-athletes who exemplify the values of leadership, selflessness, and service in the fight against all cancers affecting women. 


  • CROSS COUNTRY 


    Cal Poly swept the top of the podium in both men’s and women’s cross country for a third straight year. 

    Davis Bove raced to the men’s individual title for back-to-back seasons as the Mustangs men recorded a record 20th team championship with all five runners placing in the top 10 compiling a team score of 22 points. Bove crossed the line in 21:53.3 as Cal Poly men have taken first in five of the last six Championships. 

    Cal Poly’s Schuyler Gooley crossed the finish line first for the women to claim the top honor as the team took home a 10th crown. Gooley’s time of 19:47.7 led the way for the Mustangs en route to the three-peat. 

    Both Bove and Gooley highlighted the individual awards winners with Cal Poly earning five of the six honors.  


    SOCCER 


    No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara cooled off a streaking fifth-seeded Cal State Bakersfield to claim their third title at the 2025 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship. Going down to penalty kicks, the Gauchos secured the 8-7 win to earn the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.  

    The Big West saw 14 standout student-athletes representing eight member-institutions selected for United Soccer Coaches All-West Region women’s soccer teams with six players earning first-team accolades. 

    No. 4 seed UC Davis downed second-seeded and host UC Santa Barbara for the 2025 Big West Men’s Soccer Championship title. It was the Aggies’ second ever Big West trophy and the first No. 4 seed to come through the bracket victorious.  

    Both Big West finalists, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, were selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The Gauchos were able to advance to the second round after securing an overtime win at UCLA to open the national postseason. UCSB fell in penalty kicks at Stanford in second-round action. 

    The Big West took 11 slots on the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region men’s soccer teams with six players representing five member-institutions on the first team. 

    Two players were selected in the MLS Superdraft, with UC Santa Barbara freshman Manu Duah going first overall to San Diego FC. Fellow Big West student-athlete Donovan Sessoms from Sacramento State was picked 61st, also by the new San Diego club. 

    A total of 38 men’s and women’s soccer players representing eight member-institutions landed on the CSC Academic All-District Team.  


    WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL 


    No. 2 seed and defending champion Hawai'i earned a 3-1 win over regular-season champion Cal Poly in the final match of The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship to earn back-to-back titles. 

    Hawai’i made their 42nd appearance in the NCAA postseason, and an impressive 31st consecutive field. 

    Three Big West standouts were named to the AVCA All-Pacific Region, headlined by first-team selection and Big West Player of the Year Caylen Alexander’s first-team nod. Regardless of various regional changes throughout the years, The Big West has enjoyed at least one All-Region/All-District selection every season, since 1986.   

    Alexander claimed AVCA Honorable Mention All-American status, marking the fifth straight season a Hawai’i player has been seen dotting the All-American listings.  

    A total of 20 women’s volleyball players representing eight member-institutions earned CSC Academic All-District Team honors. 


    MEN’S WATER POLO 


    Fifth-seeded Long Beach State outlasted No. 3 seed UC San Diego in a 10-8 victory to claim the 2025 Big West Men’s Water Polo Championship crown. The Beach won their third overall conference title and first since 1975. This is the second year The Big West has sponsored men’s water polo after a 39-year break. 

    The Big West placed 14 standout student-athletes on the ACWPC All-America teams, headlined by Big West Player and Freshman of the Year Gabi Acosta of Long Beach State. Acosta claimed second team honors with 13 more on the honorable mention listings. All six member-institutions claimed at least one All-American honoree. 

    Five Big West programs finished the season in the final CWPA Men’s Varsity Poll: No. T-6 Long Beach State, No. T-10 UC Irvine, No. 12 UC San Diego, No. 14 UC Davis and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara. 

     A total of seven men’s water polo student-athletes representing three member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.   


  • SWIMMING & DIVING 


    In its revival season back in the league, UC Santa Barbara men’s and women’s programs took home the titles at the 2025 Big West Swimming & Diving Championships.  It is 29th men’s team championship and 14th women’s crown after a 14-year break as a conference-sponsored sport. 

    A multitude of records fell at the Championships, with 21 new benchmarks set at Houston’s CRWC Natatorium.  

    Karol Ostrowski of Hawai’i and UC San Diego’s Chloe Braun were both selected to compete at the 2025 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships.  

    A total of 23 men’s and women’s swimming & diving student-athletes earned CSC Academic All-District honors.  

    Hawai’i swimmers Milan Bukovics and Arianna Sakellaris were both named to the 2024-25 Academic All-America Swimming & Diving Third Team for their work in the classroom and the pool. 


    BASKETBALL 


    Winning both trophies in Henderson, UC San Diego is the first school to ever qualify for the NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility in both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments. The men took the title as the No. 1 seed in The Big West bracket with the women advancing through the week to keep dancing in March as the No. 4 seed. 

    The Big West was home to two 30-win men’s basketball teams, UC San Diego and UC Irvine, marking an unprecedented feat in conference history. Nationally, only the SEC also had two programs reach the 30-win mark this season. The conference finished the year 12th in the NET rankings, the highest since 2000. 

    The Anteaters men finished as runners-up in the National Invitation Tournament, falling at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, 85-84, in overtime of the final. Closing the season with a 32-7 record, UCI recorded the most wins a Big West team has had since the 1990-91 Final Four UNLV team went 34-1.   

    Four Big West men’s basketball players were named to the NABC All-Pacific District teams, with first-team honorees Big West Player of the Year Aniwaniwa Tate-Jones (UC San Diego) and Bent Leuchten (UC Irvine) headlining the listings. UCSD’s head coach Eric Olen was also named district Coach of the Year. 

    UC San Diego’s Tait-Jones was selected to play in the NABC Reese’s All-Star Game. UC San Diego’s Tyler McGhie won the E*TRADE Men’s 3-Point Shootout. 

    A total of 24 men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes representing seven member-institutions were tapped for the CSC Academic All-District listings.  

    As a conference, The Big West women’s basketball teams and their supporters raised $15,300 for the Tough Like Tammy Campaign, with all proceeds benefitting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. 


  • 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.