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Sports

McGihon Stepping Down as UCSD Swimming Coach

Program garnered many honors during his tenure; champion softball team earns more accolades.

Scott McGihon, the head coach of the UC San Diego swimming and diving program, is retiring after 13 highly successful seasons.

McGihon took over at UCSD prior to the 1998-99 season and immediately turned the Tritons into one of the premier programs at both the Division III and Division II levels. He led UCSD to a pair of team titles at the Pacific Collegiate Swim & Dive Conference Championships in his first season--UCSD's first two league championships--and went on to guide the Tritons to top-eight finishes at the NCAA Championships in UCSD's first season at the Division II level in 2000-01.
 
During McGihon's tenure, UCSD has been one of the top programs in the PCSC, winning a total of nine conference titles on the women's side and five on the men's. The Triton women have finished in the top-five nationally in all 13 of McGihon's seasons at the helm, while the men have finished in the top-15 every year, with a total of five top-five performances.
 
On the men's side, McGihon has coached the Tritons to four Olympic Trial standards, 14 individual NCAA Championships, 80 individual All-Americans, two PCSC Swimmers of the Year and the 2004-05 NCAA Division II National Swimmer of the Year. His women's teams have produced six U.S. National standards, one Olympic Trial standard, 20 individual NCAA Championships, 82 All-Americans, the 2000 NCAA Swimmer of the Year and the 2003-04 and 2004-05 NCAA Woman of the Year.

In all, McGihon's teams have produced 14 PCSC Championships, 162 All-Americans, 34 individual national titles and 18 top-five NCAA finishes.

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“It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve as the head swimming coach at UCSD for the past 13 years,” McGihon said. “I have been extremely blessed in my collegiate coaching career and coaching at UC San Diego has been a dream come true. I have learned so much and grown so much as a coach, friend, husband and parent that I cannot imagine what life would have been like without this amazing opportunity. I look forward to seeing the program continue to excel at the heights it has become accustomed to and know it will be left in capable hands.”

McGihon will step down after leading the Tritons to another banner season in 2010-11. After guiding UCSD to its third consecutive PCSC title on both the men and women's sides in February, the Tritons had a tremendous showing at the NCAA Championships in San Antonio in March. The Tritons finished second on the men's side, the program's highest finish at the Division II level, while the women took third for the ninth time in 11 seasons in D-II.
 
Junior Matt Herman won individual national titles in the 1000 freestyle (9:02.67) and 1650 freestyle (15:12.78) and freshman Nick Korth captured the 200 breaststroke (1:57.19) on the men's side, while junior Alex Henley took first in the 200 butterfly (2:00.8) to lead the women.
 
Prior to taking over at UCSD, McGihon coached the Beach Swim Club in Long Beach and then accepted an assistant position with the men's program at the University of Utah in 1996. In 1997, he served as an assistant with the women's program at the University of Iowa.
 
He was a four-year varsity swimmer at UC Irvine, earning his bachelor's degree in 1990, before going on to graduate from the University of Utah College of Law in 1993.
 
A Level 5 ASCA coach, McGihon has been named the men or women's PCSC Coach of the Year a total of six times, while earning UCSD's Excellence in Coaching award in 2003.
 
McGihon will stay on as the head coach in a volunteer capacity until a replacement is named. A national search will be conducted in the coming weeks to fill the position.
 
SOFTBALL

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Camille Gaito and the UC San Diego softball teams’ coaching staff continued to add to their honors in wake of the Tritons' 2011 Division II National Championship.

Gaito was named  California Collegiate Athletic Association Female Athlete of the Year  while head  coach Patti Gerckens and assistant coaches Jessica Millsap, Allison May, Nichole Willis and Sara Robinson have been named as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year.

Gaito, who pitched the Tritons softball team to its first national title, becomes UC San Diego’s second straight and fourth student-athlete overall to be honored as the conference’s top women’s athlete.

The award is voted on by the 12-member institutions’ sports information directors during their annual spring meeting.

Gaito, who was named the West Region’s Daktronics Pitcher of the Year and CCAA Pitcher of the Year, concluded her junior campaign with a 35-4 record, 0.75 ERA, 208 strikeouts and 32 complete games. She ranks second in the nation in wins, ERA and walks per seven innings (.60), while her ERA is the lowest of any pitcher in the country with more than 35 appearances.

The UC San Diego right-hander pitched every inning in the Tritons’ NCAA Tournament run, going 9-0 with nine complete games while striking out 62 and walking 11 in 67 innings. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Finals after going 4-0 in Salem in route to the program’s first national championship.

Gaito became UC San Diego’s all-time leader in pitching victories when she recorded her 62nd in a win over C.W. Post in the opener of the NCAA Championship. She added three more to her total and will enter next season with 65 career victories.

The Tritons junior also established single-season UC San Diego records for wins (35), appearances (47), innings pitched (262.1), strikeouts (208), complete games (32) and saves (4).

Gaito is the third softball player to earn CCAA Female Athlete of the Year, joining Kathy Slaten (Cal State Northridge, 1983-84) and Lizzy Prescott (Humboldt State, 2008-09).

Christine Merrill, a standout performer on the UC San Diego women's track and field team, received the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Female Athlete of the Year accolade for the 2009-10 season. The CCAA Male Athlete of the Year honor that season was given to Brandon Gregorich of  the UCSD baseball squad.

The Tritons, under the tutelage of Gerckens and her staff, put together their best season in program history, going 45-13 overall and 22-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association to clinch the first regular-season league title in school history.  The 45 wins by the 2011 team is a new school record and the .775 winning percentage also broke the program’s previous top mark at the Division II level.

“I can’t say enough about my coaching staff,” said Gerckens. “They are there every day. They give everything they’ve got. They’re spending extra hours at the field and will do anything that needs to be done.”

Gerckens also earned 2011 CCAA Coach of the Year, the second of her storied career. In 19 seasons at UCSD, Gerckens’ squads have won 30 or games seven times and have finished with a winning record in 12 of those years. 

After being picked to finish fifth in the CCAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Tritons started the season 16-2 and jumped into the NFCA Top 25 at No. 11 on February 16. UCSD would remain ranked for all 13 weeks during the regular season, including seven weeks in the top ten.

The Tritons earned the No. 1 overall seed in the West Region for the NCAA Tournament and blazed through the Regionals and Super Regionals with a 5-0 record, earning the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Division II Women’s Softball Championship Finals in Salem, VA.

It was more of the same for UCSD in the Finals, as the Tritons took down No. 25 C.W. Post, No. 14 Minnesota State-Mankato and No. 1 Alabama-Huntsville en route to a national championship.

UCSD ended the year as the No. 1 team in the NFCA Top 25 for the first time in school history.

“UCSD has high expectations. The coaching staff expects our team to play well and play to win,” said Gerckens.

It was the second year at UCSD for Coach Millsap after spending three years as head assistant at Biola University. Primarily working with Triton pitchers and outfielders, Millsap guided a Triton pitching staff that had the 8th-lowest ERA (1.44) in the nation and the lowest ERA in the CCAA. Moreover, UCSD regular starting outfielders Kris Lesovsky, Katrin Gabriel and Taylor Sepulveda all boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Robinson entered her fourth season on Gerckens’ staff in 2011. She played for Gerckens at UCSD between 2004-07, appearing in a total of 97 games and totaling a .989 fielding percentage at first base. She also serves as Assistant Compliance and Student Services Coordinator in the UCSD Athletics Department, overseeing special projects and compliance affairs.

May and Willis were the new additions to Gerckens’ 2011 staff, as each put their mark on the UCSD program in their inaugural season in the Triton dugout.

May returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach after working as an administrative and human resources assistant in El Segundo for a short time. While assisting Millsap with the outfield, May was the go-to for Triton base runners, guiding the team to 85 steals on 111 attempts (.766), third-best in the CCAA. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native was a key member of UCSD’s 2009 squad that advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional and she sits in third place in UCSD annals for career steals (48).

Gerckens brought Willis to La Jolla in the summer of 2010 after Willis inquired about helping coach the Tritons while serving as the varsity coach at Clovis High School in Fresno. An All-American catcher at Fresno State between 2004-07, Willis shared her knowledge of life behind the plate with freshmen catchers Charly Swanberg and Caitlin Brown, two critical components of the Tritons’ national championship run. In addition, Willis assisted Gerckens with Triton hitters in 2011, helping UCSD to a .324 batting average and 19 RBI during the NCAA Division II Championship Finals.

“They are a great group of coaches and even better people,” remarked Gerckens about her staff.

BASEBALL

UC San Diego senior pitchers Tim Shibuya and Guido Knudson were drafted last week on the second day of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
 
Shibuya, a six-foot-one, 190 pound right-hander, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 23rd round as the 718th overall pick. Knudson, a six-foot-one, 180 pound righty, was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round, the 857th overall pick.
 
“Tim and Guido are outstanding ball players who will go on to make their organizations very proud,” said UCSD head coach Dan O'Brien. “But, they're even better people who have already made us so proud of their success, on and off the field.”

The all-time wins, strikeouts and innings pitched leader at UCSD, Shibuya was 11-4 with a 2.12 earned run average in 2011. He struck out 109 batters, his highest single season total as a Triton, and three times he fanned a career-high 11. He led the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched and was second in ERA and opponent average en route to being selected the consensus West Region Pitcher of the Year. The Jackson, Wyo., native won 40 games over his Triton career, including a school record 13 in 2010, and earned All-American status in three of his four seasons at UCSD.
 
Knudson finished his Triton career with a 29-12 record and a 3.63 ERA. An All-West and All-CCAA performer in 2011, he registered a career best 2.80 ERA with a 9-3 record. At one point this season, Knudson won five consecutive starts. In 2010, he won 10 games and in 2009 he saved 10 games.
 
“Not many programs have had two players drafted in the same day who are chemistry (Shibuya) and engineering (Knudson) majors,” said O'Brien. “It's an incredible accomplishment by two outstanding young men and a very proud day for Triton baseball!”

Shibuya and Knudson are the first MLB Draft selections to come out of UCSD since 2003. Alex Cremidan, also a right-handed hurler, was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 35th round (1,056th overall pick) of that year's draft. Cremidan played three seasons of Rookie and A ball for Arizona.

MEN’S TENNIS

After finishing with an overall record of 20-1 in 2011, the UC San Diego men's tennis team was ranked No. 10 in the final Campbell/ITA Division II national poll that was released last week.

The final singles rankings were also released and senior Erik Elliott earned All-America accolades by virtue of his top-20 standing in the poll.

Head coach Eric Steidlmayer led UCSD to a perfect 20-0 dual match record during the regular season, with the Tritons recording victories over nationally-ranked Hawaii Pacific (twice) and defeating Division I opponents UC Riverside, Villanova and Lafayette College along the way.

UCSD wrapped up the regular season going 4-0 during the final week to sew up the first undefeated season in program history. The Tritons were awarded the top seed in the West Region and advanced straight to the NCAA Championship Finals in Altamonte Springs, Fla., where they suffered a season-ending 5-0 defeat to Columbus State in the Round of 16.

The Tritons were ranked in the top 25 in all three ITA national polls during the regular season, climbing as high as No. 9 on May 4. The No. 10 final ranking is UCSD's highest since the 2007 squad was ranked No. 7 after going 18-7 and advancing to the national semifinals.

Elliott was ranked No. 18 in the final ITA singles rankings after occupying the top spot on the ladder for UCSD all season. He appeared in all 21 matches for the Tritons, finishing with an overall record of 17-4.

The San Juan Capistrano native becomes UCSD’s first All-American since Blake Meister and Eric Rubens were the fourth-ranked doubles duo in 2007.

TENNIS HONORS

Timmer Willing, a longtime assistant coach with the UC San Diego men’s and women’s tennis programs, was named the 2011 NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) last week.

Willing has spent the last 10 seasons coaching alongside Eric Steidlmayer on the men's side and under Liz LaPlante with the women. He has helped lead the Triton men to the NCAA National Semifinals in 2007 and to national quarterfinal appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

On the women’s side, Willing has helped guide UCSD to seven consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association titles from 2004 through 2010, the last season the conference sponsored the sport.

In 2011, the Triton men finished the regular season with a perfect 20-0 dual match record, becoming the first team in program history to accomplish the feat. As the top seed in the West Region, UCSD advanced straight to the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship Finals, but dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 10 Columbus State in the Round of 16.

UCSD had another successful season on the women's side as well in 2011, posting a 10-8 overall record, including a 5-2 mark at home. Despite a convincing 7-2 win over Sonoma State in the regular season finale, the Tritons were not awarded a spot in the NCAA Tournament field, marking the first time UCSD has missed the postseason in Willing's tenure.

Willing has also been named the ITA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year on several occasions during his time with the Tritons. 

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The UC San Diego women's volleyball head coach Ricci Luyties announced that standout middle blocker Lauren Demos from Newport, Calif. Will join the squad in the fall of 2011.

The 6-foot-1 Demos is a 2011 graduate of volleyball powerhouse Newport Harbor High School, where she won a CIF Division I title in 2009. A four-year varsity player, Demos spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons at Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, Calif. Outside of the high school circuit, she competed for Laguna Beach Volleyball Club.
 
“Lauren's going to add a lot to our program right away,” said Luyties. “She has a lot of experience at a high level and has had successful high school and club careers which will translate well to the college game. She's not only an outstanding athlete, but academically she's a perfect fit for UC San Diego.”

Demos, along with outside hitter Rachel Gam and setter Amber Hawthorne, who were signed back in January, comprise the 2011 women's volleyball incoming class. All three will come in as true freshman.
 
In 2010, UCSD posted a 19-9 overall record and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA West Regional. It was the Triton's fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA postseason.

--Compiled from press releases issued by the UCSD sports information office

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