So, what did you do during the 2018-19 school year at the University of San Diego?
On the athletic side, the Toreros accomplished quite a bit. Here's a brief look back at a year that was memorable on many fronts.
FOOTBALL
The Toreros were not a passing fancy. Actually, their passing was pretty fancy. Senior Anthony Lawrence became the Toreros' all-time leading passer in yards (12,628), touchdowns (120) and completions (961).
"He just knows how to play," USD head coach
Dale Lindsey said of Lawrence. "Instincts, whatever they are, he has them to the max."
If you're blessed with a talented quarterback, odds are you've got a couple pretty good wide receivers, too. The Toreros lined up one of the best in junior Michael Bandy.
Bandy caught 88 passes for 1,698 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 1,698 yards were the fifth best in Football Championship Subdivision history.
Of Bandy's competitive nature, Lindsey said, "He's going to come at you."
San Diego maintained domination of the Pioneer Football League, winning it for the fifth year in a row and seventh time in the last eight years. The Toreros have advanced to the FCS playoffs four times in the past five seasons.
VOLLEYBALL
In life's guarantees, there's death, taxes and USD's women's volleyball team qualifying for the NCAA playoffs. The Toreros advanced to the postseason for the 17th time in the last 18 years, and few seasons were more memorable.
San Diego stunned USC in straight sets, on the Trojans' home floor, in the second round of the playoffs. It was the first time the Toreros beat USC in the NCAA Tournament.
Jennifer Petrie's squad reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in program history. Middle blocker Addie Picha led the way, earning honorable mention All-American honors.
It's the fourth year in a row and eighth time in the last 11 seasons that a Torero has earned All-American recognition.
MEN'S SOCCER
The
Brian Quinn era began. Quinn took over for legendary coach
Seamus McFadden, who stayed on as a Quinn assistant after coaching the Toreros for 38 years.
As you would expect under the driven Quinn, San Diego was quite competitive, posting a 7-7-5 record. Highlights during the year included 1-1 draws with No. 4 Saint Mary's and No. 7 Portland.
Individually, junior forward Miguel Berry earned second team All-West Region and first team All-WCC honors. Berry led USD in scoring with eight goals and two assists.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Score five goals in a game and that's sure to log a place in the memory bank. That it came in a 5-2 win over rival San Diego State made the feat even more special for
Louise Lieberman's Toreros.
A San Diego State transfer, redshirt junior Milan Moses flashed her skills often, leading USD in scoring with 13 goals and three assists. Senior Summer Mason earned second team All-West Region honors and closed her career with 20 goals and 51 points.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Talk about Winning in the Classroom. A behavioral science major, USD senior Zani Moore earned a Fulbright scholarship. As part of her scholarship, Moore, who is of Latvian descent, will be an English teaching assistant in Latvia.
Junior Beth Wade received a Beckman Foundations Scholars Award, which includes an $18,200 stipend. Wade is a biochemistry major.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sam Scholl is so youthful looking the 41-year-old head coach often must provide ID when ordering a beer. But no one questions his coaching acumen as Scholl's first season as San Diego's head coach proved to be a stunning success.
The Toreros advanced to the NIT for the first time in school history. Another school first: by posting a 21-15 record USD recorded its first back-to-back 20-win seasons.
The Toreros were led by their senior quartet of Olin Carter, Isaiah Pineiro, Isaiah Wright and Tyler Williams. A four-year starter, Carter leaves USD as the Toreros' fourth all-time leading scorer (1,558) and second in three-point field goals (304). Pineiro earned first team All-WCC recognition for the second year in a row.
The single-game team highlight: that 80-57 waxing of BYU in the WCC Tournament quarterfinals. USD led by 44 midway through the second half, and the lopsided victory likely secured San Diego's spot in the NIT.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
A young team showed flashes of what to expect in the future and no night proved more satisfying than the 72-71 bragging-rights victory over San Diego State.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Her name is lyrical and her game's a blast. Freshman Solymar Colling left her calling card, advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, becoming San Diego's first women's tennis All-American since 2000.
At a lean 5-feet-6, Colling's power is uncanny, developed by impeccable timing.
"She improves very quickly," said USD head coach
Sherri Stephens. "You tell her something, she might argue when you tell her, then she thinks about it and she changes it. She learns very, very fast."
MEN'S TENNIS
On the picturesque west side of campus,
Ryan Keckley is building San Diego's most dominant men's program. The Toreros advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth year in a row and won its sixth straight WCC Tournament title. USD finished the season ranked 25th in the nation.
Individually, Gui Osorio was named the WCC Player of the Year. A finance major, Osorio also earned selection to the All-WCC Academic Team.
In doubles, August Holmgren and Joel Gamerov became the first USD men to earn All-American honors in doubles, advancing to the NCAA Tournament doubles quarterfinals.
More good news: Osorio, Holmgren and Gamerov all return in 2020.
BASEBALL
After a 32-21 season, the Toreros returned to their place as one of the West Coast's most respected programs. Along the way, USD defeated four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament: Coastal Carolina, TCU, Indiana and LMU.
"A 32-win season on the West Coast is quite an accomplishment," said San Diego coach
Rich Hill. "We spent three weeks ranked in the polls. We beat four teams in the NCAA Tournament. We're trending in the right direction."
With an alliterative baseball name like Ripken Reyes, how could Reyes not succeed? The Cal grad transfer batted a team-leading .366 and boasted a team-best .462 on-base percentage. And talk about tough: he was hit by pitches 27 times—second most in the NCAA this season.
Jeff Houghtby turned in a fine season as well, hitting .341 with a .438 on-base percentage. His 38 RBI led the Toreros.
In total, five Toreros were selected in Major League Baseball's 2019 draft including Reyes and Houghtby, as well as Travis Kuhn, Josh Hendrickson and sixth-round pick Chris Murphy.
SOFTBALL
Outfielder Taylor Spence capped a phenomenal four-year career by tying the USD record for career hits with 232.
Infielders Sara Silveyra and Sophia Bjerk celebrated breakout seasons. Silveyra earned first team WCC recognition by batting .348. She also led the team with 76 total bases, 29 RBI and 17 doubles. Bjerk batted .306 with a .406 on-base percentage.
WOMEN'S ROWING
It takes discipline to awake before dawn and put yourself on the water for taxing rowing workouts, so it's hardly stunning that two USD rowers earned West Coast Conference academic honors.
San Diego's Clare Adams heldthe WCC's highest GPA for the second straight year at 3.99. Both Adams and Elli Schroeder were recognized for their academic and athletic accomplishments, being named to the WCC All-Academic team.
San Diego was strong as a team as well, placing second at the WCC Rowing Championship.
MEN'S ROWING
The San Diego Crew Classic is one of the most respected regattas in college circles and the Toreros represented themselves well on Mission Bay.
The varsity and JV eights won their petite finals.
The Varsity Eight of Haley Aker, Jack Crabtree, Owen Chase, Connor Olson, Max O'toole, Lucas Stroud, Drew Paulsen, Sean Kenney and Luke Walbeck broke away from the eight-team pack and quickly had open water on the field.
GOLF
Yash Majmudar closed the season with a rush, finishing in the top 25 at the WCC Championships. A senior from Singapore, Majmudar fired his best round on the final day of the tournament, shooting an even-par 72.
The United Kingdom's George Gardner was USD's most consistent golfer all season.
SWIMMING
Kailyn Evans is as comfortable in the water as she is on land. The junior from Lansdale, Pa., won the 100-yard individual medley and registered three top-five finishes to highlight San Diego's performance at the NIC Championships.
Evans set a meet record in the 100 individual medley with a time of 55.11. She also registered a fourth-place finish in the 200 IM (2:00.21) and a fifth-place result in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.77).
Thirteen USD swimmers earned NPSF academic honors.
TRACK
Personal bests were plentiful for the Toreros in the spring.
At the Titan Twilight at Cal State Fullerton, Cammy Manes and Jessica Ong broke the school record in the 800 meters. Manes finished second in 2:13.16 while Ong took third in 2:13.35.
At the Aztec Invite, the Toreros set 11 personal bests. Leading the way was Hannah Rasmussen with a 9:58.62 finish in the 3,000 meters.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
A young Toreros team compiled six personal bests at the NCAA Western Regionals to close out their 2018 campaign.
USD excelled in the classroom as Jackson Pearce, Jonnie Drinkward and James Davenport were named to the WCC All-Academic Team. Davenport also received USD's male Alcala Award, given to an outstanding senior undergraduate student who excels in academic achievement, leadership in extracurricular activities, service to the university and the potential for future achievement.
