SAN DIEGO — Every summer, collegiate student-athletes have a decision to make: do they take time off and relax? Or do they keep grinding, and continue to work and improve?
This summer, multiple University of San Diego student-athletes and athletic teams chose the latter, while also getting the chance to compete overseas and represent the Toreros.
From Berlin to center court at Wimbledon, to the waters of the River Thames and in Poland, to arenas in the Czech Republic, USD athletes were worldwide as the weather warmed up, putting the San Diego brand on the map internationally.
In late July, the USD volleyball team participated in the FISU World University Games in Germany, joining 8,500 student-athletes and officials from more than 150 countries.
The World University Games is one of the largest multi-sport events in the world. The Toreros not only represented USD, but they also represented the United States as the country's only women's volleyball team in the Games.
"This is like a dream for me," Torero women's volleyball head coach Jennifer Petrie said on the UniUSA Podcast. "I never would've thought in my career that I would be taking my team to compete on an international level. Representing Team USA is such an honor for myself and this program. Being able to have that exposure for the University of San Diego and the support of our community, it's pretty incredible."
After going 1-2 in pool play with a win against Australia, the Toreros advanced to the knockout rounds, finishing 10th after recording back-to-back wins against Team Chile and Team Mongolia.
Outside hitters Nemo Beach and Isabel Clark led the charge for the Toreros on offense, ranking 9th and 13th in total points in the Games. Clark and Beach's high-octane efforts placed them as the 10th and 15th-most effective attackers in the event, respectively. Beach's impact also extended to the service line, with the Chandler, Arizona native checking in as the sixth-most impactful server at the international tournament.
In addition to volleyball competing in Germany, USD was well represented in rowing as it competed at some international regattas.
On the women's side, Annika Goodwyn represented Team Canada at the 2025 Women's Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poland.
Goodwyn, who is from Vancouver, British Columbia, competed on the Varsity 8+ Crew boat. It advanced to the U23 8+ A Finals. The work Goodwyn and her teammates put in resulted in a third-place finish with a time of 6:19.37 to earn the bronze medal.
"The priority of the summer for our (Varsity 8+ Crew boat) was the U23 championships, Goodwyn explained. "To see all these different countries all in one place and to trade uniforms and gear was just such a fun thing. Getting to place bronze was so cool and really, really exciting."
Following her team's strong showing in Europe, Goodwyn and a pair of her teammates then traveled to Paraguay to race at the Junior Pan American Games. Despite having limited reps together as a crew, they still put together a strong team performance and experienced an Olympic-adjacent atmosphere while representing their home nation with pride.
On the men's side, San Diego's men's rowing team also made the trip to Europe, getting the chance to compete in the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the world's most prestigious regattas outside of the Olympics.
Though it was USD's first time competing in the event, the Toreros wanted to put together a strong showing.
And that, they did.
San Diego advanced to the quarterfinals after taking down three-time defending champion Oxford Brookes University in the opening round of the Prince Albert Challenge Cup. The Toreros won by a tight margin, emerging victorious by a mere two feet on the 2.11k course of the River Thames.
Ultimately, the Toreros' four-man crew of Derek Hissong, Sam Pigott, Rex Bales, Joe Tortella and coxswain Jonah McDonnell fell in the quarterfinals to Newcastle University by one-and-a-half lengths with a time of 6:56.
USD was one of just two American college boats to win a race in the competitive trophy bracket, along with Harvard.
The Toreros' representation in Europe this summer didn't end on the water.
Jessica Ajayi, now a freshman for USD's women's basketball program, competed for Team Nigeria at the 2025 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic.
In seven games, Ajayi averaged 5.4 points, including 11 points against Hungary in the Round of 16 and 10 points to begin the tournament as Team Nigeria earned an upset victory over China.
Ajayi's international experience seemed to serve her well upon returning to campus. In her USD debut against Bethesda University on November 3, she scored eight points in what marked a fast start to her budding college career.
Over in London, a Torero took center stage for one of tennis' biggest events of the year: Wimbledon.
Oliver Tarvet, who went 19-1 last spring in NCAA singles play, swept through qualifying as a wildcard ranked No. 733 in the world, winning all three matches – two in straight sets – over the world's 124th, 126th and 210th-ranked players to advance to the main draw.
In the first round of the main draw, Tarvet – who grew up about an hour away from the Wimbledon's home at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – took down another top-200 player in Leandro Riedi in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
"I felt like when I was in the point, I did a good job staying solid and forcing the error out of him," Tarvet said after his opening round match. "I tried to enjoy the moment, play my game and it worked out for me."
Then it was on to the second round, where he faced six-time major winner and two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
In facing the World No. 2 player in Alcaraz, Tarvet was not going to alter his mentality as he entered his second round match.
"Nothing's changed. I've come here with not really set expectations. Obviously, I'm quietly confident I can win against anyone, and Alcaraz isn't an exception to that. He's done an incredible amount in the tennis world. He's a difficult guy not to respect."
Ultimately, Alcaraz got the better of Tarvet, defeating the USD senior, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. But despite the loss, Alcaraz took a moment to recognize just how much Tarvet puts into his game.
"I have to give a big credit to Oliver," Alcaraz said after the match. "I just love his game, to be honest. The level he played in his first match on Centre Court – I know that it is really difficult. He showed really great tennis … he played with such good passion."
Tarvet said he was trying to play well while also trying to savor the moment, playing against one of the game's best while representing San Diego on tennis' biggest stage.
"It was just really special," the USD senior said. "It's not every day you get to play against, maybe, the best player in the world. It was really important for me, going into the match, to enjoy the opportunity because it's not one that comes that often."
