UC San Diego officially opened its new Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center Wednesday with several members of the Spanos family alongside many Triton student-athletes and coaches at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Looking out over the newly created Triton Ballpark, Rick Nowak, recalled his days of playing when the campus’s baseball field was accessible only by an unpaved road.
There must be something about hoops, Tritons and computer science. Meet Marissa Hing. The 18-year-old high school senior was on campus April 4 to attend Triton Day, when more than 20,000 accepted students and their families converged on UC San Diego to get a taste of everything the university offers its students-to-be. Despite her 5-foot-1-inch height, Hing is also coming to play basketball on an athletic scholarship for the NCAA Division II team, after starring since her freshman year at Pinewood High School in Los Altos, Calif.
“I like to get out here and sweat,” said Dalton, an elementary student at Toler Elementary, as he began a series of stretches and exercises led by UC San Diego student-athletes volunteering their time at his elementary school in Clairemont.
When students begin classes at UC San Diego this fall, it will mark a significant milestone for UC San Diego Athletics. It will be the first time in the university’s history that the campus will offer prospective high-merit student-athletes athletic scholarships that are significant enough to help cover tuition and educational costs. The scholarships will be funded by fees from a 2007 Associated Students referendum, with additional private support from alumni, families and friends.
During a recent home game, members of the UC San Diego men’s and women’s basketball teams shared high-fives and smiles with a group of newfound young fans who aspire to one day grow up and be just like them.
Keep up with all the latest from UC San Diego. Subscribe to the newsletter today.
