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UC Irvine Anteaters#Soccer

{{Short description|Sports teams of the University of California, Irvine}}

{{About|the collegiate athletics teams known by this nickname|the mascot|University of California, Irvine#Anteater as mascot|the collective student body known by this demonym|Student activities and traditions at UC Irvine|specific members of the student body|List of University of California, Irvine people#Students and alumni}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2015}}

{{Infobox college athletics

| name = UC Irvine Anteaters

| logo = UC Irvine Anteaters logo.svg

| logo_width = 125

| university = University of California, Irvine

| conference = Big West (primary)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (women's indoor track & field)

| association = NCAA

| division = Division I

| director = Paula Smith (Interim)

| location = Irvine, California

|first year=1965| teams = 18

| soccerstadium = Anteater Stadium

| baseballfield = Anteater Ballpark

| basketballarena = Bren Events Center

| arena2 = {{Plainlist|

  • Anteater Aquatics Complex
  • Big Canyon Country Club
  • Dove Canyon Country Club
  • Microsemi Field
  • UC Irvine Tennis Stadium

}}

| mascot = Peter the Anteater

| nickname = Anteaters

| fightsong = "Anteaters, Go!" and "The Big C"

| pageurl = https://ucirvinesports.com/

|website=UCI Athletics| altlogo = 200px

|ncaa titles=7|indiv_relay ncaa champs=3|mens_teams=9|womens_teams=9}}

The UC Irvine Anteaters are the athletic teams fielded by the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine). Its athletics programs participate in the NCAA's Division I, as members of the Big West Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. For earlier years of the school's existence, the teams participated at the Division II level with great success as explained below.

UC Irvine fields teams in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country running, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, women's indoor track & field, men's and women's outdoor track & field, men's and women's volleyball, and men's and women's water polo. The Anteaters have won 28 national championships in nine different team sports. 64 Anteaters have won individual national championships, and 53 Anteaters have competed in the Olympics.

Conference affiliations

Sports sponsored

class="wikitable" style=" "
width= 150px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Irvine Anteaters|border=1|color=#ffffff}}"| Men's sports

! width= 150px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Irvine Anteaters|border=1|color=#ffffff}}"| Women's sports

BaseballBasketball
BasketballCross country
Cross countryGolf
GolfSoccer
SoccerTennis
TennisTrack and field
Track and field{{sup|1}}Volleyball
VolleyballWater polo
Water polo
colspan="2" style="{{CollegeSecondaryStyle|UC Irvine Anteaters|border=1|color=#000055 }}" | {{small|{{sup|1}} – outdoor only}}

=Baseball=

{{main|UC Irvine Anteaters baseball}}

File:UC Irvine Anteaters baseball, meeting on the mound.jpg

UC Irvine's baseball team won two national championships at the College Division and the Division II level in 1973 and 1974, prior to moving to Division I. The program was eliminated in 1992 due to state budget cuts, but was reinstated in 2002.

Since the return of its baseball program in 2002, UCI has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the country. In 2007, UCI participated in the College World Series for the first time in school history. The Anteaters eliminated both Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State before losing to Oregon State, earning a 3rd-place finish. In 2014, the Anteaters returned to the College World Series and earned a 5th-place finish.

=Basketball=

{{Main|UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball|UC Irvine Anteaters women's basketball}}

During the 1982 season the men's basketball team were led by two-time first team All-American Kevin Magee. That season, the team was ranked as high as No. 19 in the nation for NCAA Division I basketball. During the 1986 season the Anteaters were led by future NBA player and former head coach of the Washington Wizards, Scott Brooks.

The Anteaters hired Golden State Warriors assistant Russell Turner as the head men's basketball coach in 2010. Turner was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year after he led the Anteaters to the 2013-2014 conference regular season championship.

The Anteaters won their first ever NCAA tournament game in school history on March 22, 2019, upsetting No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats 70-64.

=Cross country=

The UC Irvine Anteaters men's cross country team appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times, with their highest finish being 11th place in the 1986–87 school year.{{cite web |title=Division I Men's Cross Country Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_cross_country_champs_records/2018-19/D1.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=5 August 2018}} The UC Irvine Anteaters women's cross country team appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times, with their highest finish being 4th place in the 1990–91 school year.{{cite web |title=Division I Women's Cross Country Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_cross_country_champs_records/2018-19/D1.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=5 August 2018}}

File:Big West Conference logo 2021 in UC Irvine colors ltbg no-tm.svg

class="wikitable"; style= "text-align:center"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Gender|Ranking|Points}}

1977MenNo. 15376
1983WomenNo. 16390
1986MenNo. 11281
1987MenNo. 14323
1987WomenNo. 8213
1989WomenNo. 10279
1990WomenNo. 4210

=Golf=

File:Uci sign.jpg

During the early years when the UC Irvine Anteater men's golf team participated at the Division II level, the teams were highly successful for five consecutive years from 1973 through 1977. Coach Jerry Hulbert formed teams consisting of local southern California players. The teams played in the NCAA Division II team national championship for each of these five years, including winning the national team championship in 1975. Anteater team member Jerry Wisz also won the individual national championship that year. At these national championships, the teams finished fourth in 1973, second in 1974, second in 1976, and thirteenth in 1977. Seven players from the 1972 through 1976 teams earned All-American honors awarded by the Golf Coaches Association of America, with two of these players awarded for two consecutive years. After reaching the Division I level, the Anteater teams have played in the NCAA National Regionals fourteen times, including reaching the national championship three of those seasons. In coach Paul Smolinski's quite successful twenty-three years as head coach, his teams have played in twelve NCAA regionals, and two NCAA national championships (2001 & 2008). Arguably his best player John Chin, who along with the above-mentioned Jerry Wisz have been the two best players in the entire school history, earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in 2010. John has played as a member of the PGA Tour and what is currently named the Korn Ferry Tour.

=Soccer=

{{main|UC Irvine Anteaters men's soccer}}

UCI soccer plays its home games at Anteater Stadium. The men's team has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation and has made six Division I NCAA tournament appearances with berths in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018. In addition, since the introduction of the Big West Conference Tournament for soccer in 2008 the Anteaters have won the tournament championship four times. The women's team has made two Division I NCAA tournament appearances with berths in 2010 and 2011.

Notable Anteater soccer alumni include United States men's national team member Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC) and Rouzy (LA Galaxy).

The UC Irvine Anteaters men's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 6–6 through six appearances.{{cite web |title=Division I Men's Soccer Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_soccer_champs_records/2017/D1.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=22 July 2018}}

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

| 2008

Second Round
Third Round		Cal Poly
St. John's		W 3–0
L 2–3
align="center"

| 2009

Second RoundStanfordL 0–1
align="center"

| 2011

Second RoundSaint Mary'sL 1–2
align="center"

| 2013

Second Round
Third Round		North Carolina
Maryland		W 1–0
L 0–1
align="center"

| 2014

First Round
Second Round
Third Round		UNLV
Stanford
Providence		W 3–0
W 1–0
L 0–1
align="center"

| 2018

First Round
Second Round		Grand Canyon
Stanford		W 2–1
L 0–2
align="center"

| 2023

First RoundLoyola MarmountL 2-4

The UC Irvine Anteaters women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 6–5–1 through five appearances.{{cite web |title=Division I Women's Soccer Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_soccer_champs_records/2017/D1.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=25 July 2018}}

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

| 2010

First Round
Second Round
Third Round		Arizona State
Wake Forest
Washington		W 2–1
W 2–0
L 0–1
align="center"

| 2011

First RoundSan DiegoD 2–2 (PK 3-5)
align="center"

| 2021

First Round
Second Round		UCLA
Wisconsin		W 1-0
L 0-3
align="center"

| 2022

First Round
Second Round
Third Round		USC
Brown
No. 1 Alabama		W 2-0
D 1-1 (PK 4-2)
L 1-3
align="center"

| 2023

First Round
Second Round
Third Round		No. 2 UCLA
Gonzaga
Nebraska		W 1-0
W 2-1
L 0-4

=Men's Volleyball=

{{See also|UC Irvine Anteaters men's volleyball}}

UC Irvine men's volleyball have made the NCAA Tournament a total of eight times, winning four National Championships (2007, 2009, 2012, 2013). As of 2024, the Anteaters hold a record of {{winning percentage|9|4|record=y}} in those eight NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Anteaters made their first final four appearance in 2006, losing in the NCAA semi-finals to Penn State. They won their first national championship in 2007 by defeating IPFW 3–1 in the NCAA final. UCI won its second national championship in 2009 after defeating USC 3-2 in a five-set comeback victory in the NCAA final. The Anteaters won their third NCAA men's volleyball title in 2012 after defeating USC again in the NCAA final, this time in a 3-0 sweep at the Galen Center. UCI's longtime head coach John Speraw had guided the Anteaters to three national championships in six years but immediately after winning the 2012 national title he left UCI after accepting the head coaching position at UCLA.

UC Irvine alum and former assistant coach David Kniffin took over the Anteater program in 2013 and became just the second head coach in NCAA men's volleyball history to win a national championship in his first season. In the 2013 NCAA final the Anteaters defeated BYU in a 3-0 sweep to win back-to-back national championships.

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

| 2006

SemifinalPenn StateL 2–3
align="center"

| 2007

Semifinal
Championship		Penn State
IPFW		W 3–1
W 3–1
align="center"

| 2009

Semifinal
Championship		Ohio State
USC		W 3–0
W 3–2
align="center"

| 2012

Semifinal
Championship		Penn State
USC		W 3–1
W 3–0
align="center"

| 2013

Semifinal
Championship		Loyola (Chicago)
BYU		W 3–0
W 3–0
align="center"

| 2015

SemifinalLoyola (Chicago)L 0–3
align="center"

| 2018

QuarterfinalOhio StateL 0–3
align="center"

| 2024

Quarterfinal
Semifinal		Penn State
UCLA		W 3–0
L 2–3

= Women's Volleyball =

The UC Irvine Anteaters women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 1–3 through three appearances.{{cite web |title=Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_volleyball_champs_records/2017/D1.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=6 August 2018}}

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

| 1988

First RoundLong Beach StateL 2–3
align="center"

| 2003

First Round
Second Round		Missouri
UCLA		W 3–2
L 0–3
align="center"

| 2004

First RoundArizonaL 0–3

=Water polo=

UC Irvine's men's water polo team won three NCAA Division I national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1989.{{cite web|url=http://www.mwater.uci.edu/ |title=UC Irvine |publisher=Mwater.uci.edu |access-date=2015-09-08}}

UCI's head men's water polo coach for many years was Ted Newland. As the Anteaters' head coach from 1966-2005, Newland had a lifetime record of 714–345–5. In his 39 years at the helm the Anteaters won three national championships, and the team was consistently rated among the nation's top 5 programs. Many world-class water polo players have been affiliated with UCI, with more than 70 NCAA All-Americans and 13 Olympians being produced by the program. Four Anteaters were a part of the United States team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The UC Irvine Anteaters men's water polo team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 29–18 through twenty-one appearances.{{cite web |title=National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_water_polo_champs_records/2018/champs.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=8 August 2018}}

In 2023, the UC Irvine Anteaters men's water polo team won the inaugural Big West Men's Water Polo Tournament. With Cal State Fullerton’s addition of a men’s water polo program, the Big West met the criteria to create a men’s water polo conference with its six participating institutions and will now have the ability to have its own championship.{{Cite web |title=2023 Big West Men's Water Polo Championship - The Big West |url=https://bigwest.org/tournaments/?id=104 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=bigwest.org |language=en}} The winner receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship.

The UC Irvine women's water polo team is coached by 2004 Olympian Dan Klatt since 2005 and has led the team to 8 NCAA Tournament Appearances in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023, finishing as high as 4th place in 2012. In addition, the team has won 9 Big West Titles and 9 Big West Tournament Titles under Klatt.{{cite web |title=WWP Record Book |url=https://bigwest.org/documents/2024/7/19/24_WWP_Record_Book.pdf |publisher=Big West Conference |access-date=7 October 2024}}

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

| 1969

First RoundCaliforniaL 4–5
align="center"

| 1970

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		USC
Long Beach State
UCLA		W 7–4
W 9–6
W 7–6
align="center"

| 1971

First RoundCSU FullertonL 4–5
align="center"

| 1972

First Round
Semifinals		UC Santa Barbara
UCLA		W 16–12
L 10–15
align="center"

| 1973

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		Long Beach State
USC
California		W 7–5
W 9–5
L 4–8
align="center"

| 1974

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		UC Santa Barbara
UCLA
California		W 10–6
W 5–3
L 6–7
align="center"

| 1975

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		UC Davis
Stanford
California		W 19–4
W 9–8
L 8–9
align="center"

| 1976

First Round
Semifinals		Pittsburgh
UCLA		W 18–4
L 9–14
align="center"

| 1977

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		Arizona
Stanford
California		W 14–7
W 9–7
L 6–8
align="center"

| 1978

First Round
Semifinals		Loyola (IL)
California		W 14–5
L 5–7
align="center"

| 1980

First Round
Semifinals		Bucknell
California		W 13–4
L 7–9
align="center"

| 1981

First Round
Semifinals		UC Santa Barbara
Stanford		W 9–8
L 6–13
align="center"

| 1982

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		Brown
California
Stanford		W 13–2
W 8–5
W 7–4
align="center"

| 1983

First Round
Semifinals		Loyola (IL)
USC		W 12–8
L 8–9
align="center"

| 1985

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		Brown
UCLA
Stanford		W 15–8
W 7–6
L 11–12
align="center"

| 1987

First Round
Semifinals		Stanford
California		W 8–6
L 3–7
align="center"

| 1988

First RoundUSCL 11–13
align="center"

| 1989

First Round
Semifinals
National Championship		UALR
Stanford
California		W 13–6
W 8–7
W 9–8
align="center"

| 1991

First Round
Semifinals		Long Beach State
California		W 11–8
L 10–13
align="center"

| 1992

First Round
Semifinals		Pepperdine
California		W 11–8
L 5–8
align="center"

| 1993

First Round
Semifinals		Pacific
Stanford		W 12–10
L 8–10
align="center"

| 2023

First RoundPrincetonL 7-12

Championships

=Appearances=

The UC Irvine Anteaters competed in the NCAA Tournament across 18 active sports (10 men's and 8 women's) 110 times at the Division I level.{{cite web|title=NCAA Championships Statistics|url=https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/9/statistics.aspx|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association|access-date=10 April 2022}}

  • Baseball (10): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2024
  • Men's basketball (2): 2015, 2019
  • Women's basketball (2): 1995, 2024
  • Men's cross country (3): 1977, 1986, 1987
  • Women's cross country (4): 1983, 1987, 1989, 1990
  • Men's golf (3): 1992, 2001, 2008
  • Women's golf (3): 2005, 2007, 2009
  • Men's soccer (7): 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2023
  • Women's soccer (5): 2010, 2011, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Men's tennis (13): 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2022, 2024
  • Women's tennis (3): 2007, 2010, 2013
  • Men's indoor track and field (1): 1977
  • Men's outdoor track and field (8): 1968, 1969, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2011, 2012
  • Women's outdoor track and field (5): 1982, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992
  • Men's volleyball (8): 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2024
  • Women's volleyball (3): 1988, 2003, 2004
  • Men's water polo (22): 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2023
  • Women's water polo (8): 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023

=Team=

The Anteaters of UC Irvine earned 7 NCAA championships at the Division I level.{{cite web|title=Championships Summary|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association|access-date=20 May 2018}}

Results

class="wikitable" width="50%"
align="center"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=UC Irvine Anteaters|School year|Sport|Opponent|Score}}

align="center" bgcolor=""

| 1970–71

Men's water poloUCLA7–6
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 1982–83

Men's water poloStanford7–4
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 1989–90

Men's water poloCalifornia9–8
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 2006–07

Men's volleyballPurdue Fort Wayne3–1
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 2008–09

Men's volleyballUSC3–2
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 2011–12

Men's volleyballUSC3–0
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 2012–13

Men's volleyballBYU3–0

UC Irvine won 15 national championships at the NCAA Division II level.

  • Baseball: 1973, 1974
  • Men's cross country: 1975, 1976
  • Men's golf: 1975
  • Men's outdoor track and field: 1976
  • Men's swimming and diving: 1969, 1970, 1971
  • Men's tennis: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977

Below are sixteen national club team championships:

  • Co-ed archery (1): 2016 (USIAC)
  • Men's archery (1): 2016 (USIAC)
  • Women's archery (1): 2016 (USIAC)
  • Co-ed badminton (3): 2004, 2007, 2008 (ABA)
  • Men's badminton (2): 2007, 2008 (ABA)
  • Co-ed paintball – Division IAA (1): 2006 (NCPA)
  • Co-ed sailing (7): 1972, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2006 (ICSA)

Note: Those with no denoted division is assumed that the institution earned a national championship at the highest level.

=Individual=

UC Irvine had 3 Anteaters win NCAA individual championships at the Division I level.

class="wikitable sortable" width="60%"
align="center"

! colspan=5 style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Irvine Anteaters|color=white}}"| NCAA individual championships

Order

! School year

! Athlete(s)

! Sport

! Source

align="center" bgcolor=""

| 1

1977–78Mauricio BardalesMen's outdoor track and field{{cite web |title=Division I Men's Outdoor Track Championships Records Book |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/track_outdoor_champs_records/2017/D1Men.pdf |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=9 July 2018}}
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 2

1977–78Steven ScottMen's outdoor track and field
align="center" bgcolor=""

| 3

2011–12Charles JockMen's outdoor track and field
align="center" bgcolor=""

At the NCAA Division II level, UC Irvine garnered 61 individual championships.

Facilities

File:UCI Bren Events Center Basketball Court 2008.jpg

The UCI basketball and volleyball teams compete at the Bren Events Center as the main venue.{{cite web|url=https://ucirvinesports.com/sports/2020/5/4/bren-events-center.aspx?id=868|title=Bren Events Center|work=UCI Athletics}} They train and compete at the nearby Crawford Hall as the secondary location.{{cite web|url=https://ucirvinesports.com/sports/2020/5/10/crawford-court.aspx?id=871|title=Crawford Court|work=UCI Athletics}} The baseball team plays in Anteater Ballpark, which is located behind the Mesa Parking Structure. Anteater Stadium itself is part of UCI's Crawford Athletics Complex, which houses the track and swimming facilities.

Rivalries

Since 2006, the UC Irvine Anteaters have participated in the annual "Black and Blue Rivalry Series" with Long Beach State. In this challenge, each school earns points for its collective conference championships and head-to-head victories against each other (across all NCAA sports in which both schools participate). The totals are added up at the end of the season and a winner is declared.{{cite web|url=https://longbeachstate.com/sports/2018/7/31/ot-black-blue-html.aspx|title=The Black and Blue Rivalry Series|publisher=longbeachstate.com|access-date=May 17, 2019}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • {{Official website}}

{{University of California, Irvine}}

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