SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- As we conclude the academic and athletic calendar, the University of San Francisco athletic department would like to highlight the overall success of USF student-athletes in 2021-22.

It was a tremendous year in total for the Dons with seven total teams competing in the postseason. From the men's basketball team making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1998, to an individual national champion in triathlon for the newest program on campus, 2021-22 was a momentous year for the green and gold. In the classroom, USF's 17 athletic programs combined to average a 3.55 cumulative GPA among all student-athletes for the academic year.

Kicking things off last fall, both soccer programs began the year with promise. Making history, the USF women's soccer team finished off their non-conference season by defeating 2021 national champion and then No. 19 Santa Clara Broncos, 2-0, for the first time at Negoesco Stadium and just the second time ever all-time. Collecting hardware for their efforts, Marissa Vasquez was named to the All-WCC Second Team while teammates Molly Eby and Kenna Roth were selected as All-WCC Honorable Mentions. In her first year as a Don, Elle Soleau also earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Following her shutout of the Broncos at home, Eby also earned the conference's Defensive Player of the Week award for the week of Sept. 27.

On the men's side, it was a step in the right direction under first year head coach Chris Brown as standout sophomore Nonso Adimabua made his second consecutive appearance on the All-WCC First Team. Continuing a positive trend for the Dons, Tobias Wangerud was named to the 2021 All-WCC Freshman Team as his selection marked the sixth consecutive year in which USF has had at least one student-athlete on the All-Freshman Team. 

Heading indoors, this past fall marked the beginning of a new era in USF volleyball as first year head coach Diogo Silva worked at building his culture both on the hardwood and on the sand. Notably, Silva was able to pick up his first win with the Dons in a March 5 beach volleyball victory over Pacific. Additionally, assistant coach Emily Cook was selected to the prestigious list of Thirty Under 30 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association in April.

Highlights around campus in the fall also included both tennis programs hosting the Battle in the Bay Tournament in mid-September, which brought the top tennis talent from across the country to San Francisco.

In early September, cross country also held their annual USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park, which featured the women's team finishing in first place to begin their first meet of the season. Overall, it was a tremendous fall for both the men's and women's cross country programs as sophomore sensation Ruby Smee was awarded NCAA All-American honors following her 34th place finish in the Cross Country National Championship. Having been selected as the Anne Dolan Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year at the 11th Annual Hilltop Awards, Smee's strong season also included setting a new course record in the 6,000 meter run at the Bronco Invitational and a second place finish at the WCC Championships. On the men's side, Daniel Maneloveg finished 30th overall at the WCC Championships. 

Capping off the fall with a championship, the USF triathlon team excelled in just their second year competing. After the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dons traveled to the desert to compete in the USAT National Championships in Tempe, Ariz. Shining in her first year on the Hilltop, freshman Kira Gupta-Baltazar was crowned as the individual national champion in 2021, marking the first time a USF student-athlete had won a national championship since Charlotte Taylor won the women's 10,000 meter run in 2017. 

As fall faded to winter, the buzz around War Memorial Gym and the USF basketball teams continued to grow. 

Looking to follow up her phenomenal freshman season, redshirt sophomore guard Ioanna Krimili made her second consecutive All-WCC First Team for the USF women's basketball team in 2021-22. Overall, the versatile guard led the WCC in points per game and broke her single game record for points in a game twice during the year, which included a crucial 38-point game to lead the Dons past Portland at the Sobrato Center. As a team, the Dons finished as the third overall seed in the conference. In postseason play, the Dons downed Santa Clara in the opening round WCC Tournament before hosting the WNIT at home on the Hilltop. Welcoming Air Force to campus for the first time in program history, USF squared off against the Falcons on Mar. 17 as the Dons earned a spot in the WNIT for the second season.

On the men's side, USF made history for the first time in 24 years. To begin the year, the Dons rattled off 10 straight wins as USF was one of the final seven teams in the country to remain undefeated. Led by a pair of All-WCC First Team selections in Jamaree Bouyea and Yauhen Massalski, the Dons were able to pick up key non-conference victories over Nevada, Fresno State, Davidson, UAB and Arizona State as they became the first WCC school since Pepperdine in 2002 to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Earning a No. 10 seed in the opening round of the tournament, USF's historic season came to a close following a hard-fought overtime game against Murray State. Despite the loss, Bouyea left an indelible mark on the Hilltop as the Seaside native poured in a career-high 36-point to lead the efforts offensively. 

Continuing the postseason theme, 2021-22 was also a tremendous season for both the golf and tennis programs at USF. All four teams on both the men's and women's side took part in postseason play as all four programs took tremendous leaps this year. 

Similar to women's basketball, the USF men's golf team was selected as the 10th seed for the NCAA Columbus Regional as the Dons notched their second straight postseason appearance. Individually, Soren Lind was named to the All-WCC team for the third time in his illustrious career while Toby Briggs earned All-Conference honors for the second time as well. 

On the women's side, head coach Sara Doell was named WCC Co-Coach of the Year while Riana Mission and Annika Borrelli were both selected to the All-WCC Women's Team. Notably, Borelli earned All-Conference honors for the third straight season while Doell picked up her fourth conference coach of the year award (first in the WCC). Continuing to grow her program on the Hilltop, USF earned their first tournament victory under Doell when the Dons finished first over at the Valley Invitational on Feb. 7 + 8. As a whole, Doell guided USF to four top five finishes in five regular season competitions this year. For Mission, the freshman starred in her first year on campus as the Las Vegas native was named the conference's golfer of the month for the first time in her career in March. Mission's strong individual season also included a selection to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Tournament, where she competed as the top individual at the Stanford Regional. 

On the tennis courts, both programs found themselves back in the postseason for the first time in five years as both the men's and women's teams earned a berth to the WCC Championships in Ojai. Following the conclusion of the season, Maria Martinez Vaquero and Rita Colyer were picked as an All-WCC doubles pairing while Martinez Vaquero was selected individually to the All-WCC First Team for Singles. On the men's side, Phuc Huynh and Nitzan Ricklis were Honorable Mentions for doubles while Huynh made the All-WCC Second Team for singles. Riding their momentum into the conference tournament, the women's tennis team went on to reach the WCC Championships semifinals following their victory over BYU in the first round. 

Heading out to the diamond, the USF baseball team impressed this spring as the Dons went on to reach the WCC Tournament in Stockton for the first time in four years. Continuing to display his skillset, 2021 WCC Co-Freshman of the Year Luke Keaschall picked up right where he left off as he led the team and the WCC in numerous offensive categories. Making his case for Player of the Year, Keaschall made his second straight All-WCC First Team as he also finished tied for twentieth nationally with 30 stolen bases. On the mound, pitcher Adam Shew did a phenomenal job working out of the bullpen and as a spot starter as he earned All-WCC Freshman Team in his first year in the green and gold.

Rounding out the spring, the USF track and field program compiled another outstanding season that saw four student-athletes earn postseason appearances. Notably, the indoor medley relay team of Abby Pradere, Julia Morales, Whitney Hessler and Smee set a new USF record with a time of 11:25.33 at the UW Invitational at the end of January. Outdoors, the Dons were able to send Smee, Pradere, Gabriella Mace and Baneet Bains to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete at the 2022 Outdoor Track and Field Championships West Preliminaries. 

As we put a bow on the 2021-22 academic year, we want to thank every single member of the Dons family who helped make this year so special. The support of our USF community is second to none and we can't wait to see you back on the Hilltop in the future.

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