Times, they are a-changin’. That can be said for UCSD both on and off the field.
Off the field, changes can be seen throughout the campus. New buildings seem to be sprouting up at every corner of campus. Apart from the new pillars of concrete and the addition of Sixth College, there are also new faces in the crowd.
In Triton athletics, the changes have been no less dramatic. Sometimes the actual game gets a facelift when the rules change, or the personality of a team receives a makeover when the roster changes and new recruits come in while graduating seniors bow out. Beyond these routine changes, the jump from Division III to Division II in 2000 has presented teams at UCSD a new level of competition.
Many of these changes will be highlighted this weekend, with former UCSD athletes displaying their talents again during the 2002 homecoming events.
This weekend’s homecoming — featuring an alumni cross-country 5k run, swim meet, soccer game and water polo match — will attract UCSD graduates carrying their personal experiences and memories of Triton athletics. Former athletes, such as Felicia Kappes, Mike Kappes and Peter McConville, all of whom have vivid recollections of their four years at UCSD, will be on campus, giving current students an opportunity to find out how far the university has progressed.
Mike Kappes, who was a member of the men’s soccer team from 1986 to 1990, still remembers the details of his team’s four seasons.
“”[Current UCSD women’s soccer head coach Brian McManus] had just come from England, and he had us just doing all kinds of physical exercises,”” Mike Kappes said. “”It was brutal.””
The former midfielder continued to say that the time spent with teammates brought them together, and although some of his experiences can be shared with current Triton athletes, it was “”such a different time”” 15 years ago. Mike Kappes quickly noted one obvious difference.
“”There was parking,”” he said.
Felicia Kappes, Mike Kappes and McConville have noticed other changes in the facilities at UCSD. McConville, an all-league member of the men’s water polo team that won three conference titles during his tenure at the university from 1985 to 1989, likes returning to Canyonview Pool, where fans come spirited and can enjoy beer gardens like they did on Oct. 11.
“”I think it’s more official,”” said McConville, the National Collegiate Athletic Association 1989 Finals Most Valuable Player. “”It was less impressive when we were there.””
Along with the changes at the pool, RIMAC Field, which was first used in 1989, has become a significant addition to UCSD, according to Felicia Kappes, a two-time All-American midfielder for the women’s soccer team, which she played for from 1986 to 1990. The larger field may have provided motivation for Felicia Kappes and her teammates during that fall season, when the Tritons won the first women’s soccer national championship in school history.
RIMAC has also attracted fans to watch the soccer teams play at Triton Soccer Stadium.
“”It’s nice,”” she said. “”Now there are lights, and it seems like the crowd always comes out for the night games.””
An increase in attendance at recent sporting events has been apparent, and Felicia Kappes credits the UCSD athletic department.
“”The university has been getting involved to get the students out there,”” she said. “”[UCSD Associate Athletic Director Ken Grosse] has gotten out into the community as well as the student body.””
Felicia Kappes, Mike Kappes and McConville are again part of the UCSD community. Mike returned to the university immediately after his graduation in 1990 to earn his master’s degree. He also lives nearby. His wife Felicia, who went to Massachusetts for graduate school, and McConville, who moved to the state of Washington after graduating from UCSD in 1989, have recently returned to the San Diego area and want to give back to the university.
“”One of the reasons I moved back is because of my experience at UCSD,”” McConville said.
The three former UCSD athletes are members of UCSD’s alumni association and constantly show their support and appreciation of the Tritons.
“”It was an awesome experience,”” Felicia Kappes said. “”The experiences that you get at UCSD really define what a student athlete is.””
As Felicia Kappes’ generation maintains its memories, current Tritons build their own. And today’s athletes gain their experiences before UCSD makes its next change and the following generation continues the tradition.
