Fall Sports Recognition for Men's Soccer, Football, Volleyball Student-Athletes

Miguel Berry became the first San Diego men's soccer student-athlete in 17 years to earn All-America honors as the senior was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches.

Berry, who has already garnered West Coast Conference co-player of the year honors and was a semifinalist for the national player of the year award, earned his first career All-America distinction after he finished the regular season tied for the nation's lead in goals (17) and led the country in points (42). An outgoing senior, Berry has garnered WCC Co-Player of the Year, All-WCC First Team, Academic All-District, Academic All-America and All-Region awards this season in addition to the All-America honor this season.

Berry is the eighth All-American in program history and only the second this century (other: Ryan Coiner, 2000 and 2002). Six Toreros earned All-America status in the 1990s.

A native of Barcelona, Spain and product of Poway, Calif., Berry is also the first Torero to earn All-America and Academic All-America in a career. He was named Academic All-America Third Team in November by CoSIDA.

Football’s Sinnett, Bandy to Play in January College All-Star Bowl Games

San Diego's Reid Sinnett and Michael Bandy accepted invitations to showcase their skills in the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft as Sinnett will play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 18 while Bandy will compete in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 26.

In his first year as starting quarterback, Sinnett made a statement by finishing third in the nation in passing efficiency, fifth in passing touchdowns and completion percentage, and eighth in total offense. The redshirt senior was named All-PFL First Team and a finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in the FCS.

Sinnett will be the fourth Torero to play in the Collegiate Bowl, joining Jamal Agnew (2017), Jonathan Petersen (2018) and Daniel Cooney (2019).

Concluding his USD career as one of the best wide receivers in program history, Bandy had a senior campaign in which he caught 75 passes for 1,152 yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished the regular season top-10 in the nation in touchdowns, receiving yards and receiving yards per game.
 
For his record-setting career, Bandy is the only Torero to ever have two seasons of 75+ catches and 1,100+ receiving yards. His 192 career catches are tied for fourth in program history while his 3,294 receiving yards are third-most.

The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, labeled "the premier postseason all-star game for any draft-eligible college football players," will be played at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, January 18, 2020 and can be watched on the NFL Network (4 p.m. PT). The National and American teams will be coached by former NFL head coaches Marvin Lewis and Hue Jackson.
 
The 74th Hula Bowl is being resurrected after a 12-year hiatus and will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, January 26, 2020. The game will be shown on CBS Sports Network (6:30 p.m. PT). The Aina and Kai teams will be coached by former NFL head coaches Rex Ryan and Mike Smith.

Volleyball Players Receive Regional Athlete, WCC Academic Recognition

Anna Newsome and Megan Jacobsen were selected to the AVCA Pacific South All-Region team while Grace Frohling was an All-Region honorable mention as well as AVCA Pacific South Freshman of the Year, the organization announced this week.

Newsome adds to her growing list of accolades after a remarkable senior season. USD's setter earned All-West Coast Conference First Team honors and was named WCC Setter of the Year.

Newsome collected 1,072 assists and directed San Diego's offense to a top-25 hitting percentage all season (.284). She led the team in aces (32) and registered nine double-doubles, finishing with 265 digs. Newsome also had 93 kills and hit .509 on the season.

Jacobsen was an All-WCC First Team selection after finishing top-10 in the nation in hitting percentage to help USD win its first outright WCC Championship since 2013. The senior middle hit at a .411 clip, collecting 292 kills to finish third on the team in offensive production. She finished second on the team with 84 blocks, including 10 solo stops.
 
Newsome and Jacobsen are now in consideration for All-America honors.

Frohling made an immediate impact, earning All-WCC First Team and WCC All-Freshman Team honors as well as being named WCC Freshman of the Year. The opposite put up impressive numbers, finishing with 264 kills and 62 blocks. Frohling tallied 27 aces to tie for second on the team.

In a separate announcement, four San Diego volleyball players earned West Coast Conference All-Academic recognition.

Laura Madill was named to the WCC Volleyball All-Academic Team, which is the first academic recognition for her. The sophomore setter has a 3.65 GPA and is an Industrial and Systems Engineering major. Madill appeared in 15 matches for the Toreros this season, particularly in USD's 6-2 offense. Madill averaged 4.76 assists and 1.27 digs per set, adding two aces, and helping to direct an offense that finished top-10 in the nation in hitting percentage.

Three additional scholar-athletes received WCC All-Academic recognition, including Annie Benbow, Lauren Turner — both undeclared — and Roxie Wiblin (Behavioral Neuroscience) who were WCC All-Academic honorable mentions. Benbow started all 31 matches at libero for USD, leading the team with 397 digs. Turner also started every match for USD as a redshirt freshman. The middle blocker led the team with 109 blocks and added 159 kills. Wiblin collected 149 kills, 149 digs and 27 aces for the Toreros, appearing in all 31 matches.

— USD Athletics