LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego women’s tennis head coach Sebastian Bader has announced the addition of four newcomers who will join the Tritons’ roster for the 2024-25 season. Graduate student Julia Haynes will transfer to UC San Diego after four years at Columbia University. First-year Tritons include Varsha Jawadi, Allison Lian, and Athena Wardy.
“We are very excited about the incoming group that we have added to our roster,” Bader said. “We look forward to welcoming them to UC San Diego and the Triton Family this fall.”
JULIA HAYNES
5-7 Grad Student
Columbia University
San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS
Data Science
- Posted 52 singles victories over four years at Columbia
- Two-time team captain for the Lions
- Ranked as high as 107 by ITA
- Southern California sectional champion at RBHS
VARSHA JAWADI
5-5 Freshman
San Mateo, Calif.
Aragon HS
Seventh College
Computer Science
- Four-time team MVP
- Team captain
- 2023 individual CCS finalist
- 2022 Peninsula Athletic League champion
ALLISON LIAN
5-5 Freshman
Oak Park, Calif.
Westlake HS
Warren College
Computer Science
- Two-time CIF Southern Section Open Division champion
- Part of two CIF state regional championship teams
- Team captain
- Team captured four league titles
ATHENA WARDY
5-6 Freshman
Newport Coast, Calif.
Mater Dei HS
Sixth College
International Business
- Helped lead the Monarchs to a 2024 state championship
- Two-time regional champion
- 2024 CIF individual doubles finalist
- Team captain
Last season was the Tritons’ fourth as a Division I program, concluding the NCAA’s mandated four-year reclassification to NCAA Division I. The Tritons success wasn’t solely limited to the court. Academically, the women’s tennis program posted the highest grade point average of any UC San Diego team in 2023-24, capturing an ITA All-Academic Team Award as well as UC San Diego’s Dr. Cliff Kubiak Team GPA Award.
Tournament play for the 2024-25 Tritons gets underway in early October, with the championship spring season scheduled to begin in mid-January.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
