SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Several UC San Diego students gathered at Dirty Birds in Price Center to make sure they didn't miss the historic debut of their Lady Tritons in the NCAA Tournament.
Stephanie Portillo has been a student at UCSD all four years. But this is the first year she's been able to watch her college basketball team in the Big Dance.
"I think it's been incredible. I never personally followed March Madness before this, but being able to see students that I see around campus enjoy themselves and excel and basically do something that has never been done before — especially for us," Portillo says.
That success influenced a change in perspective across campus and for future students.
"I just think because of our basketball team excelling and doing this -- they’re just offering a whole new perspective of prospective students," she says.
Even younger students new to campus say they're enjoying the shift.
"I think it is becoming a basketball school, and I think with enough advancement in our program, we can be up there with Berkeley and UCLA," Dean Baker, a first-year student, told ABC 10News.
UCSD has been long known for its academics, but now it's getting national recognition for its athletics.
"When I first came here, I never even had the idea of the basketball team participating in March Madness — not just the men, but the women's team as well," Talal Alsharif explained as he donned a bright Triton jersey.
And even with it being finals week for UC San Diego students, several still crowded into Price Center in time to watch their school perform on the biggest stage.
"I had two finals today, and I have another one tomorrow. But it's March Madness," Baker says. "Basketball is much better than studying, so go Tritons!"
But they tell me it's a one-in-a-lifetime experience they couldn't miss out on.
"I had a final Saturday at 8 a.m., which was the same day as the Big West Championship, so I finished my final and I booked a flight," Alsharif tells me. "It doesn’t even matter. It's a historical moment, and I had to be there, you know."
Enjoying the historic moment with each other, no matter the outcome.
"It's been phenomenal — I'm a first year, so this is a really high bar to set with two teams both in March Madness - it's exceptional," says Baker.
Ultimately, the Lady Tritons fell to No. 16 seed Southern, 68 to 56.
