Bala S's Blog: n n n n

Heralding his ties to the Inland Empire and his commitment to winning through hard-work principles, UC Riverside on May 6 introduced its new men’s basketball head coach, Gus Argenal.

Argenal comes to UCR following its most successful run since it joined NCAA’s Division I 24 years ago. In the past five years, UCR has been 89-63, the second winningest team in the Big West conference. In the past three years, UCR has won more than 20 games twice, and earned its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.

Gus Argenal has been named head coach of UC Riverside's men's basketball team. He comes to UCR from Cal State San Bernardino, where he won 50 games in two years, and delivered two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Division II final four.

Argenal replaces Mike Magpayo, who left UCR this spring for Fordham University after a highly successful five-year run, including two 20-plus win seasons in the past three years. 

During a record-setting season for the UC Riverside Highlanders men’s basketball team, redshirt sophomore guard Barrington Hargress has been the pacesetter, breaking the team’s single-season scoring record. 

“Barrington has been the consummate leader of our team this year,” said Head Coach Mike Magpayo. “He has done a wonderful job taking on the responsibilities of being the maestro, quarterback — so to speak — and his fearlessness has seeped into the rest of the team.”

The UC Riverside men’s and women’s tennis teams have begun the 2025 season.

The men's team played its first match against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 14 in Los Angeles, and the women's team played its first match against the University of Nebraska at home on Jan. 16.

Conference play for the women's team began on Feb. 19 against Hawaii, while the men's team will begin conference games on March 26 against San Diego.

The Highlanders softball team opened its season on Feb. 7 at home against Utah Tech. Conference play begins March 8 against UC Santa Barbara.

The first-ever Big West Softball Championship is May 7-10 at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, where the conference’s top six teams will compete for the title. The tournament winner will earn a place in the NCAA Softball Championship.

Previously, Big West teams secured an NCAA Championship spot by finishing first in the regular-season standings.

UC Riverside’s men’s and women’s track and field teams have begun their indoor seasons and are preparing for their outdoor season.The Highlanders opened their indoor season on Jan. 31 at the University of Washington.The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, or MPSF, indoor track and field championships will begin Feb. 21 in Spokane, Washington. 

The UC Riverside baseball team is set to open its season with an historic opportunity, as the Big West Conference introduces its first-ever postseason baseball tournament.

Highlanders baseball opened its season with its annual alumni exhibition game featuring current Highlanders and former players on Jan. 25. The team’s first official game of the season begins on Feb. 14 with a home game against Utah Valley. Conference play kicks off on March 7 when UCR hosts Hawaii.

The UC Riverside men’s basketball team is reasserting its winning ways this season, with a 15-9 overall and 8-4 Big West Conference record that includes a recently concluded five -game winning streak. A Feb. 1 win at Cal Poly at home was the team's fifth consecutive win; UC San Diego ended the streak with a 91-71 victory on Feb. 6. The Highlanders secured victories against UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Cal State Bakersfield, and Cal Poly during the five-game run.

The UC Riverside women’s basketball team will open its season on Nov. 4 with a matchup against Santa Clara, under the direction of its new coach, Brad Langston.

The UC Riverside women’s and men’s golf teams start their seasons with a full schedule of tournaments. 

The women’s golf team has welcomed two Riverside natives, the first on the team in a decade. Freshmen Sofia Vargas and Sophia Luna competed at the opener in Utah on Sept. 8 in their first collegiate event, with Vargas capturing the Wolverine Invitational title, shooting a three-round total of 10-under-par 206, while Luna shot an even-par 72.