With the summer in full swing and the fall sports season quickly approaching, we thought it would be the perfect time to look back at some of the most memorable moments from past year for University of Portland Athletics.The historic year featured Pilots excelling in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Many Portland alums recorded monumental accomplishments as well.
 
Next week we will release the Top 30 moments (six per day beginning on Monday) for the 2017-18 school year, but for now we present the list of honorable mention accomplishments.
 
Feel free to reach out to us on social media to share some of your favorite moments, or you can also let us know if we missed anything.
 
Thank you for your support this year and beyond! 2017-18 was truly a great year to be a Pilot.
 
Top Moments of 2017-18 – Honorable Mention
Accomplishments listed in chronological order
 
August 6: Tayte Pollmann, a previous member of the UP cross country and track & field squad, won the bronze medal at the 2017 World Distance Mountain Running Championships, helping Team USA claim the silver medal overall. Pollmann signed a professional trail and mountain running contract with Nike in July of 2017.

August 25: Nearly 4,400 fans flocked to Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex for the 2017 Bite on the Bluff. The event takes place annually over Orientation Weekend as freshmen students get a taste of the special soccer environment at Portland. Iconic local food and beverage vendors provided the pre-game fare to kick off one of the most popular events on The Bluff.

August 25-27: Men's soccer celebrated the 40th Anniversary of UP varsity soccer. The original 1977-78 varsity squad was represented by 26 former players – including every one of the starters – as well as five assistant coaches and head coach Dennis O'Meara at the home-opening weekend for the Pilots. Members of that squad were recognized prior to kickoff against UNLV and watched Portland race to a 6-0 win against eventual NCAA participant Fairfield.

September 19: The 2002 Women's Soccer Team is inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. The team made history by winning the 2002 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship to claim the school's first national title at the NCAA Division I level. The title game, a 2-1 double overtime win against West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara, was the final match ever coached by legendary coach and UP Hall of Fame member Clive Charles.

October 11: Rowing junior Megan Del Pozzi named to the Presidential Advisory Committee for Athletics, one of many leadership positions for Del Pozzi. She also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the Pilots and was selected as the WCC representative for the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum.

February 24: Women's basketball routs Pepperdine on Senior Day. Portland seniors Ashley Gray, Rachelle Owens, and Sara Zaragoza are honored prior to tip-off, while guard Maddie Muhlheim sets a program record for most three's in a season for a freshman with her 45th three; she would finish with 48 total triples for the year.

February 27: Men's basketball guard Marcus Shaver, Jr. is named to the WCC All-Freshman Team and garnered WCC Honorable Mention recognition. He becomes the first Pilot to earn league freshman team honors since 2007, and the first frosh to garner honorable mention status since 2003.

March 2018: Dylan Hamilton is named the head coach for the Beach Volleyball program and an assistant coach for indoor volleyball.

March 29: Baseball scored nine runs in the top of the eighth inning to claim an epic 11-9, come-from-behind win at Santa Clara, which is believed to be the largest comeback in program history.

Spring 2018: Baseball has a resurgent season, which included a 13-win improvement from 2016, the most wins (23) and conference wins (12) since 2012, the first series win over Saint Mary's since 2012, picked up the first series win over BYU since the Cougars joined the WCC, swept the season series with Oregon, won at Washington (a College World Series team), and Beau Brundage led the conference in hitting and compiled the second most hits (79) in a single season in program history. Four Pilots would earn All-WCC honors, while Brundage was drafted and signed by the Tampa Bay Rays.

April 20: The beach volleyball team gets their first win ever at the West Coast Conference Championships. The Pilots knocked off Santa Clara by a 3-2 margin at Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica, Calif.

April 28: Men's basketball alum Luke Sikma is named the Most Valuable Player of Germany's Bundesliga. Sikma is one of several Pilots that had successful professional seasons last year.

June 9: The Portland Sports Network wins two Northwest Emmy's from the National Academy of Television Arts. It marks the fourth consecutive year that a Pilot student intern won an award.

2017-18: Pilot soccer alums thrive in the MLS & NWSL – Christine Sinclair helps the Portland Thorns win the National Women's Soccer League title; Paul Christensen is drafted by Atlanta United FC in the fourth round of the MLS draft and makes his MLS debut in front of 45,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Sporting Kansas City on May 9; Kris Reaves signs a homegrown contract with FC Dallas; Steve Cherundolo is named assistant coach of the Bundesliga's VfB Stuttgart after a lengthy playing and coaching career with Hannover 96; Luis Robles, known as the MLS Iron Man, has his remarkable streak of 183 straight games played come to an end in May.