A co-captain with Dennis Sanchez ... A three-time letterwinner ... Returns as one of the top defenders in the conference ... Possesses great leadership skills ... Has three years of experience against Pac-10 competition ... Has been a regular in the backline the last two seasons ... A technically sound player ... A vocal leader who provides direction from the backline ... A shutdown defender ... A good passer from the back.
2008: Elected co-captain, along with fellow senior Dennis Sanchez.
2007: Started all 18 games he appeared in, including all 10 Pac-10 contests ... His 18 starts were tied with Nick Cardenas for the third-most on the squad ... Registered two shots on the season ... First one came against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sept. 7 and second came two games later against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 15 ... Played every minute in six games, including a 1-1 double-overtime Aztec tie at UCLA on Nov. 14 ... A scholar-athlete.
2006: Named an all-Pac-10 honorable mention selection ... One of six players to play in all 19 games ... Started 18 contests with his only non-start coming on Aztec senior day against Stanford on Oct. 29 ... Had his first career assist and point in SDSU[apos]s 2-1 loss to eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 11 ... Played every minute in 15 games, including 10 contests from Sept. 15-Oct. 22 ... A scholar-athlete.
2005: Saw limited action in 2005, appearing in 10 contests at the defender position ... First collegiate action was against Missouri-Kansas City on Sept. 18 ... Had two shots on the season, one on goal at UCLA on Oct. 16 and one at San Diego on Oct. 24 ... Played a season and career-high 80 minutes in the UCLA game.
High School: Was a 2003 all-Golden League honoree and was also selected his team[apos]s most inspirational player while at Highland High School ... Picked for the Cal-South PDP ... Also played with the Alta Loma Arsenal Football Club, which won the U.S. National Club championships.
Personal: Daniel Alexander Ortiz was born on Oct. 20, 1987, in Van Nuys, Calif. ... Son of Ana and George Ortiz ... Majoring in public administration.