Voting is open until Jan. 15 for UCLA's greatest moment of 2008, as awarded by the Los Angeles Sports Council. The winner will be announced at an awards show Jan. 23 in Beverly Hills, which will be aired on FSN Prime Ticket for a third straight year.
Go to the L.A. Sports Council's website to pick your favorite moment and help determine the winner from these three accomplishments:
- Men's basketball team reaches Final Four for third straight year
The UCLA's men's basketball team swept through the West Regional, winning
four straight games to earn its third straight trip to the NCAA Final
Four. The Bruins, seeded No. 1 in the West, earned their trip to San
Antonio by defeating No. 3 seed Xavier, 76-57, in Phoenix. Ben Howland
became just the 10th coach in history to lead his team to three or more
consecutive Final Fours (March 29).
- UCLA wins three NCAA team championships in one month
In May 2008, UCLA teams won three NCAA championships. On May 11, the
women's water polo squad capped a 33-0 season by winning its fourth
straight NCAA title. On May 20, the women's tennis team, seeded seventh
in the NCAA tournament in Tulsa, Okla., won its first NCAA
championship. On the final day of May, Kevin Chappell led the men's
golf team to the NCAA title at Purdue, chipping in from off the green
on the 17th hole of the final round to maintain the Bruins' lead.
- Bruins excel at Beijing Olympics
UCLA ranked among
the world's most successful universities at the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing. Thirty-nine current and former Bruins participated in
the Games, with 15 athletes winning medals, including four gold, nine
silver and two bronze. In addition, five Bruins led their teams to
medals as Olympic coaches.
You will have to register on the site, but there's no charge and they won't send you any junk mail. It's worth a couple of minutes to be a part of this local tradition, which started in 1995.
A media panel also will select the city's Overall Greatest Moment of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year, Sports Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year. All major local teams will have their top moment recognized.
—Adam Rose
 It turns out coaches can walk away from the Olympics with a medal.
UCLA's Jeanette Boldon and Bobby Kersee have been honored by the U.S. Olympic Committee for coaching athletes to medal-winning performances in the Beijing Games. They were inducted into the Order of Ikkos and given the medal pictured here.
The USOC started the program this year since coaches don't receive medals along with their athletes. The medal, made of antiqued nickel and weighing 1.25 pounds, was designed by a University of North Carolina professor who used to work for the U.S. Mint.
Ikkos of Tarentum was an Olympic champion who later became the first coach in recorded history — and helped a pair of athletes to victory. He also was the first to preach abstinence before competition, and some say the first man to invent the concept of dieting. He reportedly gorged himself on large quantities of wild boar, cheese and goat meat. Go figure. Perhaps he's an ancestor of Michael Phelps (who downs up to 12,000 calories per day while training).
Boldon is the head track coach at UCLA and served in the same role for the women's U.S. Olympic team. She won the award when the 4x400 relay team, featuring Bruin Monique Henderson, captured gold. Kersee, a volunteer coach, earned his medal when Dawn Harper, another former Bruin athlete, won gold in the 100-meter hurdles.
—Adam Rose
The final week of the Beijing Games yielded some serious hardware for current and former Bruins. Here's how UCLA earned 15 medals (all representing the United States, unless otherwise noted) ...
Gold: 4
Read on »
 Amy Rodriguez and Lauren Cheney are usually sworn enemies. A few months ago, Cheney was leading UCLA toward a national title in women's soccer when Rodriguez's USC squad upset the Bruins in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
On Thursday in Beijing, the pair's teamwork earned each an Olympic gold medal.
Playing for the U.S. in an overtime final against Brazil, Cheney one-touched the ball to Rodriguez, who played the ball off of her back heel to Carli Lloyd. After a touch outside the box, Lloyd blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the net.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Carli Lloyd is surrounded by U.S. teammates after scoring in a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the women's soccer gold medal game in Beijing.
Credit: Luca Bruno / Associated Press
The New York Times had an interesting article this week about what happens to athletes after their Olympic days are over.
But for certain Bruins, the Olympics remain a part of their
professional lives. We're not just talking about coaches and
behind-the-scenes personnel. In fact, some UCLA alums might get more
camera time than the current athletes. UCLA has an impressive
contingent of Olympic broadcasters helping cover the Beijing games.
Here's who you're hearing on NBC:
- Ato Bolden — The third-most decorated sprinter in Olympic history, Bolden was a
two-time collegiate champion for the Bruins and still holds the NCAA
100-meter record at 9.92 seconds. This is his first Olympics as a track
and field analyst.
- Tim Daggett — While a student at UCLA, Daggett earned a gymnastics team gold and an
individual pommel horse bronze at the 1984 Games, which happened to
be held at Pauley Pavilion. He clinched the upset victory for the U.S.
over China with a perfect 10 on the high bar. Daggett started
broadcasting during the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, and also has covered
the Winter Olympics. He's a gymnastics and trampoline
analyst.
- Karch Kiraly — There might not be enough room on the entire Internet to list all of
Kiraly's accomplishments. The three-time Olympic gold medalist is a
beach volleyball analyst for a second straight Games. While at UCLA, he
was a four-time All American and won three NCAA championships. He
graduated in 1983, and had a legendary AVP career.
- Ann Meyers — A member of multiple hall of fames, Meyers is general
manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and vice president of the NBA's
Phoenix Suns. She earned a silver medal with the U.S. women's
basketball team in the 1976 Games and graduated from UCLA in 1978. She
signed with the Indiana Pacers in 1979 and is the only woman to try out
for an NBA team. She's been broadcasting since 1984.
- Dwight Stones — In one of the greatest multitasking accomplishments ever, Stones
competed in the 1983 world championships and covered the event as a
broadcaster. He also has performed double-duty at the Olympics, and is
now covering his ninth Games. Stones owns a pair of bronze medals in
the high jump and set several American records during his carrer. He
won the U.S. trials in 1972 at the
age of 18, when he was a freshman at UCLA.
For a full Olympics broadcast schedule, keep an eye on the NBC site. We've also got a great Olympics blog.
—Adam Rose
UCLA has earned its first gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mark Hunter, an assistant coach for the Bruins' women's rowing team, claimed victory Sunday in the lightweight double sculls with teammate Zac Purchase. They became the first British pair to ever win gold in the event.
Earlier in the week, UCLA swimmer Kim Vandenberg earned a bronze in the 4x200m relay. More medals aren't only likely, but certain — soccer player Lauren Cheney can do no worse than a silver after the U.S. semifinal victory over Japan.
After eight hours of surgery this weekend, Barbara Bachman's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable. She is the mother of former Bruin/Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" McCutcheon and was stabbed at a tourist site in Beijing. Her husband was killed in the attack. Wiz and her husband, U.S. volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, released a written statement this morning thanking everybody for their support. Other members of the family will be making an announcement at 2 p.m. (Pacific) today.
Tragedy struck the Bruin family when Todd Bachman, father of former UCLA All-American and 2004 Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman, was stabbed to death at Beijing's Drum Tower. Wiz, who also was at the tourist site, was not wounded but her mother was stabbed and is reported to be in serious condition.
For additional information:
A news release from UCLA Sports Information is after the jump.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Elisabeth Bachman, left, playing for the Bruins. Credit: UCLA
Read on »
In a stunning and tragic event, Todd and Barbara Bachman, parents of a former Bruin volleyball player and the in-laws of the current U.S. men's volleyball coach, were attacked Saturday in Beijing. Todd Bachman died of stab wounds, and his wife remains hospitalized in serious condition. The incident happened shortly after noon at the 13th century Drum Tower, a landmark five miles from the Olympic village in a neighborhood of lakes, restaurants and bars popular with tourists. The attacker stabbed his victims, then jumped from the tower's second story, about 130 feet above street level, killing himself. He acted alone, the U.S. Olympic Committee added in a statement, quoting Beijing police.
The identity card of the Chinese man listed him as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern province of Zhejiang, according to the official New China News Agency.
The couple's tour guide also was attacked but not seriously injured.
The Bachmans' daughter, Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman, was named to the 2004 Olympic team while she was a senior at UCLA; she is married to Hugh McCutcheon, the U.S. men's coach. Statements and reactions by UCLA coaches can be found on The Times' Olympics blog.
—Tony Pierce
A UCLA alumnus is taking an Olympic stand, but not the medal kind. Bradley Greiner's visa was revoked over his involvement in a group trying to raise awareness about human rights abuses in Darfur. Greiner indicated that he's now part of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the U.S. State Department and Chinese officials.
Greiner was an Academic All-American for UCLA in water polo and competed for the junior national team. He also made waves with his modeling career. For more, check out the detailed post about Greiner's visa troubles on The Times' Olympics blog.
In case you missed the big story, here's an excerpt from today's paper: Lopez Lomong, a 1,500-meter runner who gained U.S. citizenship only 13
months ago, was named the flag-bearer in a vote by American team
captains — a move quickly seen as condemnation of China's support of
the Sudanese government, which is accused of human rights violations in
its war-torn Darfur region.
"It's more than a dream," Lomong, one of the so-called Lost Boys of
Sudan, told the Associated Press when asked about the honor. "There are
no words to describe it."
Lomong's selection came a few hours after China revoked permission to
enter the country for Joey Cheek, a gold medal-winning speedskater and
former flag bearer who formed Team Darfur with the support of other
U.S. Olympians to raise awareness of the crisis. Co-founder Bradley
Greiner, a former UCLA water polo player, and Kendra Zanotto, a U.S.
bronze medalist in synchronized swimming at the Athens Games in 2004,
were among group members whose visas were also revoked.
For more on Team Darfur, check out its website.
From UCLA Sports Information: New assistant women’s rowing coach Mark Hunter is on Great Britain’s rowing team (lightweight double scull).
Just a reminder, there's an official Bruins in Beijing blog being done by the school. Today, it has a fan's perspective on trying to get tickets. You can get even more info through the Athletic Department website's Olympics page, which includes blogs, pictures, history and other dispatches from Beijing.
Here's a good site to keep an eye on during the Olympics ... UCLA's official Bruins in Beijing blog.
Seven of the nine contributors are in China for the Games, including four athletes (Jessica Cosby/track and field, Andrea Duran/softball, Natalie Golda/water polo and Nicolette Teo/swimming, as well as a coach, Jillian Ellis/soccer.
Coolest post so far? One lucky Bruin got some Diddy Riese personally delivered to her in Beijing. Hopefully she found some ice cream to go with it!
—Adam Rose
Here's the nitty-gritty on UCLA's Olympic delegation this month: A majority of UCLA’s 2008 contingent will be representing the United States (29). Eight other countries will also be represented by Bruins, including Australia (1), Bahamas (1), Belize (1), Canada (2), Korea (1) and Poland (1), Singapore (1) and Trinidad & Tobago (1). A large number of the UCLA athletes and coaches will be competing in the areas of women’s track & field (8) and softball (6). Other sports represented by Bruins include: men’s soccer (4), women’s soccer (3), women’s water polo (3), men’s water polo (2), men’s track & field (2), men’s tennis (2), women’s swimming (2), women’s beach volleyball (2), men’s indoor volleyball (1), men’s beach volleyball (1), men’s rowing (1) and women’s gymnastics (1).
This reflects the addition of Rhonda Watkins, who will represent Trinidad and Tobago in the long jump. A full news release from UCLA follows ...
Read on »
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