With 100 NCAA championships, Bruin fans usually have something to cheer about — but the Spirit Squad isn't resting on its laurels.
The team held its 2008-09 auditions Sunday. According to Trojan-Hater, who runs BeatSC.com (a.k.a. the Trojan Haters Club), even returning members had to prove themselves in front of a panel of experts. To see some of the 1,777 photos he took, check out these posts:
The first one has a recap of the event, which included an appearance by Rick Neuheisel.
The final cut will be announced April 30.
Posted by: Adam Rose
Image courtesy Trojan-Hater, who writes the wittiest headlines in the Bruin blogosphere.
This 936th post will be nearly my last as the host for the UCLA blog for LATimes.com as I will be concluding my efforts on this project today, but will cover any last men’s basketball news conference once the Bruins return home.
Since Aug. 25, it has been a great pleasure to provide you with coverage of all 22 Bruin teams and, as an alumnus, to share my passion for all things UCLA.
The work as blog host has been mostly fun, but the time commitment to this effort (it’s a part-time position) has run up against expanding responsibilities in my day-to-day work, including our news and commentary site, TheSportsExaminer.com, and a new journalistic effort dealing with Olympic sports.
I want to thank all of the readers of this site and the many who contributed both comments on the site and private e-mail messages to me and made this experience so lively. Your enthusiasm is a clear indicator of the growing passion for Bruin athletics, in Los Angeles and across the country, and that’s essential to the continuing health of the program. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the outstanding work of Bruce Tenen in assisting me in research and reporting for this blog and the championship-class UCLA sports information staff, which always responded to my requests promptly and with care.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the outstanding support provided by Times sports editor Randy Harvey, deputy sports editor Mike James and interactive editor Bettie Rinehart, who asked me to undertake this effort last summer. It has been a privilege, and their confidence in this work has been most gratifying. A simple "thank you" is inadequate to express my appreciation.
A new team of correspondents will be taking over soon and continuing coverage of Bruin athletics, probably a lot better than I did. For those who want to stay in touch, you will still be able to find me at rperelman@TheSportsExaminer.com. Thank you.
UCLA’s hopes for its 101st national championship were dashed on Saturday and there was bad news on the baseball diamond as well. But spring football has started and the two no. 1-ranked women’s teams just keep winning. Here's the full report on all the Bruin teams:
Baseball:
>> Last week: No. 23 UCLA started the week well with a 6-2 over San Diego State on Tuesday (Garrett Claypool was the winning pitcher, 1-0) in the first game of a 13-game homestand at Jackie Robinson Stadium. But the Bruins lost both of the first two games of its weekend series with USC, 6-1 on Friday night (Tim Murphy had 10 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, but took the loss and is 2-2), and 7-4 on Saturday (Charles Brewer, 3-4, too the loss.
>> This week: The Bruins are now13-12 on the season and 2-3 in the Pac-10. They finish the series with USC today at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 1 p.m. UCLA will play UC Irvine on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and then has a three-game series with UC Riverside over the weekend, all at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Football:
>> Last week: The Bruins started spring practice on Thursday and two juniors, linebacker Reggie Carter and cornerback Alterraun Verner were selected for the Lott Trophy Watch List.
>> This week: Spring ball continues with afternoon practices on Monday and Tuesday, both starting at 3:55 p.m., a day off on Wednesday and sessions on Thursday (3:55 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.). All sessions will be held on Spaulding Field and are open to the public.
Rowing:
>> Last week: UCLA is ranked 13th in the nation and won both varsity four races and was second to Virginia in both eight-oared races in the Pac-10 Challenge on March 29-30. Yesterday at the San Diego Classic, the Bruin varsity eight boats finished second in separate races to Stanford and Washington and the open eight boat won its race.
>> This week: Competition continues at the San Diego Classic today and then the Bruins are off until the Stanford Invitational on April 19-20.
Softball:
>> Last week: Top-ranked UCLA continued its winning ways with three victories at Easton Stadium: 7-6 in eight innings over Washington last Tuesday (Anjelica Selden won, now 16-2), then sophomore Megan Langenfeld (5-0) pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief to help the Bruins score a 3-1 win over no. 7 Stanford Friday and freshman Donna Kerr (13-1) picked up the win in UCLA’s 2-1 victory over no. 21 California on Saturday.
>> This week: UCLA is now 34-3 overall and 6-0 in Pac-10 play and will face Cal once more today at noon to conclude a seven-game homestand. The Bruins head to the desert to face Arizona State in Tempe on Friday and then have back-to-back games with Arizona in Tucson on Saturday and Sunday.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins’ hopes for a 12th national championship ended in the national semifinals in a 78-63 loss to Memphis in San Antonio. UCLA finished 35-4, winning the most games in school history, but fell short of its goal. The 2004 recruiting class that included Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Josh Shipp and Lorenzo Mata-Real (Farmar and Afflalo left early, but Shipp and Mata-Real were on this year's team) had a four-year legacy that included three Final Fours, three Pac-10 regular-season titles, two Pac-10 Tournament titles, three consecutive seasons of winning 30 or more games and an overall record of 115-28 (.804).
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: The third-ranked Bruins led the Administaff Augusta State Invitational in Evans, Georgia by two shots after the first round on Friday, but heavy rains cancelled the second round and the tournament will be completed on Sunday as 36-hole event. Junior Lucas Lee was leading the field at -3 after Friday’s round.
>> This week: This Blue Team (second squad) will be in Scottsdale, Arizona for Wyoming Cowboy Classic on Monday and Tuesday.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The no. 4-ranked Bruins had a good weekend, disposing of no. 31 California, 6-1, on Friday and no. 25 Stanford, 6-1, both at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. It was the 11th straight win for UCLA since losing its only match of the season to no. 1 Virginia.
>> This week: The Bruins are now 17-1 on the season and 4-0 in Pac-10 play, with four dual matches left before the Pac-10 Championships. Next weekend, UCLA travels to Arizona on Friday and no. 22 Arizona State on Saturday.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: UCLA is ranked seventh in the nation and the throwing corps had a strong showing at the Texas Relays in Austin. Boldizsar Kocsor won the hammer throw against a good field on Thursday and discus thrower Greg Garza and shot putter John Caufield finished second in their events.
>> This week: The Bruin team will compete in the Rafer Johnson-Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at Drake Stadium from Thursday-Saturday.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: No. 7 UCLA defeated 14th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in four games on Wednesday, but fell to second-ranked Cal State Northridge on Friday evening on Senior Night in Pauley Pavilion in straight sets. All-American libero Tony Ker was honored before the game, but the Bruins could not win a set from the Matadors and fell to fifth place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings.
>> This week: UCLA is now 16-12 on the season and 11-9 in the MPSF. It will complete its regular-season play with matches at Stanford on Friday and Pacific on Saturday. The Bruins are 1-0 against both teams this season, winning in Pauley Pavilion in January.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: Senior Lindsay Pluimer was selected to participate in the WNBA’s Pre-Draft Camp in Tampa this weekend in advance of the WNBA Draft on Wednesday.
Women’s Golf:
>> Last week: The Bruins ranked no. 1 in the country, but are playing in the PING/Arizona State Invitational without freshman star Maria Jose Uribe, who is playing as an amateur in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Through two of the three rounds, the Bruins are in sixth place, 15 strokes behind tournament leader USC.
>> This week: UCLA finishes up in Tempe tomorrow and then has a week off prior to the Pac-10 Championships in Palos Verdes on April 21-23.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: Bruin gymnasts Ariana Berlin, Anna Li, Jordan Schwikert and Tasha Schwikert were named to the Pac-10 All-Conference team. Berlin, Li and Jordan Schwikert received first-team honors in the all-around, while Tasha Schwikert was named to the first team on vault and uneven bars.
>> This week: Ninth-ranked UCLA will compete in the Southeast Regional in Gainesville, Florida on April 12. Third-ranked Florida is the top seed in the regional and UCLA will also compete against Nebraska, North Carolina State, West Virginia and North Carolina. The top two finishers in the regional will advance to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia from April 24-26.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: No. 9 UCLA split a weekend series with higher-ranked opponents, upsetting no. 6 California in Berkeley, 4-3, thanks to freshman Andrea Remynse’s three-set win (including a second-set tiebreaker) over Cal’s Claire Ilcinkas. Yesterday, the Bruins lost to fifth-ranked Stanford, 5-2, in Palo Alto for their first loss in Pac-10 play this season.
>> This week: The Bruins are now 15-5 overall and 4-1 in conference and have three dual matches left in the season, all at home. UCLA will face Arizona on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and Arizona State on Saturday at noon, both at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Women’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: A limited team competed at the Texas Relays and Stanford Invitational. Senior Ingrid Kantola had the best performance with a win in the university section of the pole vault on Friday and a fourth-place finish with a season best of 13-5 1/4 in the open pole vault on Saturday.
>> This week: The Rafer Johnson-Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational will be held at Drake Stadium from Thursday through Sunday.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1 UCLA continued to mow down its opponents, beating California 10-4 behind three goals from Katie Rulon at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Saturday.
>> This week: The Bruins are now 23-0 overall and 9-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. They’ll take on Pacific today at Sunset Canyon at 1 p.m. and then finish their collegiate dual-match schedule next week with games against San Diego State (1 p.m.) and Sonoma State (3 p.m.) on Saturday, April 12 and Arizona State on Sunday (1 p.m.).
In the dead of winter, UCLA trailed USC in the Lexus Gauntlet standings by a score of 50 to 12 1/2, with 57 1/2 points needed to win. USC has won the Gauntlet in each of the even-numbered years (2002-04-06) in which it has been awarded and the Bruins have won in all odd-numbered years (2003-05-07), and it looked like that would continue.
But like Lazarus, the Bruins have risen. Going into this weekend’s crucial baseball series with USC, UCLA has closed the gap. It is now 45 points to 32 1/2, which requires some explanation.
The Gauntlet standings are based on the season’s series between the schools in the various sports in which both compete. As USC went on a long winning streak against the Bruins beginning in the fall, the score mounted for the Trojans.
The Bruins have been winning of late, however, and the Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament victory over USC gave UCLA a 2-1 lead in the season series and all 10 points in the Gauntlet standings; USC lost the five points posted for it after an early season win over the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion.
Now the race to 57 1/2 is on, and the Bruins have a baseball series against USC this weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Already up one game from a nonconference win during the Major League Baseball Urban Invitational, if the Bruins can win two of three, they will take the season series and add 2 1/2 points to close the score to 45-35.
And it gets better. The next showdown will be April 18-19, when the men’s and women’s tennis teams play; the Bruins won matches against both Trojan teams earlier in the year, so two wins could bring the score to 45-40.
That would leave men’s and women’s golf, rowing and the track and field dual meet at Drake Stadium to settle the matter. In men’s golf, the teams are ranked fifth (UCLA) and sixth (USC) in the nation in the current coaches’ poll, and the women are ranked second (UCLA) and third (USC). In rowing, USC is ranked fourth nationally while the Bruins are 13th. And in track and field, the dual meet May 3 at Drake Stadium is too close to call for both men and women because the season is just getting started.
It’s still USC’s gauntlet to lose . . . but it might!
There’s also plenty of action for Bruin teams on campus this weekend, in addition to the men’s basketball team in the NCAA Final Four:
Baseball:
>> As noted above, the 23rd-ranked Bruins will play host to USC in a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium beginning at 6 tonight. UCLA (13-10) is on a six-game win streak against Troy (13-14) and will start ace lefty Tim Murphy (2-1, 3.61 ERA) tonight, Charles Brewer (3-2, 4.67) at 2 p.m. Saturday and lefty Gavin Brooks (1-2, 6.75) on Sunday. All three games will be audio and videocast at uclabruins.com, with Danny Lee and Tim Wilhelm on the microphones.
Football:
>> Spring practice continues with sessions beginning at 3:55 p.m. today and 1 p.m. Saturday (this is a time change). The spring game will be held at 7 p.m. April 26 at the Rose Bowl.
Softball:
>> The No. 1-ranked Bruins (32-3) edged Washington, 5-4, in eight innings Wednesday to move to 3-0 in Pac-10 play. They will be host to No. 7 Stanford at 1 p.m. today and 21st-ranked California at 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. All three games will be audiocast at uclabruins.com, with Darren Preston and Jeff Knox on the scene.
Men’s basketball:
>> The 35-3 Bruins — who have won more games than any team in school history — are in the NCAA Final Four for the third year in a row and will take on 37-1 Memphis on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Game time is at 3:07 p.m.; Jim Nantz and Billy Packer will call the game on CBS and Chris Roberts and Don MacLean will be on the air on KLAC-AM (570) and the Bruin radio network. A postgame "Bruins Live" show is planned on FSN West or Prime Ticket (check your local cable listings).
Men’s tennis:
>> The 15-1 Bruins (2-0 in Pac-10 play) are ranked fourth in the nation and will take on No. 31 California at 1:30 p.m. today at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and then face 25th-ranked Stanford, also on campus, at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Men’s volleyball:
>> UCLA is 16-11 on the season and 11-8 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, but that’s good enough for fourth and, most important, the Bruins are in good position for a home game in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament. After a crucial, four-set win Wednesday over UC Santa Barbara, UCLA will play host to league-leader and No. 2-ranked Cal State Northridge (20-5) at 7 tonight during Senior Night at Pauley Pavilion. Three-time All-American libero Tony Ker will be honored and T-shirts will be given away to the first 500 fans in attendance. The game will be audiocast on uclabruins.com, with Darren Preston on the call.
Women’s water polo:
>> No. 1-ranked and undefeated UCLA (22-0) will be in the pool again Saturday against No. 6 California (14-7) and Sunday against Pacific (4-21). Both matches will start at 1 p.m. at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. Saturday is Alumni Day, with an alumni match starting at 10 a.m., an alumni lunch at noon and an after-the-game Final Four viewing party at the Westwood Brewing Co.
On the road:
>> Bruin teams competing outside of Southern California include the No. 3 men’s and No. 1 women’s golf teams at the Administaff Augusta State Invitational and PING/ASU Sun Devil Invitational, respectively; the men’s and women’s track teams, at the Texas Relays and Stanford Invitational; and the No. 9 women’s tennis team (14-4) playing at No. 6 California at 1:30 p.m. today and at No. 5 Stanford at noon Saturday.
The Bruin men’s basketball team is heading back to the Final Four once again, but there was a lot of other important action this week:
Baseball:
>> Last week: What to make of this 2008 UCLA baseball team? After losing three in a row to Long Beach State, the Bruins dropped from No. 11 in the nation to No. 23 and then lost another game, at San Diego State on Tuesday, 6-3 (Matt Drummond, 0-2, took the loss). But then UCLA went to Tucson for a three-game series against No. 6 Arizona and wins two in a row: 4-3 in 10 innings on Friday night (third baseman Jermaine Curtis had four hits and Drummond, 2-1, won in relief) and 20-8 on Saturday thanks to a 7-for-7, four RBI and four runs scored day by first baseman Casey Haerther (Charles Brewer, 3-2, got the win).
>> This week: The Bruins (12-9, 2-0 Pac-10) finish their series with Arizona today in Tucson, then head home for a 13-game homestand, starting with San Diego State on Tuesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. Then UCLA will square off with rival USC at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Football:
>> This week: Spring football starts on Spaulding Field on campus April 3 and will continue through April 26 with the Spring game at the Rose Bowl. This week’s practices are open to the public, starting at 3:55 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
Rowing:
>> Last week: The Bruins debuted at No. 13 in the national rankings and are in Redwood Shores, Calif., this weekend for the Pac-10 Challenge against three top 10 teams in Virginia, Ohio State and California on Saturday and Sunday.
>> This week: The Bruins will be in the San Diego Crew Classic in Mission Bay on Saturday and Sunday.
Softball:
>> Last week: UCLA is now the top-ranked team in the nation and won its first two Pac-10 games convincingly this weekend. UCLA defeated Oregon State, 3-0, on Friday (Anjelica Selden, 14-2, got the win) and then freshman Donna Kerr lowered her ERA to 0.48 and improved to 12-1 with a 2-0 shutout of Oregon on Saturday. Megan Langenfeld picked up saves by pitching scoreless seventh innings in both games.
>> This week: UCLA (30-3) faces Oregon again today at Easton Stadium at noon, then has four more home games coming up this week: Washington on Wednesday, Stanford on Friday and California on Saturday and Sunday.
>> Of note: Four Bruins were named to the American team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this August: catcher Stacey Nuveman, first baseman Tairia Mims Flowers, third baseman Andrea Duran and shortstop Natasha Watley. Triple gold medalist pitcher Lisa Fernandez was not selected for the team, but is listed as an injury replacement; she had taken three years off from softball to start her family and did not regain her earlier form. The U.S. Team will face the Bruins in an exhibition on Tuesday evening, April 22, at Easton Stadium.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA (35-3) has won 14 straight games and is heading to San Antonio for the Final Four, the third season in a row that the Bruins will play in the national semifinals. UCLA defeated Western Kentucky, 88-78, on Thursday, cruising to a 21-point lead at half and then holding on after a furious rally by the Hilltoppers. On Saturday, UCLA defeated Xavier, 76-57, building a nine-point edge at halftime and then extending the lead behind 19 points each from Kevin Love and Darren Collison.
>> This week: The Bruins will play Saturday in one national semifinal and if they win, will play for the national championship on Monday, April 7.
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: Third-ranked UCLA led after 18 holes, but fell to seventh in the U.S. Collegiate Championships in Alpharetta, Ga. The top Bruin finisher was senior Kevin Chappell, who tied for 10th. In a separate tournament, five individual Bruins competed in the Cal Poly Men’s Intercollegiates with freshman Philip Francis tying for seventh in the best finish by a UCLA golfer.
>> This week: UCLA remains in the south and will play in the Administaff Augusta State Invitational at the Champions Retreat Golf Course in Augusta, Ga., beginning Friday.
Men’s Soccer:
>> Last week: Five Bruins made up a quarter of the U.S. Under-23 National Team squad that qualified for the Beijing Olympic tournament at last week’s CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Defenders Kamani Hill (2004-05), Patrick Ianni (2003-05) and Marvell Wynne (2004-05) and forwards Chad Barrett (2003-04) and Sal Zizzo (2005-06) were all on the squad and at least one Bruin started in every game. The U.S. finished the tournament with a 3-1-1 record, won Group A and allowed just two goals while scoring six.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The Bruins are ranked sixth in the nation and looked like it this past week, shutting out Loyola Marymount, 7-0, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Tuesday, then winning its opening Pac-10 matches easily, stomping No. 20 Washington, 6-1, in Seattle on Friday and Oregon, 6-1, in Eugene on Saturday.
>> This week: UCLA has won nine matches in a row and is 15-1 on the season. Next up are California and Stanford in matches to be played Friday and Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, starting at 1:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: The Bruins were ranked seventh in the nation in the U.S. Track Coaches Assn.’s pre-season poll and then racked up 238 points to win the Cal/Nevada Championships easily in a two-meet in Fresno. Senior John Caulfield threw a lifetime best of 197-10 -– best in the nation so far -– to win the discus and he also won the shot put with a seasonal best of 62-7 3/4. UCLA won seven events in all, including Henry Hagenbuch’s lifetime-best 3:50.65 in the 1500 m; Boldizsar Kocsor’s win in the hammer (217-3), Elijah Wells in the 400 m (48.02), Jonathan Clark in the triple jump at 49-9 1/4 and vaulter Johnny Quinn with a lifetime best of 17-0 3/4.
>> This week: UCLA will send selected individuals to the Texas Relays in Austin.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: No. 8 UCLA is putting on a performance this season that would make both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde proud. Fresh off an upset of No. 1 BYU, the Bruins lost to UC San Diego for the first time ever Friday, losing the match in five sets. UCLA had won 44 in a row over the Tritons. Then on Saturday, the Bruins stopped No. 3 Long Beach State in four games and snapped a five-game losing streak at the Walter Pyramid, led by 6-9 hitter Sean O’Malley with 19 kills.
>> This week: The Bruins are now 15-11 overall and 10-8 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, residing in fifth place. UCLA will play UC Santa Barbara in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday and then face MPSF leader Cal State Northridge on Friday, also in Pauley.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA senior Lindsey Pluimer was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic Team for the third year in a row. In addition to being an All-Conference first-team selection on the court, she was honored for her 3.71 grade-point average in Communications Studies. Sophomore guard Erica Tukiainen received honorable mention.
Women’s Golf:
>> This week: The second-ranked Bruins head back into action this week in the PING/ASU Sun Devil Invitational in Tempe on Friday. It’s their last tournament before the Pac-10 Championships on April 21-23.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: Defending champion UCLA finished third in the Pac-10 Conference Championships in Seattle, finishing behind Stanford and Oregon State after a fall on the final rotation of the meet. Tasha Schwikert was UCLA’s only individual winner, taking her seventh career Pac-10 title, with a share of the uneven bars title with a 9.95.
>> This week: The Bruins are off; next up is the NCAA Regionals on April 12.
>> Of note: Freshman Brittani McCullough, whose season ended due to injury back on March 9, was named Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Four Bruins were named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team, including juniors Ariana Berlin and Kristina Comforte and senior Tasha Schwikert on the second team, and senior Natalie Padilla as honorable mention.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: Ten Bruins were named to the Pac-10 All-Academic teams, including first-team selections Tess Schofield (Communication Studies, 3.83 grade-point average) and Katherine Wong (History, 3.72). All-American Nicolette Teo (Anthropology, 3.58), Ellen Brooks (Art History, 3.57) and Kristen Fischer (Comm Studies, 3.57) each earned second-team honors. Honorable Mention recognition was given to Shannon Hackett, Brittany Hill, Julie Imagane, Marisa Samaniego and Chiemi Yamamoto.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: Eighth-ranked UCLA had a good week, blanking Hawaii in Honolulu, 7-0 on Tuesday and then starting Pac-10 play with a 7-0 whitewash of Oregon on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. It was Bruin Coach Stella Sampras Webster’s 200th career win in her 12 seasons in Westwood (200-102).
>> This week: The Bruins are now 14-4 and head north for matches with No. 7 California in Berkeley in Friday and fifth-ranked Stanford in Palo Alto on Saturday.
Women’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: The Bruins were ranked sixth in the nation in the coaches’ pre-season poll and finished second at the Cal/Nevada Championships in Fresno. The Bruins had three winners over the two-day event, including freshman Lindsay Rowe in the 100 m hurdles in a lifetime best of 13.74, senior high jumper Allie Miller (5-7) and the 4 x 400 m relay team of Chanelle Curry, Krystin Lacy, Ashlea McLaughlin and Nicole Leach (3:39.30).
>> This week: The Bruins will send some athletes to the Stanford Invitational.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1 UCLA scored an impressive 9-3 win over Hawaii in Honolulu on Saturday, led by Courtney Mathewson’s three-goal performance. The Bruins are now 22-0 on the season and 8-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
>> This week: UCLA will entertain California at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Friday, followed by a match with Pacific on Saturday, both starting at 1 p.m.
The men’s basketball team won a thrilling NCAA second round game Saturday to highlight and otherwise quiet Finals Week for most Bruin teams. Almost everyone is back in action this week, however, and the football team got good news as the NCAA approved the petitions of three players for additional eligibility.
Baseball:
>> Last week: The Bruins had most of the week off and probably wished they had the whole week off. UCLA lost all three games against No. 7 Long Beach State, starting with a 13-3 drubbing at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday (Tim Murphy took the loss, now 2-1, despite nine strikeouts in five innings). On Saturday, the Bruins lost a doubleheader at Blair Field in Long Beach, leading into the ninth inning of the first game, 2-0, before losing 3-2. Charles Brewer (2-2) took the loss, giving up all three runs in the bottom of the ninth. In the nightcap, Long Beach State (16-3) eased past the Bruins, 10-3, as Gavin Brooks (1-1) took the loss.
>> This week: UCLA is now 10-8 and has four games on the road this week. The Bruins play at San Diego State on Tuesday and then play a three-game series in Arizona against the Wildcats on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Football:
>> Last week: The NCAA approved the petitions of wide receivers Marcus Everett and Gavin Ketchum and defensive tackle Brigham Harwell for an additional year of eligibility. The NCAA did not approve Michael Pitre’s petition, and he has signed with an agent and will try to sign with a professional football team.
Rowing:
>> This week: The Bruins are back in action at the Windermere Stanford regatta this Saturday and Sunday. UCLA is undefeated thus far in the spring, winning against Loyola Marymount and San Diego State.
Softball:
>> This week: UCLA is ranked second in the country and will be back in action Tuesday in Santa Barbara with a doubleheader against the Gauchos beginning at 1 p.m. UCLA will then start Pac-10 play this weekend in Oregon, taking on Oregon State on Friday and the Oregon Ducks on Saturday and Sunday, all at Easton Stadium on campus.
Track & Field:
>> This week: Both the men’s and women’s teams will be at the Cal/Nevada Championships in Fresno this weekend Friday and Saturday.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins set a school record for wins with first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins in Anaheim over Mississippi Valley State, 70-29, on Thursday and Texas A&M, 53-49, on Saturday. UCLA is now 33-3 on the season, the most victories ever for a Bruin basketball team. Guard Darren Collison led UCLA with 21 points Saturday and scored the winning basket on a drive in the final minute.
>> This week: Top-seeded UCLA marches on to the West Regional in Phoenix, where the Bruins will face 12th-seeded Western Kentucky (29-6) on Thursday. If UCLA should win that game, it will play in the regional final Saturday against either third-seed Xavier (29-6) or seventh-seed West Virginia (26-10).
Men’s Golf:
>> This week: The fourth-ranked Bruins will be in action this week in Alpharetta, Ga., at the U.S. Collegiate Championship on Monday through Wednesday with No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Charlotte and No. 5 Oklahoma State in the field. On Friday, the Bruins will have a one-day dual match against Coastal Carolina.
Men’s Tennis:
>> This week: The Bruins are 12-1, have won six in a row and are ranked sixth in the nation. Their next match is against Loyola Marymount at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. They will head to the Northwest this weekend for matches against Washington in Seattle on Friday and Oregon in Eugene on Saturday.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> This week: Ninth-ranked UCLA is now 14-10 after upsetting No. 1 BYU in its last match on March 12. The Bruins return to action Friday against UC San Diego on the road, followed by a trip to Long Beach State to face the 49ers on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. UCLA defeated UCSD in the only meetings between the teams, and the Bruins are 1-1 this season against the 49ers.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> This week: The Bruins will be in action at the Pacific-10 Championships in Seattle on Saturday and could contend for the crown depending on team health. Despite injuries, UCLA has beaten conference opponents Arizona, California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington so far this season.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: The Bruins finished their 2008 season 31st in the nation in the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Senior Nicolette Teo earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 100 m Breast, then came back to finish 12th in the 200m Breast and win Honorable Mention All-America honors in that event. Junior Anna Poteete was 27th in the 100 free and set a new school record of 49.23.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: Although the Bruin team was off, senior Riza Zalameda was honored as the Pac-10 Player of the Week for March 10-16. Zalameda is ranked seventh in the nation, nearly made the field for the Pacific Life Open and then helped the Bruins smash USC, 6-1. It’s the third time in her career that she’s been selected as Pac-10 Player of the Week.
>> This week: The eighth-ranked Bruins (12-4) are back in action Tuesday at Hawaii and then return to face Oregon on Saturday at noon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: Senior Courtney Mathewson was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Week for her four goals that helped UCLA to an 8-7 win over third-ranked USC on March 14. She has scored at least one goal in each of UCLA’s last 11 matches.
>> This week: No. 1 UCLA (21-0) is in Hawaii this week and will play an exhibition game with the Canadian national team on Wednesday in Honolulu and then face Hawaii on Friday.
A very big week in Bruin basketball, but there was torrid action on the diamond, the mat, the track and much more:
Baseball:
>> Last week: The Bruins started the week with a 4-2 loss to St. Mary’s last Sunday (Matt Drummond took the loss, 0-1), but won that series, 2-1. On Tuesday, DH Cody Decker, second baseman Alden Carrithers and right fielder Gabe Cohen all hit home runs in an 11-3 win over Pepperdine with Justin Uribe (2-0) scattering three hits in five shutout innings. UCLA finished the week with a 3-2 record by taking two of three at Cal Poly San Luis Osbispo. The Bruins lost the opener on Thursday, 9-8, with reliever Brendan Lafferty (1-1) taking the loss as the Mustangs scored two in the bottom of the ninth for the win. CP/SLO went up 5-0 in Friday’s game, but Charles Brewer (2-1) came in with none out in the first inning and gave up just one run the rest of the way to earn the win as the Bruins came back for a 10-6 victory, including a seven-run seventh inning. On Saturday, Carrithers went 4-6 and led the Bruins to a 12-9 win (he was 10-17 in the series and has a .444 average on the season). Third baseman Jermaine Curtis had a home run and four runs batted in for UCLA, and Gavin Brooks (1-0) got the win and Lafferty recorded a save.
>> This week: No. 11 UCLA (10-5) is off for winter-quarter final exams until Friday, when they take on Long Beach State at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 6 p.m. and then have a doubleheader scheduled at Long Beach State on Saturday.
Football:
>> Last week: UCLA held its annual "Pro Day" on Thursday with more than 30 NFL scouts at Spaulding Field to watch Bruin seniors and former Bruin Junior Taylor work out.
Softball:
>> Last week: UCLA rose to No. 2 in the national rankings, but fell to Cal State Fullerton at Easton Stadium on campus last Wednesday, 1-0, in eight innings despite nine strikeouts from Anjelica Selden (12-2). With the game at 0-0 through seven innings, the international tiebreaker was used, with a runner placed on second base to start the inning. Fullerton managed a run and Selden saw her scoreless innings streak end at 33 2/3 and UCLA’s win streak at 19. The Bruins eased past Cal State Northridge on Thursday, 7-0, behind a one-hitter from Donna Kerr (10-1) with relief help from Megan Langenfeld. Junior second baseman Amanda Kamekona hit two home runs for the Bruins and Langenfeld added a third.
>> This week: The Bruins take a break for finals with a glossy mark of 26-3 and will start up again at UC Santa Barbara on March 25.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins (31-3) added to their Pac-10 Conference regular-season crown with UCLA’s third-ever victory in the Pac-10 Conference Tournament at Staples Center. After the thrilling, last-second win over Cal in Pauley Pavilion on March 8, UCLA left no doubt on Thursday with an 88-66 rout of the Bears in the quarterfinals, then skated past USC, 57-54 on Friday night (Kevin Love, 19 points and 10 rebounds) and edged Stanford, 67-64, thanks to a 22-8 run in the second half and brilliant play from Darren Collison, who scored 28 points and was named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. Love was chosen to the All-Tournament Team.
>> This week: The second-ranked Bruins, riding a 10-game winning streak, will find out today who they will play in the NCAA Tournament, almost certainly as a No. 1 seed and in games to be held in Anaheim at the Honda Center on Thursday and, if they win, on Saturday.
>> Of note I: UCLA suffered a loss on Friday, when forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sprained his left ankle again in the first half. X-rays showed no break in the leg and he was on crutches and wearing a walking boot on his left foot during Saturday’s game.
>> Of note II: Current and former Bruins were honored this week, as Love was selected as a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Sporting News. ESPN also completed the release of its list of the best college basketball players of all time, with former Bruins Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton ranking first and third.
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: No. 3 UCLA finished fifth in the Southern Highlands Collegiates in Las Vegas last Sunday, 12 shots behind host UNLV. Junior Erik Flores tied for fourth overall.
>> This week: The Bruin Blue Team (second squad) will be in Bakersfield on Monday and Tuesday for the second Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invite.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: No. 6 UCLA had a good week, edging No. 11 Baylor, 4-3, on Monday and hammering Duke 6-1 on Saturday. The Bruins are now 12-1 overall and will take the next two weeks off for finals and spring break.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: The Bruins had a strong showing at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas as eight men earned All-American honors. The highlight was the shot put, in which John Caulfield finished fourth (62-2 1/4) and Darius Savage finished sixth with a lifetime best of 61-0 1/4. Dustin Leo finished tied for seventh in the pole vault (17-4 1/2) and Boldizsar Kocsor was seventh in the weight throw with a personal best of 70-1 1/2. On the track, the distance medley team of Marlon Patterson (1200 m), Elijah Wells (400 m), Cory Primm (800 m) and Laef Barnes (1600 m) was seventh in 9:35.74 and as a team, UCLA was 14th with 13 1/2 points.
>> This week: There is a decathlon-heptathlon meet at CSUN on Thursay and Friday as most of the team is off for finals.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: No. 9 UCLA has been wandering inconsistently through the season but had an opportunity to measure itself on Thursday and Friday against No. 1 BYU (17-2) in back-to-back matches in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins were swept, 30-25, 30-27, 30-27, on Thursday but came back to upset the Cougars on Friday, 30-28, 23-30, 30-23, 30-21. Sean O’Malley had 19 kills in the win and sophomore setter Kevin Ker entered the match in the second game and had 39 assists.
>> This week: UCLA is now 14-10 overall and 9-7 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play and will take a week off for exams.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: After 15 seasons as Bruin head coach, Kathy Olivier resigned last Tuesday. She compiled a 232-208 record, her 1999 team was Pac-10 co-champion, and the 2006 team won the Pac-10 Tournament. Olivier will remain with the athletic department in another capacity, and a search has begun for a new coach.
>> Of note: In addition to the selection of senior Lindsey Pluimer to the All-Pac-10 team, junior guard Tierra Henderson was named to the first-ever Pac-10 All-Defensive team and guard Doreena Campbell was named to the All-Freshmen team and was honorable mention for the All-Pac-10 team. In addition, freshmen Regina Rogers, Nina Earl and Darxia Morris earned honorable mention for the All-Freshman squad.
Women’s Golf:
>> Last week: The second-ranked golfers made a charge during the final round of the UCF Invitational in Orlando, Fla., to finish third overall, 12 strokes behind winner Duke. Freshman Maria Jose Uribe finished seventh overall and All-American Tiffany Joh placed in a tie for 10th.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: The Bruins had to battle tornado warnings in addition to the No. 1-ranked Georgia Gym Dogs on Saturday in Athens, but lost, 197.900-196.925, despite compiling their best score of the season. Prior to leaving for Stegeman Coliseum, the Bruins had to be moved to the basement of their hotel twice for precautionary reasons due to the weather. Once on the floor, however, four Bruins recorded career-best or tied their career-best marks: Ashley Jenkins, 9.9 on floor; Jordan Schwikert, 9.925 on floor [tied career best]; Kristina Comforte, 9.9 on vault [tied career best] and Mizuki Sato, 9.875 on floor.
>> This week: The 10th-ranked Bruins (14-4) have the week off before the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle on March 29.
Women’s Rowing:
>> Last week: The Bruins took three of four races against San Diego State at Ballona Creek, winning both of the varsity eight races and the varsity four race while dropping the novice race.
>> This week: The Bruins are off until the Windemere Stanford regatta on March 29-30.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: Junior All-American Marisa Samaniego got off to bad start at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships in Oklahoma City on Thursday when she slipped off the one-meter board and withdrew. But she rebounded on Friday to win on the three-meter board and earn a spot at next week's NCAA Championships. In the tower competition, junior Tess Schofield finished sixth and freshman Morgan Erpenbeck was eighth, but only the top two qualified for the NCAA meet.
>> This week: The Bruins will send three swimmers and one diver to the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio, from Thursday to Sunday.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The 10th-ranked Bruins smashed eighth-ranked USC at Marks Tennis Stadium, 6-1, on Thursday in its best performance of the season. Riza Zalameda, Tracy Lin, Andrea Remynse, Yasmin Schnack and Ashley Joelson all recorded singles wins.
>> This week: The Bruins are 12-4 on the season and are off until March 25 at Hawaii.
Women’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: UCLA sent only freshman vaulter Tori Anthony to the NCAA Indoor Championships, but she came back with All-American honors for finishing in a tie for eighth at 13-5 1/4.
>> This week: There is a meet for heptathletes at Northridge on Thursday and Friday, but most of the team is off this week.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1-ranked UCLA needed all four goals scored by senior Courtney Mathewson to edge No. 3 USC, 8-7, on Friday at the McDonald’s Swim Stadium at USC. The Bruins are now 21-0 and 7-0 in Pac-10 play and snapped a 42-match home win streak for the Trojans. UCLA’s own win streak now stands at 29. Mathewson scored the game-winner with 2:31 to play in the match.
>> This week: The Bruins are off until March 26.
With the men’s basketball team steaming into the postseason and the women’s basketball program looking for a new coach, there’s a lot of other action on campus, including the dawn of the Rick Neuheisel Era in football.
Football:
>> UCLA announced the timing of its Spring Football practice sessions, all of which will be open to the public (all times subject to change):
- Week 1: April 3 (3:55 pm), April 4 (3:55 pm) and April 5 (TBD).
- Week 2: April 7 (3:55 pm), April 8 (3:55 pm), April 10 (3:55 pm) and April 12 (11:00 am).
- Week 3: April 14 (3:55 pm), April 15 (3:55 pm), April 17 (3:55 pm) and April 18 (7:00 pm).
- Week 4: April 21 (3:55 pm), April 22 (3:55 pm), April 24 (3:55 pm) and April 26 (7:00 pm, Spring Scrimmage at the Rose Bowl).
Softball:
>> Bruin pitching ace Angelica Selden was named the Pac-10's Player of the Week for the second time this season and ninth time in her career. She’s working on a string of 26 scoreless innings, including 22 last weekend with shutouts against UNLV, Long Beach State and Virginia Tech.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Bruin freshman center Kevin Love and junior guard Darren Collison are both on the final ballot for the 2008 Wooden Award. A total of 24 players are on the ballot, which is due back from the panel of more than 1,000 voters March 31. The award winners will be announced April 12.
Men’s Golf:
>> The third-ranked Bruins finished fifth in the Southern Highlands Collegiates in Las Vegas on Sunday, ending the three rounds 12 strokes back of host UNLV. Junior Erik Flores was UCLA’s top finisher with a tie for fourth place, shooting two under par for the tournament.
Men’s Tennis:
>> No. 6 UCLA ran up a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 4-3 win over No. 11 Baylor at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Monday. The Bruins won the doubles point, two matches to one, and then swept the first three singles matches with senior Mathieu Dehaine, freshman Holden Seguso and junior Michael Look losing only two sets between them.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Bruin senior libero Tony Ker was named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Assn. Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Molten Player of the Week. Ker earned the awards for not only helping his team to three important wins last week, but also for breaking the UCLA all-time record for career digs during the Bruins' 3-1 win over Lewis on March 4. He now has 1,125 digs in his career, along with 55-career double-digit dig matches, including 13 this season.
>> The No. 9 Bruins will play second-ranked BYU in two key back-to-back matches at Pauley Pavilion on Friday and Saturday. In the meantime, the Cougars were hit with NCAA sanctions announced today as follows:
"The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions has penalized Brigham Young University for major and secondary violations in its men's volleyball program. This case primarily involves violations of NCAA recruiting rules, including impermissible transportation, housing, meals, employment, cash and clothing, among other impermissible benefits. These impermissible benefits were provided by representatives of the institution's athletics interests (boosters). The case also includes a failure to monitor by the institution and the former head coach."
The penalties included three years of probation, minor scholarship and recruiting reductions, and the "disassociation of a booster" who tried to help the Cougars land two players who had defected from the powerhouse Cuban national team. As one observer put it, "BYU cheats, gets caught, get penalized but can still win the national title."
Women’s Golf:
>> Despite a tied-for-seventh finish from freshman Maria Jose Uribe and a tied-for-10th placement by All-American Tiffany Joh, the No. 2-ranked Bruins finished third in the UCF Challenge that ended today. UCLA finished 12 strokes back of winner Duke.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> "If it's possible to feel worse for an athlete than you normally would after an injury, that's how we all feel about Brittani McCullough," said UCLA head Coach Valorie Kondos Field after McCullough ruptured her left Achilles tendon on the takeoff of her opening tumbling pass during Sunday’s quadrangular with Alabama, Arkansas and Cal State Fullerton at Pauley Pavilion. McCullough will miss the remainder of the season.
"She ruptured her right Achilles two years ago, was in a car accident last year and severed a tendon in her toe, and now this," said Kondos Field. "It's heartbreaking to see someone who does everything right in life have to suffer so much." The injury also led to UCLA’s third-place finish in the meet, behind Arkansas and Alabama.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Senior attacker Brittany Rowe scored three goals to help the No. 1-ranked Bruins past No. 2 Stanford, 9-7, last weekend. For that effort, she was named the Mikasa Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week. She’s the fourth Bruin to earn that honor so far this season.
Amid the celebration of another Bruin Pac-10 men’s basketball championship were some outstanding performances in some other sports:
Baseball:
>> Last week: The third-ranked Bruins had a busy week, starting with the final game of the Urban Invitational last Sunday. UCLA defeated USC, 4-3, on second baseman Alden Carrithers’ two-run double in the eighth inning; lefty Brendan Lafferty (1-0) earned the win with five innings of shutout relief. On Tuesday and Wednesday, UCLA was pummeled twice by traditional power Cal State Fullerton, 7-1 in Fullerton and 13-2 at Jackie Robinson Stadium. On Friday and Saturday, the Bruins managed home victories against St. Mary’s, 14-0 (Tim Murphy, 2-0, allowed one hit in seven innings) and 7-6 on Ryan Babineau’s pinch-hit, two-run double in the seventh inning as freshman Dan Klein (2-2) got the win.
>> This week: The 7-3 Bruins played St. Mary’s this afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium, then will play Pepperdine Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson and finish the week with a three-game series at Cal State San Luis Obispo from Thursday through Saturday.
>> Of note: Bruin ace Murphy was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week last Tuesday for his 11 shutout innings the previous week, including a complete game shutout of Bethune-Cookman in the Urban Invitational. Also, Jackie Robinson, whose worst of four sports at UCLA was baseball, was voted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame last week.
Football:
>> Last week: With the coaching staff in place, the Bruins welcomed about 20 high school seniors-to-be on the first of two "Junior Days" on campus. Recruits took a tour and attended the UCLA-California basketball game. A second Junior Day will be held in April when spring practice is underway.
Rowing:
>> Last week: UCLA swept all four races from Loyola Marymount on Saturday at Ballona Creek.
>> This week: San Diego State will row against the Bruins at Ballona Creek on Saturday morning.
Softball:
>> Last week: The Bruins are now ranked second in the nation and are mowing down opponents in bunches. On Wednesday, Angelica Selden struck out 13 and soph Julie Burney hit a run-scoring single in the fifth that led to a 1-0 UCLA win. Then the Bruins ran off five straight wins in the Long Beach Invitational, starting with victories against Virginia Tech, 1-0 (Selden a one-hitter), and Notre Dame, 3-2 (second baseman GiOnna DiSalvatore drove in all three runs), on Friday. Yesterday, UCLA hammered Rutgers, 9-0 (Megan Langenfeld now 3-0), and shut down No. 8 Northwestern, 2-0 as Donna Kerr struck out 15 to go to 9-1 on the season; Langenfeld hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Today, Selden (12-1) struck out 11 and ran her scoreless streak to 26 innings in a 1-0 win over Long Beach State as right fielder Samantha Camuso doubled in pinch-runner Grace Murray in the bottom of the eighth.
>> This week: The Bruins are now a dazzling 25-2 on the season and have won 19 straight. UCLA has games with Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge at home on Wednesday (2 p.m.) and Thursday (1 p.m.) before taking a 12-day break for final exams.
>> Of note: Freshman Kerr was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for three wins and a perfect game against St. Peter’s last Sunday.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins (28-3), ranked No. 2 in one poll and No. 3 in another, made miraculous comebacks to defeat Stanford and California and finish the season as Pac-10 champions. Against Stanford, UCLA trailed by 14 points moments into the second half, but came back to tie the game at 63-63 in regulation and won, 77-67, in overtime to clinch the conference title. On Saturday, the Bruins were down, 37-30, at halftime, but stormed back with 51 points to win, 81-80, on a circus shot by Josh Shipp that appeared to loop over the backboard and through the basket with 1.5 seconds left.
>> This week: UCLA is the No. 1 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament starting Wednesday. The Bruins will play the winner of the California-Washington game Thursday about 2:30 p.m. The semifinals will be held Friday and the championship game Saturday. The NCAA Tournament brackets will be announced next Sunday.
>> Of note: Freshman center Kevin Love was selected as one of 10 candidates for the Oscar Robertson Award, the player of the year trophy handed out by the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. The winner will be announced during the Final Four weekend in San Antonio.
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: The UCLA "Blue Team" (second squad) finished 13th in the USC Collegiate Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The full team participated in the Southern Highlands Collegiate Tournament in Las Vegas on Friday, Saturday andSunday and was in sixth place through two rounds, 11 behind Georgia.
>> This week: Third-ranked UCLA finishes up in Las Vegas today, then is off for a couple of weeks. The Blue Team will return to Bakersfield for the second Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational on March 17-18.
>> Of note: Senior Kevin Chappell, who won the PING Intercollegiates in Arizona early in the year, was named Pac-10 Golfer of the Month for the January/February period.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The sixth-ranked Bruins (10-1) had a good week, starting with a 7-0 shutout of Rice at home Wednesday, then defeating No. 10 USC, 5-2, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus Thursday. The match was tied, 2-2, but the Bruins won the last three individual matches as Jeremy Drean and Nick Meister won in straight sets in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles slots and Michael Look won in three sets in the No. 4 spot.
>> This week: The Bruins will make up a rained-out match with Baylor on Monday at 1:30 p.m. and then take on Duke on Wednesday, also at 1:30 p.m. with both matches at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: Shotputter Darius Savage improved his lifetime best to 60-10 to win the Last Chance Indoor qualifying meet in Seattle on Saturday. At Drake Stadium, most of the UCLA team competed in the UCLA Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Bruin athletes scored eight event wins, including Brandon Smith in the 200 m (21.30), Elijah Wells in the 400m (48.01), Laef Barnes in the 800m (1:51.62, a lifetime best), Spencer Knight in the 1500m (3:55.98), Taylor Hobson in the high jump (6-8) and long jump (23-9 1/2, a lifetime best) plus John Caulfield in the discus (189-4).
>> This week: UCLA will send up to seven entries to the NCAA Indoor Championships this week in Fayetteville, Ark. Other athletes will compete in the CSUN Invitational in Northridge.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: UCLA stopped its four-match losing streak with a four-set win over Lewis at Pauley Pavilion last Tuesday and then defeated the second-ranked Division III team, UC Santa Cruz in four games at home on Wednesday. Much more impressive, however, was a five-set win over No. 6 UC Irvine at the Bren Center in Irvine on Friday night. Attackers Garrett Muagututia and Sean O’Malley each had 20 kills.
>> This week: The 10th-ranked Bruins are now 13-9 overall and 8-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Second-ranked BYU (16-1), the MPSF leader at 11-1, comes to Pauley Pavilion for matches Thursday and Friday, both starting at 7 p.m., in a test of just how good the Bruins really are.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: Mirroring their inconsistent play this season, the Bruins stunned USC, 73-52, in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament in San Jose. Freshman Darxia Morris led UCLA with 19 points as the Bruins defeated USC for the only time in their three meetings this season. In the semifinals today against Stanford, however, the Bruins were throttled, 78-45, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.
>> This week: UCLA finished the season at 16-15 and does not appear to be in line to be invited to the NCAA Tournament. UCLA essentially played freshmen and sophomores and senior forward Lindsay Pluimer this season and could be a promising team next season. Let’s emphasize the "could be."
>> Of note: Pluimer finished her Bruin regular season career today by scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds. She is ranked 12th on the all-time UCLA scoring list (1,558), 10th on the rebound list (737), sixth on the blocked shot list, seventh in three-point shots made and tied for third in most double figure points game in a career. Pluimer started her 123rd consecutive game today, which is the most in the UCLA women's NCAA era and third on the all-time school list. She was named the Toyo Tires Pac-10 Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Women’s Golf:
>> This week: UCLA is ranked second nationally and is in Sorrento, Fla., for the UCF Invitational that runs today through Tuesday. It will be the Bruins’ last tournament until April 4.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: The Bruins zipped past Oregon State at home Sunday, March 1, 196.775-195.950 at Pauley Pavilion, even without all-around star Anna Li to improve to 13-1 overall and finished Pac-10 competition with a 6-0 mark.
>> This week: The Bruins are competing today in Pauley Pavilion in a quadrangular meet with Alabama, Arkansas and Cal State Fullerton, but will face a stiff test next Saturday on the road against NCAA favorite Georgia in Athens beginning at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: UCLA Coach Cyndi Gallgher indicated that although 16 Bruin swimmers posted marks that would qualify them for the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, from March 20-22, only three or four of the qualifiers will go. The others simply have no realistic chance to score points in a fast year thanks to the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Junior Anna Poteete (sprint free), senior Nicolette Teo (breast) and freshman Lauren Hall (400 medley) all have automatic qualifying marks in their respective events and freshman Dani Milligan could be invited since her 400 medley mark is just 0.01 seconds shy of the automatic mark.
>> This week: The NCAA Zone E qualifying meet for divers will be held in Oklahoma City from March 13 through 15 and the Bruins could add additional qualifiers.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: Ninth-ranked UCLA showed why this week with wins over Washington State on Friday and Washington on Saturday, both by 7-0 scores. The Bruins are 11-4 overall and 2-0 in Pac-10 play.
>> This week: UCLA will face No. 9 USC across town Thursday at 1:30 p.m. before taking a 12-day break for final exams.
Women’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: Freshman Tori Anthony won the pole vault in the Last Chance Qualifier meet in Seattle with a jump of 13 feet 7 inches and will compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., next week. At Drake Stadium, Bruin women won seven events and two relays at the UCLA Invitational on Saturday. UCLA teams won the 4x100m (46.16) and 4x400 m (3:44.58) events and individual winners included Nicole Leach in the 800m (2:09.61), Clare Rethmeier in the two mile (10:41.59), Lindsay Rowe in the 100m hurdles (14.06), Chanelle Curry in the 400m hurdles (1:03.56), jump star Rhonda Watkins at 20-11 3/4 in the long jump and 41-9 3/4 in the triple jump and Tara Ross in the javelin (a lifetime best of 162-9).
>> This week: Anthony will be at the NCAA Indoor Championships and other Bruins will compete at the CSUN Invitational.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1 UCLA maintained its perfect record with a 9-7 win over No. 2 Stanford at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Saturday. Senior Brittany Rowe had three goals to lead the Bruins in scoring. Today, the Bruins eased past No. 8 San Jose State, 15-5, also at the Sunset Canyon Rec Center.
>> This week: UCLA (20-0) will face another challenge from a top-five team, playing USC across town on Friday, March 14, at 5 p.m. The Bruins will take a break after that for final exams.
At one point during the week, UCLA had 10 teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation. For any program anywhere, that’s pretty remarkable.
Another area where UCLA is No. 1: applications for admission. UCLA was once again the most popular university in America by number of applications, with a staggering 55,369 received, an increase of 9% over the nation-leading 2007 figure. Even more unbelievable: the percentage of freshman applicants with a grade-point average of 4.0 of better: 44.6%.
Oh, yes, the Pac-10 men’s basketball title will be decided this week.
Baseball:
>> Last week: The third-ranked Bruins are now 4-1 after defeating Southern, 11-2 on Friday and Bethune Cookman, 2-0, before a national television audience on ESPN2 last night in the Urban Invitational. Left-hander Tim Murphy scattered seven hits for UCLA’s first complete-game shutout since 2005. Earlier in the week, UCLA was crushing Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, 22-2, when the game was halted due to darknesss; it will be completed on April 15. The Bruins also outlasted UC Santa Barbara, 5-4, in 13 innings at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Wednesday.
>> This week: UCLA finishes up the round-robin Urban Invitational today at USC at 2 p.m. The Bruins have a home-and-home with powerful Cal State Fullerton at Fullerton on Tuesday (6 p.m.) and at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Wednesday (6 p.m.). The Bruins will host St. Mary’s at Jackie Robinson Stadium for a three-game series from Friday-Sunday.
Rowing:
>> This week: The spring season starts on Saturday with the Bruins hosting Loyola Marymount on March 8.
Softball:
>> Last week: The Bruins are up to No. 4 in the national rankings and continue hot at the San Diego Classic. UCLA defeated James Madison, 8-0, in their opener on Friday (Anjelica Selden, 14 strikeouts) and then hammered San Diego, 10-0, behind Donna Kerr’s 11 strikeouts (she’s 7-1), in the nightcap. Soph Megan Langenfeld tossed a one-hitter on Saturday morning as UCLA stomped Eastern Michigan, 8-0, and Selden (9-1) pitched all nine innings (with 13 strikeouts) of a tight 2-1 win over No. 20 San Diego State in the afternoon. Selden, a senior, became only the 21st pitcher in NCAA history to record 1,200 or more strikeouts. Earlier in the week, UCLA shut out Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday, 3-0, with Kerr pitching four innings and Langenfeld finishing the final three frames.
>> This week: The Bruins (18-2) have won 12 straight games and finish in San Diego with a game against St. Peter’s today, then have UNLV at home on Wednesday (1 p.m.) before heading south for the Long Beach Invitational against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame on Friday, Rutgers on Saturday and highly-ranked Northwestern and Long Beach State on Sunday.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA (25-3 overall, 13-2 in the Pac-10) defeated Arizona State on the road on Thursday, 70-49, breaking open a close game late in the first half to post its biggest-ever margin of victory in Tempe. The previous high was 20 from a 99-79 win way back in 1956.
>> This week: Fourth-ranked UCLA could move up in the polls again this week if the Bruins can post a victory against Arizona (17-11, 7-8) in Tucson. The game will be nationally televised on CBS and begin at 1 p.m. On Thursday comes the Pac-10 regular-season title decider with Stanford (24-4, 13-3) at Pauley Pavilion at 8 p.m. and the regular-season finale at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday against California. The 1968 NCAA championship team, arguably the greatest college basketball team of all time that started Lew Alcindor, Lynn Shackelford, Mike Lynn, Lucius Allen and Mike Warren, will be honored at halftime of the Cal game.
>> Of note: If Alcindor had not suffered an eye injury that led to UCLA’s 71-69 loss at the Astrodome to Houston, the Bruins would have finished the 1967-68 season with a then-record of 64 wins in a row. UCLA won its first 25 games of Alcindor’s senior season, so UCLA would have had a streak of 89 straight wins before USC won the first game ever by an opponent in Pauley Pavilion, 46-44, on March 8, 1969. The current record is 88, set by the 1971-1974 teams.
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: The Bruin "Blue Team" (second squad) finished second this week at the Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational, one shot behind Cal State Stanislaus. Junior Erik Flores was the tournament champion, carding a 10-under 206 for the three rounds, one shot ahead of fellow Bruin Craig Leslie.
>> This week: The Blue Team is in action against at the USC Invitational at North Hills Country Club on Monday and Tuesday. The whole squad will be back in action on Friday through Sunday in Las Vegas for the Southern Highlands Invitational.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: Sixth-ranked UCLA (8-1) stomped UC Santa Barbara at home on Wednesday and two doubles teams reached the quarterfinals of the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships. Mathieu Dehaine and Holden Seguso were seeded seventh and fourth-seeded Nick Meister and Harel Srugo both reached the round of eight before being defeated.
>> This week: The Bruins are in action again on Wednesday, hosting No. 24 Rice on Wednesday and seventh-ranked USC on Thursday, both at the Los Angeles Tennis Center beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Men’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: UCLA finished sixth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships in Seattle. The Bruins’ only individual champion was junior Boldizsar Kocsor, who won the weight throw at 69-9 1/2.
>> This week: The Bruins will open their 2008 outdoor season at the UCLA Invitational at Drake Stadium. Field events will start at 10 a.m.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: Seventh-ranked UCLA is happy to be coming home after dropping both matches this weekend to Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. The Bruins (10-9) lost in four sets on Friday night and were swept on Saturday, losing their fourth straight match and five of six on their lengthy road trip.
>> This week: UCLA plays in Pauley Pavilion for the first time since Feb. 9 on Tuesday night with a match against Lewis at 7 p.m. and follows up with UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday evening. UCLA heads south to play at UC Irvine on Friday evening; all three matches begin at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA closed out the regular season with a split at home, losing to Arizona State, 73-67, and then defeating Arizona, 80-70. Lindsay Pluimer, the lone Bruin senior, led the team once again with 18 points and 11 rebounds. UCLA ended the regular season with a 15-14 record and was 10-8 (tied for fourth) in the Pac-10, sliding to a 4-5 mark in the second half of the league schedule after a 6-3 first round.
>> This week: The Pac-10 Tournament is on in San Jose and the fifth-seeded Bruins will play fourth-seed USC in its first-round game on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. UCLA lost both games to USC this season, by eight points at the Galen Center and by 13 at home.
Women’s Golf:
>> Last week: The No. 1-ranked Bruins fell victim to high winds that negated strong efforts in rounds one and three at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational and finished sixth overall. Their best individual performance by All-American Tiffany Joh. She overcame an 80 in the second round to shoot a two-under 70 in the final round and finish fifth overall.
>> This week: UCLA is off to Orlando, Florida to play in the UCF Challenge on Sunday, March 9 through Tuesday, March 11.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: UCLA (12-1) lost to No. 2 Utah last Sunday and suffered injuries to all-around stars Anna Li and Brittani McCullough, both of whom had concussions.
>> This week: The Bruins are ranked ninth in the country and will take on No. 10 Oregon State (8-1) today at Pauley Pavilion, beginning at 2 p.m. UCLA will webcast the meet on uclabruins.com, with Darren Preston and former U.S. Olympian and NCAA champion Steve McCain on the call. Sunday's meet is UCLA's Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness meet and the Bruins will wear leotards with pink accents and pink ribbons. All fans are encouraged to wear pink, and pink wristbands will be given away to all attendees. Pink Crocs will also be given away to 30 lucky fans.
>> Of note: UCLA will have its last home meet of the season in a quadrangular on Sunday, March 9, with Alabama, Arkansas and Cal State Fullerton.
Women’s Swimming:
>> Last week: The Bruins are ranked 15th in the nation and finished fourth in the Pac-10 Swimming & Diving Championships, held in Long Beach (swimming) and Federal Way, Washington (diving). Competing with a young team, the Bruins set more than a dozen lifetime bests and set a school record 7:14.73 in the 4 x 200 m Freestyle Relay on Wednesday with freshmen Lauren Hall, Alex Sullivan and Emily Bibb plus junior Anna Poteete.
>> This week: UCLA is off until the NCAA Zone E meet in Oklahoma City on March 13-15.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The Bruins came into the week ranked 11th in the nation, but dropped Wednesday’s match to No. 4 Baylor, 5-2, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and then upset No. 6 Stanford on Friday, 4-3. Senior Tracy Lin upset ninth-ranked Jessica Nguyen of Stanford to clinch the win. UCLA didn’t fare as well on Saturday, losing to No. 8 California, 4-3, despite an upset win by 10th-ranked Riza Zalameda over seventh-ranked Susie Babos in three sets.
>> This week: UCLA is 9-4 and hosts Washington State on Friday (1:30 p.m.) and Washington on Saturday (11 a.m.) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Women’s Track & Field:
>> Last week: UCLA took only its vaulters and middle-distance runners to the MPSF Indoor meet in Seattle and placed ninth with 14 1/2 points. Vaulters Ingrid Kantola, Tori Anthony, Kathy Viuf and Megan Jamerson all cleared 13-1 to tie for third place. It was a lifetime best for Jamerson.
>> This week: The Bruins will make one of three appearances in Drake Stadium this season with the UCLA Invitational on Saturday, beginning with field events at 10 a.m.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1-ranked UCLA (18-0) shut out UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara on Saturday, 12-0, behind three goals from Brittany Rowe.
>> This week: The competition will be tougher this week as the Bruins host No. 2 Stanford on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center and then play San Jose State at Sunset Canyon on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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