The 2008 L.A. Sports Awards were held Friday, bringing together some of the biggest names in the Southland. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was on hand, along with legendary Bruin volleyball player Karch Kiraly.
A media panel selected by the L.A. Sports Council
named the top 10 moments of the year, and the Bruins' third straight trip to the NCAA Final Four in men's basketball was
selected as Los Angeles' sixth greatest moment of 2008. While picking up UCLA's hardware, Block praised the school's well-rounded success.
Every local team was honored for its greatest moment based on an
Internet fan poll. UCLA's top moment was winning three NCAA championships in one month. In a span of just 20 days in May, Bruins took home top honors in women's water polo, women's tennis and men's golf.
Curiously, the media's favorite UCLA moment (another deep run in March Madness) wasn't the same as the fans'. They had three options from which to choose, as nominated by the school:
the three NCAA championships, the Big Dance and the Beijing Olympics (15 medals won, plus five coaches of medal winners).
Volleyball stars Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor also were honored for their Olympic gold. Although they were unable to attend, Walsh sent a heartfelt video speech that singled out UCLA's Karch Kiraly for his help training the duo. Kiraly was at the awards show as a presenter.
The Dodgers' acquisition of Manny Ramirez and the subsequent "Mannywood" craze was the top winner overall. Staples Center stars dominated the individual awards, with Kobe Bryant being named Sportsman of the Year; Candace Parker, Sportswoman of the Year; Phil Jackson, Coach of the Year; and Mitch Kupchak, Executive of the Year.
A TV presentation of the awards ceremony will air Friday on PrimeTicket, with several repeats in the following days.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Jon SooHoo / L.A. Sports Council
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
The UCLA women's water polo, women's tennis and men's golf teams were honored Tuesday at the White
House along with fellow NCAA champions for their
accomplishments over the last year.
More photos after the jump.
Read on »
Of UCLA's 101 national championships, Adam Krikorian has played a role in 14. It's a stunning career record that includes one title as a player, three as an assistant coach and 10 as a head coach. Most people could spend a lifetime building that sort of resume, but Krikorian — who coaches both men's and women's water polo — has been out of school for only about a decade. "No hints of retirement!" he said jokingly during an interview about the title collected last weekend by the women's team.
You've built an amazing legacy at UCLA with 14 national championships. How did this team differ from the others?
Ever team that you coach — even if it's just one year later — is different. I think this team was unique in that we were largely comprised of veteran players and very inexperienced players. We don't have one sophomore on the team. We have four juniors and four seniors that played a significant amount of minutes, and then 12 freshmen.
The one really unique thing about this group is that they're just really loose. I didn't understand it at first ... It's not that they're not serious, but they're just loose before games and before practice. Even before the national championship game they were joking around and having fun! As a coach it makes you nervous at times ... but obviously [our leaders] were very experienced. The five seniors had won four national championships in a row.
Read on »
The UCLA women's water polo team won their fourth straight national title (sixth overall) in convincing fashion this weekend. CBS provided this video (above) [NOTE: Video has been moved to after the jump because it is on auto-play], which gives quick game highlights from the championship showdown against USC. The Bruins beat the Trojans (preseason No. 1) four times this year, the final time by a score of 6-3.
With a with a 123-6 career record (33-0 this season), seniors Gabrielle Domanic, Brittany Rowe, Courtney Mathewson, Jillian Kraus and Kamaile Crowell can boast a stunning four national championships and two undefeated seasons. It's the first time in UCLA women's sports history that an individual athlete has collected four straight national championships. Four men's volleyball players accomplished the same feat in 1984. To put that in perspective, no athletes from the legendary John Wooden basketball teams have four national titles on their resume (the use of freshman teams limited players to three years).
That's truly remarkable.
More info after the jump ...
Read on »
UCLA basketball
UCLA football
Other UCLA news
Assorted gossip
Posted by: Adam Rose
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.
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