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No explanation necessary for all those in Bruin Nation; student, alum, or fan. Photo courtesy of m.ucla.edu

 

A LOOK AT THE FOUR SPORTS PROGRAMS IN WESTWOOD THAT COULD ADD TO UCLA’s 116 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

This spring,

On the heels of hiring Mick Cronin as the basketball team’s 14th head coach to embark on the task of resurrecting that wreck of a program,

(BY THE WAY: My official opinion of his hiring consists of three words – We. Will. See.)

UCLA has an excellent opportunity.

There are four sports teams sporting the blue and gold and the four letters at my alma mater that have an outstanding chance to hoist NCAA championship trophies in the next several weeks.

One of those teams – women’s gymnastics – I have already written about at length on this blog, as they will be in Fort Worth, TX in eight days from this writing to engage in their quest to send beloved coach Valorie Kondos Field, “Miss Val”, into retirement the same way that the great coach John Wooden was sent out by his men’s basketball team in 1975:

With that wonderful program’s eighth national title.

There are (happily) three other Bruin sports playing this spring that are sitting pretty at the top of their rankings and are having seasons in which they have simply dominated.

At least so far.

I’ll get to them in a bit, but first let me go ahead and highlight my favorite team in all of sports…

 

This wonderful bunch of Bruins after winning the Ann Arbor Regional. Photo courtesy of uclabruins.com

 

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS (defending national champions)

Rank: #2

Record: 24-1

  • PAC-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
  • NCAA ANN ARBOR REGIONAL CHAMPIONS

Last Meet: Won the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional with a score of 198.075

Next Meet: NCAA Semifinals at Fort Worth, TX on April 19th

Key Gymnasts:

  • Kyla Ross – 14 Perfect Tens, including SIX on bars, 4 on vault, 2 on beam and 2 on floor. Achieved the rare “Gym Slam”, perfect tens on each event, twice this season. Ranked #1 in the nation in the All-Around with a 39.648 average (out of 40.000).
  • Katelyn Ohashi – Six Perfect Tens, all in the floor exercise, whose routine has gone viral. Ranked #1 in that event with a 9.975 average.
  • Madison Kocian – One Perfect Ten, on bars vs Arizona State on January 21st
  • Gracie Kramer – 9.905 average on floor exercise
  • Felicia “Fish” Hano – 9.873 average on vault, 9.850 average on floor exercise
  • Norah Flatley – A high of 9.975 on bars vs Arizona State on January 21st
  • Margzetta Frazier – Highs of 9.95 on bars (vs Arizona on February 16th and at the Pac-12 Championships) and floor exercise (vs Arizona State on January 21st and vs Stanford on March 10th

 

 

Those are COOL jerseys that UCLA is sporting! I need to get one real soon! Photo courtesy of uclabruins.com

 

BASEBALL

Rank: #1

Record: 24-6, 9-3 and tied for second in the Pac-12 Conference

Last Game: Beat UC Irvine, 9-3, on April 9th

Next Game: vs East Carolina at Jackie Robinson Stadium on April 12-13

Top Hitters:

  • Jack Stronach, LF – .420 average, 2 HR, 19 RBI
  • Garrett Mitchell, RF – .345 average, 1 HR, 11 RBI
  • Ryan Kriedler, 3B – .318 average, 4 HR, 21 RBI
  • Jake Pries, DH – .308 average, 3 HR, 22 RBI
  • Chase Strumpf, 2B – .294 average, 4 HR, 15 RBI
  • Michael Toglia, 1B – .280 average, 4 HR, 29 RBI

Top Pitchers:

  • Ryan Garcia: 3-0, 1.67 ERA
  • Jack Ralston: 5-0, 2.76 ERA, 40 strikeouts
  • Jesse Bergin: 4-0, 3.07 ERA, 50 strikeouts
  • Holden Powell (closer): 1-2, 2.79 ERA, 8 saves

 

 

Bruin softball players waiting for Bubba Nickels to cross home plate after a home run. Photo courtesy of extrainningssoftball.com

 

SOFTBALL

Rank: #1

Record: 35-1, 9-0 and first place in the Pac-12 Conference

Last Game: Beat Arizona State, 16-5, on April 7th

Next Game: vs Oregon at Easton Stadium, April 12-14

Top Hitters:

  • Kelli Godin, IF/OF – .500 average, 0 HR, 11 RBI
  • Briana Perez, SS – .415 average, 3 HR, 30 RBI
  • Taylor Pack, C – .414 average, 8 HR, 36 RBI
  • Aaliyah Jordan, DP – .400 average, 8 HR, 38 RBI
  • Bubba Nickles, CF – .347 average, 10 HR, 40 RBI
  • Rachel Garcia, 1B/P – .344 average, 6 HR, 41 RBI

Top Pitchers:

  • Rachel Garcia: 15-0. 0.50 ERA 159 strikeouts
  • Megan Faraimo: 12-1, 0.91 ERA, 91 strikeouts

 

 

The official photo of the 2019 defending national champions in women’s beach volleyball. Photo courtesy of uclabruins.com

 

WOMEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL (defending national champions)

Rank: #1

Record: 26-1, 1-0 in the Pac-12 Conference

Last Match: Beat Stanford, 4-1, on April 7th

Next Match: vs Grand Canyon at Sunset Canyon Recreational Center on April 20th

Key Players (pairs) and Records:

  • Megan McNamara/Nicole McNamara: 18-1
  • Sarah Sponcil/Lily Justine: 18-1
  • Zana Muno/Abby Van Winkle: 19-0

 

 

YOU KNOW I HAD TO POST THIS PIC: New men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin (right) at his introductory press conference with UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero (left). Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com