Some collegiate gymnasts get their start in elite clubs when they first start to walk. Others have parents who were gymnasts, so they grow up around the sport. Read more...
Photo: Senior JaNay Honest’s journey of joining UCLA gymnastics started on a playground in her elementary school years and included some stops in Westwood along the way. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Assistant Photo editor)
Coach Cori Close received an unusual text message from her freshman point guard in 2015. “I don’t think we should recruit Kennedy Burke,” Jordin Canada wrote. Read more...
Photo: After competing against one another at rival high schools for three years, senior guard Jordin Canada and junior forward Kennedy Burke have become inseparable as teammates for UCLA women’s basketball. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
During one of Briana and Kylee Perez’s first experiences with softball, then-11-year-old Kylee Perez threw the ball right at then-8-year-old Briana Perez’s face, knocking out a tooth in the process. Read more...
Photo: Kylee (left) and Briana (right) Perez were multisport athletes when they were younger, but as time went on they both decided to focus their efforts on softball. After playing together at the club level and in high school, the Perez sisters are on the same roster yet again. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Coach Billy Martin can only remember one other pair of brothers on the UCLA men’s tennis team in his 34-year tenure as a coach. And as rare as brothers on the same team is, Austin and Connor Rapp’s support for one another makes their presence even more significant. Read more...
Photo: The Rapp brothers initially played both tennis and baseball when they were little, but then began focusing exclusively on tennis. Austin Rapp played doubles last year on court two, clinching the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with partner Joseph DiGiulio. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Crowds can provoke anxiety in a freshman student-athlete, but not in one who grew up around them. “Being in front of a crowd, it’s easy to get nervous and get tight … but my upbringing, being at all these huge games, huge crowds, I (feel) super comfortable out there,” sophomore Ben Goldberg said. Read more...
Photo: Ben Goldberg said he hopes to work in college athletics someday after he graduates, as a coach or administrator. The sophomore said he would prefer it to be at UCLA, a place he has been connected to since his childhood. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
As a high school senior from urban Toronto, Ayan Broomfield instantly fell in love with suburban Clemson during her college visit. Playing mostly at the top of the Tigers’ lineup in singles and doubles, she amassed a 31-25 singles record, 28-16 doubles record and led Clemson to the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Read more...
Photo: Junior transfer Ayan Broomfield considered schools like Ohio State, Oklahoma State and LSU when she decided to leave Clemson, but eventually decided to commit to UCLA. The Bruin competed in fall tournaments like the ITA Southwest Regional Championship and will compete in her debut season come January. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
On most evenings in the fall of 2015, high school cheerleader Erika Adler finished her homework and got ready to run. It was for fun – that was how she always ran, with her father biking beside her. Read more...
Photo: Freshman Erika Adler recalls visiting UCLA and falling in love with the school, but she never thought she’d be wearing blue and gold as a cross country athlete. (MacKenzie Coffman/Daily Bruin)
