Anika and Karina Rodriguez’s journeys began at home. Their father Rafael Rodriguez, a youth soccer coach, started training them in the backyard at ages 4 and 5. Read more...
Photo: Anika and Karina Rodriguez spent time playing against each other in their home’s backyard. Their father, Rafael Rodriguez, said he trained them the same way, but the girls naturally fell into differing roles on the field. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff)
Michael Sealy said when he first met Madeleine Gates, she seemed shy. “When she first came here, sometimes she wouldn’t make eye contact, or she’d be a little bit nervous in conversations,” said Sealy, the UCLA women’s volleyball coach. Read more...
Photo: Sophomore middle blocker Madeleine Gates leads UCLA women’s volleyball with 77 block assists and 19 solo blocks, along with leading the Bruins with a hitting percentage of .337. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Two young volleyball players were ready to flee the cold, landlocked Midwest. Freshmen outside hitters Jenny Mosser and Mac May hail from Lakeville, Minnesota, and Dubuque, Iowa – both cities over 1800 miles away from Los Angeles. Read more...
Photo: Freshman Mac May led the state of Iowa with 6.8 kills per set and over 1700 kills during her high school career. May was considering the Nebraska volleyball program, but decided to come out to California so she could play both beach and indoor volleyball. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Few athletes can say they have competed on behalf of UCLA while wearing a costume. “We all ski in fun outfits – people like to wear mullets under the jump helmets and go off the jump, people will wear their school flag as a cape,” said senior Maddie Brooks. Read more...
Photo: Senior Maddie Brooks has competed for UCLA club water ski for all four years. She finished second overall at the National Collegiate Water Ski Association Division 2 Nationals, with a second-place finish in slalom and a fourth-place finish in jump.(Courtesy of Maddie Brooks)
Teagan Micah has played in every minute of every game since she came to UCLA. She didn’t even know it was a big deal. The Australian-native was UCLA women’s soccer’s first true freshman goalkeeper to start on opening day since Valerie Henderson in 2004, who now plays for the Western New York Flash. Read more...
Photo: Sophomore goalkeeper Teagan Micah said she hopes to someday return to her native Australia to play for the national team once she graduates from UCLA. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin Senior Staff)
When Mark Francis watched college football while growing up in New Brunswick, Canada, he rooted for the Bruins. Now, UCLA is far more than just a team Francis watches on television. Read more...
Photo: Mark Francis is an instructor at the Anderson Center for Managing Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports. He has also coached the UCLA men’s club hockey team and served as the associate executive director of the PAC-8 Intercollegiate Hockey Conference. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff)
A quick glance at the UCLA men’s soccer roster reveals an interesting coincidence. Of the 23 men on the team, three share the surname Iloski. And 2017 will be the only year the trio of brothers from Escondido, California, will share the pitch as Bruins. Read more...
Photo: Brian, Eric and Milan Iloski have all been playing soccer for as long as they can remember, and the 2017 men’s soccer season will be the first time they have ever shared the pitch. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
