Feared. Humble. Reliable. Contagious confidence. The best player in the country. These are just a handful of words used to describe UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and former softball powerhouse third baseman Janice Parks. Read more...
Photo: (Courtesy of Samantha Ford)
Ka’imi Fairbairn had one chance at a Division I college football scholarship. It came in 2011, during his junior year of high school. The young placekicker asked his parents if they could help him pay for a trip to Las Vegas, so he could attend the prestigious Chris Sailer Kicking camps. Read more...
Photo: Senior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn went from kicking at trees in Hawaii to kicking on college-regulation field goal posts at UCLA every day in practice. His success helped spark a recruiting pipeline for kickers in the state of Hawaii. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Jordan Anderson was 5 years old when her parents found out she couldn’t play YMCA soccer. They watched as Anderson, having just been scored upon, found out for the first time in her life that her team was losing. Read more...
Photo: Last year at West Virginia, Anderson was named to the All-America Honorable Mention list after setting the Mountaineers’ single-season record for kills per set. She decided to transfer to UCLA because WVU coach Jill Kramer left for TCU. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Jordan Vale’s soccer career was forever changed by a single question. “What can he do to get on the team?” George Vale asked, directing the query to his son’s youth soccer coach standing in front of him. Read more...
Photo: After fighting inconsistency in his first years at UCLA, senior midfielder Jordan Vale is off to his best start this fall. Vale transferred from Syracuse after his freshman season. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
She didn’t want to go to UCLA at first. In fact, Taylor Smith was already verbally committed to Florida State University – a bit of information she disclosed to only a few of her friends and family members – when Jill Ellis came calling. Read more...
Photo: Smith said that she has never regretted her college decision. In three seasons, the 5-foot-3 senior has led UCLA to two Pac-12 championships and a NCAA championship with 25 goals in 66 starts. This year, she earned a spot on the women’s Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy Watch List, the only award that recognizes the top player in collegiate soccer. (Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin senior staff)
At a glance, UCLA rower Tim Maytom wouldn’t appear to be a member of the athletic elite. Listed at only 6 feet, 1 inch and 185 pounds, he is considered small compared to the rest of his teammates. Read more...
Photo: Tim Maytom (second from right) and the UCLA men’s rowing 4+ boat got silver at the 2015 ACRA Championships. The recent graduate is rowing for the U.S. in the World University Games. (Courtesy of UCLA men’s rowing)
Kelly Kosmo just wanted to run. As a high school sophomore, Kosmo was working toward being recruited for cross-country or swimming until stress fractures took her out of the game. Read more...
Photo: Kelly Kosmo ran cross country and swam competitively in high school before injuries sidelined her. She began training on a stationary bike during rehabilitation. Kosmo said the entire process led her to finding success as a triathlete. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin senior staff)
