And while she can’t stand to be off the tennis court as her team closes the season in the NCAA tournament, Ray, a communication studies student, seeks to eventually apply her skills from tennis to the broadcasting booth. Read more...
Photo: Kaitlin Ray, a sophomore communication studies student on the women’s tennis team, aspires to play professional tennis, which she then plans to transition into a career in sports broadcasting. Her love for sports and her competitive nature fuel her goals.
Although freshmen pole vaulters Renee and Sara Greene may be the youngest members of the women’s pole vault team, the story of how they got into the sport may seem familiar to some of the upperclassmen on the team. Read more...
Photo: Despite only having started their pole vaulting careers in their junior year of high school, freshman pole vaulters Sara and Renee Greene have helped motivate each other to improve quickly.
When John Speraw was contemplating taking over the UCLA men’s volleyball head coaching job last year, he didn’t think about the pressure or expectations that would come from replacing the legend that was Al Scates. Read more...
Photo: The current UCLA men’s and women’s volleyball coaches, John Speraw (No. 14) and Michael Sealy (No. 7), were both members of the 1993 men’s volleyball squad.
Howard Shu’s brother called the badminton player’s freshman year “a toss-up.” On the one hand, he was starting down the path to a degree in business economics from UCLA. Read more...
Photo: Fourth-year student Howard Shu traveled the world, competing in badminton in various countries and eventually playing for the U.S. national team. He has since returned to school after taking time off to try to make the 2012 Olympics.
There’s big, there’s huge and then there’s Wruck. Measuring 6 feet 6 inches and just a shade under 310 pounds, Julian Wruck is so much bigger than the rest of his competitors, standing out like a tank in a parking lot. Read more...
Photo: Between his analytical approach to technique and his dedication to training, redshirt junior discus thrower Julian Wruck’s record-shattering season is making waves in a sport often dominated by older athletes.
Tiffany Lua had a problem. Read more...
Photo: Now that she is back to playing with the golf team, senior golfer Tiffany Lua is focused on bringing the second NCAA championship of her career back to Westwood.
At age 13, Sophina DeJesus faced a difficult decision. The last year had been a whirlwind of traveling the world in order to act and dance professionally. Read more...
Photo: Freshman gymnast Sophina DeJesus was a successful dancer and actress as a child, encouraged to pursue her talents by dance choreographer and actress Debbie Allen. She was on a children’s television show called “Hip Hop Harry,” and also appeared on “The Tom Joyner Morning Show,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Maury.”
