UCLA’s Olympic fall sports ““ which included one
national champion and a national champion runner-up ““
garnered a plethora of honors over the break.
Men’s water polo
UCLA (19-7) won its fourth national championship in six years,
putting away UC San Diego 11-2 for the title.
Senior Sean Kern was named the winner of the second annual Peter
J. Cutino Award, which is the equivalent of football’s
Heisman Trophy. Kern, who played for the U.S. at the Sydney
Olympics, took this honor last year as well.
He was also named the American Water Polo Coaches
Association’s Player of the Year, as well as to the first
team.
Seven other Bruins ““ consisting of every single starter
““ earned All-America honors: senior Brian Brown, the
Bruins’ leading scorer with 43 goals, and sophomore goalie
Brandon Brooks, who allowed only 4.80 goals per game, join Kern on
the first team.
Senior Andy Bailey, who scored a career-high 24 goals last
season, was a third-team All-American.
Four Bruins were honorable mentions: senior Adam Wright, who was
named an All-American for the fourth time in his career, senior
Dave Parker, senior Blake Wellen and sophomore Matt Flesher.
Women’s soccer
The women’s soccer team (19-4-1) ended their season going
further than they ever had before, falling 2-1 in the National
Championship game to perennial powerhouse North Carolina, which won
its 15th title.
Senior forward Tracey Milburn, the Pac-10 Player of the Year,
was named second-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America for her first-ever All-America honor.
She was also one of five finalists for the Honda Award, which is
awarded annually to the top collegiate soccer player in the
country. She is the first Bruin to be nominated for the award. In
three seasons at UCLA (Milburn played her freshman year at
Pepperdine), she ranks second in the UCLA career scoring charts in
goals scored (33) and points (81).
Five Bruins were selected in the inaugural Women’s United
Soccer Association draft on Dec. 10-11.
Former Bruin Skylar Little (’99) was taken in the fourth
round (26th overall pick) by the Washington Freedom. Milburn and
Louise Lieberman (’98), the 71st and 119th overall picks will
also go to Washington.
Senior Venus James was picked 88th overall by the Bay Area
CyberRays.
Forward Stephanie Rigamat was called up to the U.S. National
Team on its upcoming trip to China.
Women’s volleyball
Women’s volleyball (25-8) made it to the Elite Eight of
the NCAA Tournament before falling 15-7, 5-15, 16-14, 14-16, 15-12
to Wisconsin.
Junior outside hitter Kristee Porter was named an American
Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-American, the first
Bruin to make the first-team since 1994.
She set numerous offensive records during the 2000 season,
including the Pac-10 and UCLA record for kills in a season with
741. Porter’s per-game kill average of 5.98 is the
second-highest single season mark in Pac-10 history.
She completed her junior season with 1939 career kills, just 176
shy of the Pac-10 and UCLA record of 2,115.
Senior co-captain Elisabeth Bachman, was named to the Verizon
Academic All-America second team, the first Bruin to earn such an
honor since 1995. Bachman is the third Bruin women’s
volleyball player ever to earn the national honor.
A communications studies student with a 3.65 GPA, Bachman is on
schedule to receive her degree from UCLA in June 2001. She
completes her Bruin volleyball career with a UCLA and Pac-10 record
.362 career attack percentage. Her 1308 kills ranks 13th on
UCLA’s all-time list, while she is second in career solo
blocks (124), block assists (498) and total blocks (622).
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team (12-7) finished their season with a
NCAA first-round 1-0 loss to San Diego.
Seniors McKinley Tennyson Jr. and Shaun Tsakiris earned
second-team NSCAA All-America honors for the first time ever.
Tennyson, a forward, was later chosen to play in the Umbro
Select College All-Star Classic’s East-West game on Feb.
1-4.
He was fourth in voting for the Missouri Athletic Club Player of
the Year Award.
Tsakiris and senior midfielder Caleb Westbay also earned
first-team Academic All-Pac-10 men’s soccer honors, while
sophomore defender Scot Thompson was named honorable mention.
Westbay is an economics-business student with a 3.35 GPA who
also made the Pac-10 All-Conference honorable mention team.
Thompson, a psychology student, ranked fifth on the team in
scoring in 2000 and was also an honorable mention all-conference
selection.
Briefs compiled by Pauline Vu, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.