Dec. 22, 2000
There were no Y-2K glitches for UCLA in 2000 - Bruin athletic teams continued to showcase their greatness, winning five national championships in the first year of the new millennium.
UCLA's first championship of 2000 came on March 12 when the women's indoor track and field team captured its first-ever NCAA title. Head coach Jeanette Bolden's squad clinched the title with a 1-3-6 finish in the shot put to total 51 points, 10 ahead of South Carolina. Seilala Sua (shot put), Tracy O'Hara (pole vault) and Keyon Soley (long jump) each won individual championships.
The women's gymnastics team won its second NCAA title in four years on April 14. The Bruins, who also won the Pac-10 and Region 1 Championship, hit all 24 routines without a fall to breeze to victory. Two Bruins captured NCAA individual titles for the first time in their careers - Lena Degteva won the balance beam, and Mohini Bhardwaj won the uneven bars. Bhardwaj also placed second in the all-around and on beam. In all, five Bruins earned a school-record 18 All-America honors. Head coach Valorie Kondos Field won national coach of the year honors for the third time in five years.
In a perfect display of Bruin dominance in 2000, two UCLA teams won national championships in the same weekend in the same state. The first championship of that week came on May 6 in Ft. Wayne, IN, as head coach Al Scates' men's volleyball team (29-5) won its unprecedented 18th NCAA title by defeating Ohio State, 15-8, 15-10, 17-15. Evan Thatcher led the way with 25 kills in the championship match. Senior setter Brandon Taliaferro was selected the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament, and he, Thatcher and Seth Burnham were named to the All-Tournament team.
Just a day later, in Indianapolis, the women's water polo team (30-5) won its fourth national title, defeating USC, 11-4. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead early in the game, the Bruins exploded for four unanswered second-quarter goals to take a 7-1 halftime advantage. UCLA sophomore Elaine Zivich earned Tournament MVP honors, and Catharine von Schwarz (three goals in the title game), Jessica Lopez and Jaime Hipp (10 saves in the championship game) were all selected to the all-tournament team. Von Schwarz made history by becoming the first UCLA female athlete ever to win four national team championships.
UCLA's water polo success continued in the fall on the men's side, as the men's water polo team (19-7), captured its second consecutive NCAA title and its fourth title in the last six years. The Bruins dominated against UC San Diego in the championship game, winning 11-2. Olympian Sean Kern was named Tournament MVP and National Player of the Year for the second straight year. Other first-team all-tournament selections included Brian Brown, who led UCLA in scoring with three goals, and goalkeeper Brandon Brooks, who made 11 saves and allowed just one goal in three quarters.
Many other UCLA teams went deep into post-season play in 2000. The women's soccer team (19-4-1) made history in December by advancing to the NCAA Championship game for the first time ever. Although they fell just short, losing 2-1 to 16-time national champion North Carolina, the Bruins enjoyed their best season ever under head coach Jillian Ellis, ending the year ranked No. 2, their highest national ranking ever. Forward Tracey Milburn earned second-team NSCAA All-America honors.
Head coach Sue Enquist's softball squad (46-12-1) battled its way to its 14th NCAA championship game in May before falling to Oklahoma, 3-1. Pitcher Amanda Freed struck out a career-high tying 13 batters in the game and was named to the all-tournament team along with Julie Marshall and freshman Tairia Mims. UCLA's run in the CWS included a 3-2 upset victory over top-seeded Washington. Lyndsey Klein and Natasha Watley each received All-America nods.
Fresh off its indoor success, the women's track and field team placed third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, 11 points behind champion LSU. Sua defended her shot put and discus titles to give her an unprecedented six NCAA outdoor titles over her four-year career, and O'Hara won the pole vault with a meet and stadium record. Christina Tolson (shot put and hammer), Michelle Perry (400m hurdles) and Shakedia Jones (100m) earned All-America honors. In Pac-10 competition, UCLA won its fourth consecutive conference crown when a 1-2-3 finish in the pole vault by O'Hara, Erica Hoernig and Heather Sickler clinched the victory, 167.5-161 over USC.
Women's volleyball (25-8) started the 2000 season as the pre-season No. 1 team and earned a second consecutive trip to the Regional Final before losing a thriller to eventual NCAA runner-up Wisconsin, 15-7, 5-15, 16-14, 14-16, 15-12. The Bruins became just one of three teams to advance to the Elite Eight in both 1999 and 2000. First-team All-American Kristee Porter set a new UCLA and Pac-10 record for single-season kills with 741, and she Elisabeth Bachman earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors.
Despite the loss of No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles player Brandon Kramer to a fractured wrist, the men's tennis team (24-4) won its regional and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to Tennessee, 4-1. The Bruins finished the year with a No. 4 national ranking. Jong-Min Lee reached the round of 16 in singles action.
The UCLA women's tennis squad (17-9) also reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament after a 5-2 upset victory over seventh-seeded Texas. Freshman Sara Walker won the Pac-10 individual title and earned conference Freshman of the Year acclaim. Head coach Stella Sampras received ITA West Region Coach of the Year honors.
Head coach Cyndi Gallagher's swimmers and divers achieved their highest finish in five years at the NCAA Championships when they placed eighth and had nine athletes earn 22 All-America honors. The team also placed fourth at the Pac-10 Championships. Keiko Price (50 free, 200 IM) and Julia Voitovitsch (100 Fly) broke school records in their respective strokes. The highlight of the season came Jan. 28 when the Bruins defeated Stanford for the first time in school history, 154-145.
The men's basketball team enjoyed its third Sweet 16 appearance in four years and also earned its 12th consecutive 20+ win season with a 21-12 record. The Bruins won eight of their last nine games, including a memorable 94-93 overtime win at No. 1 Stanford in which UCLA rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit, along with a 35-point win over Maryland at the NCAA Tournament. Jason Kapono was named the conference's co-Freshman of the Year.
In 2000, the Bruin baseball squad (38-26) won a share of the Pac-10 title, its sixth conference crown, and reached the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in five years, advancing to the Super Regional before falling to eventual champion LSU. The Bruins ended the season winning 10 of their final 14 games. UCLA set an NCAA record by having 12 players drafted by Major League Baseball. Bill Scott set a new school record for hits in a season with 112, while Garrett Atkins became the first three-time All-American in school history.
The women's basketball team (18-11) advanced to the NCAA Tournament for an unprecedented third consecutive year. All-American Maylana Martin became just the fifth UCLA basketball player, man or woman, to score 2,000 career points. Martin also became only the third player in conference history to earn first-team All-Pac-10 honors.
The UCLA football team (6-5) advanced to a bowl game for the third time in four years and will play Wisconsin in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29. The Bruins started the season with two wins over No. 3 ranked teams - a 35-24 victory over Alabama and a 23-20 triumph over Michigan. The last time any team in the nation had beaten two teams ranked No. 3 or higher during the regular season was in 1993. The Bruins set an all-time home attendance record this season with seven home games watched by 470, 961 fans. Wide receiver Freddie Mitchell was one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award and was chosen as a first-team All-American.
Men's soccer (12-7) opened the season with eight straight wins and held the No. 1 ranking for five consecutive weeks. The Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th consecutive year. Forward McKinley Tennyson Jr., who became the first Bruin to record back-to-back hat tricks, placed fourth in voting for the Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year Award and earned All-America honors along with midfielder Shaun Tsakiris. Alex Yi was selected the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
The men's track and field team placed 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships despite sending just two athletes. Those two athletes performed exceptionally well, as Jess Strutzel won the 800m title, and Brian McLaughlin placed fourth in the pole vault. In outdoor competition, UCLA, without three of its top sprinters, tied for fourth at the Pac-10s. Strutzel placed fifth in the 800m at the NCAA outdoor meet.
Both the men's and women's cross country teams sent one athlete to the NCAA Championships, where Bryan Green and Christina Bowen competed as individuals. Prior to NCAAs, Green had finished in the Top 10 in every race in 2000, while Bowen was the top UCLA finisher in six of eight meets. Both teams finished sixth at the conference race. The Bruin women won team titles at the Fullerton Invitational, the Penn State Invitational and the Titan Invitational. The UCLA men finished first at the Fullerton Invite.
Women's golf concluded its season as the 20th-ranked team in the nation and finished just short of an NCAA Championships berth with a 14th-place showing at Regionals. The Bruins had seven consecutive Top 10 finishes after their third-place effort at the Pac-10 Championships. Senior Amanda Moltke-Leth earned first-team All-America honors.
The men's golf team ended the season with a 16th-place showing at the NCAA Regionals. Senior Brandon DiTullio earned his first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships after finishing in a tie for fifth place at Regionals and also received first-team Academic All-American and second-team All-Pac-10 honors.