UCLA's NCAA Championship Teams To Visit The White HouseUCLA's NCAA Championship Teams To Visit The White House

UCLA's NCAA Championship Teams To Visit The White House

Bruin Athletics

All three of UCLA's 2004-05 NCAA Championship teams will be honored at the White House by President George W. Bush and members of the White House Staff. The UCLA men's and women's water polo teams and

July 11, 2005

All three of UCLA's 2004-05 NCAA Championship teams will be honored at the White House by President George W. Bush and members of the White House Staff. The UCLA men's and women's water polo teams and the men's tennis squad will visit the White House on Tuesday morning, July 12, at 10:30 am ET.

The three Bruin teams will be honored along with 12 other NCAA championship teams from Auburn (men's swimming and diving), Duke (women's golf), Georgia (men's golf, women's gymnastics, women's swimming and diving), Johns Hopkins (men's lacrosse), Michigan (softball), Minnesota (women's hockey), Northwestern (women's lacrosse), Oklahoma (men's gymnastics), Pepperdine (men's volleyball) and Stanford (women's tennis).

The men's water polo team experienced one of the most successful seasons in UCLA history en route to the program's eighth NCAA title. With a final record of 25-3, the team's winning percentage of .893 was the best since 1972. Leading scorer Brett Ormsby and head coach Adam Krikorian earned National Player and Coach of the Year honors, respectively. During the season, the Bruins posted an 18-game winning streak and completed a perfect 8-0 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Bruins defeated the nation's other top teams -- California, USC and Stanford -- a total of six times in nine matches. Six Bruins earned All-America honors, including first-team selections for Ormsby and goalkeeper Joe Axelrad. Ormsby was also tabbed as the NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player as he led the Bruins to a dramatic 10-9 overtime victory over Stanford in the title match.

The women's water polo squad, one of the greatest in the history of the sport, capped a perfect 33-0 season by defeating Stanford, 3-2, to win the NCAA championship in Ann Arbor, MI. It was UCLA's third NCAA title in the last five years. In the championship match, Olympian Natalie Golda's score put the Bruins ahead 1-0, and Brittany Rowe gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead. Rowe's second goal put the Bruins ahead, 3-1. Stanford closed the gap to 3-2 with 4:12 remaining in the contest but the Bruin defense and goalie Emily Feher held the Cardinal scoreless the rest of the way, giving the Bruins the NCAA title. Golda was named the Division I Player of the Year, while Kelly Rulon and Thalia Munro were named first-team All-Americans. Head coach Adam Krikorian was named National Coach of the Year, adding to his Coach of the Year honor on the men's side.

The men's tennis team, seeded seventh, fashioned three consecutive upsets to capture the 2005 NCAA championship, the program's first since 1984, at College Station, TX. In the quarterfinals, the Bruins defeated No. 2 seed Virginia. The Bruins then bested No. 3 seed Mississippi in the semifinals to advance to the championship match against No. 1 seed Baylor, which entered the final with a 57-match winning streak. UCLA lost the doubles point and fell behind 3-1 before mounting a fantastic comeback to win the final three singles matches. At No. 5 singles, Alberto Francis won in three sets to make the score 3-2. At No. 6 singles, Philipp Gruendler rallied from a first-set loss to win the second set and then rallied again to force a tiebreaker in the third set. He bolted to a 5-1 lead and captured the tiebreaker, evening the match at 3-3. It came down to No. 3 singles, and Kris Kwinta rallied to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and give the Bruins their 16th men's tennis title.

UCLA was ranked No. 1 (tied with Georgia) with three NCAA titles in 2004-05, and the Bruins' 97 NCAA titles are the most by any university in the nation.