Monique Henderson and Kelly Rulon Honored by City of San DiegoMonique Henderson and Kelly Rulon Honored by City of San Diego

Monique Henderson and Kelly Rulon Honored by City of San Diego

Bruin Athletics

The San Diego Hall of Champions has honored two of UCLA's own stellar athletes as two of the four San Diego Amateur Stars of the Year - track star Monique Henderson and water polo great Kelly Rulon. H

Jan. 12, 2006

The San Diego Hall of Champions has honored two of UCLA's own stellar athletes as two of the four San Diego Amateur Stars of the Year - track star Monique Henderson and water polo great Kelly Rulon.

Henderson (Morse High) ended her collegiate career in grand fashion last June, winning the 400m NCAA title, as the Bruins placed second at the National Championships. An Olympic gold medalist in the 1,600-meter relay at the 2004 Games in Athens, Henderson won the 2005 Honda Award as the nation's top women's college track and field athlete. She won her first NCAA title in the 400 meters with a personal-best time of 50.10 seconds (a new NCAA meet record, Pac-10 record and UCLA school record. The four-time high school state champion from Morse High led from start to finish with a blazing fast time of 23.5 over the first 200 meters.

Henderson, who earlier in the season became only the second woman to repeat as a Pac-10 champion in both the 400 and 200, was an eight-time All-American in her college career. On June 25, the two-time Olympian earned her first individual berth on a U.S. national team when she placed third at the U.S. track and field championships. She dipped under the 50-second barrier for the first time with a mark of 49.96, and was a finalist at the World Championships in August in Helsinki.

Rulon (University of San Diego High), a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist for the U.S. women's water polo team in Athens, added to her titles and medals in the 2005 college season. She led the Bruins to the NCAA title with a 33-0 record and was named a first-team All-American choice by the American Water Polo Coaches Association. UCLA defeated Stanford in the NCAA final to cap off a perfect season for the Bruins. Rulon, who scored three goals in the semifinal win over Hawaii, led UCLA in scoring for the season with 67 goals. UCLA's 33-0 record established the longest winning streak in NCAA history and the Bruins became only the second team to finish with an unbeaten record. Rulon is currently a junior at UCLA and hopes to lead the Bruins to another NCAA title in May.