June 27, 2007
The UCLA athletic program enjoyed another outstanding year in 2006-07.
On May 13, UCLA became the first university in history to win 100 NCAA team championships when the women's water polo team defeated Stanford, 5-4, in Los Alamitos, in the NCAA title game.
UCLA placed second nationally in competition for the Directors' Cup, which is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors, USA Today and the U.S. Sports Academy.
"Our goal at UCLA is to have a broad-based program that is nationally competitive in all of our sports," said director of athletics Dan Guerrero. "Our placing in the Directors' Cup standings, combined with the number of programs we had in contention for NCAA titles this year, is a tribute to all of the student-athletes, coaches and staff members who contribute to the overall success of the program.
"This was a great year for the Bruin family and there will be more great years in the future."
In the Directors' Cup competition, the Bruins scored 1,257 points, earning points in 10 women's sports and eight men's sports. They finished second to Stanford (1,429), with North Carolina (1,161.33), Michigan (1,135.25), USC (1,103.5), Florida (1,064.25), Tennessee (1,045.75), Texas (1,037.25), California (1,030) and Arizona State (1,005) rounding out the Top 10.
UCLA also finished second in 2005-06 and placed third in both 2004-05 and 2003-04. In the 14-year history of the Directors' Cup, UCLA and Stanford are the only two schools to finish in the Top Six every year. Overall, UCLA has finished second five times, third five times, fourth once, fifth twice and sixth once.
UCLA has won 14 NCAA team championships in the last five years, the most of any school in the country. Those 14 titles have been won by nine different programs. UCLA teams have also placed second 12 times in that five-year span.
During the 2006-07 school year, seven UCLA teams placed amongst the Top Three in NCAA competition in their respective sports and 14 teams placed amongst the Top 10. UCLA won an NCAA team title in women's water polo, the 100th in school history and third straight in women's water polo. The Bruins also placed second nationally in men's soccer and women's tennis, third in women's golf and tied for third in men's basketball (their second straight Final Four appearance), women's volleyball and women's soccer (their fourth straight College Cup appearance).
In addition, UCLA finished fourth in women's gymnastics, fifth in women's outdoor track and field, tied for fifth in men's tennis, seventh in men's golf and women's indoor track and field, ninth in men's outdoor track and field, tied for ninth in baseball and 15th in women's swimming and diving.
UCLA played in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive year, placed 14th in the NCAA in women's rowing varsity eight competition and won four league titles (women's soccer, men's basketball, women's gymnastics and men's tennis).
UCLA also won the Lexus Gauntlet, the annual competition with USC, by the widest margin in the six-year history of the trophy. It was UCLA's second win in the last three years.