UCLA Leads a Parade of Local Winners

It was quite a fall semester for many programs in the Southland. Two teams won national championships, another was runner-up, one team advanced to the final four and two other programs had their best seasons. There also were several outstanding individual performances.

* Already known as a powerhouse in men’s soccer, UCLA continued its winning tradition with its third national championship after a 2-0 victory over Virginia on Dec. 14.

Seth George had two goals late in the second half against Virginia to lead the Bruins (22-2) to their first title since 1990.

The goaltending of Matt Reis helped put the Bruins in the championship game.

In the 1-0 semifinal victory over previously undefeated and top-seeded Indiana, Reis tied a school record with 11 saves. McKinley Tennyson’s game-winning goal came in the third overtime. Coach Sigi Schmid was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation coach of the year for the third consecutive season and 11 Bruins were named to the all-conference team.

* Two local men’s water polo teams were seeking a title.

Pepperdine defeated USC, 8-7, in the championship game Dec. 7, a game that went into a second overtime.

USC’s Simun Cimerman scored with eight seconds left to force overtime. The teams scored a goal each in the first overtime and were on their way to a scoreless second overtime when Andy Bruininga scored with 44 seconds left to give Pepperdine its first championship in 12 trips to the tournament.

After 16 seasons with Pepperdine, four as a player and 12 as coach, Terry Schroeder was named coach of the year by United States Water Polo and Bruininga was player of the year.

The Trojans were second for the sixth time, the fourth time in the last five years.

* One team that seemed destined to win another national championship was the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team. The 49ers were ranked No. 1 in the country and began the NCAA tournament having lost only once.

Long Beach State swept all three of its matches to reach the final four for the first time since the 49ers won their last title in 1993.

Stanford ended Long Beach State’s dreams of a third title in the semifinals Dec. 20.

Juniors Misty May and Benishe Dillard will return for the 49ers next season.

After leading Long Beach State to a 33-2 record, May was named American Volleyball Coaches Assn. Division I player of the year and first-team All-American. May is the fifth player of the year from Long Beach State.

Loyola Marymount’s Sarah Noriega, who broke an NCAA record for kills in a match with 47, joined May as a first-team All-American along with USC’s Jasmina Marinkovic, who led the Trojans (22-6) to their best season since 1984. Dillard and UCLA’s Kara Milling were named to the second team.

Nicole Sanderson will leave Pepperdine as the West Coast Conference’s all-time kill leader with 2,028 and Loyola Marymount’s Tracy Holman ends her career as the all-time WCC leader in assists with 5,562.

* The USC and UCLA women’s soccer teams had their best regular seasons since the birth of the two programs in 1993. But only one was invited to the postseason.

UCLA won its first Pacific 10 championship with a 9-0 conference record to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Trojans finished second, but despite their 16-3-1 overall record, did not receive an at-large bid.

UCLA advanced to the quarterfinals before an 8-0 loss to Notre Dame.

USC’s hopes for next season look good with the return of Isabelle Harvey from a knee injury, along with sophomore Kim Clark and junior Courtney Barham. UCLA’s future is uncertain after the resignation of Joy Fawcett, the Pac-10 coach of the year, and loss of senior Traci Arkenberg, the Pac-10 player of the year.

* UCLA senior Mebrahtom Keflezighi set a course record while winning the men’s cross-country championship Nov. 24 at Furman University, becoming the first Bruin male to win a national title in the sport. It was his fourth NCAA championship of the year after winning events in the NCAA indoor and outdoor meets earlier in the year.