Sept. 18, 2012

As move-in weekend approaches for the general student population this week, UCLA's fall sports teams, which already have been on campus for about a month, have experienced great starts to their seasons. In fact, from September 7-16, UCLA teams combined for an 18-1-1 record, and many of them are ranked among the nation's best in their sport (details below). It truly is a great time to be Bruin ...

Fall Sports Teams Maintain UCLA's Broad-Based Excellence Nationally
Picking up where many of them left off a year ago, when UCLA was the only school to finish in the Top 3 in both the men's and women's Capital One Cup standings, eight UCLA teams are nationally-ranked in their respective sports.

The nation's #1-ranked women's volleyball team headlines a group of seven Bruin teams in the Top 20. The defending national champions are joined in the Top 20 by #2 men's water polo, #2 women's soccer, #2 women's golf, #4 men's golf, #12 men's soccer, and #19 football. In addition, the men's cross country team is ranked #27 in the nation.

Football Prepares for Pac-12 Opener Against Oregon State
The UCLA football team continued its winning ways Saturday with a dominant 37-6 victory over the Houston Cougars at the Rose Bowl, and the #19-ranked Bruins (3-0) will host Oregon State (1-0) this Saturday afternoon at 12:30 pm in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.

The Bruins and the Beavers played a barnburner in Corvallis a year ago, with the Bruins coming out on top, 27-19. UCLA leads the all-time series, 41-15-4.

Tickets are still available and start at just $19 apiece. For more information or to buy tickets in advance, please visit UCLABruins.com or call 310-UCLA-WIN.

The game will be televised nationally by ABC and ESPN2 and will also be on AM 1150 KTLK in Los Angeles.

Franklin the Nation's Rushing Leader
One of the many reasons UCLA Football has enjoyed success this season is the nation's leading rusher and "The Mayor" -- Johnathan Franklin. The senior L.A. native leads the Bruins with 66 carries for 541 yards (8.2 per carry), three touchdowns and a nation's-best 180.33 yards per game. He has not been held under 100 yards in any of the Bruins' first three games this season. Last week, Franklin moved up to #2 on UCLA's all-time rushing list with 3,210 yards, trailing only Gaston Green.

Kickoff Set for Colorado Game
The Pac-12 has announced that UCLA's September 29 game at Colorado will kick off at 3 pm PT and will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks. UCLA fans who subscribe to DIRECTV, U-Verse, or FIOS and therefore do not have access to the Pac-12 Networks, are encouraged to click here to make themselves heard loud and clear to their provider, or can listen to the game on am 1150 KTLK.

Olympic Sports Report
UCLA's Olympic Sports teams put together another amazing week of results ...

• The #1-ranked women's volleyball team defeated Pepperdine at home and Colorado State in Fort Collins over the weekend to improve to 8-1. The Bruins open Pac-12 play this Wednesday at rival USC. Start time is 7 pm, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPNU and on WatchESPN.com. They then host Oregon State on Friday, and that match will air live on the Pac-12 Networks.
• The #2-ranked women's soccer team shut out its opponents 11-0 over the weekend to improve its record to 7-0-1 on the year. The Bruins will begin Pac-12 play this Thursday against Washington State at Drake Stadium. The 7 pm game will televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
• The second-ranked UCLA men's water polo team went 3-1 over the weekend at the NorCal Invitational and will take a 10-1 record into a pair of matches against Golden West (JC) (3 pm) and LMU (7 pm) Friday at the Spieker Aquatics Center. Admission is free at both matches.
• The #12-ranked men's soccer team defeated LMU 1-0 Sunday to improve to 4-1-1 and will continue its road trip this weekend with matches at UC Santa Barbara on Friday and Cal Poly on Sunday. The UC Santa Barbara match begins at 6 pm and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.
• The #27-ranked men's cross country team and the women's cross country team did not compete over the weekend but will host the Pac-12 Preview meet this Friday at Robinson Ranch Golf Club in Santa Clarita.

Reminder: Dribble for the Cure Returns on October 21
One of the UCLA Athletic Department's biggest philanthropic events of the year, Dribble for the Cure, will be held on campus on Sunday, October 21.

The event, a partnership between UCLA Athletics, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, is a great time for fans to come out and meet head basketball coaches Ben Howland and Cori Close and their teams, while making a difference in the lives of children with cancer.

Proceeds will fund pediatric cancer research through the PCRF and support the treatment of cancer patients at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. Please visit dribbleforthecure.com/ucla for more information or to register for the event.

Revelry Fast Approaching
The fifth annual Revelry Before the Rivalry, one of UCLA Athletics' biggest fundraisers of the year, will be held Friday, November 16 at the Bel Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades. All proceeds from the event go directly to supporting the Wooden Athletic Fund and UCLA Athletics. UCLA coaches, staff and legends will be in attendance, and there were also be live entertainment, dancing, and a silent auction. Fans are encouraged to register before October 1 to take advantage of the lower price! To learn more, register or be a sponsor at this year's event, click here.

Just yesterday, two of our outstanding women's teams, softball and women's golf, hosted their very successful golf tournament fundraisers at Sea Cliff Country Club and Palos Verdes Golf Club, respectively. With a very busy Monday schedule, I did not have the opportunity to play in either of the tournaments, but I was able to head to Palos Verdes to join in the festivities late in the day. This particular tournament is one of the most successful fundraisers put on by one of our teams and, I can assure you, a great time was had by all who participated.

The day-long event begins with the tournament, unique in format because every donor who plays in the event is paired with a member of the team for at least six holes, giving both the donor and the student-athlete the opportunity to interact in a casual, fun environment. Undoubtedly, the score of every foursome improves considerably during those six holes; funny how that works, isn't it?

Arriving in the late afternoon, I joined the student-athletes, coaches and donors for the part of the day to which everyone looks forward, the helicopter drop. For those not familiar with this concept, it is a lottery of sorts where a gentlemen in a helicopter cautiously drops hundreds of pre-numbered balls on a green, trying to come as close to the hole as possible. The person who had previously purchased the ball dropped nearest to the flag, or in the hole, wins the top prize. It is always entertaining to see the face of the lucky winner and the disappointment on the others, and this year was no different as Don Hoefnagel took home a two-night stay at Terranea Resort, daily breakfast at Catalina Kitchen, and golf at The Links at Terranea.

After the ball drop, UCLA cheerleaders, who graciously lent their time to the event, led the crowd in an 8-clap and then dinner was served. After a very successful live auction, conducted by Head Coach Carrie Forsyth, the crowd was entertained by a fireside chat with UCLA Hall of Fame Head Coach, Jackie Steinmann, moderated by the Golf Channel's Kay Cockerill, a Bruin great and former LPGA golf professional who won two U.S. Amateur titles.

Kudos to Carrie, her assistant coach Alicia Um-Holmes, the tournament committee, headed by Phil Frengs, a Bruin Alumnus and President and CEO of The COPi Companies, and all of the sponsors who helped make this event an overwhelming success. It was great to see all of those who participated have a great time, while helping our terrific golf team as they prepare for a national title run this coming season.

Finally, a special thanks to all the donors who supported the golf program and our softball program, as well the 22 other sports on campus. I look forward to seeing you at many of our teams' similar events throughout the school year.

Go Bruins!

Dan Guerrero
UCLA Athletic Director

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