Jan. 9, 2013

The UCLA women's soccer team was awarded a NSCAA Team Academic Award for the first time in program history after posting a team GPA of 3.0 or higher in 2011-12. The Bruins, under head coach B.J. Snow, totaled a team GPA of 3.15 in the most recent academic year.

"We are truly honored to have been given this distinction by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America," said Snow. "This is the first time in the program's history that we have been acknowledged with this tremendous award. We are very proud of our student-athletes for their remarkable hard work and dedication both on the field and off. This award symbolizes the fact that these young women are driven towards excellence in all facets of their development. They are incredible ambassadors for UCLA, and they all exemplify the types of people that we want representing our program both now and in the future."

The Bruins were also honored by the UCLA Athletic Department as the winners of the Most Improved Team GPA award, with a 0.155 improvement from 2010-11 to 2011-12.

"These are all team awards, and it extends beyond just the players on our roster," Snow said. "We are very fortunate to have an unbelievable group of people in our academic department that help guide our players every single day. We could not have accomplished this without all of their dedication and sacrifice. They are truly invested in the future of these exceptional young women, and we are so fortunate to have such caring and passionate people help guide them towards graduation and beyond."

UCLA finished the 2012 season with a record of 18-3-2, finishing tied for fifth nationally after falling just shy of a College Cup berth. The Bruins ranked first in the Pac-12 in goals against average (0.55), shutouts (14) and goals allowed (13) and second in goals scored (53). The team also set a school record by placing 10 athletes on the Pac-12 All-Academic team.