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ANNUAL REPORT – INTRODUCTION Dear Bruins, Our department enjoyed an exciting and memorable year both on and off the field of competition in 2016- 17. Ten of our athletic teams finished among the Top 10, nationally. Of even greater significance, 126 of our student-athletes earned their degrees from this university in June and officially embarked upon the next chapter of their lives. Throughout the 2016-17 academic year, student- athletes earned Director’s Honor Roll accolades (3.0 GPA or higher) more than 980 times. In addition, our Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Report (APR) numbers remained high across the board and among the best in the nation. UCLA’s overall GSR of 86% stands two percentage points higher than the national average of 84%. Our football team compiled the second-highest GSR among Pac-12 schools with 88% (the national average for FBS schools is 74%). In addition, six of our teams – men’s water polo, women’s basketball, women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball – had a GSR of 100 percent. Sixteen of our 20 sports programs had a GSR of 80 percent or higher. I’ve said it before and I’ll say As a department, we always pride ourselves on team practice facilities for our football, men’s basketball it again – our student-athletes not only meet these accomplishments, but it’s absolutely worth noting and women’s basketball teams, and I know that the expectations, but they almost always exceed them. It’s several outstanding individual efforts by our hard- coaches and student-athletes of these teams are a testament to their work ethic and to the support they working student-athletes. Our department had five incredibly grateful to be moving into these buildings. receive from their academic advisors, tutors, coaches, student-athletes who, going into the fall of 2016, had family members and fellow teammates. already won Olympic medals – gymnasts Madison In addition, our department has been going through Kocian and Kyla Ross, women’s water polo players a highly-anticipated transition to our record-breaking Across the board, from our fall season through the Rachel Fattal and Maddie Musselman, and women’s partnership with Under Armour, which officially spring, we had multiple teams excelling at the highest soccer player Jessie Fleming (representing Canada). began on July 1, 2017. This partnership launch levels. Seven teams finished among the nation’s Top All five captured All-America honors by the end of and the subsequent rollout of our new branding 5. Our women’s water polo team finished second, the their respective seasons. We watched Ross capture initiative has been visible on our website, as well as men’s water polo team tied for a third-place finish, our the NCAA balance beam championship and a share of on our social media channels – including Twitter, gymnastics team was fourth, and four teams – beach the uneven bars title in a tie for first place. Additionally, Facebook and Instagram. UCLA Athletics enjoyed an volleyball, softball, men’s tennis and women’s volleyball freshman basketball standout Lonzo Ball was one of 18-year relationship with Adidas, which served as a – registered fifth-place finishes. Our women’s golf, five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, as his tremendous, strong and productive apparel partner for men’s tennis and women’s water polo teams all won pass-first style helped him break the school’s single- our department. I’d be remiss if I did not thanks our conference championships. season assists record. We will certainly be keeping our friends at Adidas for all of their efforts and first-class support of UCLA. In addition, it was a very exciting year for our men’s eyes on Lonzo this fall as he makes his NBA debut for and women’s basketball teams. These two teams both the hometown Los Angeles Lakers. Moving forward, we expect the resources provided advanced to the Sweet 16 and achieved simultaneous Off our fields and away from the courts, our department through our 15-year contract with Under Armour will Top 10 national rankings for the first time since 1999. was proud to celebrate the grand opening of the allow us to “Go Beyond Great” and sustain and enhance Pauley Pavilion most definitely had a buzz. The men’s Wasserman Football Center and the impending opening many opportunities that we provide to our student- basketball team raced to a 13-0 start, ascending to of the Mo Ostin Basketball Center this fall. UCLA broke athletes in all aspects of the department. We’re thrilled as high as No. 2 in the national polls. Our women’s ground on both training facilities in August 2015 and to partner with a company that shares our values and basketball program hosted the first and second rounds it looks like both state-of-the-art buildings will have vision, and understands not only where we’ve been and of the NCAA Tournament for the second- straight year. been completed on schedule. These are much-needed where we are now, but also where we are going in the future. While we are so proud of our department’s 113 NCAA championships and countless academic and athletic TABLE OF CONTENTS accolades, we, like Under Armour, are “just getting 2016-17 News 3 started.” As we look ahead to the 2017-18 school year, Sport-by-Sport Recap 6 we’re anticipating another year with the boundless Bruins in the Community 8 optimism that’s so indicative of this great university. The tradition and excellence of UCLA endures, and Academics and Life Skills 10 your continued support is invaluable to our department. Capital Projects 12 I look forward to seeing you at our athletic events in Under Armour 13 the coming year and thank you for supporting the hard Wooden Athletic Fund 14 work and efforts of our student-athletes and coaches. Corporate Sponsors 33 Go Bruins! The men’s tennis team celebrates winning the 2017 Pac-12 title. About the Annual Report Writing, editing and design by Alex Timiraos (Associate Director, Athletic Communications). Primary photography by Don Liebig (ASUCLA Campus Studio), Scott Chandler and Katie Meyers. Photos were also provided by Greg Turk and the NCAA. Special thanks to Neema Barbod, Ric Coy, Liza David, Shana Wilson, Chris Iacoi, Emily Lerner and Taylor Swearingen for their editorial assistance. Dan Guerrero 2 2016-17 IN REVIEW SWEET 16-BOUND BRUINS! Men’s Basketball Posts 31-5 Record Women’s Basketball Advances to Second After opening the season with a 13-0 mark, the Bruins soared in the rankings Consecutive Sweet 16 and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons The Bruins posted a perfect 16-0 home record and returned to the Sweet 16 The dynamic freshmen duo of Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf and the senior leadership of The tandem of juniors Jordin Canada and Monique Billings along with the hot shooting Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton helped UCLA establish one of college basketball’s of senior Kari Korver helped the Bruins earn back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances most high-octane offense in recent history. for the first time in program history. UCLA went 11-2 in non-conference play and The Bruins’ early-season success was punctuated with a 97-92 victory at No. compiled a 16-0 mark at home (the Bruins will enter 2017-18 with a 29-game home 1-ranked Kentucky on Dec. 3, 2016, UCLA’s first-ever game at the Wildcats’ Rupp winning streak). Arena. That win helped UCLA secure a spot in the national spotlight as the Bruins The Bruins’ 16-0 home record set a school record, while UCLA’s 29-game home jumped to the No. 2 slot in the top-25 rankings. winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the nation (behind Connecticut). Alford established UCLA’s single-season and career records for most three-pointers UCLA’s biggest win of the year came at Stanford in Pac-12 play, as then-No. 15 UCLA made, while Ball set the UCLA single-season mark (and finished No. 2 in the Pac-12 took down No. 8 Stanford, 85-76, on Feb. 6. Canada scored 25 points, Billings had 21 single-season record book) with 274 assists. By season’s end, Ball led the nation in points and 15 rebounds, and Korver totaled 17 points. assists per game (7.6) and total assists. Strong play down the stretch, which included home wins over Oregon, Oregon State The Bruins entered March with a flawless 7-0 February record, winning 10 consecutive and Washington (all NCAA Tournament teams) helped the Bruins secure an NCAA games down the stretch before the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. Tournament berth and the right to host the first and second rounds. The Bruins opened Convincing wins over No. 14-seed Kent State and No. 6-seed Cincinnati during the with an 83-56 win over Boise State, following that effort with a 75-43 win over Texas first weekend of the NCAA Tournament propelled UCLA into a rematch with Kentucky A&M. UCLA led Connecticut at halftime, 41-38, in a Sweet 16 matchup before falling in the Sweet 16. The Bruins came up short in their third Sweet 16 contest in the last to the Huskies, 86-71. four seasons, dropping an 86-75 decision to the Wildcats. Korver tied UCLA’s career record for most three-pointers made (256) and was second Aaron Holiday played a major role as the nation’s most efficient “sixth man,” while in three-pointers attempted (691) and free throw percentage (.816).