When UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 2, 2024, it didn’t just shuffle opponents and game times — it stepped boldly into a new era of Bruin athletics.

For nearly 100 years, the Bruins called the Pac-12 home. Leaving behind decades of tradition wasn’t easy, but the promise of sharing the Bruin story nationwide, opening new doors for student-athletes and keeping our programs strong made the leap a bold but thoughtful step forward. Plus, with programs across the country watching expenses outpace revenue in the tumultuous landscape of college athletics, a lucrative annual payout between $60 million and $75 million made the move too good to pass up.

The stakes were clear: Could UCLA carry its legacy of academic and athletic excellence into a conference that stretched coast to coast? In year one, the answer was a resounding “yes,” and then some.

As Martin Jarmond, UCLA’s Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, put it: “We were coming to win championships, and that’s what we did.” 

UCLA Athletics

Players and staff of UCLA men’s water polo team pose with their NCAA championship trophy poolside at the Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto on Dec. 8, 2024.

UCLA closed out its debut Big Ten season by finishing fifth in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, an award that recognizes the top overall collegiate athletic programs in the United States, based on their performance in NCAA and NAIA championships. This was the program’s best showing since 2017–18 and a proud reminder that Bruins can thrive anywhere.

“Our success in the Big Ten this last year is a resounding statement,” Jarmond said, “It says that we’re here and we’re here to win championships and compete at the highest level. I’m extremely bullish and excited about our trajectory and future, especially this upcoming year. I think when you look at our programs — from top to bottom — you’d be hard-pressed to find another school in the country that has as many teams that are that are coming off excellent seasons and looking forward to building upon that.”

Championships, records and remarkable moments

On the field and court, Bruins teams didn’t just compete — they excelled.

UCLA won its 124th NCAA title, the second-most of any university in the nation and most in the Big Ten, when men’s water polo toppled USC, 11–8, in December.

Gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors brought home NCAA individual championships on the uneven bars and floor exercise, while the team came in second at the national championships.

Men’s volleyball finished second in the nation after advancing to the national final for the third consecutive year.

Nearly 60 Bruins earned All-America honors, with four winning individual national titles.

UCLA was the only school this season to have both softball and baseball teams advance to the College World Series. Men’s tennis continued its winning tradition by capturing the Big Ten tournament title and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals for the 40th time since the NCAA adopted a bracket format in 1977. UCLA teams won a total of 10 conference titles, most among Big Ten schools.

“We won 10 conference championships — the most in the Big Ten,” Jarmond said. “Everybody was ready to go on day one, and the results showed.”

Bruins fans broke barriers, too. Women’s basketball set a new single-game attendance record at Pauley Pavilion, with 13,659 fans cheering on the blue and gold on two different occasions, and women’s gymnastics also set a program attendance record with 12,918 fans in attendance at the March 9 meet.

For women’s basketball, the Bruins’ inaugural Big Ten campaign was a historic one. They posted a 34–3 overall record (16–2 in the Big Ten), captured the Big Ten tournament crown, won national honors — including Lauren Betts winning Defensive Player of the Year honors and Cori Close earning Coach of the Year acclaim — and secured the program’s first Final Four appearance in the NCAA era.

Ross Turteltaub

Members of UCLA’s women’s basketball team celebrate their victory over the LSU Tigers in the NCAA tournament on March 30, 2025 — sending them to the Final Four.

Men’s basketball finished their inaugural Big Ten season at 23–11 overall (13–7 in the Big Ten), tied for fourth in conference play, and advanced to the NCAA tournament’s second round.

Football’s Big Ten debut put the Bruins on some of college football’s grandest stages and saw first-year head coach DeShaun Foster guide his team to four wins in the last six games. Historic matchups brought thousands of traveling fans, sparked new rivalries and gave our student-athletes the chance to play in some of the sport’s most legendary venues.

Miles traveled, lessons learned

Behind the headlines is a quieter story of resilience and adaptation.

The jump to the Big Ten meant transitioning from the Pac-12’s travel to mostly Western schools. Many teams found themselves crossing the country several times a month — some logging more than 20,000 miles in a single year, nearly triple what they’d traveled before.

But instead of letting all that travel slow them down, UCLA’s coaches, staff and student-athletes turned miles into momentum.

Teams stacked back-to-back away games to cut down on extra flights. Travel days doubled as study time. Hotel ballrooms turned into film rooms and pop-up study halls. The added miles tested not just their endurance, but their adaptability, time management and grit.

“Adaptability and flexibility are key attributes that you have to have when you make a change,” Jarmond said. “We learned a lot through the travel first year. We had a strong GPA. So academically, our student-athletes were very strong — they adapted well.”

Investing in mental health and academic support

The University knew that cross-country travel could add stress and make balancing academics even tougher. That’s why before the first Big Ten whistle blew, UCLA invested in mental health services for student-athletes.

Licensed therapists joined the athletics staff and new programs helped students build better sleep habits, handle jet lag and stay balanced while living out of a suitcase and keeping up GPAs.

Advisors and faculty worked hand-in-hand with coaches to make sure coursework flexed with travel schedules. Online lectures, recorded classes and one-on-one tutoring kept Bruins plugged in, whether in a study hall, at home or an airport terminal halfway across the country.

What emerged was a stronger culture of openness and support, a community that’s helping college athletes everywhere destigmatize mental health. Bruins spoke up, supported each other and showed that mental well-being is just as vital to success as physical training.

“Some of our teams learned they might have to leave a day early — and they made the adjustments during the season,” Jarmond said. “With anything new, you learn in year one, and that helps you better prepare and tackle it in year two.  Our coaches and Student-Athletes work extremely hard.”

The shift wasn’t just logistical; it was cultural. UCLA leaned into its student-first values and doubled down on support.

The power of community

If the extra miles tested our student-athletes, they also brought the Bruin family closer together. Games in Piscataway, College Park, Omaha and beyond became mini-reunions for thousands of Bruins living in Big Ten country.

To help Bruins rally behind this new chapter, the UCLA Alumni Association carried the spirit of Westwood on the road all season long. On Aug. 2, UCLA Alumni kicked things off with the B1G Event — a launch party celebrating this new chapter in UCLA Athletics history.

Sprits were high after the UCLA gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA final on April 17, 2025.

Bruin Bash pregame parties and Big Bruin Weekends turned game days into celebrations —  from the James West Alumni Center and the Rose Bowl to cities across Big Ten territory. Wherever Bruins gathered, there was always a place to reconnect, share stories and get the eight-clap going before kickoff.

Being part of the Big Ten has also brought opportunities for alumni to network and learn from our partner schools. This summer, UCLA Alumni hosted the Big Ten Alumni Relations Institute at the James West Alumni Center. The three-day conference welcomed alumni relations professionals from across the Big Ten to explore emerging trends, share innovative strategies and build meaningful connections.

“We have so many alumni and fans all over,” said Jarmond, “and as we continue, we need to make sure we’re connecting with them on the East Coast and the Midwest. In year two, I’d like to challenge our alumni … we have an exciting opportunity to support our young men and young women when they travel — and we need to show up and show out.”

From record crowds at home to loyal fans on the road, Bruins showed what makes UCLA special, no matter where the team plays.

Looking ahead

As UCLA enters its second year as members of the Big Ten, the national presence is already paying off. 

The Big Ten spotlight has amplified UCLA’s Olympic sports, opened new doors for students from the Midwest and welcomed thousands of new fans to the Bruin family.

“Our success in the Big Ten this last year is a resounding statement. It says that we’re here and we’re here to win championships and compete at the highest level. I’m extremely bullish and excited about our trajectory and future, especially this upcoming year.”

—Martin Jarmond, UCLA’s Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics

On the recruiting side, the football and men’s basketball programs attracted arguably the top transfers in the transfer portal in Nico Iamaleava and Donovan Dent, respectively, while men’s soccer reeled in the No. 1 class in the country. Returning stars abound, such as Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice in women’s basketball, Jordan Chiles in gymnastics, Roch Cholowsky in baseball, and Ryder Dodd in men’s water polo.

Financially, the move to the Big Ten kept all 25 varsity programs strong and boosted resources for travel, nutrition and wellness.

There was concern the extra miles would stretch the budget and the athletes too thin. But year one showed that smart planning, strong support and the Bruin spirit can turn challenges into an edge.

The miles aren’t going away, but maybe that’s not so bad.

The systems built this year — from mental health resources to flexible classes — laid the groundwork for even bigger success in year two and beyond.

“We want to be consistent,” Jarmond said. “In year two, you’ll see us build off the foundation we’ve laid. And E.L.I.T.E. is the standard: Energy, Leadership, Integrity, Toughness and Excellence. It’s a mindset Bruins carry into every venue, in every sport, coast to coast. We don’t need to change a whole lot. We need to adapt and welcome new environments. We’ve always done that, and that will continue.” 

Final whistle

A year ago, the Big Ten move felt like a leap into the unknown. Today, as the final whistle has blown following the 2024–25 campaign, it’s now a blueprint for how Bruins can grow without giving up what makes us special: championship ambition, student-first values and a family that shows up — whether the team is playing at home or 2,800 miles away.

Bruins didn’t just adapt; they excelled. They brought home trophies, broke attendance records, raised the bar for mental health and proved success is about more than wins and losses. It’s measured in study sessions on late-night flights, in professors who work with deadlines across time zones and in teammates who lift each other up through long road trips.

UCLA Athletics

Since Martin Jarmond’s appointment as athletics director in 2020, UCLA has captured six NCAA championships, bringing the university’s overall total to 124 — the most in the Big Ten and second-most in the nation.

Most of all, it’s measured in the unshakable spirit of Bruins everywhere — a reminder that wherever we play, we play together, for each other and for UCLA.

“To all of our fans, supporters and alumni,” Jarmond said, “We have a program you can be proud of, and we’ll continue to compete at the highest level in our new conference.

“Competing in the Big Ten allows us the opportunity to engage Bruins everywhere and bring the Bruin community together in a unique way. In our second year, I encourage all Bruins to come out, watch a game, get a watch party going and just engage with other Bruins. Let’s come together and get behind these student-athletes, because they’re some of the best in the country. We’re going to keep working hard, adapting and being flexible, and achieving success at an elite level.”