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Battle of the Editors: Which UCLA team had the most disappointing finish to its Big Ten debut?

With just softball and baseball remaining in the postseason hunt, UCLA’s first year in the Big Ten is nearly in the books. From championship glory to painful upsets, this year delivered a full spectrum of highs and heartbreaks for the Bruins. As the year winds down, Daily Bruin Sports editors weigh in on which UCLA […]

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With just softball and baseball remaining in the postseason hunt, UCLA’s first year in the Big Ten is nearly in the books. From championship glory to painful upsets, this year delivered a full spectrum of highs and heartbreaks for the Bruins. As the year winds down, Daily Bruin Sports editors weigh in on which UCLA team had the most disappointing finish.

Ira Gorawara
Sports editor
Team: Men’s basketball

Hope was in short supply for UCLA men’s basketball in the 2023-2024 season – and so were the highlights.

Adem Bona was the lone spark in an otherwise dim campaign – the Bruins treaded water in the Pac-12 and ranked a dismal 152nd in offensive efficiency, with most of the roster unable to crack a 100 offensive rating.

But as the transfer portal tends to do these days, it flipped coach Mick Cronin’s 2024-2025 plans on their head before the season tipped off.

Hype engulfed the Bruins, who had landed key prospects from the portal including veteran Kobe Johnson, four-stars Dominick Harris, Skyy Clark and Tyler Bilodeau – to name a few.

The pieces were there – on paper, at least – enough to fuel preseason optimism in Westwood and talk of a bounce-back year, deep rotation and a chance to make noise in the team’s Big Ten debut.

For a minute, it felt like Cronin pulled off the reset the program desperately craved in the 2024 offseason.

But basketball isn’t played on paper.

Chemistry felt off on Cronin’s unit all season long. Rotations shifted constantly, the offense stalled far too often and what should’ve been a cohesive unit appeared more like a collection of talented strangers.

The defense – usually a Cronin staple – lacked bite, and the late-game execution that once defined his best squads were nowhere to be found.

As the hype train derailed the Bruins’ season, UCLA’s lifeline ended in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament, at the hands of Tennessee at Rupp Arena.

Disjointed offense, untimely turnovers and an abysmal effort from the charity stripe characterized too many postseason games.

For a program that prides itself on postseason pedigree, bowing out in the first weekend – even in a loaded Big Ten transition year – felt like a gut punch.

All the portal moves and preseason buzz fizzled when it mattered most. The disappointment lingers.

Kai Dizon
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Football

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)
UCLA football’s offensive unit gathers at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, where the team fell 27-11 to Penn State on Oct. 5. (Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Coach DeShaun Foster’s rookie campaign was awry six games into the season, with the Bruins on a five-game losing streak and yet to eclipse 20 points on offense in a single contest.

Then, quarterback Ethan Garbers, who already had nine interceptions at the time, turned in a career day against Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey – tossing for 383 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-32 victory for UCLA football.

Foster proclaimed UCLA’s athletic director Martin Jarmond “hired the right guy” after defeating Nebraska 27-20 the following weekend. And against Iowa on Nov. 8, the running game that had been stuck in the trenches all season, exploded for 211 yards in a 20-17 win.

All of a sudden, the Bruins were 4-5, and just needed to win two of their final three contests to make a bowl game.

But Garbers was sacked six times in Seattle and the Bruins’ running backs were held to 40 yards as UCLA fell 31-19 to Washington.

In a do-or-die Battle for the Bell at the Rose Bowl, UCLA floundered again. Garbers had just one touchdown, and despite 99 rushing yards, first-string running back T.J. Harden failed to find paydirt.

The Bruins led 13-9 heading into the final quarter, but the Trojans put up 10 unanswered.

Yes, UCLA closed out the season with a 20-13 win over Fresno State, but I sure didn’t care. And given that it was Thanksgiving break, not many students did either. With a 5-7 record, the Bruin faithful were left with a sour introduction to the Fos Era.

Evidently, many of the team’s players were too.

On top of the players leaving via the NFL Draft or graduation – like Garbers, Carson Schwesinger, Oluwafemi Oladejo and Moliki Matavao – the Bruins lost J.Michael Sturdivant, Logan Loya, Niki Prongos and Harden to the transfer portal as practically every notable name from the 2024 roster would be absent come 2025.

Aaron Doyle
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Cross country

(Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)
Members of UCLA cross country run the course during warmups. (Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)

The pressure of qualifying for the national championship can make or break a team.

And in 2024, it seemed to have broken UCLA cross country.

Graduate student Michael Mireles carried much of the burden of qualification, earning UCLA’s first-ever podium finish at a Big Ten championship after placing second in the men’s 8K race.

The conference victory seemed like momentum that could have carried Mireles to the national championships, but it quickly slipped away at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 15.

The men’s team opted to forgo a five-man lineup, forcing Mireles to qualify as an individual. A top-five finish would have punched his ticket to the national championship race.

Mireles looked to be in national-qualifying contention as he sat in fifth with just 1.8 kilometers to go. But at the 9K split, Mireles dropped to 17th and ultimately finished 21st, blowing his chances of going to nationals.

While the competition was stiff, Mireles seemed more than capable of making the cut. Mireles breezed right past Washington’s Nathan Green, Evan Jenkins and Tyrone Gorze, as well as Oregon’s Aiden Smith and Simeon Birnbaum at the Big Ten championships – but fell short to them when it mattered most.

Assistant coach Andrew Ferris blamed inexperience for the graduate student’s shortcomings, but there is still more to come from Mireles – just not as a Bruin.

Mireles has already announced his transfer to Oregon following the end of the outdoor track season, joining one of the teams that dashed his hopes in 2024.

Connor Dullinger
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Men’s soccer

(Darlene Sanzon/Assistant Photo editor)
Members of UCLA men’s soccer huddle together on the field at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. (Darlene Sanzon/Assistant Photo editor)

When UCLA men’s soccer fell 1-0 in Westwood to Loyola Marymount in the 2023 NCAA tournament’s second round, many thought the Bruins were destined for revenge come 2024.

Few imagined the Bruins would let the embarrassment of a postseason upset grace Wallis Annenberg Stadium for a second consecutive year.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Despite missing three penalty kicks to fall in the Big Ten tournament semifinals to Michigan, UCLA still managed to earn an at-large bid to 2024’s NCAA tournament, where it faced a UC Santa Barbara team that tied Westmont 2-2 – a squad that UCLA defeated 5-1 just 10 days after Santa Barbara’s draw.

And in keeping with UCLA’s season-long offensive struggles, the Gauchos shut out the Bruins. UCSB outshot UCLA by eight and advanced to the second round after defeating the Bruins 1-0 in Westwood.

Not only did the Bruins fall in dramatic fashion in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, but they were also defeated 3-1 at home by Cal State Fullerton and 4-1 by Wisconsin in the regular season.

They also dropped crucial points on untimely goals, conceding two unanswered goals in the final 16 minutes of a 2-2 draw to Penn State and conceding an equalizer in the last 10 minutes to Michigan in a 3-3 tie.

Despite the squad’s deep roster and seven clean sheets, the Bruins failed to capitalize when they were expected to and gave up crucial goals when it mattered most.

Una O’Farrell
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Women’s water polo

(Anna Dai-Liu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Members of UCLA women’s water polo stand at the side of the pool before their semifinal in Indianapolis. (Anna Dai-Liu/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Pulling off an undefeated season – one that resulted in the first national championship in 15 years for UCLA women’s water polo – is a hefty feat, almost impossible to replicate.

A 1.000 winning percentage wasn’t necessarily coach Adam Wright’s top priority heading into the 2025 season – earning back-to-back national titles was.

And with the return of two of the 2024’s roster’s top three scorers and ACWPC National Player of the Year sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Steele, along with the addition of two-time All-American junior center Bia Mantellato, it seemed the 2025 Bruins were well-poised to make a return to glory.

But the team struggled with early losses, with a 14-4 defeat to Stanford, 2025’s eventual national champions, marking UCLA’s worst loss differential since 2010.

The Cardinal handed the Bruins’ half of its 2025 losses, but maybe the most gut-wrenching of the trio came in an overtime defeat for the MPSF crown.

And with Stanford and UCLA sitting on opposite sides of the NCAA tournament’s bracket, many predicted the two to meet again in Indianapolis.

But the reigning MPSF and NCAA champions were unable to even make the title match after suffering a 15-13 loss to the Trojans, sending the Bruins home without the opportunity to defend their national title.

In 2024, Wright said that the Bruins were “back on the map.” But just less than a year later, they’d fall just short of the very greatness they swore would become a habit.

Sabrina Messiha
Assistant Sports editor
Team: Women’s basketball

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)
Members of UCLA women’s basketball meet during a timeout of its Final Four match against UConn. (Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Twelve weeks atop the AP regular season poll was not enough.

The first No. 1 seed in program history was not enough.

The first Final Four appearance in NCAA history was not enough.

Despite a year stacked with accolades, awards and trophies, UCLA women’s basketball was unable to take home the biggest reward – a NCAA championship.

While the Final Four outing doesn’t undermine the ground-breaking successes of the program, the nature of the loss makes for the most disappointing season end. All eyes were on UCLA to bring home a national championship, but they were upset by a No. 2 seed UConn.

It was more than an upset – it felt like a complete obliteration. The Huskies’ 85-51 over the Bruins marked the largest winning margin in NCAA Final Four history.

After UCLA maintained a perfect record against all schools except USC, it fell to a new foe. The Huskies were able to shut down junior center Lauren Betts, forcing the ball to a thoroughly defended perimeter.

“We wanted to take away their 3s, but we also wanted to make things hard for Lauren Betts,” said former UConn star guard Paige Bueckers.

And that is exactly what the Huskies did.

Only four Bruins scored in the first half. Only three players put up points from the field until the final quarter. UCLA put up just 13 points in the final 10 minutes of its season, as UConn ran away with a 34-point win.

And in the meantime, UCLA students gathered in Pauley Pavilion watched their team crumble.

Next season presents another opportunity for the Bruins to bring home the trophy. And if they don’t, may their fall be more graceful.



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Seeley-Swan alum Klaire Kovatch on way to NCAA championships for Colorado State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Klaire Kovatch, a former Montana high school standout at Seeley-Swan, is headed to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships following a strong showing in the discus last Saturday at the NCAA West Regional meet in College Station, Texas. Kovatch entered the meet expected to qualify for nationals — her season-best […]

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June 3, 2025

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Klaire Kovatch, a former Montana high school standout at Seeley-Swan, is headed to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships following a strong showing in the discus last Saturday at the NCAA West Regional meet in College Station, Texas.

Kovatch entered the meet expected to qualify for nationals — her season-best mark ranked No. 9 in the region. Her first attempt of 172 feet, 8 inches was not enough to put her over the line, but her second throw of 178-2 vaulted her into qualifying position.

Kovatch sat in 12th place with a handful of competitors still to throw, but the she on as the final scores came through to earn a berth to the national meet.

Kovatch, a redshirt junior at CSU, was a three time Class C state discus champion in high school and helped Seeley-Swan to an overall team title in 2021. She was the 2021 Gatorade girls track and field athlete of the year for Montana in 2021.

The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore. Other area athletes to qualify include Montana State’s Rob McManus (3,000-meter steeplechase), Harvey Cramb (1,500 meters), Hailey Coey (long jump), and the Bobcats’ 4×400 women’s relay team of Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi and Caroline Hawkes.





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Could Grand Canyon join the Mountain West a season early for the 2025-26 athletic year?

The Mountain West, West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference have all released their 2025 volleyball schedules. Grand Canyon was not listed on any of those. That’s important because Grand Canyon was a member of the WAC in 2024-25; was scheduled to be a member of the WCC in 2025-26; and will be a member […]

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June 3, 2025

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The Mountain West, West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference have all released their 2025 volleyball schedules.

Grand Canyon was not listed on any of those.

That’s important because Grand Canyon was a member of the WAC in 2024-25; was scheduled to be a member of the WCC in 2025-26; and will be a member of the MW in 2026-27. But where Grand Canyon will play next athletic season is unknown.

The Antelopes accepted an invitation to the WCC and was scheduled to join that league on July 1, 2025, or one month from now. But Grand Canyon rescinded its acceptance into the WCC after accepting the MW’s invitation last November. That leaves the WAC or MW as the two most likely conferences for Grand Canyon in 2025-26 unless the Antelopes go independent for one season. That would not be ideal.

Could Grand Canyon join the MW a year early for the 2025-26 season? That was mentioned as a possibility by the Antelopes in their statement when accepting the MW invitation several months ago.

“GCU will join the Mountain West no later than July 1, 2026, but possibly as early as the second quarter of 2025 if permitted under the conference’s bylaws,” Grand Canyon wrote in its statement in November.

Grand Canyon athletic director Jamie Boggs also hinted at that possibility after the Antelopes accepted the MW’s invitation last winter.

“The earliest possible time is when we will join,” Boggs told The Big Mountain podcast a few months ago. “We are excited to get in as soon as we can. When we mutually decide when we can enter is when we will, but I want to express how excited we are to get in this league.”

This looks more like a possibility since the five schools departing the MW for the Pac-12 — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — have formally given their exit notice from the league on July 1, 2026. As a result of that official notice, those five schools, per the league’s handbook, also give up their spot as a voting member of the league’s Board of Directors.

That leaves only seven voting members in the league until July 1, 2026. Those schools include Nevada, UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose State, Wyoming and Hawaii. If those seven schools want to add Grand Canyon for the 2025-26 season one year before UC Davis and UTEP join as well as Northern Illinois in football only, they can vote to make that a reality regardless of the feelings of the five departing schools, who are required to play whatever conference schedule the MW offers them.

Adding Grand Canyon in 2025-26 would give the MW 12 members in a number of its sports next season, including men’s and women’s basketball. One additional complicating factor would be conference distribution in 2025-26, including media-right money. But there’s a real chance the Antelopes would forgo its conference money for 2025-26 to simply have a home for next season before becoming a full-revenue member in 2026-27.

Adding Grand Canyon a year early also could help the MW from competitive standpoint as the Antelopes are good in a number of sports.

Grand Canyon won the WAC last season in softball, men’s tennis, women’s basketball and indoor men’s track and field; was second in men’s basketball, women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s tennis and men’s outdoor track and field; and third in baseball, women’s swimming and diving and indoor women’s track and field. That’s 12 top-three finishes with seven championships if you include conference tournaments.

Grand Canyon could step into the MW in 2025-26 and be competitive in most sports, and while that would mean tinkering with some schedules, the trade-off could be worthwhile even if the fit next season isn’t ideal. It is something to watch with the 2025-26 athletic season less than 100 days away. If I was running the MW, Grand Canyon would definitely be added for 2025-26, and it looks like that’s what the Antelopes want as well. Why delay the inevitable?

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.



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Former BNL star Jorie Allen invited to Team USA tryouts – in totally unexpected sport

Former BNL star Jorie Allen invited to Team USA tryouts – in totally unexpected sport | WBIW Local Weather Alerts There are currently no active weather […]

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Club affiliation for 2025-26 now open

Clubs can now affiliate to Volleyball England for 2025-26 volleyball season.  It includes those who will play indoor, sitting and beach volleyball during the period.  Member clubs from the 2024-25 season have been sent an email carrying all the necessary details in order to renew.  Clubs should note that affiliation for 2024-25 will expire on […]

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June 3, 2025

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Clubs can now affiliate to Volleyball England for 2025-26 volleyball season. 

It includes those who will play indoor, sitting and beach volleyball during the period. 

Member clubs from the 2024-25 season have been sent an email carrying all the necessary details in order to renew. 

Clubs should note that affiliation for 2024-25 will expire on Thursday 31st July 2025. 

To continue enjoying exclusive membership benefits, don’t forget to renew for the new season. 

  

Renew now for the 2025–26 Season 

The window to renew your club affiliation for the 2025-26 season is now open. Please renew your club affiliation via VolleyZone ahead of the new season for a smooth transition.  

View the renewal process for 2025-26 season. 

If you are a new club wanting to affiliate with Volleyball England, you can learn about the process here. 

  

The Impact of your membership  

As the National Governing Body, Volleyball England is a membership-based, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the volleyball community. 

Your affiliation is essential in helping to fund grassroots projects, develop talent, and support national competitions.  

Learn more about the impact of your membership.  

 

Club Affiliation Fees 

The club affiliation fees for 2025-26 are as below:  







Type of club affiliation  

Price*  

Standard Club affiliation  

£115.50  

BUCS Club affiliation  

£75  

Junior and School/ FEI Club affiliation:  

£0  

* Please note there is an additional 3.2% +50p service provider charge on all transactions on VolleyZone. 

The fees reflect a 4.5% increase in line with Volleyball England Article 10.3.1 and the Retail Price Index (RPI) as at 1st April.  

Read more about the fee changes here.  

 

Club affiliation benefits 

Being a member of Volleyball England offers a range of benefits. 

This season, clubs will have access to exclusive discounts at over 500 brands through our insurance partner. 

Club affiliation benefits, including insurance, will only become active from 1st August 2025, and only once your club affiliation has been approved by Volleyball England. 

View the full list of membership benefits.  

 

New Affiliation Help Centre for clubs 

Volleyball England has set up a dedicated Affiliation Help Centre webpage featuring various how-to guides and FAQs to assist you with your affiliation and ensure you get the most from your membership.  

Visit the Affiliation Help Centre 

 

Any questions

In case of any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Hub team via membership@volleyballengland.org



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Peter Koumlelis Joins Yale Staff as Assistant Coach

Story Links NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Peter Koumlelis, a former UConn thrower who recently revitalized the Villanova throwing program, has joined the Yale staff as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s track and field. Courtney Jaworski, Yale’s Mark T. Young ’68 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, announced […]

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Peter Koumlelis, a former UConn thrower who recently revitalized the Villanova throwing program, has joined the Yale staff as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s track and field. Courtney Jaworski, Yale’s Mark T. Young ’68 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, announced the hiring today.
 
Koumlelis spent the past seven seasons at Villanova, where he helped his athletes break the school records in every women’s throwing event, and the men’s hammer throw, multiple times. He coached two Big East Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award winners, 12 individual Big East champions, 13 NCAA East Preliminary Round qualifiers and 34 All-Big East performers. 
 
At the 2024 Outdoor Big East Championships, Koumlelis coached the men’s Outstanding Field Performer – Tristan Bolinsky, who became just the second men’s thrower in conference history to be a double winner in the shot put and the hammer in the same year. 
 
At the 2022 Indoor Big East Championships, Koumlelis coached the first thrower in Villanova history to be named the women’s Outstanding Field Performer – Sade Meeks. Meeks won the shot put and placed second in the weight throw.
 
Koumlelis joined the Villanova staff in 2019 after spending eight seasons in a similar role at UMBC, where his athletes won 25 individual America East titles and earned six All-America honors. Koumlelis was a part of four Coaching Staff of the Year honors at the America East Championships (2013 and 2014 men’s outdoor; 2013 and 2015 women’s indoor).
  
Prior to UMBC, Koumlelis worked at Hartford from 2008-11 and at Springfield College from 2004-08. At Hartford he coached his athletes to 14 school records, and at Springfield he coached three All-Americans. 
 
Koumlelis competed in the weight throw indoors and the hammer outdoors at Connecticut.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2003. He went on to earn his Master of Education, Psychology, Athletic Counseling from Springfield College in 2006.
 
Koumlelis joins a Yale staff under Jaworski that also includes Kyle Basista, Laura Broderick, Jeff Forino and Max Frye. 



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Amber Igiede makes U.S. Women’s National Team

Reading time: < 1 minute Rainbow Wahine volleyball alumna Amber Igiede. Former Rainbow Wahine women’s volleyball standout Amber Igiede has been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the opening week of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), marking her debut in the international tournament. USA Volleyball announced the 14-player roster on May […]

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June 3, 2025

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Amber Igiede posed picture
Rainbow Wahine volleyball alumna Amber Igiede.

Former Rainbow Wahine women’s volleyball standout Amber Igiede has been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the opening week of the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), marking her debut in the international tournament.

USA Volleyball announced the 14-player roster on May 30. During her time at UH, Igiede was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America third-team selection and four-time All-Big West first-team honoree.

The team will compete June 4–8 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The tournament features 18 of the world’s top national teams competing over three weeks, with the top eight advancing to the finals in Poland in July.

Igiede, who played for League One Volleyball Houston in the league’s inaugural season, also helped the U.S. earn silver at the 2024 North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Pan American Cup in Mexico. She previously represented the U.S. on the Women’s Collegiate National Team in 2022.

Read more at Hawaiiathletics.com.



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