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The seventh-ranked UCLA swimming and diving team will finish its 2005 season this weekend at the

The No. 7 UCLA swimming and diving team will finish off its 2005 season and head out to Athens, Ga., this weekend to compete in the University of Georgia Bulldog Invitational. The invitational runs from Friday through Sunday, with competition beginning at 9:30 a.m. all three days. Finals are scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Along with the top-ranked Bulldogs, the Bruins (5-1, 2-1 Pac-10) will compete against nationally ranked schools Virginia, Auburn and California. The Bruins will also face-off against non-ranked South Carolina and Miami (Ohio). The Bruins lost their first Pac-10 meet Nov. 19, when they fell to the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz. In Arizona, senior Kim Vandenberg and junior Katie Nelson were the only team members with first-place finishes, however in the loss, UCLA had one NCAA “A” and five NCAA “B” time qualifiers. At their last invitational in Texas, the Bruins took third place behind Florida, and the meet champion Southern Methodist University. At the SMU Invitational, junior Katie Arnold led UCLA in scoring as she earned the title “high point scorer” of the meet. Neither team finishing above the Bruins in Texas will be present in Georgia this weekend.

A PLEASANT INVITATION: Jordan Harvey, senior defender on the UCLA men’s soccer team, has been selected as one of 54 graduating seniors to take part in the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine, which will be held for three days in Carson starting Jan. 12. The initial list of players for the Player Combine was determined by Division I coaches from several conferences along with Major League Soccer coaches. The coaching staffs and general managers from all 12 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout the players at the MLS Player Combine, searching for key additions to their rosters, as the MLS SuperDraft will take place five days after the conclusion of the combine. In his past two years as a Bruin, Harvey has started all 20 games of each season, contributing significantly to the Bruins’ stingy defense. This season, Harvey earned accolades as Soccer America’s Player of the Week after scoring two goals in a pair of games against Bay Area rivals Stanford and Cal. Added to his collection of honors was a selection as a member of the Pac-10’s second team, an improvement from his honorable mentions in 2002 and 2004.

WATER POLO ACCOLADES: Five members of the No. 5 UCLA men’s water polo team have received All-MPSF honors as voted on by MPSF head coaches. Senior attacker David Pietsch was named to the All-MPSF second team after leading the Bruins in scoring with 39 goals on the season. This is the first All-MPSF honor for Pietsch who has 75 total goals in his career at UCLA. Junior goalkeeper Will Didinger was named to the All-MPSF third team after notching a team and career-high 191 saves in 26 games played. Didinger held an average of 7.35 saves per match with a 6.04 goals-against average. Along with Pietsch and Didinger, juniors Logan Powell, Christian Pulido and Grant Zider each earned All-MPSF honorable mention honors. Powell finished second on the team with 34 goals, Pulido with 18 goals, and Zider with 25. Pulido is a two-time All-MPSF All-Academic honoree. UCLA finished their 2005 season with a 21-8 record and a fifth place finish at the MPSF Championships.

KERSEE HONORED: Bobby Kersee was named 2005 Nike Coach of the Year by USA Track & Field on Tuesday for his work as the UCLA women’s track and field team. In a career that has lasted nearly three decades, Kersee has coached the likes of track and field greats Gail Devers, Greg Foster, Valerie Brisco and his wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Compiled by Erin Wagner, Bruin Sports reporter and Ajaybir Behniwal, Bruin Sports senior staff.