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By AJ Cadman

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Many incoming freshmen can argue that much of their decision to attend UCLA is due to the school’s rich academic success. But these freshmen would not be totally honest if the choice did not also come down to the bleeding of the Bruin blue and gold seen in the school’s successes in the athletic arena.

With 21 intercollegiate sports and countless club sports gracing the fields of competition in Westwood, it is impossible to find another school that has continued to build upon its rich athletic history the way UCLA has.

The April 1997 Sports Illustrated issue named UCLA the No. 1 ‘Jock’ School in America, and the 1999-2000 academic year only furthered that ideal as UCLA accumulated five more titles, totalling a nation-leading 82 NCAA team championships (65 men’s and 17 women’s).

The Sears’ Directors Cup is the most accurate gauge of a collegiate athletic programs’ yearly success. The honor recognizes the university with the best overall sports performance in an academic year and awards points based upon finishes in NCAA competition. The Bruins placed runner-up for the first time since 1995-96, when UCLA won men’s water polo and volleyball titles and finished in the top 11 in 16 sports.

This past year was the first time since 1983-84, which was athletic director Peter Dalis’ first year at the helm, that the Bruins posted four NCAA championships. The Bruins claimed the top position in men’s water polo and volleyball along with women’s indoor track and gymnastics, and also captured a women’s water polo national title. The UCLA athletic program has placed in the top five in the Sears’ Directors Cup in all seven years of the competition.

Not only do the Bruins claim the team title in a variety of sports, but they also hold balance in the remaining intercollegiate sports. The UCLA softball squad finished second this year after losing to Oklahoma in the title game, while women’s outdoor track and men’s soccer both placed third.

After an impressive run in the postseason, the Bruin women’s volleyball team finished fifth in the country along with both men’s and women’s tennis. UCLA finished eighth in the country in women’s swimming, women’s soccer and baseball held top 10 national finishes at the end of their respective seasons. The men’s basketball team tied for ninth nationally after an amazing NCAA Tournament run that saw the Bruins reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.

For those keeping count, that’s 14 intercollegiate squads in the top 10. Only the likes of Stanford, a fellow constant in the Sears’ Cup top three, can boast of similar success.

With 103 total national championships to the Bruins’ credit, UCLA has claimed at least one NCAA title in 19 of the last 20 years and at least two collegiate titles 23 times.

On the men’s side, UCLA trails only Southern Cal 70-65 while the women trail Stanford (25), Texas (20), LSU (20) and North Carolina (20). In the last 31 years, the Bruins have won 50 NCAA titles, nine more than Stanford and 28 more than third-place USC. With arguably the toughest conference to contend with, as evidenced by the success of conference foes, the Bruins are always prepared for and have high expectations of postseason success.

With the university’s national title success of last year, no one team has consistently dominated their sport other than UCLA men’s volleyball. Boasting the premier head coach in the collegiate ranks, Al Scates, the Bruins have reached the title game in seven of the last eight years. With four championships in the ’90s, the program’s 18 titles is a single sport record. With the numerous All-Americans and Olympians, UCLA has now reached the Final Four a record 22 times in 31 years.

Seth Burnham of the men’s volleyball team recalled the team’s latest trip to the NCAA. On their way to the title match against Ohio State, the team passed a local restaurant which posted a sign saying “Buckeyes will take the Bruins in finals.” After the Bruins won, they returned to the restaurant with their trophy and took pictures with the waitresses in front of the sign.

“The manager was like, ‘Oh, we knew you guys were going to win all along,’” Burnham said.

In men’s water polo, the Bruins claimed the title for the sixth time in the team’s history and the third time in the last five years. UCLA has finished runner-up five times With co-head coach Adam Krikorian alongside head coach Baker, the men hope to continue the winning streak that has seen the Bruins take a top five finish in 17 of the last 26 years.

“All national championships are special,” Baker said after the team won their 1999 crown. “But the journey with this group was fantastic.”

In women’s track and field, head coach Jeannette Bolden’s third place outdoor finish was built on the foundation of the 1999-2000 NCAA Championship indoor track team. Behind the remarkable performances of thrower Seilala Sua, the most outstanding performer at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, the Bruins will continue the outstanding tradition of world-class Olympic athletes from Westwood.

“I’ve never been on a team that won a national championship,” said Sua, a graduating senior. “I just wanted to win and contribute to the team. Our team was looking for a lot of points, and I just wanted to give them those points.”

Finally, in women gymnastics, Valorie Kondos-Field’s program won its second national title in four years. Five Bruins claimed All-American honors, including the Pac-10 Conference Gymnast of the Year Heidi Moneymaker, a 2000 NCAA individual champion. Gymnastics has won the last 14 conference championships and seven of the last eight regional champions.

“I’m ecstatic,” junior Mohini Bhardwaj, the 2000 individual bars champion, said of UCLA’s second national title. “All of my dreams have come true. If this is all I could have from my college gymnastics experience, I’ll take it.”

With star recruits from all over the country ready to supplement the already amazing success that UCLA has had athletically, the Bruins expect more of the same in the new millennium.