The UCLA Bruins had a successful 2022-2023 athletic season, with several teams and players achieving great things. Here is a brief summary of some of the highlights of the teams who had success athletically this past school year.
Women’s soccer: The women’s soccer team won the national championship, defeating North Carolina in double overtime. It was the Bruins’ second national title in program history.
Men’s water polo: The men’s water polo team reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, but fell to USC. It was the Bruins’ best finish since winning the title in 2017.
Men’s basketball: The men’s basketball team finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the country. They reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Gonzaga.
Women’s basketball: The women’s basketball team finished the regular season ranked No. 14 in the country. They reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to South Carolina.
Softball: The softball team started the season 17-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the country. They were eventually upset by Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament and by Grand Canyon and Liberty in the NCAA Tournament.
Beach volleyball: The beach volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season. They reached the championship match of the NCAA Tournament but lost to USC.
Overall, it was a very successful season for UCLA athletics. The Bruins won two team national championships, reached several other championship games, and had several individual athletes achieve great things.
This is not in order of the 10 accomplishments and achievements as any one of these victories, championships, and achievements can be ranked in any order due to how impressive their team accomplishments and or individual achievements were.
No. 3 UCLA lost to No. 1 USC by a close score of 15-12 in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins had defeated the Trojans in all three matches they faced off with them this season but lost to them in the tournament.
Season Accomplishments for this past season.
*Won their first 13 games of the season.
*UCLA went 4-0 versus their opponents in the Triton Invitational which included a win over USC.
*The Bruins won their first three games of the MPSF Invitational which also included another win over USC.
*They were victorious in all four games of the Aggie Roundup.
*From September 25 to October 22, the Bruins won six straight games.
The UCLA softball team had an amazing regular season going 52-5 overall and 21-3 in conference play which earned them a No. 2 national seed for the NCAA Tournament and hosted Regionals at Easton Stadium ninth straight season. They also made their tournament-record 38th appearance in the NCAA tournament as well.
Softball’s top and most recognized season awards and accomplishments include but are not limited to the following below.
*Won their first 17 games of the season.
*UCLA went 5-0 versus their opponents in the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational.
*The Bruins won their first five games of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
*They were victorious in all six games of the Stacy Winsberg Tournament.
*UCLA finished the Judi Garman Classic with a perfect record winning all five games.
*From March 25 to May 12, the Bruins won 25 straight games.
UCLA women’s tennis freshman Fangran Tian won the NCAA singles championship, the first individual women’s singles title since 1995 for UCLA. She defeated Oklahoma’s Layne Sleeth in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Her top and most recognized season awards and accomplishments include but are not limited to the following below.
2023 Season accomplishments and achievements
*NCAA singles champion (2023)
*ITA All-America selection – 2023 (singles)
*Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year (2023)
*All-Pac-12 honoree (First Team – 2023)
Bruin sophomore Jordan Chiles won the uneven bars and floor exercise national titles this season. Prior to this season, Chiles is a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, 2021 Winter Cup all-around champion, and 2021 U.S. Championships all-around and vault bronze medalist.
2022 and 2023 Highlights/Accomplishments
*Earned second-team All-America honors
*Earned first-team All-Pac-12 on bars and floor
*Three-time World medalist in 2022 (team gold, vault/floor silver)
*2022 second-team floor exercise All-American
*Scored two perfect 10s on floor exercise and one on uneven bars in 2022
UCLA’s had some ups and downs but they did well overall earning a No. 11 national ranking as well as finishing in 4th place in the regular season in the conference standings.
2022-23 Season accomplishments and achievements
*UCLA won their first seven games of the season.
*The Bruins won the Battle 4 Atlantis by defeating Marquette in the championship game.
*UCLA was undefeated in the month of December with six wins that included victories over USC, and Oregon.
*The Bruins were undefeated in conference play against USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington, and Cal.
*UCLA won their first three games of the Pac-12 tournament but lost in the title game to Washington State.
The UCLA Beach Volleyball team did very well this season winning 40 games and accomplishing many championships this season.
2023 Season accomplishments and achievements
*UCLA was undefeated in the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic winning all six games and defeating three top 10 teams that included wins over Stanford and Hawaii.
*The Bruins won three games in the Pac-12 South Invitational.
*UCLA Battle for LA won all four games that included three victories over the top 20 ranked teams.
*The Bruins in the March to May event, won all five games that included two 3-0 wins and two 5- 0 victories as well as four wins over the top 20 ranked teams.
*UCLA defeated No. 8 ranked Hawaii in the Mapes Beach Invitational.
*The Bruins defeated three top 16 teams in the East Meets West Invitational.
*UCLA won all four games in the Pac-12 North Invitational that included three victories over the top 15 ranked teams.
*The Bruins won all four games in the Center of Effort Challenge that included a victory over then No. 1 ranked TCU and a win over No. 2 ranked USC.
*UCLA won the Pac-12 Championship by sweeping three top 10 teams to capture the Pac-12 crown.
*The Bruins were undefeated winning multiple games against Hawaii defeating them twice, winning against Cal three times, defeating Georgia State twice, winning against Arizona two times, and defeating LSU twice.
*UCLA won three matches before falling to USC in the finals of the NCAA Tournament.
The UCLA men’s basketball team did very well in the regular season and throughout the 2022-23 season. They finished with a record of 31-6 (18-2, 1st in Pac-12) and they were ranked 7th in the Final AP Poll.
2022-23 Season accomplishments and achievements
*From November 23 to January 19, UCLA won 14 straight games.
*UCLA won true road games against Maryland, Staford, Washington State, Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado.
*The Bruins were victorious on neutral court games against, Kentucky, Colorado, Oregon, UNC Asheville, and Northwestern.
*UCLA was undefeated against and beat these teams multiple times, Oregon three times, Colorado three times, Washington State twice, Arizona State twice, Utah twice, Stanford twice, and Washington twice.
*The Bruins won the Pac-12 regular season championship finishing with four more wins than the second-place team.
*They lost in the Pac-12 tournament championship game but earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
*UCLA won their first two games in the NCAA Tournament, to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Reilyn Turner
Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the College Cup: Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer forward was named to the Pac-12 first team and a first-team All-American. She had 25 points for the Bruins and a team-high-tying 11 goals, seven of which were game-winning goals. She was also the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the College Cup after she scored the game-winning goal against Alabama in the NCAA tournament. Turner made the game-tying goal with only 16 seconds remaining in the championship game against UNC to help the Bruins win the 2022 national championship.
Abby VanWirdum
Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Beach Volleyball
She was named to the All-Pac-12 this season and she ended the season with an overall record of 35-7 as she was paired with Peri Brennan for the majority of the season. She has been named to the UCLA Athletic Director Honor Roll nine times and completed her undergraduate degree with a 3.68 GPA she now is pursuing a graduate degree in project management and has a 3.95 cumulative graduate grade point average.
Megan Faraimo
Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Softball
She was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year this season as well as All-Pac-12 First Team honoree. She had this season a 1.42 era with a 29-3 overall record. Faraimo is communications major with a 3.69 GPA and the first Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year from UCLA.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Pac-12 Player of the Year: Men’s basketball
Jaquez Jr. led UCLA to a record-tying 18 league wins and the outright Pac-12 regular-season title by four games, the largest margin since 2004. He was fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.5 ppg), tied for fourth in steals (1.52 spg), and fifth in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
UCLA’s men’s volleyball team had a phenomenal season going 31-2 overall and winning the national championship. They were undefeated in conference play 12-0, on neutral courts 8-0, and never lost on their home court 10-0.
2023 Season accomplishments and achievements
*The Bruins won their first nine games of the season that included wins to begin the year 9-0.
*Starting February 9, UCLA went on another winning streak winning 10 in a row to earn a No. 2 national ranking.
*UCLA defeated the following teams multiple times going undefeated against them UC San Diego twice, Long Beach State three times, UC Santa Barbara twice, Pepperdine twice, Stanford three times, USC twice, Grand Canyon three times, BYU twice, and UC Irvine twice.
*They defeated Long Beach State and beat Hawaii in the national championship game.
UCLA had an amazing season accomplishing many achievements and victories throughout the season. The Bruins played extremely well and worked well as a team to earn the title and call themselves national champions for this past season.
The UCLA women’s soccer team had a historic season in 2022, winning their second NCAA championship in program history. The Bruins finished the regular season with a 17-2 record, a 9-2 Pac-12 conference record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in non-conference play.
In the NCAA Tournament, UCLA defeated Northern Arizona, UCF, Northwestern, and Virginia to reach the College Cup. The Bruins then defeated Alabama in the semifinals and North Carolina in the final to claim the title.
The Bruins were led by a number of talented players, including Sunshine Fontes, Lilly Reale, and Reilyn Turner. Turner was named first team all Pac-12 and the College Cup Most Outstanding Player. Fontes tied with Turner for the team leader in goals with 11, and lead the team in overall points and assists. Reale was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. She anchored a defense that allowed just 14 goals all season. Quincy McMahon, along with Turner and Reale was named to the all-Pac-12 first team. She scored three goals and added six assists.
The Bruins’ championship season was a culmination of years of hard work and dedication by all of the student-athletes that included 19 upperclassmen that included four graduate students and six seniors. What is somewhat remarkable is that not many players transferred when new head coach Margueritte Aozasaas was hired in December 2021 and who was previously an assistant coach at Stanford from 2015-21. This season her players and she built on the success from the last two seasons when they were back-to-back Pac-12 champions. The Bruins have now won two national championships, and 13 Pac-12 championships, and have only missed the NCAA Tournament since 1995 twice.
The Bruins’ success in 2022 was a source of pride for the entire UCLA community. The team’s championship run brought excitement and joy to campus and to the city of Los Angeles. The Bruins’ victory was a reminder that anything is possible when you work hard, believe in yourself, and never give up.