All-American
honors given to Turner and
Swanson
By Esther Hui
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA men’s water polo team finished well last season,
fighting back from a seventh-place ranking in mid-November to place
a heroic fourth at the 1994 NCAA championships. To add to its
laurels is the recent announcement of All-American nominations for
Bruins Scott Turner and Matt Swanson, based on a nationwide poll of
coaches.
Now graduated, Turner earned second team All-America honors
after leading the Bruins with 52 one-point goals and four two-point
goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Swanson earned third team All-America
honors, racking up 250 saves during the1994 season.
"Scott had a great last year," UCLA head coach Guy Baker said.
"He went out just how you want to do it. It’s a great honor to get
All-American and he’ll remember it the rest of his life."
The distinction as third best goalie in the country as a
sophomore bodes well for Swanson, especially considering that he
played the entire season with a groin injury sustained in
mid-September.
"Matt’s future is bright," Baker said. "It’s a big
accomplishment to be third team All-American as a sophomore. And
most of that was natural ability. Because of the injury he had to
play the games with very little practice. The ball is in his court
to take as far as he wants."
* * *
It was 1969 when the UCLA Bruins won the NCAA championships in
men’s water polo. It was one of UCLA’s finest moments, as the
Bruins, coached by two-time Olympian Bob Horn, won the first ever
NCAA championship. It was the first of three championship titles to
be won in the next four years, a feat which has not been achieved
since.
UCLA will honor the championship team’s 25th anniversary at
half-time during the UCLA-Cal basketball game on Jan. 28. The 1969
championship team sired two Olympians and seven All-Americans. Jim
Fergueson, a three-time All-American, played on the 1972 Olympic
teams, and Eric Lindroth, a two-time All-American, went on to make
the 1972 and 1980 teams. Other All-American poloists included Greg
Arth, Paul Becskehazy, Kevin Craig, Scott Massey and Torey
Webb.