There aren’t many schools at which athletes can host a
party with the theme “National Champions.” But UCLA is
not many schools. The winningest institution in the history of
collegiate athletics, NCAA titles are commonplace around Westwood.
They are so commonplace, in fact, that a party open only to
national champions would be well-attended almost every single year.
But this year, if the national champion stipulation was enforced,
there’s one particular section of the student-athlete
population that would be conspicuously absent ““ males. And
that’s becoming something of a trend. Of the four NCAA
championships won this school year, all were won by women’s
teams. Of UCLA’s last 10 national titles, nine have been
captured by women. At a school that measures athletic prowess on
NCAA titles won (94), women have been keeping the athletic
department at the top of the heap. “It’s
awesome,” said junior golfer Charlotte Mayorkas, who helped
lead the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in May. “It’s
really good for women’s sports in general. We’re just
as good as the guys.” Just as good might be something of an
understatement. While men’s teams have undoubtedly had
tremendous success, they simply haven’t had the championship
success of the women. In the last four years, women’s
gymnastics has captured three championships, softball has won two,
track has won two with their NCAA Championship on Saturday, and
women’s water polo, and golf have won a championship apiece.
Men’s soccer, which won the title in 2002, is the only
men’s sport that has been able to share championship glory
with the ladies in that span. “The UCLA program is more known
for the male sports, so it’s good that the women are stepping
up and getting recognized for their hard work,” senior
gymnast Jeanette Antolin said. While the recognition from the media
and the public at large may be progressing at a snail’s pace,
the athletic department certainly appreciates what the women have
been doing. “What it is indicative of is the commitment to a
broad-base program of excellence,” UCLA Athletic Director Dan
Guerrero said. “The women have demonstrated that
excellence.” But everyone within the athletic department is
quick to say that it is a team effort. There is no sense from the
athletic administration that women’s athletics is carrying
the torch while the men are floundering in oblivion. Top-10
finishes year in and year out are far from floundering.
“We’re one program,” Guerrero said.
“We’re UCLA Bruins. When one team wins a championship,
we all win a championship.”
The role of Betsy Stephenson Part of the credit
for many of the recent championships goes to Betsy Stephenson,
former associate athletic director and senior women’s
administrator at UCLA who recently left her post to assume the
athletic director position at Emory. Stephenson was responsible for
overseeing many of the women’s sports during her time at
UCLA, a time that saw those sports flourish. Gymnastics coach
Valorie Kondos Field dedicated the team’s national title to
Stephenson, and coach Sue Enquist did the same with her
team’s softball championship. Stephenson has been an integral
part of providing the support many of the women’s teams have
needed over the years, whether it be in the form of funding,
exposure or just a friendly face. “Betsy (Stephenson’s)
just helped us get things we’ve needed,” said senior
Keira Goerl, who has pitched the Bruins to consecutive softball
championships. “She’s been there, supportive. She keeps
us on track.” But Stephenson is quick to deflect some of the
praise. “I haven’t dropped one bead of sweat or
developed one blister,” she said. “But they’re
certainly sweet for saying that.” Still, the story of
women’s athletics isn’t a feel-good story all the way
around.
All sports are not created equal In spite of
the success and the glory, the hearts and minds of UCLA fans are
still situated squarely upon football and men’s basketball.
Success of other sports teams at UCLA is generally an afterthought,
a mere mark on the national title tally. That’s the way
it’s been, and that’s the way it will probably always
be. “When you have the best team in the country right in
Pauley Pavilion and you can’t even come out and watch, it is
frustrating,” Antolin said. Explanations vary as to why
gymnastics, a team that has won four championships in five years,
struggles to build a fan base, while basketball seems to fill
Pauley Pavilion regardless of the team’s success. Some,
including Kondos Field, say that it’s related to being
located in Los Angeles where there are just so many other things to
do. Antolin suggests that women’s and men’s sports are
simply not viewed at the same level. “The Sparks are not
going to get as many fans as the Lakers,” she said. “I
don’t think everyone sees women’s sports as serious as
they see men’s sports. It’s getting progressively
better, but it’s still not up to par. They’re not equal
at all.” This lack of equality is undoubtedly frustrating,
especially because the women are the ones winning the titles.
“It’s frustrating on everyone’s part,”
Stephenson said. “The attention isn’t equitable.”
Guerrero said the athletic department is taking steps to broaden
the fan base of many of the women’s sports, but the fact
remains that men’s basketball and football will continue to
get the exposure, while the women continue to get the titles.
“The fact that the women are getting it done is great,”
Enquist said. “It does reflect positively on our
gender.” Enquist’s team is the most recent Bruin squad
to bring championship hardware back to the Morgan Center, having
defeated Cal in the Women’s College World Series for the
second consecutive season. Goerl wasn’t explicitly aware of
the dominance of the women in her four years in Westwood, but when
it was brought to her attention, it invoked a feeling of
pride. “I didn’t know that, but that’s kind of
cool,” Goerl said. She then joked a bit about her male
counterparts. “It kind of sucks for the guys because
they’re not picking up their side.”
Why the women win Though it was somewhat veiled
with a chuckle, facts are facts. This begs an obvious question
““ why have the women been able to have such unprecedented
championship success in recent years, while the men have been just
a little less than championship caliber? The answer isn’t
quite as obvious as the question. It’s a complicated
situation with no easy explanation. According to Enquist, many
men’s sports have been around much longer than their female
counterparts and therefore have much more parity. It is
consequently much more difficult for a football team or a
men’s basketball team to sustain championship success every
year. But women’s gymnastics and softball are fairly young as
far as NCAA-recognized sports are concerned. UCLA softball has a
decided advantage over many up-and-coming programs from conferences
outside the Pac-10 simply because Pac-10 softball has been around
for decades. Non-Pac-10 schools like LSU and Florida State, both
with emerging softball programs, have only been in existence for
about 10 years. But as they establish their programs and receive
the funding and support of their athletic departments, support that
Enquist says is unrivaled at UCLA, other teams will undoubtedly
catch up. “As membership goes up, parity goes up,”
Enquist said. “In 10 years, the Pac-10 won’t be
dominating.” Women’s gymnastics experiences a similar
phenomenon. Like the Pac-10 in softball, just a couple of
gymnastics teams have dominated the national scene. In fact, only
Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA have ever won titles in the 23-year
history of NCAA women’s gymnastics. As other schools develop
their programs, that trend should stop. But until then, the Bruins
will undoubtedly be challenging for the national title every single
year. Stephenson doesn’t subscribe fully to the theory about
the ages of various sports. She feels many UCLA coaches deserve a
ton of credit for handling the immense pressure to succeed, and
even thriving in the face of it. “The reason they’re
winning is because they’re recruiting at the highest level
and coaching at the highest level,” Stephenson said. But
Stephenson’s answer may be too simplistic. There are plenty
of coaches at UCLA who are recruiting and coaching well, but not
winning national championships. Softball and women’s
gymnastics are still maturing on a national level, but UCLA has
benefitted from being there from the time they became
NCAA-recognized sports. This gave the Bruins a leg up on the rest
of the country, and has translated into prolonged success.
The will of a champion The explanation may go
even deeper than that. Antolin, who has had remarkable success in
her four years as a Bruin, feels that championship success is tied
to work ethic. “From the women’s sports that I know,
we’re all really dedicated in what we do,” she said.
“During our season, we’re not out partying, we’re
not out getting drunk. We’re really dedicated to everything
we’re doing and dedicated to our team.” Contrast that
to Antolin’s feelings about some of the men’s teams at
UCLA. “Some of the men’s sports, I know that they
don’t take themselves as seriously because they don’t
see themselves as national champions, and all of us do,” she
said. “Even if we don’t win a national championship, we
still see ourselves as national champions.” So it might just
come down to attitude. At least that’s how the other
champions explained their success. “Maybe it’s work
ethic,” said Goerl, adding that softball’s continued
success is based on the ability to recruit the best talent around.
“Everybody needs to have high expectations,” added
Mayorkas, who feels that the women’s golf team has a great
chance to repeat as champions next year. “Everybody is going
to keep getting better.” Antolin, Goerl and Mayorkas were far
from accusing the men of not working hard. But as champions, they
clearly know what it takes to get it done. That’s one way
that Stephenson accounts for the success. “National
championship success seems to breed national championship
success,” she said. And the recognition seems to be coming,
slowly but surely. Mayorkas speaks of people she comes across at
country clubs, congratulating her on her team’s title. Goerl
and Enquist are recognized in airports because of all the ESPN
coverage of softball. Antolin has seen more and more fans become
thoroughly engrossed with UCLA gymnastics as attendance continues
to rise. But the road remains an uphill battle because men will
probably continue to get more attention, regardless of their
success. “We work just as hard, if not harder, than all of
the men’s sports,” Antolin said. “Personally, I
feel like I’ve worked so much harder than a lot of people,
but I’m not always going to get the recognition that someone
else does. “I can’t dwell on that. I just have to know
that I’m putting everything I have into it, and regardless if
I get the publicity or the fans, I’m still a winner.”
She has the rings to prove it.
With reports from Seth Fast Glass, Bruin sports senior
staff.