Redshirt senior Kelly Rulon of the women’s water polo team is one of the most decorated team athletes to pass through UCLA. In her five years as a Bruin, she has been a member of four national-title-winning water polo teams, in 2003, 2005, 2006 and now 2007. The Daily Bruin’s Lauren Hartwick sat down with Rulon to talk about her career as a UCLA Bruin.
Daily Bruin: Tell me about your first experience in the NCAA Championship with the Bruins.
Kelly Rulon: My first experience was probably the most nervous I (have) ever been. It was in San Diego, which is where I’m from, so all my family and friends were there. But the final against Stanford was probably the weirdest game I have ever played.
DB: Why was it so weird?
KR: Just cause I was a freshman and it was the biggest game I had ever played to that point. I was starting, as a freshman, and we were playing Stanford who we had not beaten that season.
DB: Have those emotions of excitement and nervousness faded as you continue to play, and win, more intense and high-stake games?
KR: No, I don’t think they ever faded. The excitement has never faded, but the nervousness has decreased as I’ve gotten older with each year. Each year it’s a growing year and with each, you gain more experience and know the game more. I think I’ve gotten more confident. It’s always exciting to play in the NCAA.
DB: Is there a specific championship that stands out as particularly special?
KR: We were talking about this at our banquet. Each championship was so special in its own way and I wouldn’t trade any of them. My most favorite was probably last year against USC, when we thought we were going into overtime and everyone thought we would lose. It was such a great offensive game, it was 9-9 in the last couple of minutes, so a lot of goals were scored. We thought we would have to go into overtime but then Courtney (Mathewson) scored that great goal at the last second. That was the most exciting championship, but they are all my favorites.
DB: What do four NCAA Championships and an Olympic bronze medal mean to you as a player?
KR: The championship and the medals, it’s a great thing to have both, but at the end of the day it’s the experiences that I cherish above everything else, especially the friendships and the knowledge I’ve gained here. It’s about winning, but at the same time, it’s not. In the five years I’ve been at UCLA, I have been so fortunate, I couldn’t ask for anything more.
DB: Do you think that because of your level of experience, teams have come to expect more from you?
KR: Yeah, I think that maybe this year and last year my teammates have looked up to me and expect me to do more. But it’s just because I’m older and have been through more. It just comes with being older and having more experience. The expectations just get higher and higher, but that’s understandable because I have been through more.