For a team that has found success throughout its history, the UCLA softball program can now add a new accomplishment to its resume.
On Sunday, the Bruins showed off their newly-built Wall of Champions, as alumni and family filled the Easton Stadium during an exclusive unveiling ceremony.
The wall, which features a mixture of interactive media and stand-alone panels, can be viewed upon entering the stadium, as it stretches from first base all the way around to third base.
“It’s more than just a wall, it’s an experience,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “To be able to have people come up and get an opportunity to have an interactive experience with the history, that separates us from everyone else in the country.”
The wall details the entire history of the UCLA softball program, including plaques of the team’s 12 national championships and comprehensive lists of former Bruins who were All-Americans and Olympians.
Even current players have attached a great deal of significance to the wall and what it could mean for the team going forward.
“(The wall is) a daily reminder of how many great people were here before us and how thankful we should be for everything that we have here,” said senior pitcher Ally Carda.
Among those in attendance was Shelly Aguilar Carlin, a catcher on the UCLA softball team from 1980-83, whose donation made the wall possible. Carlin’s contribution was the single largest donation from a former female student athlete the university has ever received,and she said she is ecstatic with the final product.
“It is everything I envisioned and more,” Carlin said. “It truly does, in a very visible way, demonstrate how unique and special the UCLA program is.”
While the inauguration of the Wall of Champions stands as a physical reminder of the past successes the program has experienced, the ceremony also sought to recognize the contributions of all former Bruins for their positive impact throughout the years.
“If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here playing softball today,” Carda said. “They gave back so much for the world of women in sports.”
Even though the alumni were the stars of the event, the bottom line for this program remains the same – continuing the success of the past and applying it toward the future.
“We need to recommit ourselves to the next 20, 30 or 40 years of UCLA softball and re-engage our alumni in what’s going to come next,” Carlin said. “More importantly, what are we going to do to continue to achieve the next level of greatness?”
As the Wall of Champions proves, greatness is something the Bruins have always striven for, and will continue to.