Football
Sam Connon, assistant Sports editor
Two Bruins got one step closer to the NFL last weekend.
Tight end Caleb Wilson and offensive tackle Andre James competed in the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. James did drills Friday and Wilson was on display Saturday.
Wilson ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, which ranked second among tight ends, behind only Iowa’s Noah Fant. Wilson was the “example” player for each of the drills, with NFL coaches turning to him to demonstrate each stage of the gauntlet.
Wilson – who led NCAA tight ends in yards and receptions last season – measured in at 6-feet-4.25 inches, but his 29-inch vertical leap ranked 17th among the 18 tight ends at the combine.
James measured at the same height as his teammate, but weighed in 59 pounds heavier at 299 – ranking 55th of 57 offensive lineman in Indianapolis. The left tackle also recorded the same vertical leap as Wilson, but that mark was good enough to tie James for 14th out of the 39 offensive lineman who did the drill.
Wilson is projected to go somewhere in the first three rounds, while James is expected to go in the back half.
Women’s basketball
Joy Hong, assistant Sports editor
A trio of Bruins earned all-conference honors this week.
The Pac-12 announced its 2018-2019 All-Conference Teams on Tuesday morning after No. 25 UCLA women’s basketball (19-11,12-6 Pac-12), along with the rest of the conference, wrapped up conference play last weekend.
Sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere received a spot on the 15-member all-conference team for the first time. Onyenwere – who averaged 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game during the regular season – was part of the all-freshman team last season.
Onyenwere averaged 20.4 points per game during Pac-12 play and has logged 11 double-doubles on the season.
Senior guard Kennedy Burke earned all-defensive team honors in addition to honorable mention for the all-conference team. Burke averaged 14.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during the regular season and logged double figures in 16 of the 18 Pac-12 contests.
Burke currently sits on UCLA’s all-time scoring list at 18th and ranks sixth in the conference in field goal percentage.
Redshirt freshman guard Lindsey Corsaro earned a spot on the all-freshman team after sitting out the majority of her first two seasons at UCLA. Corsaro averaged 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds during the regular season as a starter and registered double-figure performances in five games.
UCLA will travel to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament and will face the winner of Arizona State and Colorado on Friday morning.
Men’s volleyball
Gabriel McCarthy, assistant Sports editor
The Bruins had two players receive national recognition this week.
No. 5 UCLA men’s volleyball junior outside hitter Austin Matautia and freshman outside hitter/libero Cole Pender both received weekly awards. Matautia was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Offensive Player of the Week and Pender was named in the Off the Block national position players of the week.
Matautia posted a career-high 22 kills and 11 digs in the five-set match against No. 6 Pepperdine, including nine and six kills in the third and fifth sets, respectively. The Bruins were behind 2-0 in sets before coming back and clinching the match in the fifth set.
Matautia has logged 34 total kills across his past two appearances for the Bruins and hit for .378, including a .486 hitting percentage against Pepperdine. The junior is now third in total kills this season with 150, behind redshirt junior Brandon Rattray and junior middle blocker Daenan Gyimah.
Pender led UCLA with a career-high 12 digs against the Waves, playing in all five sets for the Bruins and recording one assist. Pender’s previous season high for digs was nine against Lindenwood and Stanford.
UCLA will face Ohio State and Penn State this weekend at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge hosted by USC.