The UCLA women’s water polo team will enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face off against No. 6 seed Michigan in the first round, May 8, in Maryland.
This marks the first time the Bruins have been ranked as the No. 3 seed or lower since they were No. 3 in 2006.
UCLA has won each of the last four national championships since 2005 and will be looking to take their seventh title overall.
The Bruins beat the Wolverines, 10-4, in Ann Arbor, Mich., during the Michigan Invitational on Jan. 25.
USC and Stanford earned the top two seeds in the tournament, respectively. The Bruins have faced off against the Trojans and Cardinal a combined five times this season and have lost all five games by a total of nine goals. UCLA most recently fell to Stanford in overtime in the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, 11-10. The Bruins have an overall record of 40-4 in 13 trips to the NCAA Tournment.
WOMEN’S GOLF
UCLA women’s golf team was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Central Regional Monday and will compete in NCAA Regionals at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course, May 7 through 9.
The top eight teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Championships in Maryland on May 19.
“We’re delighted with our selection to the NCAA Central Regional,” coach Carrie Forsyth told uclabruins.com. “It’s a course I’m very familiar with, and Tiffany (Joh) is familiar with it. It’s not a particularly tight course. The grass will be similar to Caves Valley (the NCAA site).”
The Bruins earned their spot with six tournament wins, more than any other school in the nation.
UCLA was held out of the West Region closer to home because Arizona State was also awarded a No. 1 seed and the western regional is being held at the Sundevil’s home course. Virginia earned the third and final No. 1 seed in the east region.
Sixty-three total teams received births to the tournament, 21 in each region. Seven of the 10 teams in the Pac-10 earned trips to regionals. Stanford and Washington are both in UCLA’s region as are conference champions Oklahoma State, Purdue, Wake Forest and Louisville.
UCLA won the Central Regional and finished as NCAA runners-up in 2008.
The team is coming off a third-place finish in the Pac-10 Tournament behind Arizona State and USC.
Compiled by Matt Stevens, Bruin Sports senior staff.