Starting punter Matt Mengel’s winding path to UCLA unveils natural talent

Thousands of Virginia fans were yelling and screaming as junior Matt Mengel trotted out onto the field for his first Division I punt. On UCLA’s sideline, after the Bruins’ went three-and-out on their second possession of the season opener against Virginia, the coaches called for Mengel. He was headed in – as the starter – […]

After injuries, women’s volleyball teammates get back on court together

They were on the bus when they got the call. For the first time in nearly a year, they were able to play. The last season for the UCLA women’s volleyball team, which proved to be disappointing after a missed NCAA championship qualification, can be defined by injuries early in the season. As can the […]

International players give men’s water polo team new edge

As men’s water polo practice winds down in Spieker Aquatics Center, team members clamber from the pool onto the deck, shivering slightly in the cool fall air. In their practice wear, some members represent their high schools, hometown clubs or the Bruins. In contrast, sophomore center Gordon Marshall’s suit is emblazoned with one word: “Australia.” […]

Scott Quessenberry dedicates season to brother with cancer

It started with a troubling phone conversation. On June 6, UCLA’s sophomore starting right guard Scott Quessenberry picked up his father’s call. Scott’s eldest brother, David Lee Quessenberry, at 24 years old and in his second year as a Houston Texans offensive lineman, had been diagnosed with T-lymphoblastic lymphoma, a rare and severe form of […]

UCLA to host Soccer Without Borders charity event

Every time she walks off a soccer pitch, Sam Mewis rolls down her socks, extracts her shin guards and takes her cleats off. The routine of putting on and taking off her equipment has become hardwired for the senior midfielder, who has been playing soccer almost all her life. But on Sunday, Mewis will leave […]

Women’s soccer’s Megan Oyster finds her center through adaptability

It was during a pregame meeting last year, before UCLA’s game at Notre Dame, when Megan Oyster saw something that made her heart skip a beat. Right there on the board inside the locker room, under one of two starting center back positions, was Oyster’s name. Even with the game just moments away, the first […]

UCLA football’s Nate Iese shuffles through many positions, finds niche

It was during an early fall camp practice in an 11-on-11 scrimmage play when a Bruin defender had the misfortune of meeting redshirt sophomore fullback Nate Iese in open space. Iese caught the ball in the flat, ran forward and barreled over him, the defender’s body crumpling in Iese’s wake. A spectator, watching the play […]