What’s Bruin: Men’s Hoops Heads to The Palouse

Welcome to a hump day edition of What’s Bruin. Time is short so let’s get right to it.

UCLA Men’s Basketball

The UCLA men’s basketball team (11-9, 4-3 Pac-12) is under performing this year. Steve Alford’s fingerprints are still all over this contingent of players. But one must question whether it is as bad as whichever school Ernie Kent is coaching—in this case, the Washington State Cougars (1-6, 8-12). Tip off is at 7 pm PT. Look for more coverage on this match-up on Bruins Nation later today.

Men’s Track and Field

UCLA Track and Field used to be one of the crown jewel’s of UCLA Athletics. Unfortunately, under the “leadership” of our AD, the program has suffered over the last two decades.

One student trying to change this is freshman pole vaulter, Sondre Guttormsen, who broke a forty-one year old record at UCLA with an indoor pole vault of 18’ 8 3/4” (or 5.71 meters). Guttormsen beat the old record, set by Mike Tulley in 1978, by 2 ¹⁄₂ inches. Guttormsen, who is from Norway, also set his country’s all time record. Here is the vault:

I love his reaction. Gottormsen was selected as the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for his achievement. Congratulations, Sondre!

Men’s Golf

UCLA men’s golf finished a somewhat disappointing 6th at the Arizona Intercollegiate Tournament in Tucson, Arizona, yesterday, but one UCLA golfer, sophomore Devon Bling, recorded a hole-in-one on the Par 3 seventh hole at Sewailo Golf Club.

Congratulations, Devon, on a “bucket list” achievement for any golfer! Also, congratulations on having the most awesome name in golf.

Looking Ahead

Thursday

• The UCLA men’s volleyball team (6-2) will be in the center of the “polar vortex”, Chicago, Illinois, to play Loyola of Chicago (6-2) tomorrow night. Pack warm, gentlemen. It the HIGH tomorrow is supposed to be around 0 degrees in the Windy City. Thankfully volleyball is played indoors. UCLA will stay in the frigid Midwest a few more days, with a Saturday contest at Lewis University.

Friday (& some Saturday)

• UCLA women’s basketball will welcome the Washington State Cougars to Pauley Pavilion on Friday, February 1st, with a 8:05 p.m. tipoff.
• Track and Field will participate in the New Mexico Collegiate Classic starting on Friday and continuing through Saturday.
• Women’s Water polo plays three official games this weekend, not including Saturday’s afternoon Alumnae match. On Friday, UCLA welcomes Hawai’i, followed by back-to-back games against Loyola Marymount and Fresno State on Saturday morning. Look for more coverage on these games on Bruins Nation.
• Swimming and diving (8-0) are in the Bay Area this weekend, facing Stanford in Friday at 2 p.m. and UC Berkeley on Saturday at noon.

And now you know What’s Bruin with UCLA Athletics.


Go Bruins!