GARDENA — Rewind to 2013, and no one had ever heard of Oluwole Betiku. A tall and bulky teen who was too large for soccer but not tall enough for basketball, the Nigerian native settled on football. Read more...
Photo: No one knew UCLA recruit Oluwole Betiku in 2013. That was before he attended the Xtreme Procision International Sports Camp and impressed Ricardo Davidson, who runs sports camps in Africa, and initiated the process that brought Betiku to the United States (Rivals.com)
Jonathan Garrick wants to be the best player in college golf. After leading UCLA with an average score of 71.2 last season, Garrick is currently the No. Read more...
Photo: Garrick won the Erin Hills Intercollegiate last weekend, his second career individual win in a tournament. While he says a couple other golfers around the country will challenge him, Garrick has his sights set on becoming the best. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
If it wasn’t for his high school counselor, Jason Falitz may have never raced a lap or gripped a water polo ball. He also may never have become John Burroughs High School’s all-time career scoring leader, the Los Angeles Times 1999 Player of the Year or the 2006 Western State Conference Player of the Year at Los Angeles Valley College. Read more...
Photo: Jason Falitz, the new assistant coach for UCLA men’s water polo, is known for his seriousness during practice and his light-hearted attitude away from the pool. Falitz has coached at almost every level. (Austin Yu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Feared. Humble. Reliable. Contagious confidence. The best player in the country. These are just a handful of words used to describe UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and former softball powerhouse third baseman Janice Parks. Read more...
Photo: (Courtesy of Samantha Ford)
Ka’imi Fairbairn had one chance at a Division I college football scholarship. It came in 2011, during his junior year of high school. The young placekicker asked his parents if they could help him pay for a trip to Las Vegas, so he could attend the prestigious Chris Sailer Kicking camps. Read more...
Photo: Senior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn went from kicking at trees in Hawaii to kicking on college-regulation field goal posts at UCLA every day in practice. His success helped spark a recruiting pipeline for kickers in the state of Hawaii. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Jordan Anderson was 5 years old when her parents found out she couldn’t play YMCA soccer. They watched as Anderson, having just been scored upon, found out for the first time in her life that her team was losing. Read more...
Photo: Last year at West Virginia, Anderson was named to the All-America Honorable Mention list after setting the Mountaineers’ single-season record for kills per set. She decided to transfer to UCLA because WVU coach Jill Kramer left for TCU. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Jordan Vale’s soccer career was forever changed by a single question. “What can he do to get on the team?” George Vale asked, directing the query to his son’s youth soccer coach standing in front of him. Read more...
Photo: After fighting inconsistency in his first years at UCLA, senior midfielder Jordan Vale is off to his best start this fall. Vale transferred from Syracuse after his freshman season. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)
