UCLA Did Remarkably Well During First Season in Big Ten

The UCLA Bruins took off in their inaugural year as members of the Big Ten.

Dec 20, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close (left) talks with forward Janiah Barker (0) during the third quarter against the Creighton Bluejays at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Now that the full athletic calendar has finally drawn enough of a conclusion for a thorough evaluation, the UCLA Bruins' report card for their opening year as members of the Big Ten looks remarkably good.

There were whispers, if not full statements, that UCLA could be the weak link out of the four West Coast schools joining the conference due to a lack of consistent success in the big revenue sports, branding, and other factors, but turns out, the move was probably the best thing for UCLA.

Recently, Oregon Ducks On SI's Ally Osborne put together a ranking based on the number of championships won between the West Coast members of the Big Ten.

Oregon was ranked No. 1 after winning eight conference championships, however, it has zero tournament wins.

UCLA came in second with three conference championships in women's gymnastics, Baseball, and men's golf and three tournament wins in women's soccer, women's basketball and men's tennis.

"The UCLA Bruins take the second spot not just with wins in women's gymnastics and men's golf (and a share of the baseball championship after beating Northwestern)," Osbourne wrote. "But also with their three tournament wins.

"Though USC took home the Big Ten Championship due to their 80-67 win over the Bruins, the Bruins did come back and beat the Trojans in the post-season for the Big Ten Tournament Championship 72-67. Their women's soccer and men's tennis post-season wins also contribute to a successful first year in the Big Ten."

Crosstown rival USC finished third with three championships and zero tournament wins, while Washington came in fourth with one championship and no conference wins.

UCLA did remarkably well across all sports. Football rebounded from a tough start to finish the season strong, picking up shocking wins at Nebraska and against Iowa.

The Women's team shocked the nation, becoming the number one ranked team for a period of time, winning the Big Ten Tournament, and making their first ever trip Final Four.

The Bruins were led by first-team All-American Lauren Betts, winner of the Lisa Leslie award.

In gymnastics, U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles has impressed, while in Baseball, Rock Cholowsky has continued to dominate the dirt.

A great year for the men's and women's sporting Bruin blue.

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