UCLA Athletics Top Moments of 2021
It's been a long year for the Bruins – one filled with chaos, wonder, extreme highs and crushing lows.
In some ways, it wasn't different than any other year for UCLA Athletics. UCLA gymnastics went viral, UCLA softball dominated, the school added on another national title and alumni continued to impress. But UCLA men's basketball also returned to national prominence in the most dramatic way possible, UCLA football finally took a step forward with a couple of massive memorable wins and the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic raged on through it all.
Here are All Bruins' picks for the most memorable, defining moments of the year
Jan. 23: Nia Dennis goes viral on the floor
Dennis had already carried the torch from Peng-Peng Lee and Katelyn Ohashi by taking the internet by storm in 2020, and she followed that up by doing the same in 2021.
Her "Black Power" floor routine featured songs from Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and others, in addition to the flips, tucks and turns that hardly anyone else in the country could match. Dennis may not have earned a perfect 10 that day, but she scooped up more than enough praise for her performance.
Millions of fans watched the video of the routine – which helped carry UCLA to a season-opening win over Arizona State – many of whom were some of the most iconic celebrities on the planet. Janet Jackson, Common, Kerry Washington and former First Lady Michelle Obama shouted her out online, and Dennis would go on to be a featured performer at the 2021 Met Gala thanks to all of the exposure.
What the routine meant to Dennis in the moment, as well as what it brought to her and her career after the fact, made it into a monumental example of how influential the Bruins can be when everything goes right.
Feb. 24: Megan Faraimo's perfection shines through
(Photo Courtesy of Ross Turteltaub/UCLA Athletics)
Much like Dennis going viral on the floor, a no-hitter is nothing new for the Bruins in the circle.
A perfect game is slightly more rare, and Faraimo achieved one in typical dominant fashion early on last season.
Faraimo had already tossed two no-hitters entering the game against San Diego State, but she took a step up when she threw UCLA's 19th-ever perfect game that Wednesday afternoon. The performance was key in lifting the Bruins to a 19-1 start on the season after having their 2020 campaign cut short.
The sophomore needed just 64 pitches to buzz through the Aztecs in her team's 14-0 five-inning win. Faraimo had much better days in terms of forcing swings and misses and picking up strikeouts, considering she only had five that day, which means she changed up her style and proved she could dominate opponents as a ground ball pitcher as well.
If Faraimo's offense hadn't given her so much run support, she was so on top of her game that she could have carried the perfect performance the full seven innings, possibly even longer. As it stands, it was a brief, unmatched moment of dominance.
One of the craziest things about Faraimo's outing is that it only barely helped her ERA, since she already boasted a minuscule 0.78 entering the game.
Even on a pitching staff with the all-time great Rachel Garcia, Faraimo put up the best stats in the circle on UCLA in 2021, and this early-season historic gem was a big reason why.
March: UCLA men's basketball returns to the Final Four
The Bruins are the winningest program in the history of men's college basketball, and they won their 11 national titles by steamrolling their opponents behind some of the most iconic and important figures ever to take the court.
It had been a long time since UCLA had reached anywhere those heights, though, and many around the country have tried to bump them from the upper echelon of blue bloods.
Not anymore.
The Bruins ended last regular season losing three games in a row, then got upset by Oregon State in their first game of the Pac-12 tournament. Barely sneaking into March Madness, UCLA overachieved and somehow played the role of lovable underdog through it all.
Down late against Michigan State in the First Four, the Bruins forced overtime and won to make it into the field of 64. Wins over BYU and Abilene Christian got UCLA into their first Sweet 16 since 2017, where they matched up with No. 2 seed Alabama and won in overtime again in dramatic fashion.
UCLA took on No. 1 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight, grinding out a 51-49 win that once again came down to the last possession. Even when the journey got cut short by a half court buzzer-beater in the Final Four against undefeated Gonzaga, the Bruins were still praised for their efforts and ability to rise to the occasion.
Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. became folk heroes in Westwood and beyond, and the team as a whole was beloved to say the least.
March 21: UCLA men's water polo secures NCAA championship
(Photo Courtesy of NCAA Photos)
The only title the Bruins won this year was an unexpected one, even if the talent and team clearly had a high ceiling to begin with.
Because by the time the postseason rolled around, UCLA was hanging on by a thread.
The Bruins opened the year 0-2, and after winning five of the next six, they lost to Cal and USC to wrap up the regular season and to Stanford and USC in the MPSF tournament. Having lost four games in a row, UCLA would have to take the long road through the NCAA tournament, barely having made it there to begin with.
Wait a second, where have we heard that before?
UCLA took care of business against Cal Baptist, then squeaked out one-goal wins over Stanford in the semifinals and USC in the finals to win the team's 12th and the school's 119th national championship.
Behind elite talent like Nicolas Saveljic, Jake Cavano and Tommy Gruwell, the Bruins had returned to the top of the water polo world and secured another banner in the process.
Aug. 8: The summer of Jrue Holiday ends with gold
The first names that come to mind when someone says UCLA and NBA are probably Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Reggie Miller. Even looking at guys who play today, the names most people will bring up first are Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love.
It isn't as if Jrue Holiday is a complete nobody, but he proved this summer that he deserves to be thought of as one of, if not the best former Bruin in the Association today.
A brief stint in Westwood preceded Holiday going in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, which sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers. Holiday made the All-Star team as a 22-year-old but then the 76ers dealt him to the New Orleans Pelicans and he was hardly ever mentioned on the national stage again.
But the second he arrived in Milwaukee, Holiday made the most of the spotlight that came with playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Holiday finished the 2020-2021 season as a member of the All-Defensive First Team, also winning the NBA's Sportsmanship Award. In the playoffs, he helped lift the Bucks to their first NBA championship since Abdul-Jabbar led them to one in 1971.
And right after picking up his first-ever ring, Holiday hopped on a flight to Tokyo and helped Team USA bring home its fourth-straight Olympic gold medal.
Holiday is a jack-of-all-trades glue guy, but that doesn't mean that's all he is. Holiday is a winner, a stat-sheet stuffer, an elite teammate and a Bruin through and through – this summer only further proved it.
Sept. 4: LSU win sparks hope, gets Rose Bowl bouncing
A season-opening win over Hawaii helped UCLA fans exhale a bit, since coach Chip Kelly had finally won a nonconference game and a season opener.
But what really got Bruin nation to buy in early on this season was the win over the Tigers.
UCLA came into the matchup unranked, while LSU was No. 13 in the country. Even with a solid number of people picking the Bruins, it was expected to at least be close.
It was not, even if the 38-27 final score suggests it was.
LSU scored first, then UCLA immediately answered with a 75-yard touchdown from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to tight end Greg Dulcich. Running back Zach Charbonnet proved his performance against Hawaii was no fluke, and he went for 117 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries.
Receiver Kyle Philips put the nail in the coffin midway through the fourth, taking one down the sideline before breaking two tackles and spinning away from top NFL prospect Derek Stingley to score a 45-yard touchdown. At that moment, not long after the Rose Bowl debuted its new light show between quarters, the crowd of 68,000 reached its loudest point of the night.
The win catapulted UCLA up to No. 16 in the AP Poll, and even if their stay there didn't last long and LSU proved to be a mediocre team by year's end, the Bruins had briefly earned the respect of the country and were being praised for dominating the trenches against one of the elite programs in the nation.
Oct. 23: College GameDay comes to Westwood
(Photo Courtesy of Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)
By the midway point of the season, the Bruins had largely dropped off the radar, even if they were still beating the teams they should and remaining in the hunt for the Pac-12 title.
In order to reach that mark, they needed to beat then-No. 10 Oregon, making their October showdown must-see TV.
And what better way to capitalize on being must-see TV than bringing the No. 1 show in college football to town.
ESPN announced it would be bringing its College GameDay crew to Westwood for the first time ever, and the hype began to build. Students camped out overnight, the speculation of who the guest predictor would be picked up a ton of steam and all eyes were on the Bruins and Ducks the whole week.
When the time came, Wilson Plaza was packed with students and alumni alike, UCLA men's basketball was featured on the show and not even the rainy early-morning environment could keep the people down. Bill Walton came back to his old stomping grounds to make his picks for the day, and when Lee Corso donned the Bruin head at the end of the segment, the vibes peaked big time.
The game itself was close, and if not for a last-minute injury to Thompson-Robinson on the potential game-winning drive, the Bruins may have actually pulled off the upset. Still, the experience back on campus and the surrounding hype was memorable enough, and could help draw people to the blue and gold moving forward.
Nov. 6: Crosstown victory leads UCLA women's soccer to another Pac-12 title
(Photo Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)
The Bruins managed to win two Pac-12 titles on the pitch in 2021, but their second stood out as the bigger of the two for a handful of reasons.
The COVID-delayed 2020 season ended with UCLA boasting the conference crown after they went 9-1-1 and capped things off with a double-overtime tie versus USC. The stakes were even higher in the fall, though, with the Bruins and Trojans going head to head to decide the Pac-12 champions.
UCLA needed a win to take the title for themselves, while a tie or loss would mean USC got it. So in the do-or-die matchup that would also decide if the Bruins could close the regular season out undefeated, there was clearly a lot on the line.
Forward Reilyn Turner and midfielder Olivia Athens scored in the 18th and 23rd minutes, respectively, putting UCLA in the driver's seat early on. When USC made it 2-1 in the 78th, the Bruins weren't fazed and midfielder Marley Canales scored in the 83rd to end all hope at a Trojan comeback.
The sold out crowd at Wallis Annenberg Stadium showed their team with applause, and the rivalry win was all the sweeter for them knowing just how much they robbed from their crosstown foes in the process.
Nov. 12: Pauley Pavilion rocks in UCLA men's basketball's overtime win over Villanova
UCLA fans had already experienced what it was like to return to raucous crowds when the football team hosted LSU, again during College GameDay and throughout the fall at Olympic sports events too.
But on the hardwood, the epic overtime showdown between the Bruins and Wildcats was the fanbase's first chance to experience a packed and rocking Pauley Pavilion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those who managed to get in, it didn't disappoint.
UCLA announced a sold out crowd for its game against Villanova, the second contest of the regular season but most notable home game of the nonconference slate with the Wildcats ranked No. 5 in the country at the time. A Big East powerhouse and recent two-time national champion, Villanova was about as high-profile an opponent coach Mick Cronin possibly could have booked, and he made sure his team came in prepared for the showdown.
With 9:24 to go in regulation, however, the Bruins were trailing 60-50. A few 3-pointers by point guard Tyger Campbell shrunk the lead momentarily, but UCLA was still down multiple scores heading into the final minutes.
Juzang hit a couple free throws to cut the deficit in half, then guard Jules Bernard banked in a floater with 30 seconds left to tie it up. Campbell, Juzang and Jaquez poured on the points in overtime, and the Bruins escaped with an 86-77 win that got their home crowd loud – a true return to the glory days of Pauley Pavilion.
Nov. 20: UCLA football's historic blowout against USC
Debate all you want about how much it really meant or how good or bad the Trojans were in 2021, but there's something about this year's matchup that makes it an unforgettable victory.
Maybe it's the fact that UCLA scored more than it ever has against USC, or maybe it was the fact that it was one of the Trojans' worst defensive performances in the history of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oh, and Thompson-Robinson made some truly iconic highlights, hurdling a defender on his way into the end zone and signing a fan's hat while celebrating another score en route to the 62-33 win.
Thompson-Robinson, after throwing picks on his first two pass attempts of the day, went on to post one of the best – if not the best – statistical performance by a UCLA quarterback in the 102-year history of the program. After starting 0-of-4, Thompson-Robinson went 16-of-18 with 398 total yards, six total touchdowns and a 325.1 passer rating from that point on.
USC being bad may help contextualize where UCLA truly stood nationally this season, but it shouldn't rob Bruin fans of a chance to hold onto this one for a long, long time.
If nothing else, fans are always welcome to mock their rivals for being awful, and that's what the Trojans were throughout 2021 and especially that November afternoon.
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