With an impressive showing at the 2009 WDIA National Championship Tournament in Scottsdale, AZ, the Bruins finished the post season 11th in the nation under the leadership of 4-year head coach, Nick Liebman. Liebman, who is moving on to pursue a new business venture in San Diego, remarks, "It's been a privilege and a pleasure to coach this amazing group, who continues to impress me both as players and as people. I want to thank the entire Bruin Lacrosse family for making the last four years such a fulfilling experience."

Congratulations to senior attacker, Sarah Strock, for earning 2nd Team All-American honors, junior center, Hayley Wheeler, for earning 1st Team All-American honors and junior goalkeeper, Emily Beugelmans, for earning All-Tournament honors at the WDIA Event.

The following Bruins were awarded for being stand-out players in the Western Women's Lacrosse League:

1st Team All-League - WWLL Division 1

Sarah Strock, Attack; Hayley Wheeler, Midfield

2nd Team All-League - WWLL Division 1

Lauren Ariniello, Attack; Kellee Quane, Midfield

All-League - WWLL Division 2  

Michelle Gertmenian-Wong, Midfield; Allie Simpson, Attack; Sam Slama, Midfield

For complete box scores and stats for the entire 2009 season go here.

For detailed recaps and more information regarding this year's WDIA National Championship see the WDIA Tournament Blog. 

The UCLA Bruins' 2010 season will kick off with their annual fall meeting for new and returning players on September 29. Have a fantastic summer!

For the third time in as many years, the UCLA Bruins have earned a bid to the WDIA National Championship. The national championship tournament is sanctioned by US Lacrosse, and this year is being held in Scottsdale, AZ from May 6th to 9th. The Bruins are one of 16 teams to earn a bid, out of over 150 around the country who compete in the WDIA.

UCLA began the post-season by taking third place in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League tournament. In the quarterfinal of that tournament the Bruins, then ranked 11th nationally, dominated 9th ranked UC Davis in an 18-10 win. In the semifinal, UCLA took UC Santa Barbara, ranked first in the country, to overtime but eventually fell 11-12. In the third place game UCLA faced Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then ranked 2nd in the nation. The Bruins battled to an 8-6 halftime lead then opened up a commanding margin in the second half, finishing with a 16-8 victory over the Mustangs.

UCLA enters the WDIA National Championship tournament as the 9th seed. Three other WWLL teams also earned bids: UC Santa Barbara enters as the 1st seed, Santa Clara comes in as the 2nd seed and Cal Poly enters as the 5th seed.

First up for UCLA in the WDIA tournament is 8th seed Michigan, who the Bruins will face at 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 6th. More information on the WDIA tournament can be found at US Lacrosse Events.

The UCLA women’s lacrosse team played its final home game of the year and celebrated Senior Day on Sunday, April 12. The Bruins faced Chico State, ranked 19th nationally, on UCLA’s North Athletic Field and prevailed 18-5. The four seniors honored were Gina Issacs, Kellee Quane, Sarah Strock and Stephanie Wu. Sunday's victory caps a six-game winning streak by the Bruins to close the regular season.

Last week, UCLA played at cross-town rival USC and dominated the whole game on the way to a 21-5 win. On Friday, UCLA traveled to Malibu where they defeated 16th-ranked Pepperdine University with a 16-5 final score.

The Bruins, ranked 12th in the latest WDIA National Poll, have won their last six games by an average margin of 13.2 goals. UCLA finishes the regular season with an 8-6 record but a +78 goal differential over all opponents. According to LaxPower, UCLA has the fourth toughest strength of schedule (SOS) in the nation.

The Bruins look to extend their winning streak into the WWLL Championship Tournament that begins April 18th at the University of California, Santa Barbara.