Ten UCLA athletes to watch

As the 2014-2015 NCAA season begins to unfold, many UCLA coaches and athletes have expressed that a major part of their plans going forward is to add to UCLA’s tally of 111 national championships. Daily Bruin Sports has compiled a list of athletes who could lead their respective teams in the race to bring national championship No. 112 and beyond back to Westwood.

Brett Hundley, football

Following a 10-win season and an impressive Sun Bowl victory a season ago, there are expectations aplenty for UCLA football. Whether or not it is able to deliver on those expectations will likely rest on the arm and legs of quarterback Brett Hundley.

The redshirt junior returns for his third year as the Bruins’ starter after throwing for 6,811 yards and 53 touchdowns over the past two seasons, while adding another 20 scores on the ground. As a result, Hundley enters this season with his own set of lofty expectations to go along with those placed on his team, as the possible Heisman candidate has also been named to several preseason award watch lists.

Make no mistake, this is emphatically Hundley’s team. A Heisman campaign, jersey sales and, more importantly, his role as a veteran leader on and off the field make it so. The Bruins will go as far as Hundley can take them. And UCLA appears to be in good hands with the 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pound passer. Hundley possesses ideal size, a strong arm and good mobility that make him one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.

For Hundley and the Bruins to make the leap from being on the cusp to bona fide contenders, however, the quarterback must improve his deep ball accuracy and pocket awareness. Hundley must also improve his play against two of the conference’s top defenses in Oregon and Stanford, against whom he is a career 0-4 as a starter.

Still, Hundley appears primed for a strong 2014 campaign after a stellar end to 2013 that saw him throw one interception over the season’s final six games. Hundley and UCLA also get conference powers Oregon, Stanford and USC at the Rose Bowl, where Hundley is a career 10-3.

Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Myles Jack, football

Myles Jack broke onto the national scene last season as just a true freshman. A linebacker, Jack doubled up as a running back in the latter part of the season, scoring seven rushing touchdowns in the regular season’s final four games. His freshman campaign was good enough to win him Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year, a first-time feat in the conference’s history.

Headed into his sophomore season, Jack should be the UCLA football team’s second-biggest star behind redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley and he’ll likely slide into Anthony Barr’s departed role as the defense’s primary impact player. Though coach Jim Mora maintained during spring practice that Jack’s primary role will be on defense, expect Jack to get a few touches or two at running back in short-yardage packages this year.

Compiled by Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Norman Powell, basketball

After two years of being lost in Ben Howland’s slow, defensive system, Norman Powell had a breakout year last season in new coach Steve Alford’s more open, free-flowing offensive system. He more than doubled his point output from the year before, increased his shooting percentage from .434 to .533 and was arguably UCLA’s most consistent player throughout the season, along with guard/forward Kyle Anderson.

Now Powell, a guard and UCLA’s lone senior next season, will take on a new role as a veteran leader and one of the team’s primary scoring options. The sole returning starter from last year’s Pac-12 tournament title-winning squad, Powell will provide veteran leadership to a UCLA team that became much younger this season.

Powell excelled last year in transition and driving to the basket, but the key to further improving his game this season will be the development of his jump shot; he made just 29.4 percent of his three-pointers last season. Even without the jumpers, Powell’s thunderous dunks will be enough to make his presence felt.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Sarah Killion, women’s soccer

Sarah Killion, UCLA women’s soccer co-captain was voted Team MVP for the team’s championship season and is an obvious choice for a player to watch on the field of Drake Stadium in the coming year.

Killion, a senior, features in the team’s 4-2-3-1 starting formation in the defensive midfielder position, in which she’s allowed to impact the game on both ends of the field.

When tasked with defending, her ability to pull off crisp tackles or intercept passes makes her a reliable sentinel for an already formidable backline that only allowed an average of .31 goals per game.

On the other side of the field, Killion may not see the back of the net as often as the team’s wingers or center forward, but where she truly excels in the Bruin offense is creating goals. Killion’s role as a deep lying playmaker takes advantage of her ability to read runs and make the right passes. The midfield maestro ended last season with 12 assists, the highest on the team, and can be expected to continue to be the orchestrator of the Bruin offense next season.

When it comes to free kicks, Killion can once again play the role of provider and send across into the penalty box for her aerially inclined teammates. But she also has the option to take a more direct approach, and often lines up behind the dead ball alongside senior defender Abby Dahlkemper, another Bruin with a potent shot, to keep opposing keepers guessing on which of the two will try and force out a save.

Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Nirra Fields, women’s basketball

UCLA women’s basketball had a “big three” last season, but two of them were seniors. That leaves junior guard Nirra Fields as the one bearing the biggest responsibilities this year. The Bruins are bringing in their first No. 1 recruiting class in the program’s history. For the five freshmen though, there will be ups and downs in their first collegiate season.

Fields will be the one the team looks to for a steady presence. She’s a proven scorer from all areas of the floor, averaging 17.6 points her sophomore year. With the departure of forward Atonye Nyingifa and guard Thea Lemberger and their combined 33.2 points per game, look for Fields to be even more aggressive and featured more prominently in the Bruins’ offensive sets.

In each of her two seasons at UCLA, Fields has made leaps in maturing her game. Now look for her to take that next step in becoming a leader for UCLA, especially on defense, where her athleticism could have an even greater impact than on the offensive end.

Last summer, coach Cori Close said she was looking for Fields to become more vocal, which she improved to a certain extent. This season, Fields will have to have one of the loudest voices on and off the court. She’s not part of a “big three” anymore; Fields will have to be the driving force behind the team.

Compiled by Derrek Li, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Mackenzie McDonald, men’s tennis

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Mackenzie McDonald is only 19.

Glance at his accomplishments – NCAA All-American honors, qualification for an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event (making him the first unranked player to do so), and victories over top-100 professionals – and they seem like the work of someone many years older.

Watch the rising sophomore from Piedmont play – his rapid on-court movement and aggressiveness instrumental in setting up dominating groundstrokes, his consistency and complete game providing few openings to opponents – and he looks even more like a seasoned veteran.

McDonald is a former No. 1 recruit who has hit with Roger Federer, a kid who racked up 24 wins playing at No. 3 in the singles lineup last year, a player who ended 2014 ranked No. 23 by the ITA. And he won’t be 20 until next April.

With the departure of UCLA’s No. 1 and No. 2 players, Marcos Giron and Clay Thompson, McDonald is now the biggest star in the Bruin lineup, one who will play a key role in whatever the team accomplishes this year. There’ll be others supporting him, but there’s no doubt that McDonald will be the central cog driving the wheels of UCLA tennis. As Mackenzie McDonald goes, so go the UCLA Bruins.

Compiled by Anay Dattawadkar, Bruin Sports reporter.

Leo Stolz, men’s soccer

After playing as a defensive midfielder for most of his life, senior Leo Stolz was moved into an attack-oriented position at the beginning of last season. It’s a wonder that he wasn’t there since he began playing soccer.

Immediately, he created havoc in the middle of the field with his aggressive but controlled style. As a junior, he led the men’s soccer team with 11 goals and tied for the team lead with eight assists, helping lift the Bruins to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

His play didn’t go unnoticed, earning multiple awards at the end of the season including the Pac-12 Player of the Year award. Stolz was also nominated as a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate soccer player in the country.

In his senior year, expect Stolz to continue improving after a year’s experience playing with his attacking mindset as UCLA prepares for another run at the NCAA Championships. Last year ended in a heartbreaking fashion, when the team lost in the NCAA tournament’s third round at home on a sudden-death penalty kick. If the Bruins are to advance further in the tournament than last season, they’ll have to get another monster year out of their senior midfielder.

Compiled by Derrek Li, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Ally Carda, softball

Ally Carda has made incremental improvements in each of her three seasons at UCLA so far, and the next step could be winning the USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year Award.

Last year, Carda developed to the point that she was awarded Pac-12 Player of the Year, and was named one of the three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Her clutch late-inning performances both at the plate and in the pitching circle helped UCLA earn the No. 3 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Softball Tournament.

Carda’s 32 pitching victories ranked No. 6 in the nation, and she had four game-tying or go-ahead hits in the sixth inning or later. Despite her consistent improvement and increased impact from her freshman year to her junior year, Carda has yet to reach a College World Series with the Bruins. Last year, however, she and the Bruins were as close as they’ve been to reaching the World Series in Carda’s career, finishing just one win short of getting there.

If Carda’s trend of consistent year-to-year progression continues, it appears that 2015 could be the year for her to lead the Bruins over the hump and into the Women’s College World Series. If Carda does so, with individual statistics similar to last season’s, she could very well finish as the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Jake Arnitz, men’s volleyball

The moment John Speraw was named coach of UCLA men’s volleyball marked a new era of promise for the program. Capitalizing on his potential to lead the team to more national championships, Speraw began strongly recruiting for his new squad.

The freshman class of 2013 was the strongest in the country and Speraw followed up with an ever better recruiting class for 2014, of which four players were named to Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 of top recruits.

Topping the list of the 50 most promising newcomers is new Bruin Jake Arnitz, an outside hitter from Esperanza High School in Anaheim. Arnitz committed in the spring of his junior year, during which he was named Boys’ High School Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine.

It was during his junior year that Arnitz truly showed his capability on and off the court. After Esperanza graduated nine players following his sophomore season, Arnitz had to step up as both team captain and go-to scorer.

Despite the added pressure, Arnitz was still able to perform at a high level and proved his ability to be a prolific scorer, recording 688 kills in his third season. Under Arnitz’s leadership, Esperanza claimed the 2013 and 2014 CIF regional championships, the highest possible achievement for a high school team in California.

Arnitz’s capacity to lead and handle pressure will be crucial in his first season with UCLA, as the team faces a transitional season after graduating five seniors, three of whom were starting contributors. As an outside hitter, Arnitz will be looking to fill the voids left in the Bruins’ lineup by the departure of Gonzalo Quiroga and Robart Page.

Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.

James Kaprielian, baseball

Beginning in mid-February, Jackie Robinson Stadium will be the place to be on Friday nights.

This is where you’ll find UCLA baseball’s James Kaprielian on the mound, whizzing his assortment of pitches past batters for strike three.

After spending his freshman year in the bullpen, Kaprielian moved to the starting rotation for his sophomore year, becoming the ace of UCLA’s pitching staff. Despite just a 7-6 record in a down year for the team, Kaprielian compiled a 2.29 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched for the Bruins in 2014.

The junior pitcher has spent this summer pitching for the U.S. Collegiate National Team, where he has won both of his two starts, posting an ERA of 1.00 in nine innings pitched while striking out 14 batters.

On a UCLA team that will still be rebuilding next year after winning the 2013 national championship, Kaprielian is the star attraction. However, going into his third season, he will need to find more consistency out on the mound, especially early in games, in order to make the next leap in his development.

With that being said, the ace will be worth the price of admission to watch this upcoming season. Now that he has had a full year to adjust to being in the rotation, he should be even better than he was in 2014. Expect nothing less than another season of domination from James Kaprielian.

Compiled by Jason Drantch, Bruin Sports reporter.