The Rundown: April 26
Myles Jack is projected to be a top 10 pick in most analysts’ mock drafts, but recent news of a chondral defect in his surgically- repaired right knee might cause teams to pass on the former UCLA linebacker. (Daily Bruin file photo)
Check out a breakdown of the UCLA sports stories you might have missed this week.
Injury drama for Jack
With the 2016 NFL draft just two days away, former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack’s stock has been compromised by news reports suggesting Jack suffers from a chondral defect in his surgically-repaired right knee. Last September, Jack tore his meniscus while running drills at practice.
The injury led Jack to drop out of school in order to focus his energy on rehabbing his knee and preparing for the draft. The plan worked – Jack was recently projected to be a top-10 draft pick, until now.
Reports surfaced last week concerning Jack’s knee – an issue he can play through but may require surgery down the line and impact the length of his career. However, as the draft fast approaches, this may be an overblown storyline designed to spook teams with high picks, causing Jack to fall into the hands of teams positioned lower in the draft.
Another high-ranking soccer class
UCLA men’s soccer entered last season with one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. What followed was one of the worst seasons in the team’s history. Now, with a top-ranked class of its own, the women’s program is hoping to chart a new course entering 2016.
Seven elite freshmen and one transfer make up the incoming group – one of the strongest in the history of the sport. Six of those freshmen are in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100, three of them are in the top 10 and two are the top pair overall.
Mallory Pugh, the top-ranked player in the country, became the youngest player in 11 years to make her U.S. Women’s National Team debut. Since then, she has made a total of seven starts.
Canada-native Jessie Fleming, who is ranked No. 10 overall, has played on the Canadian National Team since before she turned 16. Most recently, she helped the squad earn a spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics with a second-place finish at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The most recent addition to UCLA’s incoming class is Teagan Micah, Australia’s U20 starting goalkeeper.
Women’s golf enters regional play
No. 1 UCLA women’s golf fell behind early in last week’s Pac-12 championships before making a last-minute comeback. The Bruins couldn’t complete the attempt, falling shy of the No. 2 USC Trojans, as the rival school captured the championship.
UCLA was 13 shots behind USC entering the final round, and the deficit proved to be too much.
The Bruin players couldn’t take the individual title, either, finishing behind Arizona State freshman Linnea Strom (-11). Junior Bronte Law (-10) and freshman Lilia Vu (-8) rounded out the top three, with Vu tying USC junior Gabriella Then.
The team now enters regional play, which will take place May 5-7. The Bruins are the No. 1 seed in the Bryan, Texas regional.
