The Rundown: May 10
UCLA men’s tennis coach Billy Martin, who was named the Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year, was one of the many Bruins to take home individual awards this week. (Kathy Chen/Daily Bruin)
By Tanner Walters
May 9, 2016 11:59 p.m.
Check out a breakdown of the UCLA sports stories you might have missed this week.
Tennis coaches earn honors
No. 2 UCLA men’s tennis has a ways to go before it knows exactly how to classify the 2016 season, but the coaches who have helped the team get to this point are already gaining recognition.
Billy Martin, UCLA’s head coach, was named the Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year for the Southwest Region. In his 23rd year at the helm, Martin helped the team to a 22-2 record thus far. He opened the year with his 500th career victory and oversaw UCLA’s 12th Pac-12 title since he took the coaching job.
Read more: Billy Martin’s legacy in Westwood.
First-year associate head coach Grant Chen became the fourth Bruin coach to win ITA Assistant Coach of the Year in the Southwest Region.
Chen helped the team to its undefeated mark in conference play following three years as Martin’s top assistant. Prior to being an assistant coach, Chen served as the team’s director of operations.
The national awards will will be announced May 24. Both Martin and Chen are eligible in their respective categories.
Women’s and men’s tennis regional awards
On the women’s side, senior Catherine Harrison was the lone UCLA representative honored, winning the ITA Southwest Region Senior Player of the Year.
The 2015 Pac-12 singles champion came just short of repeating in 2016, completing a runner-up campaign. Cal junior Maegan Manasse defeated Harrison twice, including in the championship match.
Harrison, the No. 17 singles player in the country, finished the year with a 16-2 dual match record. She was named to the All-Pac-12 first team following the Pac-12 singles tournament.
Junior Mackie McDonald, on the men’s side, was awarded the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for the Southwest Region.
McDonald finished the season 13-1 at No. 1 singles and ended No. 6 in the national rankings. This is the second regional accolade for the junior, as he was named the 2014 ITA Rookie Player of the Year for the Southwest Region.
Volleyball tourney team
Despite the fact that UCLA men’s volleyball was upset in the NCAA semifinals, the Bruins still had a player named to the 2016 NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore Jake Arnitz completed his turnaround season Thursday evening with a 18-kill performance in the semifinal loss to Ohio State.
Season recap: A bounce back year for men’s volleyball.
Arnitz, the No. 1 recruit in the country when he came to Westwood in 2014, hit just .227 in his first year with the Bruins. His sophomore campaign saw him take over 200 more swings total, with a hitting percentage of .313 overall.
He was the lone UCLA player who made the seven-player All-Tournament Team.
Conference recognition for Tautalafua
The regular season concluded with a flurry of awards for UCLA softball’s Brianna Tautalafua. The Pac-12 announced Monday that the infielder was named both Player and Freshman of the Week. It was her third conference honor in the 2016 season, following Freshman of the Week honors a month ago.
The Bruins finished the year with six wins in a row and Tautalafua stood out offensively in the wins over the Utah Utes during the final weekend. She tallied eight RBIs over two games, including a pair of three-run home runs.
UCLA will open the NCAA regionals in less than two weeks.
