A cut above the rest

What makes an athlete stand out? Is it pure skill? Is it overcoming adversity? Is it balancing skills on and off the field? A Cut Above the Rest explores the lives of four UCLA athletes. Junior running back Derrick Coleman is hard of hearing, so he reads lips and signals to get the plays on the field. Coleman's former teammate, Alterraun Verner, returns to UCLA after his rookie year in the NFL to complete his degree in applied mathematics. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, an Olympian now on the UCLA's gymnastics team, reflects on her individual success in 2008 and her team's national title in 2010. A potentially career-ending injury could not keep Atonye Nyingifa from coming back to start for the women's basketball team.

Derrick Coleman

Derrick Coleman's hearing impairment does not keep him from making a difference on the football field and in the community.

Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs

From childhood, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs has been training to be an Olympic athlete. In 2008, she saw her hard work pay off as she represented her home country of Canada in Beijing.

Atonye Nyingifa

Forward Atonye Nyingifa returns to the starting line up after ten months of treatment on her torn ACL.

Alterraun Verner

Former Bruin football captain Alterraun Verner returns to UCLA just months after finishing his first season in the pros with the Tennessee Titans.