Kohlloeffel gets top seed in draw

A day after receiving the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament,
the UCLA men’s tennis team received more good news in the
individual draw Thursday.

Junior Benjamin Kohlloeffel, the nation’s No. 1 player,
earned the top seed in the men’s singles draw. Kohlloeffel is
37-4 this year overall and is the only Bruin in the NCAA singles
draw.

Kohlloeffel and doubles partner Phillipp Gruendler earned the
No. 2 overall seed in the doubles draw last week. The pair has lost
only twice this season and have won 20 consecutive dual
matches.

The Individual Championships take place at the Taube Tennis
Center in Stanford from May 18 to 29.

Coach Billy Martin was the last UCLA player to win the singles
title. Martin won the title in 1975 as a freshman for the
Bruins.

Four UCLA women’s tennis players also received at-large
bids to compete in the women’s singles draw

Sophomore Riza Zalameda, who made the semifinals last year, will
be joined by first-time competitors Laura Gordon, Tracy Lin and
Alex McGoodwin.

Gordon and Zalameda were also selected to compete in the doubles
draw for the Bruins.

LOWE TO N.C. STATE: Former North Carolina State
star basketball player Sidney Lowe will be returning to the
Wolfpack as the team’s head coach.

Lowe replaces Herb Sendek, who left North Carolina State for
Arizona State earlier this offseason.

Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin was offered the job, but turned it
down a week ago to remain an analyst with ABC and ESPN.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NABS RECRUIT: The UCLA
women’s basketball team has reportedly received a verbal
commitment.

Nina Earl, a 6-0 junior forward at Diamond Ranch High School,
will join the Bruins for the 2007-08 season. Earl led her team to a
CIF Championship last season.

Earl is a cousin of former UCLA Hall of Fame football player
Kenny Easley.

WOMEN’S TRACK: Junior pole vaulter Jackie
Nguyen and junior distance runner Ashley Caldwell both earned
Arthur Ashe Scholars Awards on Thursday.

The award honors minority athletes who excel athletically,
academically and in the community.

Nguyen is a physiological science major with a 3.70 GPA. She
recently won the pole vault competition in UCLA’s match
against USC, throwing a lifetime best 13-7.25.

Caldwell is a political science major and sports a 3.32 GPA. She
is a three-time All-American in cross-country and indoor and
outdoor track.

Compiled by Ben Azar, Bruin Sports senior staff.