[Digest]: UCLA men’s soccer’s recruiting class named nation’s best

The Bruin men’s soccer team has been given the No. 1
ranking for its 2006 recruiting class, according to College Soccer
News. The new recruiting class has seven former or current Youth
National Team members and eight former All-Americans.

With UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo’s recruiting efforts, this
is the third time in four years the Bruins have had the No. 1
ranking for incoming players.

Along with the No. 1 nod, the same source deemed UCLA No. 8 in
its preseason poll.

Current Bruins Tony Beltran, Chance Myers and Sal Zizzo have
been selected to play for the U.S. Under-20 National Team in the
Milk Cup. The Cup will take place in Northern Ireland from July 31
to Aug. 4, where the U.S. is set to compete against Wales, Denmark
and an unknown competitor from either Northern Ireland, Paraguay or
Turkey for the final placement match.

UCLA boasts three players on the roster, which is more than any
other collegiate team.

SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Members of the Bruin
swimming and diving team will go their separate ways this week for
their respective National Championships. The swimmers will travel
to Irvine for the USA ConocoPhillips swimming nationals while four
divers will compete at the US Diving Kaiser Permanente National
Championships in Indianapolis. Both meets will begin Aug. 1.

“We are very excited,” diving coach Tom Stebbins
said. “I don’t think we have a chance to win or
anything but we do have one to be competitive and that’s what
it’s about.”

CHEERLEADERS: Pac-10 cheerleaders may perhaps
lose some options during performances, but their safety has been
enhanced with the decision made by the conference to ban
excessively dangerous moves. The banned skills include basket
tosses, elevator tosses and other similar multi-based tosses;
partner stunts in which the base uses only one arm to support the
top person; flips or twists into or from partner stunts;
two-and-one-half-person-high pyramids; and twisting tumbling
skills.

The Pac-10 is following suit after the American Association of
Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators implemented new safety
rules for basketball and indoor courts for 2006-2007. Along with
the adoption of these rules, the Pac-10 is also banning the
previously listed skills from any site where Pac-10 competition is
taking place ““including football fields.

Compiled by Erin Wagner, Bruin Sports senior staff.