This post was updated May 9 at 11:05 p.m.

2023 had all the makings of a rebuilding year for the Bruins.

After losing its top two singles options and being left with two upperclassmen starters among a sea of younger players, UCLA’s on-paper inexperience was bound to dictate its destiny.

And yet, the Bruins have reeled in as many honors this season as the undefeated conference champions.

No. 14 freshman Fangran Tian and No. 7 sophomores Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle represented UCLA women’s tennis in this season’s conference awards, as announced Thursday. Tian secured Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year while Hance and Wagle earned Doubles Team of the Year, giving UCLA two accolades, and No. 6 Stanford took the remaining half.

“They’re (Tian, Hance and Wagle) going to see a lot of success if they keep up this same great attitude that they have,” said senior Sasha Vagramov. ” (I’m) truly excited to see what they can accomplish in the years to come.”

Tian has stolen the show for the Bruins from the first dual match of the season, rattling off 16 consecutive victories at No. 1 singles before finally falling to No. 6 Chloe Beck of Duke on Saturday. She becomes the latest in a now nine-person-long line of Bruins that lay claim to the honor, the most of any program in the conference.

But none of the eight that preceded her went undefeated in their maiden regular-season campaigns like Tian did.

“Her biggest strength is her attitude on the court. She’s so mature and really knows what she wants to do and how she wants to play, and she executes it so well,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “Everyone loves to watch her compete because it’s such a joy.”

Along Tian’s journey from No. 94 in the country to 9-16 seed in the upcoming NCAA singles tournament, the freshman phenomenon has dethroned ranked opponent after ranked opponent, totaling eight ranked wins. Five of those victories came against players sitting in the top 50, and two were three-set victories that proved instrumental in UCLA’s 4-3 upsets of then-No. 4 Ohio State and then-No. 5 Pepperdine.

Only two freshmen in the nation stand above Tian in the rankings – No. 8 Reese Brantmeier of North Carolina and No. 11 Maddy Sieg of USC – the latter of whom she has defeated twice this season.

Freshman Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer said Tian’s recognition meant all the more to her given the relationship they share.

“I’m so happy that someone I love so much was able to get that award,” Lutkemeyer said.

Hance and Wagle, meanwhile, have gone 14-5 in dual-match doubles play, claiming seven of their first eight completed contests of the season and winning seven straight heading into the postseason.

Following an ITA Southwest Regionals doubles title in the fall, the sophomores opened the regular season at No. 11 and reached as high as No. 4 in the ITA doubles rankings by the time the Pac-12 tournament rolled around. Hance and Wagle are the seventh team in program history to receive the award.

Though the duo lost both its NCAA tournament matches this weekend in tiebreakers, Sampras Webster maintains that growth is never a concern for her top doubles option.

“When I coach, it’s really just a collaboration of, ‘Hey, what are we going to do here?’ because they know so much,” Sampras Webster said. “For them, the growth is really that they have all the shots, they have a lot of weapons, it’s all about execution.”

All three honorees were also selected for the NCAA individual tournaments that follow the team format, earning All-American status and ensuring their seasons won’t end when UCLA’s does.

“If they (Hance and Wagle) get a good draw in the individual tournament, they could make a big run to win that doubles championship,” Sampras Webster said. “And so could Tian. I really believe that.”