Battle of the Editors: Which UCLA athlete shines brightest under the Big Ten lights?
Sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani attempts a kick (left) and junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette elevates for a kill (right). (Left to right: Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor, Nicolas Greamo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Kai Dizon, Ira Gorawara, Aaron Doyle, Connor Dullinger, Sabrina Messiha, and Una O'Farrell
Oct. 29, 2024 11:50 p.m.
UCLA has been an official member of the Big Ten for just under 100 days. With fall sports in full swing – and some nearing their final stretch – Daily Bruin Sports editors debate which athlete has kicked into the highest gear in their new conference.
Carson Schwesinger, football
Ira Gorawara, Sports editor
Carson Schwesinger played tight end in high school.
He’s now a linebacker for UCLA football – entirely reinventing his identity after walking on to the team as a freshman.
Well, I’ll be clearer. The redshirt junior is arguably the best linebacker in the Big Ten, leading the tough-as-nails conference in solo tackles this season.
With 72 total tackles and two sacks to his name this season, Schwesinger has rendered his 2023 statistics nearly forgettable. He amassed just 12 tackles across four games last year, a figure he has far surpassed halfway through the Bruins’ first campaign in the Big Ten.
Schwesinger’s stint as a high school tight end seems to have sharpened his skills on the gridiron, giving him the ability to read plays and respond with precision and finesse. He’s riding a five-game streak of double-digit tackles, proving a legitimate threat across the middle of the field.
UCLA’s defense has admittedly fallen short of last year’s benchmark. After losing NFL first-rounder Laiatu Latu, Gabriel and Grayson Murphy, and Kamari Ramsey after last season, newly minted defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe has yet to conjure up a complete replication of 2023.
And through the rebuilding phase, Schwesinger has proved a linchpin of Malloe’s corps, anchoring the unit with his composure and leadership.
Once a walk-on, now a scholarship player.
Once a tight end, now a standout linebacker.
Few in Westwood – and few in the Big Ten – can plagiarize those words.
Mateen Bhaghani, football
Kai Dizon, assistant Sports editor
The offense has sputtered for most of this season.
The defense has taken a huge step back compared to last year.
For UCLA football, special teams have shined brightest.
And it’s been kicker Mateen Bhaghani spearheading the effort. The sophomore is 10 for 12 in field goals this season – and a perfect 11 for 11 in extra points.
A 110,047 crowd stripe-out at Beaver Stadium? No problem.
From 47 yards out in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? All good.
Bhaghani alone has scored over a third of UCLA’s points. Prior to the Bruins’ 35-point showing in Piscataway, New Jersey, Bhaghani’s contributions were up to 41.4%.
Last season, field goals proved difficult for a tandem of former Bruin RJ Lopez and then-redshirt junior Blake Glessner. The former went 6 for 11, while the latter was 2 for 6. In Bhaghani, the Bruins have found a cure to their kicking woes.
Distance, too, hasn’t fazed Bhagnani. The San Diego local’s long this season is 54 yards. In comparison, Lopez’s career long is 47, and Glessner’s is 35.
Success is nothing new to Bhaghani, even if the Big Ten is.
As a freshman at California, Bhaghani kicked 8 of 9 field goals and 29 of 29 extra points. But whether it be increased travel, new opponents or adjusting to life in Westwood as a transfer – Bhaghani hasn’t been shaken.
Jack Rosencrans, cross country
Aaron Doyle, assistant Sports editor
All of UCLA cross country’s athletes are navigating new terrains in the Big Ten.
But Jack Rosencrans’ journey stands out.
The graduate student transfer made one of the biggest leaps into the 2024 season. Not only did he come to UCLA amid its conference transition to the Big Ten, the Glen Head, New York, local is also jumped from the NCAA’s Division III to I.
In his Bruin debut, Rosencrans notched a team-leading finish at the Gans Creek Classic in September. Programs from Power Five conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten didn’t seem to faze the newcomer after Rosencrans secured the Bruins’ sole top-100 finish at the competition.
Rosencrans continued to build on his momentum during the squad’s final regular-season meet at the Bill Dellinger Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Rosencrans notched the second-highest individual placement for the Bruins, improving upon his 95th-place finish at the Gans Creek Classic to place 54th overall. His contribution led to the squad’s first team placement all season, a 12th-place finish.
Prior to his arrival in Westwood, Rosencrans spent four years at Pomona-Pitzer and was a two-time competitor at both the NCAA Division III cross country and track and field championships. In 2021, Rosencrans contributed to Pamona-Pitzer’s national championship win in the men’s 8k race after recording a 24:32.9 finish – good enough for 56th individually.
Rosencran’s biggest challenge yet lies at UCLA’s inaugural Big Ten Championship this Friday.
With the strides he has made so far, Rosenscrans is set to make another impressive jump in his first-ever NCAA Division I postseason meet.
Jose Contell, men’s soccer
Connor Dullinger, assistant Sports editor
When the time is right, Jose Contell pulls through.
While the redshirt senior forward is no stranger to lighting up the score sheet – logging 12 goals and 16 assists in his previous three years in Westwood – he has struggled to produce in 2024. Contell failed to notch a goal or an assist in the first five games this season, despite playing for at least 60 minutes during each contest.
However, this theme changed as soon as the Valencia, Spain, local stepped onto the pitch for his first Big Ten conference matchup.
Although he has yet to score in a nonconference affair, Contell has recorded four goals and one assist since those first five games – all coming against Big Ten adversaries.
Contell’s first goal – a penalty kick against then-No. 14 Northwestern – was the only goal of the contest and pushed the Bruins to their first Big Ten victory in program history.
Following the Bruins’ match against the Wildcats, Contell scored and assisted in a 2-2 draw against Penn State, scored the winning goal against then-No. 2 Ohio State, and added a score in a 3-0 victory over Rutgers.
Contell’s impact isn’t limited to the field, either.
As one of UCLA’s veterans, Contell adds stability, experience and wisdom to a team full of depth and promising young talent. On the field, Contell is a leader for the team, adding energy and passion when the team needs it most.
With Contell’s ability to rise to the occasion, it is evident that the Big Ten has given him a warm welcome.
Edrey Caceres, men’s soccer
Sabrina Messiha, assistant Sports editor
Graduate student midfielder Edrey Caceres was named to his conference’s second team three years in a row.
But unlike most of the UCLA men’s soccer roster, who have Pac-12 experience, Caceres represented the Big East until he transferred this past offseason.
During his three-year career at Marquette, the Houston local scored nine goals and played in every game over his final two years as a Golden Eagle.
Now, in his first season as a Bruin, he’s scored five goals – a team high – and has played in every game this season, starting in all but one.
In his UCLA debut, a regular-season game against then-No. 11 Loyola Marymount, Caceres put two shots into the back of the net, leading the team to a 2-0 win to kick off its season. His other three goals followed against Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana – all Big Ten teams.
Caceres’ first shot against Ohio State helped spur UCLA to an underdog win against the then-No. 2 team in the country. The second shot by Contell followed only 81 seconds later, handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.
Now an integral part of UCLA’s starting lineup, Caceres has adapted seamlessly to both his new conference and new team.
Cheridyn Leverette, women’s volleyball
Una O’Farrell, assistant Sports editor
Junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette wasted no time in making an impact for UCLA women’s volleyball’s inaugural season in the Big Ten.
The Hampton, Georgia, local notched a career-high 29 kills against No. 11 Purdue earlier this season – the highest by any Bruin since 2021.
Leverette currently leads the team with 280 kills across the season – ranking her eighth in kills across one of the most competitive conferences in the country, behind outside hitters from four top-25 teams.
The captain is just eight kills away from beating her 2023 season total, with 10 matches left in the team’s conference slate.
The junior’s performance has already led UCLA to two ranked wins this season against then-No. 14 Georgia Tech and then-No. 24 Washington and pushed the team to fifth sets with three other ranked opponents.
The outside hitter has also taken on a leading defensive role, notching a career-high 16 digs against then-No. 12 Minnesota.
The Bruins have failed to make the NCAA tournament since 2021, and many doubted that UCLA would make an impact in its new conference full of top-10 ranked opponents and Elite Eight competitors.
But under Leverette’s leadership, the team has kept itself afloat in the Big Ten, and 2024 might just be its year to reenter the 64-team competition.