That right when you’re on top, drama happens, and it flips.

It’s a phenomenon no ball club can avoid.

One UCLA (39-10) has seemingly mastered this season. Displayed in moments like Savannah Pola’s walk off single that lifted the Bruins over Virginia Tech 7-6, and into the Los Angeles Regional final on Sunday at 3 p.m.

“In that moment, my mindset was like ‘no fear of failure,’ because no matter what my teammates are gonna have my back,” Pola said about her seventh inning hit that drove in first baseman Jordan Woolery for the winning run. “It takes all of us.”

“I knew Sav, behind me, was going to get the job done,” Woolery added. “It doesn’t come down to one person. It’s the whole team.”

The victory was the Bruins’ fifth comeback this season after trailing by four or more runs. They trailed 4-0 after two innings, only to take a 5-4 lead in the fourth on Maya Brady’s sacrifice fly.

They lost that advantage on a solo homer by the Hokies in the top of the fifth, then the Hokies took a 6-5 lead in the seventh that could have been worse if an obstruction call on catcher Sharlize Palacios wasn’t overturned upon review.

That set the stage for the Bruins (39-10) to manufacture another stunning victory. Megan Grant walked to lead off the frame. Pinch-runner Taylor Stephens came around on Jordan Woolery’s game-typing triple that nearly cleared the fence in right field. Liesl Osteen ran for Woolery and scored easily on Pola’s single to left to kick off the celebration.

Those five comebacks this season stem from the undying trust the Bruins have in one another. The resilience that gave left fielder Jadelyn Allchin the rightful confidence to declare that they’re never out of it until the final pitch.

That was all certainly present after the second-inning, when the Bruins trailed 4-0 and Inouye-Perez gathered her team.

“I brought the team together and said, ‘They won the first. Dump it. Move on.’”

“We understand our sport,” she continued. “Right when you start to think you’re on top, you’re not. If you live in the past or you worry about the future, the game’s done and you never made an adjustment.”

The Bruins decision: Turn to Friday’s starter, Kaitlyn Terry.

Terry (20-1) entered Saturday’s game after Taylor Tinsley pitched 1 ⅓ innings and allowed four runs, three of which, earned. Tinsley put the Bruins in a three-run hole, self-inflicting mistakes compounded to extend that gap, but Terry came in and quelled the Hokies bats.

The best thing about the freshman pitcher, Inouye-Perez said after her win Friday, is that Terry owns her blunders. Her maturity is so impressive that when mistakes do occur she remains undeterred.

Terry has proven techniques to excel at this, but also adapts to each situation. And as Virginia Tech kept scoring runs, Terry stayed calm.

She paid little attention to the video review that succeeded Cori McMillan’s first-inning home run, instead focusing on throwing warm-up pitches to Jayla Castro. She retired seven straight batters after conceding an RBI single to Addy Greene, the second batter she faced.

And when Greene’s fifth-inning shot tied the game, she had the humility to let catcher Sharlize Palacios’s leadership steady her.

“I’m fine,” she told Palacios, as the redshirt senior walked to the mound for a timeout.

“Just take a breath,” Palacios replied.

Terry obliged.

“She’s young, she’s fiery,” Inouye-Perez said about Terry. “But she settled in.”

Terry pitched 5 ⅔ innings, striking out two, giving up seven hits and two runs. She held Virginia Tech (40-13-1) at bay, which proved crucial as the Bruins battled back, inning by inning, not necessarily playing small ball, but finding ways to string together baserunners.

Thessa Malau’ulu and Janelle Meoño reached base to spark the offense in the third inning. Meoño beat out a high ground ball she hit toward Hokies shortstop Annika Rohs before Brady loaded the bases with another infield single.

Two at bats later, Megan Grant mirrored Brady, slapping a ground ball at second baseman Cameron Fagan. Fagan’s bobble allowed Meoño to come home and Brady read the error early to score from second and make it 4-2.

In the bottom of the fourth, the instincts to beat out those grounders turned into the patience to earn free bases.

Pola and Seneca Curo both worked walks after being down in the count before advancing to second and third off of a wild pitch. Malau’ulu then blooped a single that barely left the infield to tie the game at four and Brady hit a sacrifice fly to give UCLA its first lead.

“This is a very offensive game,” Inouye-Perez said. “Your ability to trust your hitters, that they’re prepared for those moments, to do those types of things. We were able to beat some shifts. We were able to get some of our short game down, but it’s just quality at bats.”

The Hokies added a run in the top of the sixth before taking a 6-5 lead in the seventh.

But, as the Bruins have done all season, they relied on one another in the fight back.

“It’s a belief,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re playing UCLA softball. We believe. It’s always somebody different, which makes me so proud.”

Grand Canyon (49-12) broke Game 4 of the Los Angeles Regional open across the last two frames. The Antelopes scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to regain the lead and added four more in the seventh for a cushion that proved crucial to their 9-7 win over San Diego State.

They advance to play Virginia Tech, who lost to UCLA, at 9 p.m on Saturday.

The Aztecs built a 4-3 lead after A.J. Murphy and Angie Yellen connected for back to back home runs in the fourth inning. But, they simply couldn’t stay out of their own way, which became a theme for the whole game.

Pitcher Allie Light underthrew first baseman Mac Barbara allowing Brynn-Jordan Smythe to reach base and Savannah Groshing-Kirk advance to third. Groshing-Kirk scored an unearned run on a ground ball that trickled between Light’s legs, before Makaiya Gomez’s single gave the Antelopes a 5-4 lead.

GCU extended the margin to five in the seventh, but the Aztecs had more than enough chances to walk it off in the bottom of that inning. Incoherent baserunning hindered that effort. They left the bases loaded and their season ended.

Groshing-Kirk had three hits over four at bats and scored two runs. Leadoff Ashley Treirweiler added three hits and three RBIs, while Megan Schumacher earned the win a relief effort.

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  UCLA’s Maya Brady hits an RBI double during the second inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Maya Brady scores a run during the first inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Sharlize Palacios, center, celebrates with her teammates after hitting a home run during the second inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. Palacios added a second homer later in the Bruins’ 9-0 win. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA pitcher Kaitlyn Terry throws to the plate during the first inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Seneca Curo beats a throw to third base during the first inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  Grand Canyon pitcher Megan Schumacher throws to the plate during their NCAA regional opener against UCLA on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Sharlize Palacios celebrates after hitting a home run during the second inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. She added a second homer later in the Bruins’ 9-0 win. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA outfielder Janelle Meono catches a fly ball in front of the wall during their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  Grand Canyon’s Mackenzie Nolan bobbles the ball at third base during their NCAA regional opener against UCLA on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Sharlize Palacios runs the bases after hitting a game-ending home run during the fifth inning of their NCAA regional opener against Grand Canyon on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

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  UCLA’s Sharlize Palacios, center, smiles as her teammates congratulate her after her game-ending home run in the fifth inning of their 9-0 rout of Grand Canyon in an NCAA regional opener on Friday night at Easton Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

LOS ANGELES — There’s a softball nesting in the pines right behind Easton Stadium’s right field wall.

Blame UCLA catcher Sharlize Palacios for that.

It traveled there off the end of her bat in the second inning to give the Bruins a six-run lead against Grand Canyon. It soared a few feet higher than the second one she hit three innings later, which put an early end to Game 2 of the Los Angeles Regional on Friday night.

“I like hitting to the outside part of the field,” Palacios said. “I’m just trying to stay loose.”

That simple trick must be the formula to her hitting seven home runs over the last 12 games.

Palacios contributed to five runs in the Bruins’ 9-0 victory over the Antelopes, which ended in the fifth inning because of the run-rule. She helped UCLA (38-10) advance to play Virginia Tech (40-12-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Grand Canyon (48-11) will face San Diego State (31-18) in an elimination game at approximately 4:30 p.m.

“Hitting is contagious and this team did a great job,” head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “That overshadowed the freshman K.T. (UCLA pitcher Kaitlyn Terry), what she did in the circle.”

Terry (19-1) pitched five shutout innings, giving up just two hits, while striking out seven. If not for her brilliance – notably her ability to work out of a second-inning jam – Palacios’ second home run might not have incited the run-rule that early.

“If she makes a mistake and a hitter gets a hit, she can lock back in,” Inouye-Perez said about Terry. “Long balls are part of the game in this day and age, but it’s not the hit or what happens. It’s what you do next and she settled in.”

After shortstop Maya Brady scored on Megan Grant’s sacrifice fly to give UCLA a 1-0 lead, Terry almost conceded that advantage right back to the Antelopes.

In the bottom of the second, GCU’s Katelyn Dunckel hit a one-out single, then advanced to third after Makaiya Gomez doubled off her. Terry, though, struck out the next two batters to keep Grand Canyon scoreless.

Six of her seven payoff pitches nestled on the outside corner. Four of which got Antelopes looking. She broke that trend in the top of the fourth only to whiz a fastball past the swinging bat of Ramsay Lopez.

“KT is really locked in,” Palacios said. “She’s just going through her process. Those outside pitches were dotted, she was doing a really good job.”

Rather than the offense overshadow her performance, as Inouye-Perez put it, she sparked theirs.

At this point, there’s no question whether Maya Brady has the proverbial green light when facing a 3-and-0 count. That’s the level of confidence bestowed upon players who earn consecutive Pac-12 Player of the Year awards, as the Bruins shortstop has.

“I was lucky enough to be here with the Rachel Garcias and the Bri Perezs and the Aaliyah Jordans,” Brady said of her tenure at UCLA. “I felt like I could kind of hang on their coattails and just try to hit, and play center, and whatever. But I think this year, more than ever, my leadership has been super important.”

It showed in the bottom of the second inning when Brady found herself in a spot where most players wouldn’t have been ceded unconditional freedom.

UCLA was ahead 1-0. The bases were loaded, with nowhere to put her. She had watched three balls pass by. Instead of waiting for a fourth, she pounced on the next pitch, lofting it into center field for a double.

Brady had three hits, two RBIs and scored two runs. Her second-inning hit scored Seneca Curo and Thessa Malau’ulu. She got the Bruins’ bats going before Palacios completely broke the game open.

UCLA added one more in the third inning when Jadelyn Allchin doubled home Malau’ulu for her second run of the game before Palacios’ second shot sent the Antelopes packing early.

Like her first deep shot, which is presumably still nested in those trees, the Bruins left no doubt that they weren’t succumbing to a similar fate as last season.

On Wednesday, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez didn’t let that predictable storyline – regarding UCLA’s loss to GCU in this exact spot last season – breath any air. These are two very different ball clubs, she said, citing the momentum these Bruins have built as a primary reason.

UCLA backed that sentiment up Friday.

“It’s easy when it’s easy, it’s easy just to play ball. It’s tough to lead, especially when you’re being challenged,” Inouye-Perez said. “Every year, there’s a different identity because there are different people, there’s different leadership. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

The California Collegiate Athletic Association player of the year, Tosi was recently named D2CCA West Region Player of the Year.

Already selected CCAA First Team All-Conference and NFCA First Team All-Region, Tosi ranked second in conference with a .435 batting average and was the second most walked player this season with 28 free passes in 48 games.

“(Tosi) continuously raised the standards in our program and has made a tremendous impact on her teammates,” CSUSB softball coach Dee Payan said. “Her impact on this program goes far beyond the softball field.”

Tosi notched 10 doubles, seven home runs, 31 RBIs and 26 runs scored this season, and was the second-toughest player to strike out in the CCAA with just six whiffs in 177 plate appearances.

“What most people don’t get to see is the countless hours she invests in mastering her craft to be able to consistently perform at a high level,” Payan said.

A graduate of Garden Grove High School, Tosi hit .401 in her first year in 2022 and was twice the CCAA Player of the Week last season on the way to a slew of postseason first-team selections.

“(Tosi) will leave here as one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever put on a Coyotes softball jersey,” Payan said.

Tosi is CSUSB’s fourth conference player of the year and first since Morgan Ratliff in 2019, and the program’s first D2CCA player of the year.

An all-CIF-Southern Section Division 5 first-team selection and a CIF-SS Athlete of Character, Tosi was Garden Grove High’s female athlete of the year in 2021.

CSUSB’s up-and-down season ended in a 3-2 loss to Cal State East Bay in the opening round of the CCAA tournament on May 1. Tosi went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI but the Yotes were unable to climb back from an early 3-0 deficit.

ALVAREZ WINS BIG WEST STEEPLECHASE

UC Riverside’s Norma Alvarez won the 3,000-meter steeplechase as the Highlanders collected a slew of top marks at the Big West Conference championships at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Sunday.

Alvarez won in 10 minutes, 36.36 seconds, less than 10 seconds ahead of teammate Carolinh Calvert (10:43.84) as UCR placed fifth overall with 93 points to record its best finish since 2016.

On the men’s side, Ashraf Abdelmagid was second in the 3K steeplechase (8:53.44), setting a school record in the process.

BRONCOS REACH D2 TOURNAMENT

The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team is headed to the NCAA Division II tournament for the 16th time after securing the No. 4 seed in the West Regional.

The Broncos (31-22 overall) is headed to San Diego for a three-team sub-regional hosted by No. 1 seed Point Loma Nazarene and featuring CCAA regular-season runner-up Cal State San Marcos.

Head coach Randy Betten is making his ninth appearance with Cal Poly Pomona in just his 13th year with the program. Betten led the Broncos to national semifinal appearances in 2015-16.

CMS EARNS D3 AT-LARGE BID

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team snagged an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, announced on Monday.

CMS (30-13 overall) will head to an NCAA Regional at East Texas Baptist, where it will open play against Concordia (Texas), in a four-team regional that also includes Centenary (La.).

The Stags are making their first tournament appearance since 1996. This season’s team has tied the program record for wins set in 1972. This is their sixth tournament appearance since 1978.

ODDS & ENDS

California Baptist University’s Matias Reynaga won the men’s 1,500 at the Western Athletic Conference track and field championships at Orem, Utah. … San Bernardino Valley College women’s soccer players Samantha Ramirez (Hillcrest HS) and Sarina Castillo (Patriot HS) will transfer to Cal State Dominguez Hills and Greenville (Ill.), respectively … Riverside City College hired Samantha Wellman as its new sports information director, replacing Nicho Del Valle. Wellman previously served in CBU’s athletics department.

“Jen, who is fantastic, identified Eric right away,” USC president Carol Folt said then, in opening remarks announcing Musselman as .

And Cohen’s influence has only become more apparent in the month and a half since, as USC has brought in trusted coaches from her longtime days at Washington to fill out Musselman’s armada of assistants.

On Thursday, former Washington assistant Quincy Pondexter announced he had been hired at USC as part of Musselman’s staff. A former seven-year NBA veteran, Pondexter returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach under former head coach Mike Hopkins in 2021, who had been hired by Cohen in 2017 during her time as Washington’s athletic director. Pondexter also played four years for the Huskies, from 2006-2010, while Cohen was working in development offices at Washington.

It’s Musselman and Cohen’s second hire out of Washington, as they have also plucked longtime assistant Will Conroy away from Hopkins’ staff after his two seasons as the Huskies’ associate head coach. Conroy, similar to Pondexter, played at Washington in the 2000s while Cohen was a department employee, and .

It will likely complete major hires on Musselman’s staff, as the program tries to put the In addition to Pondexter and Conroy, Musselman has brought longtime Arkansas staffers Anthony Ruta, Todd Lee and son Michael Musselman with him to USC.

UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez learned to avoid that ambush circa 2010, she says, when winning her first national championship as a coach reshaped her outlook.

“The trap is thinking that ‘you’ve got to do more, you’ve got to do something different,’” Inouye-Perez told the Southern California ɫ����̳ Group on Wednesday. “For us, we’re just wanting to continue to play softball, find consistency in what we’re doing.”

That starts Friday, when sixth-seeded UCLA (37-10) hosts Grand Canyon at 5:30 p.m. in the Los Angeles Regional. Virginia Tech and San Diego State, which open the regional at 3 p.m., round out the quadrant.

Grand Canyon (48-11) upset the Bruins in this exact spot last season. Then another defeat, at the hands of Liberty the following afternoon, ended the Bruins’ season.

“We got cold at the wrong time,” Inouye-Perez said Wednesday, addressing the losses in last year’s Los Angeles Regional.

“I just think softball kind of has a funny way of shifting momentum,” redshirt senior Sharlize Palacios said. “I think at that moment last year, we just didn’t have the momentum. I don’t think it was anything more, anything less. I think this year, we’re in a really good spot.”

Inouye-Perez’s favorite part about coaching college sports is the natural progression. Juniors becoming seniors. Viewing each team as its own entity.

Despite the Bruins returning the majority of their starters, that theory is relevant. For example, Palacios, who missed the Los Angeles Regional last season due to a left hand injury, is available, healthy and peaking, just named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Then there’s the expectations surrounding this iteration of UCLA softball, which, Inouye-Perez says, couldn’t have been more dissimilar from ones of recent past.

But what separates this team from others is the Bruins have shed those expectations, overcome the many low points this season has offered, and are using it to fuel a postseason run.

UCLA started the season dropping three of its first five games. Starting pitchers Kaitlyn Terry and Taylor Tinsley were underclassmen searching for their flow. They found it just as the offense began to click, and that coalesced and led to 21 wins over the next 23 games.

“There’s no failure throughout the season because you’re just learning,” Inouye-Perez said.

The Bruins can relate.

Inouye-Perez said they’ve learned how to manage success and disappointment, prepare for different pitchers and adjust their defense to match the opponent.

UCLA has also earned the right to say it’s never out of any game until the final pitch.

“Continuing to have the belief that we’re going to get it done regardless of what’s going on,” outfielder Jadelyn Allchin said. “I’ve seen it happen. I’ve been a part of making it happen.”

Before transferring to UCLA from Washington in August, Allchin scored a run and had an RBI double as the Huskies completed the first six-run comeback in the NCAA Tournament since 2000.

She and the Bruins completed a similar feat last Friday in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinal when they scored six runs in the fifth inning to overcome Arizona’s four-run lead to advance to the final. Two weeks prior to that, they scored 11 unanswered runs over the fifth and sixth innings to erase a 7-0 Wildcats lead.

“I wasn’t really worried about that game,” Allchin said, scoffing at the margin. “I was like, ‘Seven runs, we got it.’”

That unabashed confidence stems from experiences, surging through those moments with her teammates. The Bruins have embraced what this season has thrown at them, recycling it into a profound trust of their teammates.

“I just want to play another seven innings with my girls,” Palacios said.

That’s the Bruins’ mindset heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Regionals consist of three games, three separate teams, the potential of facing 16 different pitchers. It’s a challenge unlike regular-season series against a singular ball club. Yet the trick is to treat it as such. And if the Bruins want to emerge out of the Los Angeles Regional, they’ll have to attack it in that way, in the same manner they do each time.

“Still keeping it simple to where we focus on this one game,” Allchin said. “The first game is most important, then we’ll move on to the next game.”

NCAA Softball Tournament, Los Angeles Regional

When: Friday

Where: Easton Field at UCLA

Game 1: Virginia Tech vs. San Diego State, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)

Game 2: No. 6 seed UCLA vs. Grand Canyon, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

“They were completely in sync,” Riley said then, speaking of USC president Carol Folt, the Board of Trustees and more, “about what they felt what USC football could be, what they felt like that we needed to do to make up the gap. And they were totally united on doing anything and everything possible to help get us to that point.”

And “everything possible,” it’s perfectly clear, meant backing up the truck to bring Riley aboard.

USC paid Riley $10 million in a combination of base salary and benefits in the 2022 calendar year, according to its newly released tax forms obtained via university request by the Southern California ɫ����̳ Group. That figure made Riley the fourth-highest-paid coach in college football in 2022, behind Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart, judging by reported compensation

That’s not all. Riley was paid $19.7 million by the university in total that 2022-23 fiscal year, thanks to an additional $9.6 million in what IRS form 990 labels “other reportable compensation.” In a statement to the Southern California ɫ����̳ Group, USC clarified that additional amount went toward Riley’s buyout at Oklahoma, in addition to paying the taxes due on that amount, which was classified as taxable income to Riley.

First reported by on Wednesday, the document is the first look inside the head coach’s much-discussed contract at USC, which places him squarely alongside some of the luminaries of college football. It’s unclear what Riley’s salary was in 2023 and what it will be in subsequent years, as tax records only become available a year after the previous fiscal year has been completed. Saban, Swinney and Smart, however, all saw their salaries jump from 2022 to 2023; given the commonality in how coaching contracts are structured, it’s highly likely that Riley’s base pay has only increased since.

He was hailed as a savior at USC in his first season in 2022, accelerating USC’s rebuild to a stunning 11-3 season. But USC stumbled in 2023, in a well-documented 8-5 finish. And the clear reality of USC’s investment into Riley, in addition to other financial commitments detailed in the tax forms, only intensifies the importance of continued progress in the program’s foray into the Big Ten Conference.

Consider this: USC’s second-, third- and fourth-highest paid employees in 2022 – then-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, men’s basketball coach Andy Enfield and former football coach Clay Helton – are no longer with the university.

Grinch, in particular, was paid nearly $2 million in base salary in 2022, and was given an additional $2.3 million in “other reportable compensation,” like Riley tied to his buyout from Oklahoma. That solidifies him as one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the nation during his tenure at USC, which ended in after a couple of years of shaky defenses under Riley.

Meanwhile, Helton, amid a highly scrutinized seven-year tenure at USC, made nearly $4 million off his contract buyout in 2022. In other words: Helton was , the program that knocked off USC, . Helton was paid more not to coach at USC than Folt ($3.7 million) was paid to run the entire school in 2022.

Between Grinch and Helton, USC committed more than $8 million in 2022 – in addition to the nearly $20 million it paid Riley – to two coaches who are no longer employed at the university. In due time, if the program reaches the heights on “the climb” Riley references, those funds will have been well spent in the eyes of USC fans for glory restored at the Coliseum.

But the climb, no matter the destination, has come at a steep cost.

“I love this university, and I’ve been honored to lead these talented young men and women here in Westwood,” Anderson said in the statement. “I have been extremely blessed to have this chapter in my life, but I’ve chosen to retire from coaching.

“I’ve poured my heart and soul into UCLA’s track and field and cross country programs, and I would sincerely like to thank all of our hard-working student-athletes for their trust in me. I’ll always be a Bruin, and I’m forever grateful for my time here.”

Anderson, a UCLA alumnus, took over as Director of Track and Field in 2017 and has since led the Bruins to five men’s Pac-12 individual titles and seven women’s Pac-12 event titles. He was named the conference’s men’s track and field coach of the year in 2019.

He showed compassion and openness when he penned an .

“I want change because I love my fellow humans,” Anderson said in the letter. “It’s because I love my fellow humans that I take action on racial inequality, gender equality, gun violence, homelessness and so on. Because I love you I don’t want to see anyone senselessly killed by the police for no good reason. So the starting point on my road map to make change starts with Love.”

Anderson’s coaching career also included stops at Cal State Northridge and Kansas State after a college career as a dual-sport athlete at UCLA. He helped the football team win a Pac-10 title as a wide receiver and played in the 1994 Rose Bowl while winning four Pac-12 championships as a member of the 4×100 relay team.

Ben Royer of the Daily Bruin was the first , formerly known as Twitter. UCLA Athletics has not provided any further details.

“s������ ,” Harris posted on X on Wednesday morning in response to a post that she was in the transfer portal.

shhhhh

— selena harris (@selena_harriss)

Harris had removed “UCLA gymnastics” from her X bio, but the team remained in her Instagram bio as of Wednesday afternoon.

The sophomore is coming off a highly successful season that included three 9.95+ routines in three consecutive meets and four perfect 10s. She was one of two UCLA gymnasts to qualify for the NCAA Championships as an individual, along with Chae Campbell, and tied for third place on balance beam.

UCLA struggled to find consistency in its scores this season as gymnasts’ injuries forced much shuffling of the lineup. Harris provided honest thoughts when the Bruins reached a season-high score, at the time,:

“We were tired of losing,” Selena Harris told reporters.

UC President Michael Drake had recommended that the $10 million payments begin with the 2024-25 school year and continue through the end of the 2029-30 year, representing the term of UCLA’s Big Ten media rights contract. Members of the regents’ Special Committee on Athletics, however, called for another review of the payment amount after three years, prior to the 2027-28 school year.

Some committee members expressed concern about locking in the $10 million amount for such an extended period, noting that financial conditions at both universities could change.

“If the world is drastically different, we should have another look at it,” Regent Richard Sherman said during the panel’s meeting at UC Merced.

Sherman initially asked that the amount be reviewed after one year, but other members objected, eventually settling unanimously on the three-year review.

With that amendment, the panel approved the arrangement, with Regent Keith Ellis dissenting, saying he felt the payment set a bad precedent.

During the discussion, Student Regent Merhawi Tesfai said he was concerned about the payment, saying, “I think we’re essentially hurting UCLA as they move to a more competitive conference.”

He ultimately voted in favor following the amendment.

The full Board of Regents is expected to consider the matter Thursday.

The dissolution of the Pac-12 was brought on by in favor of the Big Ten Conference. That move was followed by multiple other Pac-12 schools also jumping to other conferences. .

In late 2022, the UC Board of Regents gave its approval of UCLA’s move to the Big Ten, but that approval included a condition that UCLA make an annual payment to Berkeley ranging from $2 million to $10 million, generally offsetting losses in media-rights suffered due to the Pac-12’s demise. The final figure was to be based on an analysis of media-rights packages secured by UCLA in the Big Ten.

In a report to the board this week, Drake’s office concluded that “there will be an approximately $50 million difference between UCLA’s Big Ten contract and UC Berkeley’s agreement with the ACC. As a result, the president is proposing that UCLA contribute $10 million a year to UC Berkeley, the top end of the range established by the Regents in December 2022.

“In the event that there is a significant change in revenues and/or expenses for either campus, exceeding 10% over 2024-25 pro forma assumptions, UCLA’s contribution commitment will return to the Regents for further evaluation and potential action,” according to the UC president’s office report.

The report estimated that the current Big Ten media rights deal will net UCLA nearly $60 million a year, while Berkeley will collect about $11 million per year during its first seven years in the ACC.

“Beyond UCLA’s contribution, Cal Athletics will continue to work diligently to be fiscally responsible, priding itself on being able to achieve excellence on and off the playing fields while operating the department in a cost-efficient manner,” according to the report.

“In addition UC Berkeley is evaluating other solutions to address the financial gap. These include the development of new department revenue streams, additional philanthropic support, consolidating athletic scholarships to the campus Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, and an additional extraordinary payout from athletics-related endowed funds.”

“We are excited to welcome Gabriela Jaquez into our Bruin Softball Family! Gabriela is a fierce competitor and will add to the depth and versatility of our running game this postseason,” softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said in a statement released by UCLA Athletics. “As a standout student-athlete on the UCLA women’s basketball team, Gabriela recognizes and upholds our strong Bruin values.”

UCLA softball did not offer any further comment or interviews as the team prepares for postseason play.

Jaquez was a dual-sport athlete at Camarillo High, playing third base during her freshman, junior and senior years, and was named a 2022 All-Coastal Canyon League second-team player following her senior season.

She hit .244 that year with 10 hits, eight RBIs and one home run in addition to going 2 for 2 on stolen base attempts.

Jaquez became known for her grittiness and in her sophomore season with the basketball team and started six games.

She averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds per game along with 22 steals and would do whatever it took for the team – and apparently, that’s true for the softball team, too.

“Gabriela has always been a passionate softball player. I remember going to our NCAA tournament games and Gabs was there as a high school senior, so this has been such a cool passion for her,” women’s basketball coach Cori Close said in an official comment.

“I’m thrilled! You know, if she can help our team and she can be a part of that – and it doesn’t take anything away from what she’s doing from a basketball perspective – so why not? Let her pursue her passion, let her help our amazing softball program, and I can’t wait to cheer her on!”

UCLA softball is the No. 6 national seed as it begins the NCAA tournament this weekend and will host the four-team Los Angeles Regional, which begins on Friday. Virginia Tech, San Diego State and Grand Canyon will also be competing in the regional.

The Bruins open their 39th tournament appearance Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Grand Canyon.