Whether or not you watched every single March Madness game, had your For You page flooded with content or have stepped foot on UCLA’s campus at all in the past few days, you have probably heard of UCLA’s women’s basketball national championship win. It was amazing to see the Bruins make their way from the Sweet Sixteen to the final championship game. They battled through every game and left everything on the court (I was biting my nails during the final four game against Texas). But their game against South Carolina served as a showcase of their talent and dominance. A phrase that’s been repeated in the conversations surrounding their win is that this is the team’s “first win in the NCAA”. While I believed myself to be a sports fan, I had no idea that there were college sports championships that existed outside of the NCAA. But the truth is that the narrative surrounding women’s sports is much older and much more complex than we give it credit for.
Since the early 1900’s, there was a growing demand from female students for the space and funding that allowed them to get involved in athletics. Following decades of dedication to organization and name changes, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics, or the AIAW, came to fruition in 1971. The AIAW was home to all women’s sports from badminton to basketball and helped to structure women’s sports teams on campus and hold national championships. It’s important to note that the AIAW was not just the NCAAs female counterpart; instead, it was its own entity. They were an essential part in structuring the future of female sports and helped grow the community and viewership. The association actually predates Title IX, a law which aimed to eliminate discrimination based on one’s sex in educational spaces, which wasn’t passed till 1979.
This leads us to the 1978 championship game. The UCLA team had only been in existence for four years, since its conception in ‘74. This team also had its first female athletic scholarship recipient on their roster, a young woman of the name Ann Meyers, who by the time she finished her time at UCLA was a four-time All-American title winner. Meyers was joined by Denise Curry and Anita Ortega (whose portrait you can find hanging in Bruin Cafe) in leading their team to a historic win. The Bruins overcame the University of Maryland’s Terrapins by a score of 90 to 74. The game had an incredible number of fans watching, that day, Pauley Pavilion saw an audience of 9,351. This game proved there was an audience who was ready and willing to spend money and fill seats.
Following the 1978 season, we would see the slow death of the AIAW. The organization came to fruition because the NCAAs’ hesitant owners refused to organize championships or fund women’s sports programs, forcing them to do so themselves. So it’s kind of sad that the story ends with AIAW fading from existence and the NCAA taking over around the early 80’s. However, their influence would be essential in shaping the future of women’s sports. All of those women who played in the ‘78 season would be instrumental in creating a culture of excellence and dedication that can still be felt in the team today in 2026.
I want to use my last few words to give the current team their flowers, especially the seniors: Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Angela Dugalic, Timea Gardner, Megan Grant, Giana Keepens, Kiki Rice and Charlise Leger-Walker. Five of which have already been invited to the draft. Coach Close has constantly highlighted their loyalty and growth not just as players but also as people. And I personally can’t wait to see most of them in the WNBA, helping to grow the sport and continuing to break history.