History was made on the softball diamond Friday as UCLA senior Megan Grant crushed her 37th home run of the season, tying the NCAA Division I single-season record. The milestone blast came during the Bruins' dominant 19-5 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semifinal in College Park, Maryland.
Grant's record-tying swing puts her in elite company alongside Arizona's Lauren Espinoza, who set the original mark back in 1995. But the race isn't over yet. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells isn't far behind with 36 home runs of her own, though her team's SEC tournament exit means she'll have to wait for the NCAA tournament to chase the record further.
"I was just focusing as much as I can, just competing within that at-bat," Grant said after the game. "A one-on-one battle is all I think about. It kind of had a good payout." Her teammates erupted in celebration behind her during a postgame interview on the Big Ten Network.
Grant's heroics are just part of a historic season for the Bruins. UCLA launched four home runs in the semifinal win, pushing their NCAA single-season team home run record to an astonishing 181. The power display has been a hallmark of this year's squad.
Now, Grant and the Bruins turn their attention to Saturday's conference tournament championship game against regular-season Big Ten champion Nebraska. First pitch was moved up to 10 a.m. Eastern in hopes of beating expected storms, and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.
The accolades keep rolling in for UCLA. Senior Jordan Woolery was named Big Ten Player of the Year by the league's 17 head coaches, and for good reason—she leads the nation with 107 RBIs, becoming just the fifth player in NCAA Division I history to surpass the 100-RBI mark in a single season.
Woolery, along with teammates Bri Alejandre, Aleena Garcia, Rylee Slimp, and Grant, earned All-Big Ten first-team honors. Bruins Kaniya Bragg, Alexis Ramirez, and Taylor Tinsley were selected to the second team.
With the NCAA tournament on the horizon and a record chase still alive, this UCLA team is proving that power, precision, and passion can create something truly special.