Kelly Rulon didn’t know water polo would take her this far.
The San Diego Hall of Champions will honor the fifth-year senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, as one of the best athletes of 2006 during its Salute to Champions dinner Feb 13 at the Town and Country Resort. The dinner will celebrate professionals and amateurs as well as community and disabled athletes of the year.
The event is a way for the San Diego Hall of Champions to publicly acknowledge the accomplishments of San Diego’s finest competitors. Many of the amateurs such as Rulon are under the radar for most San Diegans but have made tremendous impact in their respective sports.
Rulon, a Point Loma native, attended Catholic school her entire childhood, so her final years at University of San Diego High were a given. What she didn’t know was that she would be representing her country in Athens two years after graduating high school. The San Diegan turned 19 while enjoying the camaraderie and competition as she and her U.S. water polo teammates fought their way to a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
“The Olympics was pretty rad. The best part was the opening ceremonies “” all the athletes from every sport together in one place,” Rulon said. “The cameras were going off all around us, and the pageantry was so spectacular, just beautiful.”
Even though the international spectacle and medal winning was a great accomplishment in and of itself, the 22-year-old has been busy in college as well. She had to redshirt her sophomore year to train and attend the Games, but she hopes that this, her senior year, will be just as good as the past two, when she led the Bruins to back-to-back national championships.
The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches named Rulon 2006 NCAA Player of the Year. It was her second first-team selection as an All-American. She scored four goals to put the Bruins up 9-8 over USC in the final last year and set a new NCAA record with 11 goals in three games, earning her the tournament MVP title. She also led the Bruins in scoring (70), assists (60) and steals (52).
The San Diego native didn’t look very far when it came time for college, as she knew that it would be important to stay in Southern California, her home.
“UCLA was definitely my first choice. Why would you ever want to leave Southern California?” Rulon said. “I really got along well with the team when I visited the school, which is really important when you are going to spend seven hours a day together.”
Rulon’s sister Katie is a sophomore on the Bruins squad, which is not as uncommon as it might seem. In fact, last year there were three sets of sisters on the roster.
The Rulons enjoy playing together, with some side benefits.
“Our parents are so stoked to have us playing together. They love that they get to see us both so much,” Rulon said. “It’s great having my sister on the team “” she keeps me grounded!”
The sisters started the season the first weekend in February in Palo Alto at the Stanford Invitational Tournament, where they met many of the toughest teams in the country. If all goes according to plan, they would love to be holding another championship trophy on May 13 in Los Alamitos to cap off their 2007 season.
Also recognized at the Hall of Champions dinner will be professional athletes Trevor Hoffman, Jimmie Johnson, John Lynch, Phil Mickelson and LaDainian Tomlinson. Amateur honorees include Kristie Fox, Leon Hall, Brandon Heath and Josh Johnson.
For more information about the Hall of Champions, or to buy tickets for the event, call (619) 699-2309 or visit www.sdhoc.com.