UCLA senior Megan Grant continues to etch her name into NCAA record books.
Grant hit her 38th home run of the season during a Big Ten tournament title game loss to Nebraska on Saturday, breaking the NCAA Division I record set in 1995 by Arizona’s Lauren Espinoza.
As a team, UCLA pushed its NCAA record single-season team home run total to 182.
After Grant’s historic bomb in the third inning off Big Ten pitcher of the year Jordy Frahm gave UCLA a 2-0 lead, the Bruins’ (47-8) offense sputtered and Nebraska (46-6) rolled to a 7-2 victory.
UCLA will learn its NCAA tournament matchup when the the softball bracket is revealed at 4 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. The Bruins are expected to host an NCAA Regional and Super Regional should they advance.
Grant and Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells have hit homers at a blistering pace and are battling to close the season with the NCAA home run title. Wells has 36 home runs, two behind Grant. Her team was eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday, but she can add to her tally when the loaded Sooners compete in the NCAA tournament.
UCLA senior Megan Grant hit her 37th home run of the season, tying the NCAA single-season record during the Bruins’ 19-5 win over Wisconsin during the Big Ten tournament semifinal Friday in College Park, Md.
The record was set in 1995 by Arizona’s Lauren Espinoza, but Grant and Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells have hit homers at a blistering pace all season and are battling to close the season as the new title holder. Wells has 36 home runs, but her team was eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday and she’ll have to wait until the NCAA tournament begins to add to her tally.
Grant, meanwhile, will be in the lineup when UCLA plays regular-season Big Ten champion Nebraska for the league tournament title at 10 a.m. Saturday in College Park, Md. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. First pitch was shifted earlier with the hope of avoiding storms in Maryland.
Grant’s teammates celebrated blast No. 37 and cheered behind her while she was interviewed on the Big Ten Network.
“I was just focusing as much as I can, just competing within that at-bat,” Grant said when asked about her record-tying blast. “… A one-on-one battle is all I think about. It kind of had a good payout.”
During their semifinal win over Wisconsin, the Bruins hit four home runs and pushed their NCAA record single-season team home run total to 181.
Earlier Friday, UCLA senior Jordan Woolery was named Big Ten player of the year by the league’s 17 head coaches.
Woolery leads the nation in RBIs (107) and is the fifth player in NCAA Division I history to record more than 100 RBIs in a season.
Bri Alejandre, Aleena Garcia, Rylee Slimp and Grant joined Woolery on the All-Big Ten first team. Bruins Kaniya Bragg, Alexis Ramirez and Taylor Tinsley earned second-team honors.
If you’ve watched UCLA softball this year, chances are you’ve seen a little bit of history.
This Bruins squad has hit 173 home runs, the most by a UCLA team and tied with No. 1 Oklahoma for most in the nation, led by the duo of Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery. Grant recently broke the program’s single-season record with her 34th and closed the regular season with 35, while Woolery is the fifth NCAA player with 100 or more RBIs in a season, racking up 106.
UCLA is 44-7 and ranks No. 7 in the nation. It’s possible Grant could be part of two national championship teams to finish her career at UCLA.
Behind it all are Woolery and Grant, combining for a legendary final season.
“The way that Jordan and Megan go about hitting is so focused and so professional that it’s really bleeding into the other players,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “They just come through big and they train with a serious focus. And we have a very young team of Bruins, a lot of them haven’t even played college ball. So when you get to play alongside two professionals, there is a calm.”
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In early April, Grant flew from her game at UCLA to Phoenix to get a moment to celebrate with the national championship basketball team after she played 14 games with them this winter. She scored six points with four rebounds in 33 minutes.
But her true stardom is on the diamond, and alongside Woolery they make up one of the best middle-of-the-order duos in the country.
“I always say Jordan makes my life a lot easier,” Grant said. “She’s such a great hitter and having her behind me kind of frees me up as well. We really just bounce off of each other in that way.”
Woolery and Grant, both finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, are the first UCLA duo to each hit 30-plus home runs in a season, and with the entire postseason to go, they’re just getting started.
Woolery is on pace to become the Division I player to have 30-plus home runs, 100-plus RBIs and a batting average over .500. She is fourth in the nation, hitting .510, and third in the country with 33 home runs.
“Just seeing better pitches makes it easier for power when you’re making better choices,” Woolery said. “But I think over the last four years, I’ve been really developing my eye and honing in on sitting at good pitches early in the count versus trying to hit a pitcher’s pitch. So I think just honing in on that more so these last two years has helped me a lot too.”
Grant’s 35 home runs, meanwhile, trail only Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells’ 36. Grant leads the country in slugging percentage (1.315).
The duo and ace Taylor Tinsley were honored on April 18, earning three of the coveted 17 Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s golden tickets. UCLA is the only school to have three players selected by the AUSL this season.
“It made it even better to have Megan and Taylor to have that experience with me too,” Woolery said. “I think just us being here for the last four years together and then being able to continue our careers together too, just makes it even more exciting and even more to look forward to.”
The AUSL is announcing its drafted players by going across the country and hand-delivering golden tickets to players who were selected by the league’s six teams ahead of the next season in June. The UCLA players were awarded their tickets after a doubleheader sweep of California at Easton Stadium.
Grant received her ticket from Netflix sports anchor Elle Duncan, then UCLA softball legend and AUSL adviser Natasha Watley emerged through the center-field gate and presented the second ticket to Woolery. Then, UCLA softball alumna Jen Schroeder ran through the left-field gate to give a ticket to Tinsley.
UCLA dropped its final weekend series to No. 11 Oregon, but an 11-3 win Sunday capped a sweet Senior Day celebration. Grant, Woolery and Tinsley are the only seniors for the Bruins, who are the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament and will open play Thursday at 4 p.m. PDT in College Park, Md.
Grant and Woolery have one final goal: bringing an NCAA softball title back to UCLA for the first time since 2019. The pair will continue to blend their varying leadership styles as they try to extend UCLA women’s teams’ recent surge in championships.
“Megan is very focused and serious, and Jordan, you know, has a smile on her face and is very loose with how she plays,” Inouye-Perez said. “They’re very different, but their maturity from their freshman year has come together, and it’s been special.”
‘We’re back, baby!’
UCLA coach Bob Chesney pats running back Anthony Woods on the helmet during the Bruins’ spring game Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
New UCLA football coach Bob Chesney tried to stoke his team’s pride, competitive fire and joy while winning over fans during the Bruins’ spring game Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
“We’re back, baby,” Chesney said to fans right before the fourth quarter. “We’re back.”
Spring games naturally remain a strong recruiting showcase. And of all the areas Chesney and his staff have worked to improve, recruiting clearly made the biggest immediate jump. The Bruins rank No. 4 in the 247Sports.com composite national recruiting rankings with 16 commitments for the class of 2027.
UCLA added a legacy pledge Sunday, with class of 2027 running back Duece Jones-Drew, son of former UCLA and NFL star Maurice Jones-Drew, telling Rivals he committed to the Bruins. Duece shared the Rivals report on his Instagram account with the message “Westwood I’m home 🐻!!!”
Make that 127 national championships
UCLA beach volleyball players celebrate after defeating Stanford to win the NCAA title Sunday in Gulf Shores, Ala.
(Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)
The UCLA beach volleyball team added No. 127 to the Bruins’ collection of national titles Sunday.
Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd won the championship-clinching match as No. 3 UCLA swept No. 1 Stanford 3-0 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Perez and Boyd defeated the Cardinal’s Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson 21-11, 21-19. Kaley Mathews and Ensley Alden opened the title showdown with a 21-16, 21-11 victory over Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra. And Ava Williamson and Jesse Dueck edged Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell 21-17, 25-23.
It was UCLA coach Jenny Johnson Jordan’s first national title after taking over in 2023 and the third for the program. Johnson Jordan, the daughter of UCLA legend Rafer Johnson, earned her 100th career win when the Bruins beat No. 2 Texas 3-2 in their semifinal Saturday.
The Bruins honored an NCAA beach volleyball tradition of celebrating their title by running into the ocean.
More UCLA hardware
The UCLA baseball and golf teams added to the Bruins’ haul of Big Ten titles Sunday.
The No. 1 baseball team erased an eight-run deficit — a remarkable but possibly problematic pattern for the Bruins this season — to beat Michigan State 13-11 and earn a series sweep. The victory clinched back-to-back Big Ten titles for UCLA (43-4, 24-0).
The UCLA men’s golf team won the team title at the Big Ten championships for the second consecutive season, and freshman Josh Kim won the individual Big Ten title in North Plains, Ore.
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Coronation Street’s Megan Walsh could be set for a brutal exit as actress Beth Nixon dropped a massive hint about her character and another villain’s fates on the ITV soap
07:00, 30 Apr 2026Updated 07:06, 30 Apr 2026
Coronation Street’s Megan Walsh could be set for a brutal exit as actress Beth Nixon dropped a massive hint(Image: ITV)
One Coronation Street star may have given away which villain dies on the ITV soap this week.
Beth Nixon, who plays child groomer Megan Walsh, has teased the game is up for her character. Not only that, but she teased the same about another character who could die this week.
Five villains including Megan face the chop, with someone killed off in Friday’s episode. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Beth confessed the doesn’t fancy her survival chances.
She told us: “Megan and Theo are up there as the worst villains. The others can be redeemed but me and Theo are done for aren’t we…” So does this confirm an exit is on the way for Megan and Theo either way, and could one or both of them die?
Beth also told us how her character had to go as there was no way she could be redeemed at this point. She is keen for fans to get their justice, but admitted she would love a brutal demise for Megan.
She said: “I’d love it if Megan died a dramatic death. She would proper milk it as well wouldn’t she. But I think the best course of justice for her and what she’s done is to be punished.
“I love to see the viewers theories about what they want. I have seen a lot of people say she needs to go to prison and they don’t want her to be the victim as they want the prison exit.”
Beth also laughed off the moment Megan gets attacked, with her shown wandering round with a bloody nose. Beth said: “She’s like, look what they’ve done to me. I’m the victim, call the police now.
“She’s covered in blood. The way it cuts to her, I was having a giggle. Just wipe your face love!” Beth thinks fans will be shocked by the death when it airs.
She said: “I think the audience are gonna love it. I think they’ll jump up at the TV and scream. I’d love to see it on Gogglebox.” With it heavily hinted time is running out for Megan, Beth has loved playing the character because of how fearless she is.
She explained: “She doesn’t care. It’s so fun to play. Me in real life I’m like, ‘oh sorry’ and Megan’s just like, ‘get out the way.’ She’s so far from who I am it’s so much fun.
“I get to speak to people however I want. It is a very important storyline but it’s been made so easy for me in terms of having to deal with it. There’s been a lot of support from the team here. I’ve felt quite held with it.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s Broadway run playing Zidler in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is ending weeks earlier than planned, and days after she announced a messy split from NBA star Klay Thompson.
The “Wanna Be” hitmaker is pulling out of her first Broadway run weeks sooner than anticipated. Megan announced the news on Instagram alongside a bandaged heart emoji and said she would step away from the production Friday rather than the originally slated May 17.
“Hotties, my last performance as Zidler in @moulinrougebway will be May 1,” she wrote. “It’s been such an honor to be part of thee Moulin Rouge family and I’ve met so many amazing people in this theater!
“Y’all work so hard and I have so much respect for the dedication, the stamina, the work ethic, the time and the effort y’all put into the work! I’m so grateful for the cast and crew that made this experience so meaningful. And to all the Hotties that showed up or planned to attend, thank you for supporting me during this incredible journey! I LOVE YALL . . . See you soon.”
The Grammy Award-winning rapper made history as the show’s first woman to portray the charismatic cabaret manager Zidler — the character’s full name is Harold Zidler. Broadway veteran Eric Anderson will step back into the role on May 19, but the actor who will cover the interim, from May 2 through 17, hasn’t been announced.
The wildly popular “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” was recently extended on Broadway, with its final performance set for Aug. 30 after a seven-year run.
Although Megan didn’t offer a reason for her departure, the move comes amid a recent health scare and some personal upheaval for the “Hot Girl Summer” chart topper.
On Saturday, the “Savage” rapper aired some dirty laundry on social media, writing in a since-expired Instagram story that her recent beau, Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson, didn’t know if he could be monogamous and had treated her horribly during their time together. “I need a REAL break after this one,” she wrote.
She followed the social media admission with a formal statement issued to People confirming that she and Thompson had split just months after they took their relationship public.
“I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay,” Megan said in a statement. “Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship, and when those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward. I’m taking this time to prioritize myself and move ahead with peace and clarity.”
She had been appearing in the production since MarchCredit: GettyMegan appeared to allege that Klay has been unfaithful to herCredit: Getty
“It’s been such an honor to be part of thee Moulin Rouge family and I’ve met so many amazing people in this theater!
“Y’all work so hard and I have so much respect for the dedication, the stamina, the work ethic, the time and the effort y’all put into the work!
“I’m so grateful for the cast and crew that made this experience so meaningful. And to all the Hotties that showed up or planned to attend, thank you for supporting me during this incredible journey!
Her emotional display came after Megan confirmed her split with NBA star, Klay Thompson.
In a statement, Megan confirmed the end of her romance, saying: ‘I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay.
“Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship, and when those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward.
“I’m taking this time to prioritize myself and move ahead with peace and clarity.”
Megan has previously faced a hospital dash which had forced her to pull out of one of the performances.
The 31-year-old rap star managed to get through the opening scenes of the hit musical in New York before the show had to be halted so she could be checked over by a medic.
A representative of the Savage rapper toldTMZ: “During Tuesday night’s production, Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated.”
Megan later clarified that she had pushed herself to her limits and needed to reset.
