UCLA's Title IX 40: Stacey Nuveman Deniz, Mohini Bhardwaj Barry
October 09, 2012 | Bruin Athletics
Oct. 9, 2012
Celebrating 40 Years of Title IX
UCLA Athletics continues its celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Title IX with a series of profiles of UCLA's Title IX 40. This group of 40 Bruin women were game-changers in the Title IX era. Up next are a pair of Olympians in Stacey Nuveman Deniz and Mohini Bhardwaj Barry.
Stacey Nuveman Deniz, Softball (1997-99-01-02)
Considered one of the greatest players in UCLA, NCAA and USA Softball history, Stacey Nuveman finished her Bruin career as the all-time NCAA leader in home runs (90) and slugging percentage (.945) and won three Olympic medals, including gold medals in 2000 and 2004.
Nuveman led UCLA to four Women's College World Series appearances, including the 1999 NCAA championship, and two Pac-10 titles (1999, 2002). She holds eight school career records, including games played (264), batting average (.466), slugging percentage ( .945), total bases (653), home runs (90), runs batted in (299), walks (240) and on-base percentage (.600). Nuveman also set UCLA single-season records for batting average (a nation-leading .529 in 2002), home runs (a then-NCAA record 31 in 1999), runs batted in (a nation-leading 91 in 1999), total bases (187), slugging percentage (an NCAA record 1.045% in 2002), and on-base percentage (.665 in 2002).
A four-time first-team All-American and three-time Pac-10 Player of the Year (1999, 2001, 2002), Nuveman was named the inaugural USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year in 2002. She also earned a Pac-10 Conference Medal and was a first-team Pac-10 All-Academic honoree. For three seasons (1999, 2001, 2002), she was a Honda Award finalist and the NFCA Catcher of the Year.
Along with her two gold medals in 2000 and 2004 and a silver medal won at the 2008 Olympics, Nuveman helped lead the U.S. to the 2006 World Cup Championship, team titles at the 2002 and 2006 World Championships and gold medals at the 1999 and 2003 Pan American Games. At the 2006 World Cup, she scored the winning run on a solo home run in the championship game against Japan. At the 2004 Olympics, she hit .313 (5-16) with two home runs and five RBI with no errors in 46 chances at catcher.
Nuveman played professionally with the Arizona Heat in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League in 2005, and in 2006-2007, she played on the ProFastpitch X-treme (PFX) Tour.
Nuveman has worked a variety of camps and clinics and is highlighted in the instructional video entitled - `The Fundamentals of Catching.' In addition, she has worked broadcast commentary for ESPN, CSTV (now CBS College Sports) and FOX Sports.
Now a coach, Nuveman recently completed her third season as assistant head softball coach at San Diego State. This spring, she also was named an assistant coach for four USA Softball Women's National Team summer events. Prior to coaching at San Diego State, she was the assistant head softball coach at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA.
This week, Nuveman will become the 10th Bruin softball inductee into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. In July, she and her gold medal-winning 2004 USA Softball team were inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
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Mohini Bhardwaj Barry, Gymastics (1998-2001)
Three years after winning the last of her four NCAA titles, Mohini Bhardwaj broke new ground for post-collegiate gymnasts by making the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, serving as its captain and becoming the first UCLA woman ever to win an Olympic gymnastics medal, capturing team silver.
Bhardwaj led UCLA to consecutive NCAA Championships in 2000 and 2001, and won NCAA individual titles on uneven bars in 2000 and floor exercise in 2001. She produced one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA history in a dual meet against Georgia on Mar. 18, 2001, scoring a 9.975 on vault and then reeling off three consecutive perfect 10s on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise to produce a UCLA record 39.975 all-around score. Bhardwaj finished her career with eight perfect 10s.
At the 2001 NCAA Championships, Bhardwaj came through with a clutch performance to help UCLA capture its second consecutive title. With zero room for error, she clinched the team victory with a 9.9 on balance beam in the team's final rotation. She came back the next day to win the NCAA floor exercise title in what would be her final collegiate routine.
The 2001 NCAA Championships were a fitting conclusion to what was one of the finest campaigns ever by a UCLA gymnast. Bhardwaj earned numerous awards, including the Honda Award as the nation's best collegiate gymnast. She was also named the West Region and Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year, won the AAI American Award as the nation's top senior gymnast, captured the all-around title and three of four individual events at the NCAA Regionals, and became the first gymnast ever to win back-to-back Pac-10 all-around and vault titles.
Bhardwaj was also the first Pac-10 gymnast ever to earn all-conference honors on all four events and the all-around, accomplishing that feat in 2000. Also that year, she won the NCAA uneven bars title and placed second in the all-around and balance beam. Bhardwaj totaled 11 All-America honors, five Pac-10 individual titles and seven NCAA regional crowns in her career.
At the elite level, Bhardwaj was a member of the U.S. National Team for eight years, including two years after her collegiate career. She earned the last qualifying spot at the 2004 Olympic Trials but put on an inspired performance at the Trials to place sixth and was subsequently selected to the Olympic team and named the team captain. At the Olympics, she finished eighth in the all-around in preliminary competition and qualified for the floor exercise finals, where she finished sixth.
Prior to the Olympics, she won the 2001 U.S. vault title and helped lead the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. She also placed seventh on vault at the World Championships. Additionally, she represented the U.S. at the 1999 World University Games and placed fifth on vault at the 1997 World Championships.
Bhardwaj's legacy will remain in gymnastics with a move named after her in the international code of points - the Bhardwaj, a full-twisting Pak salto.
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Previous Title IX 40 Profiles
Karen Moe/Janet Coles
Terry Condon/Jan Palchikoff
Sue Enquist/Ann Meyers Drysdale
Evelyn Ashford/Anita Ortega
Carol Bower/Denise Corlett
Denise Curry/Sharon Shapiro
Jackie Joyner-Kersee/Dot Richardson
Florence Griffith-Joyner/Liz Masakayan
Kay Cockerill/Gail Devers
Kim Hamilton Anthony/Stella Sampras Webster
Natalie Williams/Lisa Fernandez
Annette Salmeen/Keri Phebus
Amy Acuff/Leah Homma
Nicolle Payne/Maylana Martin
Seilala Sua-Zumbado/Kristee Porter