UCLA women's team excels despite extensive travel challenges

UCLA's women's basketball team has made headlines by securing the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, what stands out most is the incredible distance they traveled this season—over 36,000 miles, which is roughly one and a half times around the world. This season was particularly challenging for the Bruins as they joined the Big Ten Conference. The move significantly increased their travel time due to the distance from their West Coast base to games in the Midwest. Their journey included a trip to Paris for their season opener and a Thanksgiving tournament in Hawaii. Coach Cori Close had anticipated the increased travel demands. To prepare, she scheduled early trips to the East Coast, allowing the team to adapt to the challenges ahead. They learned valuable lessons on managing fatigue and performance on the road. UCLA's air travel included 18,038 miles for conference games alone. This is more than double the mileage from their last season in the Pac-12. The Bruins also faced a unique challenge with a Big Ten rule requiring them to spend two days preparing between games—this meant longer stays without the option to fly back home in between. To help the players stay physically and mentally fit during long trips, the team implemented a strict focus on sleep, hydration, and nutrition. They worked with sleep scientists to ensure players maintained rest schedules. Each player had specific targets for sleep and hydration while flying. For nutrition, they prioritized snacks that were easy to consume while on the go. This included applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, and grapes. As a team, they consumed hundreds of these snacks throughout the season to stay energized. In addition to careful travel planning, UCLA took advantage of more off days than they had in previous seasons. This provided the players with essential time to recover after long journeys. Overall, the Bruins tackled their challenging schedule head-on, and their meticulous planning has contributed to their success this season. Now, they are focused on making a deep run in the tournament, with just a few more flights ahead.