UCLA's Browne is School's Athlete of the Year
Correction: A previous version of this article li...
Photo by Kat Ignatova/IQA Photo Editor
“I was super pleased to receive the award, and even more so to see everyone else excited about it as well," said Browne.
Browne helped lead UCLA to a multitude of accomplishments this season including a No. 3 ranking entering the World Cup, a Western Regional Championship at Western Cup IV, and a World Cup finals appearance. Although he was unable to play in the championship match due to injury, Browne was crucial in the team earning the top-seed in the bracket, and ultimately reaching the finals. UCLA co-President Brennan Ross summarized Browne's contributions to the team: “Alex is a boss, simple and plain. He has always been such an underhyped player.”
Club sports at UCLA are divided into five tiers based on experience, benchmarks, and the number of teams on a particular level. Those tiers are: conditional, tier III, tier II, tier I, and varsity. New clubs enter on the conditional tier for one year, before progressing to tier III. After meeting specific requirements, clubs can progress to tier II, tier I, or varsity.
Browne was a founding member of UCLA quidditch, one of ten players to attend the team's first practice in 2009. In 2010, he helped the team attain conditional tier status and then, later, tier III recognition. UCLA Quidditch nearly won the team award as well, which is awarded to the group with the best on-field performance. Browne reflected on his team's growth: “It's amazing to have been a part of this four-year process of building a program from literally nothing into a major part of the UCLA club sports landscape.”
Ross' full nomination of Browne is below.
Alex Browne is the pinnacle of what a UCLA player strives for. Multiple other teams have written observations on Alex's extreme sportsmanship, emphasizing him as an extraordinarily well-rounded player in terms of physique, but also noting how absolutely team-centric his play style is. He always makes the smart play to pass the ball out of a dangerous situation, never seeking the glory of himself scoring a goal but rather ensuring UCLA Quidditch as a whole benefits from the play. Though he's graduating, his time as Keeper at UCLA Quidditch has been legendary, and it is truly outstanding how his very presence on the pitch allows for the most impressive team play the sport has ever seen.
