Three-time NCAA champion and All-American Yvonne Gutierrez, a sport All-League player at Culver City High School, will be inducted this Fall into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. The 1989 Centaur alumnus excelled in softball and basketball at Culver High, earning All-CIF honors. Her mom, Betty, still lives a few doors from Veterans Park.
The Bruin outfielder was a part of three NCAA Championship squads (1989, 1990, 1992) and earned first-team All-America honors in each of her final three seasons. Gutierrez appeared in 240 games in her career, posting a .370 average with 19 homers, 149 runs batted in and 128 runs scored. She is ranked in the UCLA Top 10 in six statistical categories.
Gutierrez led the Bruins in batting average in each of her last three seasons, including winning the team triple crown as a senior in 1992, posting a .406 average, 11 homers and 58 RBI. The 11 homers also led the nation. She was named to the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team in each of her final three years and was a four-time All-Pac-10 honoree.
Gutierrez joined the LA City Fire Department, where she now serves as an engineer. She plays basketball several mornings a week at the Rancho Park gym with colleagues and a few Culver City residents.
Past Culver City residents to be named to the Bruin Hall of Fame are Peter Vidmar, gymnastics (1994) and Carnell Lake, football (2000).
Invitation-only ceremonies will be held Oct. 11 at Covel Commons, and UCLA Athletics will also recognize the entire class of honorees at halftime of the football game vs. California on Oct. 12
The members of the Class of 2013 are Mohini Bhardwaj (gymnastics), Carlos Bocanegra (men’s soccer), Fred Bohna (wrestling), Eric Byrnes (baseball), Gutierrez (softball), Don Johnson (men’s basketball), Maylana Martin Douglas(women’s basketball) and Nandi Pryce (women’s soccer).
HALL OF FAME: Culver City High School alumnus Yvonne Gutierrez will be inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. The multi-sport All-League and All-CIF Centaur athlete is a three-time Bruin softball NCAA champion and All-American.
ADVANCE: After being crowned District 25 Champions, the Culver City Little League Softball 9-10 year old all-stars faced off at Sectionals last week and held Westchester Del Rey to a 1-hit shutout to advance to the Division III Southern California Championship Tournament in Riverside. The Culver City all-stars won their first game, July 13, in Riverside, 18-4. (From left) Liliana Suarez-Lopez, Hannah Padilla, Nicole Aceves, Ashley Baizer, Mackenzie Marrujo, Junie Dickson, Cayla Germain, Natalia Ortega, Alana Goodrich, Kelsey Murillo, Sierra Chabola, Drew Preciado, (not pictured) Sophie Bailey-Little, Coaching Staff (behind) are Casey Chabola, Tim Dickson and George Aceves
