Seilala Sua, UCLA: Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, Class of 2023

Seilala Sua made history throughout her illustrious career, from her first NCAA title to her seventh and final one. 

Sua’s historic journey began with her first national victory at the 1997 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships discus, where she became the first freshman, male or female, to win the event. Six of her titles were claimed at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, making her the woman with the most individual titles in the meet’s history.

Between 1997 and 2000, the UCLA star won the discus event four times, joining Suzy Favor of Wisconsin as the meet’s second female athlete to achieve four consecutive victories in the same event. Favor had previously accomplished this in the 1500 meters from 1987 to 1990.

Sua swept the shot put and discus at the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships, making her the first thrower, male or female, with back-to-back wins in a pair of events in the meet’s history

Collectively, Sua’s seven titles, including the 2000 indoor shot put, made her the most successful female thrower at the NCAA Division I level in both indoor and outdoor meets. Nicknamed “Sly” by her teammates, Sua accumulated 69 career points in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, ranking her second all-time for a woman, just behind fellow Bruin Gail Devers, who scored 71.25 points.