UCLA student-athletes Myles Johnson (men’s basketball) and Briana Perez (softball) have been named as 2021-22 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal recipients, as announced Wednesday by the Pac-12 Conference office.
The Pac-12 annually awards conference medals to each of its member institution’s outstanding male and female student-athlete based on a combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award as the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as the Commissioner of the Pac-10.
Johnson, a graduate student studying electrical engineering, earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University (New Jersey) in May of 2021 before enrolling in UCLA’s graduate program in the summer of 2021. He averaged 3.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for the Bruins in 2021-22 and was one of two UCLA players to have competed in all 35 games.
Johnson, who grew up in Long Beach, Calif., was a three-time Big Ten Winter Academic All-Conference selection while at Rutgers. He established BLKdev, an initiative to inspire minority youths to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Perez, a fifth-year senior infielder from Martinez, Calif., finished her collegiate career tied for first all-time in UCLA history for games played (264) and was second, all-time at UCLA, in hits with 328. She became the fourth member of UCLA’s 300 career hits club and became the Bruins’ all-time leader in runs scored (263). The 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Martinez was a four-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection and a four-time All-Pac-12 Defensive Team member.
Johnson has become the first UCLA men’s basketball player to earn this award since guard Mustafa Abdul-Hamid was named one of two UCLA recipients after the 2009-10 season. Perez has become the Bruins’ first softball player to secure the annual award since Samantha Camuso was honored at the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year.
After redshirting the 2017-18 season at Rutgers, Johnson played in all 90 games for the Scarlet Knights in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. Additionally, he competed in all 35 games for the Bruins in 2021-22 – meaning he never missed a game over four seasons (125 contests).
Perez was a sophomore on UCLA’s 2019 NCAA Championship squad, playing in 61 games for the Bruins that season and recording a .383 batting average. UCLA went 56-6 that season, winning five consecutive games in Oklahoma City, Okla., at the Women’s College World Series to capture the national championship. In all, Perez helped lead the Bruins to four Women’s College World Series appearances and to two Pac-12 titles.
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