Racing against some of the best competitors in the nation,the Aggies placed an impressivesixth place at the Western Regional Championships. And on Nov.24,seniors Kim Conley and Kaitlin Gregg will be able to race the rest of the best as they compete at the NCAA National Championships in Terre Haute,Ind.

For the first18years ofmy life,I lived in one world.A simple,stable world defined by family and childhood friends,carefully planned activities and kind of a soothing predictability.When I left home and came to Davis,my personal solar system suddenly seemed to expand,and there were other unexplored worlds that became very important to me.

A young UC Davis squad comprised of seven freshmen faced its first regular season test of the2008-2009campaign as it traveled to Southern Utah on Friday night. The Aggies answered the call.

Racing against2008Olympic10,000m runner Galen Rupp and a plethora of All-Americans from all over the West,the Aggies were able to place a respectable11th at the NCAA Western Regional Championships. “We’ve been11th two years in a row,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg. “Eleventh this year was probably a taller order; it was probably a better accomplishment than getting11th last year.There was a lot more depth at the top of the field.“

A large and colorful crowd gathered in downtown Sacramento on Saturday morning to rally for marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Roughly1,500people took over Cesar Chavez Park across from Sacramento City Hall for a rally and demonstration led by Equality Action Now,a grassroots gay rights group in Sacramento.Many brought homemade signs with slogans like “Equal treatment under the law” and “Protect marriage– ban divorce.“

Event: NCAA Western Regional Championships Where: Stanford Golf Course – Palo Alto, Calif. When: Saturday at 11 a.m.

Teams: UC Davis at Southern Utah Records: Aggies, 0-0; Thunderbirds, 0-0 Where: Centrum Arena – Cedar City, Utah When: Today at 6 p.m.

The UC Davis Agnostic and Atheist Student Association (AgASA) will host well-known atheist activist and speaker Dan Barker at 6 p.m. today in 123 Science Lecture. A former evangelical preacher of 19 years, Barker will discuss his recent book Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists. His lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session with audience members as well as a book-signing.

The first two matchups between UC Davis and UC Irvine were close. Wednesday’s playoff match was no different.

FRIDAY At least he has good taste An individual came into a store on Anderson Road, took a bottle of Southern Comfort and then left the store.

Gang members convicted in attack Four West Sacramento gang members are facing sentences of up to15years after being found guilty of a number of crimesThursday. The men were convicted of crimes related to an incident in April2006when they attacked the engineer and conductor of an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train.

It was a long ride, but she made it. Davis resident and current Yolo County supervisor Mariko Yamada won the race for California’s 8th Assembly District in last week’s election. The district includes portions of Solano and Yolo counties and Benicia, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland.