Sports

It’s not how you start but how you finish. The UC Davis men’s varsity8rowing team followed this saying to a tee in the grand final race at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships in Oak Ridge,Tenn.on May24. In last place1,250meters into the race,UC Davis used a late spurt over the final750meters to overtake four other competitors to finish in second place and grab the silver at nationals.

Larry Vanderhoef apologizes for his casual attire as he takes a seat on his office couch. “I’m sorry,” theUC Davischancellor says. “I hadn’t planned on coming in today.“ He’s wearing a patterned tan and blackcollaredshirtand aplain pair of white pantsusually reserved for outside the walls of fifth-floor Mrak Hall.

Before signing up for my first collegiate class,before spending my first night in the dorms and before eating my first of approximately540meals at the dining commons freshman year,I applied for a position on the sports desk at The California Aggie. Three years later,I’m saying goodbye. Sort of.

At2:25p.m.on Saturday,the starter’s pistol fired to signal the start of the men’s110m hurdles. Ten hurdles and less than14seconds later,juniors Jazz Trice and Poly Gnepa made UC Davis history by becoming the first Aggies to qualify for the NCAA Division I National Track and Field Championships.Trice finished in third,with Gnepa earning the last automatic qualifier in fifth.

Senior Sirena Williams has been a dominant force in the100m hurdles all season breaking her own school record five times before this weekend. The Regional Championships was more of the same.

Baseball Junior third baseman Ty Kelly was the lone UC Davis player to garner All-Big West Conference honors.Kelly nabbed honorable mention accolades after garnering second-team acclaim last season. Kelly,who was the only UC Davis player to start in all55games,led the Aggies with20doubles,66hits,40RBI,100total bases,four home runs and a.465slugging percentage.His20doubles rank him in a tie for third on the single season list. In addition,Kelly was among team leaders in batting average (.307) and on-base percentage (.377).He completed the stellar season with an impressive final week in which he totaled nine RBI and three doubles to lead the team to a conference series win over Cal State Northridge.

In the summer of 2005, the Activities and Recreation Center offered UC Davis students the chance to practice the sport of judo in a recreational class. Four years later, the class has developed into a club sport – one that has already emerged as a national powerhouse. The UC Davis judo club most recently took 16 competitors to the National Collegiate Judo Association Championships in San Jose, Calif., finishing with the No. 2 national ranking.

Former UC Davis wrestler Urijah Faber will compete against featherweight champion Mike Brown for the second time in a World Extreme Cage fighting event on June 7. “Brown vs. Faber II” has been dubbed the greatest featherweight bout in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) history. “This is definitely the biggest fight we’ve ever done in our 10-year history,” said WEC General Manager and Founder Reed Harris. “It’s not often that you get to see the No. 1 and No. 2 fighters in the world compete in the same weight division.”

Event:NCAA West Regionals Where:Hayward Field – Eugene,Ore. When:Friday and Saturday; all day Who to watch:Newly crowned Big West Conference110m hurdle champion Jazz Trice is ready for the NCAA West Regional Championships. While most athletes struggle all season to hit the regional mark,Trice has met or exceeded the14.30standard in every race he’s run this season.His best of13.65puts him at No.3in the region,as well as No.11in the nation.

Event:NCAA West Regionals Where:Hayward Field – Eugene,Oregon When:Friday and Saturday; all day Who to watch:Just like last year,senior Kim Conley qualified in both the1,500m and the5,000m for the West Regionals. Unlike last year,she will compete.

UC Davis standout Alice Kim,who capped her impressive season with an eighth-place finish at this week’s NCAA Division I Championship,has been named an All-America honorable mention by the National Golf Coaches Association. In addition to her All-America honor,Kim was named to the All-West Region team as the UC Davis sophomore established her name among collegiate golf’s elite players.The awards announcements were made during the awards banquet following the championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills,Md.

It was a big weekend for the UC Davis baseball team. The Aggies ended their season in style, taking two of three from visiting Cal State Northridge at Dobbins Stadium. The series victory pushes UC Davis’ record to 13-42 overall and 5-19 in Big West Conference play. More importantly, though, it gives a youthful Aggies baseball team some momentum heading into the offseason and the 2010 campaign.