Sports

Men’s and women’s swimming and diving The Aggies men’s and women’s teams have been picked to finish second and third in the2008-09Big West Conference Swimming and Diving Coaches Poll,respectively.

Teams:UC Davis vs.Iona Records:Aggies,3-4; Gaels,3-3 Where:Aggie Stadium When:Saturday at7p.m.

Teams:No.7UC DavisatUC Riverside Records:Aggies,11-1-2 (3-0-2); Highlanders,3-9-2 (0-4-0) Where:UCR Soccer Stadium – Riverside,Calif. When:Saturdayat6p.m.

Teams:No.13UC Davis vs.No.4Pepperdine; No.5California Records:Aggies,7-8; Waves,12-4; Golden Bears,10-4 When:Friday at7pm; Saturday at noon Where:SchaalAquaticsCenter

Teams:UC Davis at CalState Northridge Records:Aggies,6-4-3 (1-2-1); Matadors,5-7-1 (0-2-0) Where:Matador Soccer Field – Northridge,Calif. When:Today at2:30p.m.

Event:NCAA Pre-Nationals; Santa Clara Brono Invitational Where:LaVern Gibson Course – Terre Haute,Ind.; Baylands Park – Santa Clara,Calif. When:Saturday at11:35a.m.; 9:45a.m. Who to watch:There’s one problem with having a great front-runner and a very talented group of freshmen:another top runner can be overlooked.

The UC Davis men’s golf team is used to being the underdog.It’s used to chasing the country’s top teams from behind. After the Aggies‘ most recent tournament,those daysmay be over. In a field that featured five of the nation’s top25teams and10of the top50,UC Davisbeat them all on Tuesday,shooting an871to finish in second place behind unranked TCU (861) at the Prestige at the PGA West in La Quinta,Calif.

Ryan McCowan has experienced a lot for being onlya sophomore. From taking over the spot as starting goalkeeper midway through the2007season to becoming one of the premier goalies in the Big West Conference,McCowan has had a successful ride to the top. After blanking UC Santa Barbara2-0this past Saturday,Aggie Sports Writer Max Rosenblum sat down with McCowan to discuss his initial – as well as current – success,his decision to come to UC Davis and dinner with his defense.

Teams: No. 7 UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 11-1-1 (3-0-1); Titans, 3-10-0 (0-0-3) Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium When: Today at 3 p.m.

Men’s soccer After defeating Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara last weekend,the UC Davis men’s soccer program saw a spike in its national exposure. Along with being named Big West Conference Player of the Week,senior forward Quincy Amarikwa was named College Soccer News National Player of the Week after scoring three goals in two games,including both of the Aggies‘ goals against the Gauchos in Saturday’s2-0win.

It was a weekend of firsts for the UC Davis women’s soccer team. After picking up their first tie in Big West Conference action against UC Riverside,the Aggies (6-4-3,1-2-1) notched their first goals and win in league play in a2-1victory over Cal State Fullerton.

What a difference a year makes. This time last season, the UC Daviswomen’s volleyball team was in the midst of a 19-match losing streak en route to a dismal 4-24 finish.