Sports

Correction In Wednesday’s Athletes of the Quarter section, the photos of junior wing Haylee Donaghe and senior gymnast Michelle Kulovitz were mistakenly switched. The Aggie regrets the error.

Even though the tournament fell on April Fool’s Day, the UC Davis women’s golf team wasn’t fooling around – it came to play some golf. After being tied for seventh place Apr. 1, the Aggies jumped three spots on the final day to finish in a fourth-place tie with UNLV at the Regional Preview in Lincoln, Calif. Led by freshman Chelsea Stelzmiller, who earned an eighth-place finish with a total score of 221, the Aggies finished ahead of ranked opponents No. 45 San Francisco and No. 48 Washington State as well as the three other Big West Conference teams in the 19-team field.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Portland Records: Aggies, 9-6; Pilots, 11-6 Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center When: Today at 2 p.m. Who to watch: Santa Clara couldn’t handle Anita Athavale and Desiree Stone together, and it didn’t fare any better when they were apart. On Mar. 12, the two sophomores paired up at the No. 2 doubles spot to defeat Myra Davoudi and Lindsay McBride, 8-5, and then captured straight-set singles wins to lead UC Davis to a 5-2 victory.

Name: Michelle Kulovitz Hometown: Anaheim Hills, Calif. Events: All-Around Year: Senior

In a season where the Aggies went young with a senior-less roster, it was only appropriate that a star freshman led the way. From carrying the weight of the men’s basketball program’s first official Division I season to running the team’s new Princeton offense, redshirt freshman point guard Mark Payne rose to every challenge in the 2007-2008 season. It’s an awful lot to ask out of a freshman, but he’s progressing and maturing so much, said head coach Gary Stewart. He’s going to be a dominant Big West player by the time he graduates.

Name: Ricky Alcala Hometown: Arvin, Calif. Weight: 285 lbs. Year: Freshman

Jessica Campbell owns the UC Davis women’s basketball record books. A senior out of San Marcos, Calif., Campbell is among the program’s all-time leaders across the board, ranking third in points (1,413), seventh in blocks (57) and ninth in rebounds (590) and assists (274). Campbell led the Big West Conference with an 88.9 percent free throw percentage this season. She also ranked second in the conference in scoring (15.3 points per game), field goal percentage (53.9 percent) and minutes played (32.8 minutes per game), earning a spot on the first-team All-Big West Conference team for her efforts.

Headline: Haylee Donagh Name: Haylee Donaghe Hometown: Atascadero, Calif. Position: Wing

Name: Stacey Nicolini Hometown: Novato, Calif. Events: All-Around Year: Freshman

Name: Marcos Orozco Hometown: Vacaville, Calif. Weight: 125 lbs. Year: Junior Major: Psychology In a season riddled with injuries, no wrestler took to the UC Davis mat more than Marcos Orozco. Competing in a team-high 37 matches, the 5-foot-5 Vacaville High School product led the squad with a career-high 25 wins and 27 dual points earned. For the second straight year, Orozco earned a berth to the Division I National Championships. He stood as the lone Aggie on the second day of tournament after posting a 2-1 record on the first day.

Spring break is over, and I return to Davis having recognized one thing: My grandparents are extremely well-versed in separate areas of knowledge. My grandma, Adriana Monteforte, knows marinara sauce, while my grandpa, Vincenzo Monteforte, knows politics. But as knowledgeable as they are in their respective areas, whenever the topic of UC Davis athletics comes up, the room gets quiet as if I just name-dropped Mussolini.

The UC Davis men’s tennis team gave new meaning to the phrase break point as they returned to play this past weekend. The Aggies not only returned after a three-week break, but their hopes of victory were broken as they first fell to DePaul 5-2 on Friday and were later swept 7-0 by No. 52 Fresno State. Friday – DePaul 5, UC Davis 2 The Aggies saw their hot play turn ice cold against the Blue Demons, falling 5-2 to end a two-match winning streak. Against DePaul I felt like I was a little bit slow, I wasn’t really playing at the top of my game, said senior No. 3 Justin Garcia. We were just a bit sluggish.