Sports

Bob Biggs wears the reminder around his wrist.

The UC Davis football coach and his team have been sporting blue wristbands reading "start fast and finish strong" during their six-week spring practice session.

In the midst of an 11-game losing streak - its longest of the season - the UC Davis softball team went into its final Big West Conference series this weekend looking to finish the season on a positive note.

The Aggies snapped their skid in Friday's first game, but dropped their final two contests to give Cal State Northridge the series win.

Junior Anikia Jackson became the first heptathlete in school history to score points at the Big West Conference Championships, taking fourth with a score of 4,821. A Bakersfield College transfer, Jackson's total gives the Aggies five points heading into the main Big West Championships meet this weekend in Irvine, Calif.

Whether it's heard at the Augusta National Golf Club in The Masters or on a miniature golf course, there's an unmistakable sound that comes with a golf ball finding its way into the bottom of the cup.

As Alice Kim listened to her last ball rattle around in it's plastic home just beneath the green, she couldn't help but smile.

Will Guthrie and Robert Neely became the first two Aggie decathletes to score at the Big West Conference Championships in Irvine, Calif. on Saturday, placing sixth and eighth, respectively.

The scoring combo gives UC Davis four points heading into the full Big West Championships this weekend.

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Riverside

Records: Aggies, 7-36 (1-14); Highlanders 28-14 (7-8)

Where: Dobbins Stadium

When: Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Reliever Andy Suiter has been mowing down hitters as of late.

In his last two appearances, the sophomore has pitched a combined four scoreless innings. He's struck out a total of six California and Long Beach State hitters over that stretch.

Russ Pfaff is enjoying a breakout sophomore year for the UC Davis track and field team, leading the team in the 3,000m steeplechase. Entering the season with a personal record well off the regional qualifying time of 9:07.00, Pfaff shattered that time on Apr. 24 at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley. In taking second in that race, he clocked an 8:48.81 to not only move to second all-time at UC Davis, but to also move to No. 2 in the West Region and No. 9 in the nation.

Event: Big West Conference Multi-Event Championships; Sac State Open

Where: Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.; Hornet Stadium - Sacramento, Calif.

When: Friday and Saturday, all day; Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Who to watch: When Will Guthrie and Robert Neely get into their blocks for the 100m, they will be the first Aggie decathletes to compete at the Big West Championships.

While the main contingent will contest the conference championships a week later, Guthrie and Neely are looking to put some early points on the board to give the Aggies a shot at a Big West title.

"I'm very excited going into Big West," said Guthrie. "This will be my first decathlon that actually counts for something. The goal is to score some points for the team and get us started off right in conference."

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Northridge

Records: Aggies, 21-30 (5-13); Matadors, 27-20 (7-11)

Where: LaRue Field

When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: The UC Davis pitching staff doesn't have the second-best ERA in the Big West Conference for no reason.

Freshman catcher Rachel Miller has been a mainstay behind the plate this season, starting in all of the Aggies' 51 games.

The Costa Mesa, Calif. native has thrown out 12 potential base-stealers while committing only five errors. She's ranked second on the squad in doubles (eight) and first on the team in sacrifice hits (seven).

On Monday, the UC Davis women's golf team patiently awaited the news on whether or not it would receive an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA Championships.

Last season, UC Davis earned that same at-large bid, going on to have a magical run in the tournament and finish 21st place in the country.

It was the first year of Division I eligibility for the unranked Aggies, who were dubbed a "Cinderella" by then-head coach Kathy DeYoung.

Event: Big West Conference Multi-Event Championships; Sac State Open

Where: Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.; Hornet Stadium - Sacramento, Calif.

When: Friday and Saturday, all day; Saturday at 10:45 a.m.

Who to watch: Junior Anikia Jackson has competed in two heptathlons for the Aggies since transferring to UC Davis in the fall.

She won both of them.

The former junior college state champion in the heptathlon, Jackson is currently ranked fourth in the conference with her score of 4,903, set while winning the UC Multi Meet in March.

"My goal is to be at 5,400 at conference," said Jackson. "The most critical event for me is the sprints and the high jump. Those are major high scoring events. Every second and every inch is crucial in the heptathlon."

It was another tough weekend for the UC Davis baseball team.

The Aggies headed to Southern California to square off with the Dirtbags of Long Beach State in a three-game series at Blair Field.

UC Davis dropped Friday's series opener by 13. It responded by keeping the final two games close, but couldn't walk away from either of them with a win.

With only one Big West Conference series remaining for UC Davis, it has still yet to find an answer to its struggles.

After falling to No. 13 California at home, the Aggies dropped three straight against the Gauchos over the weekend. They've lost 11 straight after a 21-19 start.

Calling rowing an aquatic sport this weekend would have been an understatement.

The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships were held in the midst of the worst rain Sacramento has seen all winter.

Next up on the schedule for the UC Davis baseball team: the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

All right, not exactly. You get the idea, though.

Coach Rex Peters couldn't have drawn up a tougher schedule for his club had he tried, especially in the past six series.

Over that span, the Aggies have squared off with defending champ Fresno State and three top-25 teams (No. 6 Cal State Fullerton, No. 15 Cal Poly and No. 21 San Diego State).