Sports

Going into this weekend, the UC Davis women's cross country team was one of the best teams no one knew about.

Now, people know.

Everyone knew it was going to be a tough weekend, but not this tough.

Head coach Steve Doten tested his players this weekend by scheduling games with two of the nation's best in No. 5 Pepperdine and No. 3 California.

The Aggies dropped their first contest by a score of 14-9 on Friday, and then fell 11-2 on Saturday.

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 the 2008-09 Big 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 at 7 p.m.

Teams: No. 7 UC Davis at UC Riverside

Records: Aggies, 11-1-2 (3-0-2); Highlanders, 3-9-2 (0-4-0)

Where: UCR Soccer Stadium - Riverside, Calif.

When: Saturday at 6 p.m.

Teams: No. 13 UC Davis vs. No. 4 Pepperdine; No. 5 California

Records: Aggies, 7-8; Waves, 12-4; Golden Bears, 10-4

When: Friday at 7 pm; Saturday at noon

Where: Schaal Aquatics Center

Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Northridge

Records: Aggies, 6-4-3 (1-2-1); Matadors, 5-7-1 (0-2-0)

Where: Matador Soccer Field - Northridge, Calif.

When: Today at 2:30 p.m.

Event: NCAA Pre-Nationals; Santa Clara Brono Invitational

Where: LaVern Gibson Course - Terre Haute, Ind.; Baylands Park - Santa Clara, Calif.

When: Saturday at 11:35 a.m.; 9:45 a.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 days may be over.

In a field that featured five of the nation's top 25 teams and 10 of the top 50, UC Davis beat them all on Tuesday, shooting an 871 to 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 only a sophomore.

From taking over the spot as starting goalkeeper midway through the 2007 season 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 Barbara 2-0 this 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's 2-0 win.

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 a 2-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton.

What a difference a year makes.

This time last season, the UC Davis women's volleyball team was in the midst of a 19-match losing streak en route to a dismal 4-24 finish.

UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs could get used to this.

No Hail Marys, no fourth quarter rallies, no suspense - for the first time this season, the Aggies cruised to victory, scoring five straight touchdowns at one point on Saturday in a 49-26 win over Southern Utah University in front of a 10,849-person homecoming crowd.