Sports

Senior midfielder Ahmad Hatifie scores his first goal of the season from 15 yards out to the top left corner.

The Aggie faithful go wild. Hatifie leaps the brick barrier separating the fans from the field and jumps into the crowd.

The second-largest crowd ever to watch a UC Davis women's volleyball match came to the Pavilion on Saturday in the hope that they may leave having witnessed history. The Aggies jumped out to a 2-0 advantage against No. 22 Long Beach State, moving within one set of claiming their first-ever home Big West Conference win.

Saturday's Stanford Invitational gave the UC Davis men's and women's cross country team its first chance to see how it stacked up against Big West Conference foes.

The Aggies liked what they saw.

Teams: UC Davis at Northeastern

Records: Aggies, 1-3; Huskies, 0-3

Where: Parsons Field - Brookline, Mass.

When: Saturday at 9 a.m. PST

Teams: No. 21 UC Davis vs. Air Force

Records: Aggies, 7-1; Falcons, 2-5

Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium

When: Saturday at 1 p.m.

Event: UC Santa Cruz Slugfest

Teams: No. 11 UC Davis vs. Redlands; Cal Lutheran; Occidental; No. 15 Santa Clara

Records: Aggies, 3-7 (1-1); Bulldogs, 7-3; Kingsmen, 5-4; Tigers, 10-8; Broncos, 5-4

Where: Burns Recreation and Aquatic Center - Santa Cruz, Calif.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Nevada

Records: Aggies, 4-2-2; Wolf Pack, 0-6-2

Where: Mackay Stadium - Reno, Nev.

When: Sunday at 1 p.m.

What: Cal Nike Invitational

Host: California

Where: Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts - Berkeley, Calif.

When: Today, Saturday and Sunday; all day

Teams: UC Davis vs. Long Beach State

Records: Aggies, 8-6 (0-1); 49ers, 10-2 (0-0)

Where: The Pavilion

When: Saturday at 7p.m.

Event: Stanford Invitational

Where: Stanford Golf Course - Stanford, Calif.

When: Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

I'm standing in a Hickey Gym hallway, waiting for the class before mine to end so I can sit down and pretend to pay attention for the next 50 minutes.

Some girl wearing a UCLA sweatshirt appears to be doing the same thing.

The UC Davis football team almost has it all.

It has arguably the top wide receiver corps in the Football Championship Subdivision. It has an All-American who head coach Bob Biggs calls the greatest defensive tackle to ever wear an Aggies jersey. It has another All-American at guard anchoring its interior offensive line. It has a young quarterback who someday could go down as a legend. It has a blend of veterans and newcomers contributing on both sides of the ball.

Much has changed since Greg Warzecka became UC Davis' athletics director 13 years ago.

A non-scholarship school when Warzecka arrived at the university, UC Davis is now entering its second Division I campaign - and the Aggies have wasted little time in making an impact at collegiate sports' highest level.

UC Davis' strategy entering the 2008 season was a simple one.

"Our goal, as always, is to get into the final group in the last round," head coach Cy Williams said. "That will give us a chance to win."

The UC Davis men's soccer team has spent the past couple of years trying to make its mark on the Division I scene.

After a 12-5-3 showing last season, a second-place finish in the Big West, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a 6-1 start to the 2008 campaign, it is no longer a matter of whether the Aggies belong in Division I, but a question of whether they belong among the nation's elite.