After 32 games, the women’s basketball season has come to a close.

Over finals week, the team traveled to Berkeley, Calif. to take on California in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

This was no small task as UC Davis faced a talented Pac-10 Conference four days after losing to UC Riverside in the Big West Conference Tournament title game.

Despite the challenges, the Aggies gave the Bears a run for their money.

“Two years ago when we went and played Gonzaga in the WNIT we had nothing left in the tank,” said coach Sandy Simpson. “We even had to delay our departure today because of exams. For them to come out and be as focused as they were tonight – I was really pleased.”

After trailing by as much as seven in the first half, the Aggies closed the gap, tying the game with a Haylee Donaghe jumper heading into the break.

UC Davis came out of halftime playing with urgency as it took an eight-point advantage with six minutes left in regulation. Cal whittled down the lead and eventually tied the game at 60 with 39 seconds remaining.

The Aggies missed a potentially game-winning jumper with 19 seconds left, then made the defensive play of the game to send the contest into overtime.

With just two seconds left, Lauren Greif launched a potential go-ahead three-point basket. Unfortunately for the Bears, Paige Mintun came out of nowhere and deflected the shot in midair, leaving the game tied as the buzzer sounded.

The teams would battle back and forth in the extra period but the Bears would eventually pull away and win by a final score of 74-69.

Despite the loss, the Aggies were pleased with the final chapter of the 2009-10 season.

“I’m really proud of our team, not for just playing well but I thought they were really disciplined tonight,” Simpson said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to carry what happened tonight into future postseason experiences.”

The contest would be the last in an Aggie uniform for seniors Donaghe and Ashley Curry.

In the end, Donaghe was satisfied with her illustrious career at UC Davis.

“After the game ended and we got back to the locker room, I just looked around and told everyone that I can go out on this,” Donaghe said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of such a quality program over the last six years. It was a good way to go out.”

MARK LING can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Two quarters down, one to go.

Spring quarter – home to the day of Picnic and of Whole Earth – is now beginning. April showers will most likely bring May flowers (and my 21st birthday, but that’s not important right now).

With spring quarter comes a fresh start. That doesn’t mean, however, we can forget what has happened so far this year.

Here are some of the main Aggie sports headlines from fall and winter quarters.

Football wins Great West

It had been a little while. Two years, to be exact.

The UC Davis football team had losing records its first two years of Division I play after posting 37 straight winning seasons from 1970-2006.

That changed this season as the Aggies finished with a 6-5 record en route to winning their first Great West Conference championship.

In addition, the Aggies claimed the Golden Horseshoe with a 21-10 win over Cal Poly, their first win over the Mustangs since 2005.

UC Davis’ successful season also paved the way for the best recruiting class the school has ever seen.

“I think we answered a lot of questions, depth-wise, across the board at every position,” said coach Bob Biggs. “The quality of the people we recruited is as strong as we’ve ever had.”

Volleyball earns 20-win season

In 2007, the Aggies won four matches.

One season later, they tripled the total.

Then, this past fall, UC Davis posted 20 wins for the first time since 1996.

The phenomenal season was highlighted by a four-set win over No. 23 UC Irvine to take first place in the Big West Conference. The Aggies finished in a three-way tie for second.

Jamie Holmes received Co-Big West Coach of the Year honors while three other Aggies took home honorable mention awards.

While the loss of two four-year starters in setter Carson Lowden and libero Avreeta Singh will be tough on the Aggies, Holmes has the team primed to accomplish more big things in 2010.

Most of the team returns next season, including kill leaders Allison Whitson, Kayla Varney and Melanie Adams.

Sophomore middle blockers Katie Denny and Betsy Sedlak also return to the top blocking squad in the conference.

Swimming and diving takes it all

The men’s swimming and diving team finished the regular season 8-0.

So it’s no surprise to learn the Aggies captured the Big West title at the conference championships in February.

The women’s team, on the other hand, ended the season with a 5-6 mark and entered the league championships with an outside shot at overtaking defending champ UC Santa Barbara.

The Aggie women were in third after the first day, but moved up to second after two days of competition.

On the fourth and final day, the Aggies passed the Gauchos to claim the title.

“I’m thrilled for the gals,” said coach Barbara Jahn. “They pulled together as a team. … I’m very pleased with how they performed. I don’t know that I could’ve asked for anything more from them.”

Women’s basketball cuts down the nets

Haylee Donaghe couldn’t hold back the tears.

After UC Davis’ 80-52 win over Cal State Fullerton on March 6, the sixth-year senior talked about winning the Big West regular season title.

“I don’t think I could’ve seriously imagined a better [end],” Donaghe said. “I wanted to cut down the net so bad. To finally get to do it on my last night on Hamilton Court – I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The conference championship was the first for the women’s basketball team during the Division I era.

Even though UC Davis was later cut down by UC Riverside in the conference title game, the Aggies took major strides this season.

Despite missing a chance to get in the big dance, one thing is for sure – it won’t be their last opportunity.

UC Davis returns all but two players. First-team All-Big West selection Paige Mintun will lead the way. The junior averaged 12.6 points and five rebounds per game this season.

MAX ROSENBLUM knows that of the events happening this spring, his 21st birthday is the most important. That’s not for a little while, though. Till then, he’ll be covering Aggie sports and can be reached sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: No. 15 UC Davis vs. Harvard; Fresno Pacific

Records: Aggies, 9-10; Crimson, 8-5; Sunbirds, 3-14

Where: Schaal Aquatic Center

When: Today at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m.

Who to watch: There are only three seniors on this year’s roster. Goalkeeper Casey Hines might be the most important of the three.

The Danville, Calif. native has been a team leader all season while in goal.

“She’s a great role model and I have nothing but respect for what she has done in the pool,” said coach Jamey Wright. “We’re very fortunate to have such a great goalie.”

Did you know? All 10 of UC Davis’ losses this season have come against higher ranked teams.

Preview: Wright is in a new position.

He’s a hall of famer.

On Wednesday, Wright was one of six to be inducted into the 2010 class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.

“It’s awesome to be selected,” he said. “I was totally floored and excited to hear the great news.”

Wright said being a hall of famer is a weird feeling because he now considers himself to be old.

Despite the great honor, Wright knows the season must go on. The Aggies will host the Crimson and Sunbirds before breaking for finals.

UC Davis will play Harvard for the second straight season. The Aggies defeated the Crimson 5-3 last year.

“Harvard should be a dogfight,” Wright said. “It usually takes them a couple games to adjust to the west coast, however.”

The Aggies will not take Fresno Pacific lightly despite its record. The Sunbirds lost to UC Santa Barbara by two goals, a team that defeated the Aggies earlier in the season.

“Fresno Pacific isn’t as tough as years before,” Wright said. “They’re still a solid team, however.”

After today’s doubleheader, the Aggies take a break for finals before a rematch with the Sunbirds on March 26. UC Davis then heads to Bakersfield for the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner Invitational starting the next day.

Wright is looking forward to the tough schedule in order to prepare the team for Big West Conference play.

“We have to be as prepared as we can be for Big West play,” Wright said. “We need to get a good push before conference games start.”

– Jason Alpert

It took the start of a seven-game homestand to do it, but UC Davis has done something they have not been able to do all season.

The Aggies have earned a three-game winning streak.

UC Davis (5-7) swept their San Jose State and Portland State opponents, 7-0 and 6-0, respectively. Although these teams may not be considered the cream of the crop, coach Maze is relieved to have some easier competition after a slow start.

“We’re playing well and the team is clearly not down from a tough schedule,” Maze said. “We like the winning streak. Hopefully we can continue it.”

The Aggies disposed of the Spartans with strong doubles play on Thursday, a part of the game that has caused them inconsistency.

Herzyl Legaspi and Desiree Stone took care of their opponents 8-4 even with Stone nursing a frustrating injury. Ellie Edles and Dahra Zamudio finished at No. 2 with an 8-3 victory. Lauren Curry and Noelle Eades rounded out play with an identical 8-3 win to sweep all doubles matches.

Due to a still ailing Sidney Brady, intriguing performances from Shawdee Rouhafza are becoming one of the recent constants in singles play. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native beat her San Jose State opponent 6-4, 6-0. She followed up Friday with a 6-0, 6-1 win over her opponent from Portland State.

“She hadn’t gotten much playing time before these matches, but she’s a competitor,” Maze said. “We’re very impressed how she has stepped in.”

Despite Stone’s nagging injury, she gutted out a victory in the final set but was unable to play on Friday against Portland State.

With two of their top singles players inactive on Friday, Maze had to move all his players up one spot in the rotation. It could not have gone any smoother for the Aggies. UC Davis defeated Portland State for third time in as many years.

Maze was particularly pleased that Eades continued to be effective. The sophomore from Walnut Creek, Calif. earned a singles win after she swept all 12 games.

Zamudio has continued to play inspired tennis since taking over for Stone at No. 1. She beat her Vikings opponent 6-2, 6-1.

The Aggies, meanwhile, did not have to worry about doubles play against Portland State because weather conditions postponed a morning match until late Friday night.

Maze’s strong-minded squad has allowed him to make last minute adjustments without them losing a beat in recent play.

“We’re happy our team can step in a play any position,” Maze said.

The Aggies are fortunate to not have a match for another couple weeks. The team can now focus on resting their fatigued players, but more importantly, two of their ailing stars.

“We’ve had an injury problem,” Maze said. “The break comes at a good time.”

UC Davis has five wins, but is just 1-3 in the Big West Conference. In the midst of their longest winning streak of the year, Maze feels the best way to instill self-belief is to build off this success.

“Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning,” Maze said. “We like that formula.”

MARCOS RODRIGUEZ can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Event: NCAA Championships

Where: Qwest Center – Omaha, Neb.

When: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, all day

Who to watch: Junior Barrett Abel punched his ticket to Omaha by winning the Pac-10 individual title at the 149-pound slot.

“It feels good,” Abel said. “I had two goals this season. One was to be Pac 10 champion and the other was to be an All-American. I’m only halfway there.”

The Diamond Springs, Calif. native has a good chance at his other goal as he’s currently ranked No. 10 in the country.

Did you know? Abel’s individual Pac-10 title was the first for the Aggies since 2007. In that year, Derek Moore claimed the top spot in the 141-pound class. He went on to win a national championship three weeks later.

Preview: The Aggies are sending their big three to the NCAA championships this weekend. Abel and juniors Ricky Alcala (heavyweight) and Brandon Low (133) all qualified to go to Omaha at the Pac-10 championships.

These three are also the Aggies’ most experienced wrestlers and they’re looking forward to the challenge at Omaha. Captain Alcala described the overall goal each wants from this tournament.

“My overall goal this year was to become all-American or national champion,” Alcala said. “If that’s not your goal as a division one wrestler then you shouldn’t be competing.”

Each will have a chance at his respective weight classes but it will be no easy task as these three Aggies are taking on some of the best wrestlers in the country.

One thing is for sure. These wrestlers will be ready to go on Thursday and represent UC Davis and the Aggie wrestling program in Omaha, Neb. this weekend.

– Kyle Hyland

Coach Elaine Jones knew her team would have to take advantage of their few home games.

Luckily for her, the team knew that too.

The Aggies (5-1, 2-0) improved to 3-0 at home with their 18-6 victory over Detroit on Saturday.

“It is very important to win these home games,” Jones said. “We’ve been preparing for our tough road schedule so it’s good to get the three home victories.”

The Aggies got off to the right start when junior Gina Hoffmire scored in the first 15 seconds. UC Davis never looked back.

The Aggies jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Titans even scored. UC Davis went on a three-goal run to close out the first period with a 9-4 lead.

The Aggies added to their lead with eight unanswered goals in the second half to seal the victory. Hoffmire ended the game in fashion by scoring her sixth goal of the game with only 17 seconds left in the match.

With six goals, Hoffmire has scored 15 times over the past three games. She also added three assists for a game-high nine points.

“I feel like my play in practice is being rewarded,” Hoffmire said. “I just take smart shots and capitalize on my opportunities.”

Jones attributes Hoffmire’s play over the past few games to her quick shot that sometimes surprises goalies.

Senior Molly Lapolla was the only other Aggie with a hat trick as she netted three. Freshmen Anna Geissbuhler and Hannah Mirza each added two of their own.

Senior Britt Farquharson also netted two while five other Aggies scored once to account for the final tally.

“We got some balanced scoring and defense,” Jones said. “It feels great to get off to a good start.”

Despite the big victory and early season successes, Jones knows her team has a lot of things to work on if they want to continue their winning ways.

“Today was not our best effort,” Jones said. “I wasn’t necessarily happy with our shooting or our overall communication.”

Jones said the team is aware of this too.

“The team knows they have to work,” Jones said. “We’ve got a tough road trip coming up and we have to prepare for it well.”

The Aggies take a week off from games for finals before embarking on a three-game east coast road trip. UC Davis plays Liberty on March 22, Lehigh the next day and Saint Francis two days later.

JASON ALPERT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Event: Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational

Where: University of Texas Golf Course – Austin, Tex.

When: March 26 through 28, all day

Who to watch: Freshman Demi Runas finished in second place at UC Davis’ last tournament, the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational. It was the first top-five finish of her career.

The Torrance, Calif. native has finished in the top-20 in each of the five tournaments she’s played in this year – four times in the top-ten.

Runas is averaging a team-best 73.8 strokes per-round.

Did you know? This is the Aggies’ final tournament before the Big West Championship begins on April 18 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Preview: No. 23 UC Davis has had a strong start to the spring portion of its season. The Aggies have placed first and second in their two events so far in 2010 and will be looking to extend their hot streak in Texas.

Their success this year has been due in large part to a combination of good performances from young players and strong veterans.

Runas and fellow freshmen Amy Simanton and Belen Hernandez have been key part of the UC Davis squad and are continuing to grow and progress as players.

Each of the Aggies’ freshmen has played in at least four tournaments so far this season. All three have finished in the top-20 at least twice.

Runas and Simanton both finished in the top-five in UC Davis’ last tournament.

The Aggies are also anchored by some key veterans. Juniors Alice Kim and Chelsea Stelzmiller have been two of UC Davis’ leaders all season.

Both are averaging below 76 strokes per-round and have combined for five top-10 and nine top-20 finishes this season.

Kim has five of the 10 best single-round scores by any Aggie this year – highlighted by 67’s at both the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown and the Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational.

UC Davis will be counting on both its young guns and its veterans as it heads to Austin, Tex. at the end of the month.

– Trevor Cramer

Haylee Donaghe has taken off the net.

Since winning the Big West Conference regular season championship a week ago, the senior from Atascadero, Calif. had been preparing with her team for her final conference tournament.

That determination took the Aggies down to the wire.

After beating UC Santa Barbara to advance to the finals, UC Davis ran into red-hot shooting from UC Riverside and ultimately lost to the Highlanders in the title game.

Friday – UC Davis 63, UC Santa Barbara 53

For 11 of the past 13 seasons, UC Santa Barbara has won the Big West Tournament, including a championship game victory over UC Davis in 2008.

That was then. This is now.

The Aggies, who swept the Gauchos in the regular season, continued to clean up as UC Davis defeated UC Santa Barbara in the semi-finals by a score of 63-53.

“I remember back to when we lost to UCSB two years ago,” Donaghe said. “It was heartbreaking. We came out and they were still cutting down the nets. It was just a slap in the face. I’ve tried to use that moment to motivate myself and give a veteran’s point of view to my teammates so that we can be the ones cutting down the net.”

The first half was all UC Davis as it rode 19 UC Santa Barbara turnovers to a 14-point lead at the break.

“We made a run that could have broken the spirit of some teams,” said coach Sandy Simpson. “But they showed a lot of character coming back.”

The Gauchos using solid rebounding to battle back to within two with 3:21 remaining.

Donaghe and point guard Hana Asano responded to the late charge with the play of the game.

With just 1:17 left, the shot clock winding down and the Aggies up by six, Asano shook her defender, drove the basket and dished a no-look pass to Donaghe who finished with a lay-up in the face of the Gaucho defenders. The basket gave UC Davis an eight-point lead that would prove to be too much for UCSB to overcome.

“That was one of the best plays I’ve seen this year,” Simpson said with a smile.

UC Davis then headed to the championship game to play UC Riverside with the post season conference crown and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament on the line.

Saturday – UC Riverside 71, UC Davis 67

The Aggies knew that this would be a tough game.

What they didn’t know is that the Highlanders would make it rain from beyond the arc.

Amber Cox and Alyssa Morris combined to shoot 10-12 from long distance and powered the UC Riverside offense for most of the game.

“It seems that every time we play Riverside, it’s a good game,” Simpson said. “Tonight was no exception. It was just too much Amber Cox and too much Alyssa Morris. We couldn’t have defended some of their threes any better but they knocked them down.”

Paige Mintun and Heidi Heintz led the Aggies in scoring with 19 and 22, respectively. The duo was also named to the Big West All-Tournament Team.

Despite the loss, the Aggies’ season is not over.

In winning the regular season conference title, they clinched an automatic berth into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Round one takes place from March 17-19.

MARK LING can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Event: The Aggie Stampede

Teams: UC Davis vs. Iona; No. 12 Stanford; San Jose State; Sacramento State; Saint Mary’s; No. 13 California

Records: Aggies, (8-13); Gaels, (3-4); Cardinal, (15-3); Spartans, (16-5); Hornets, (5-14); Gaels, (6-6); Golden Bears, (16-4)

Where: La Rue Field

When: Monday at 1:30 p.m.; 3:30 p.m.; week of spring break

Who to watch: Freshman Megan Guzman has yet to be caught stealing and she is third in the Big West Conference with five stolen bases.

The Long Beach, Calif. native’s 17 hits land her at seventh in the conference for that category.

Guzman has posted four RBI and is also fifth in the league with 11 runs scored.

Did you know? UC Davis will conclude non-conference play with seven consecutive home matches.

League games begin on Apr. 2 with a doubleheader against Cal State Northridge.

Preview: On Thursday afternoon, the Aggies split a doubleheader with the Broncos of Santa Clara.

Freshman Elizabeth Santana went 4-for-4 with an RBI in the first game, and Jessica Gonzalez knocked in the game-winning run in the eighth inning.

Pitcher Dana Waldusky picked up a complete game victory after posting five strikeouts and allowing just five hits in eight innings.

The Aggies were then held scoreless through six innings of the second game as the Broncos galloped away with the 4-0 victory.

Gonzalez, Santana and junior Bianca Castillo had two hits each in the game, while Guzman and senior Michelle Espiritu each posted one. In total, UC Davis out hit Santa Clara 19-10.

In addition, the Aggie pitching staff struck out a combined 10 batters.

Next, UC Davis will take on Iona in another home doubleheader.

The Gaels will come off two wins against Fairleigh Dickinson and Norfolk State – two games in which Iona outscored its opponents 24-7.

During the following week UC Davis will host No. 12 Stanford and San Jose State.

Last time the Aggies faced the Cardinal was in 2008 when Jessica Hancock struck out nine and gave up just two runs for the eventual 2-0 loss.

The Aggie Stampede will conclude UC Davis’ non-conference games, as it will face Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s and California.

The Aggies will also look to seal a Causeway sweep as they face the Hornets for the third and final time this season. A UC Davis win will clinch the Causeway Cup for the Aggies.

– Grace Sprague

Over 700 athletes met last weekend at the Aggie Open as UC Davis hosted its first event of the outdoor track season.

The wind played a factor but the Aggies came out on top

“Playing in the conditions we had today is always a concern,” said coach Deanne Vochatzer. “They got out and competed hard.”

UC Davis sophomore Lauren Wallace picked up the only women’s individual event, capturing first in the 800 meters at 2:16.00.

In addition, teammates Stephanie Eckels, Melanise Chapman, Sirena Williams and Mina Mohamadi took the 4×100 relay. The team posted a time of 47.36, just faster than Sacramento City College.

“It was a good day,” Vochatzer said. “It was a great day to prepare for the finals.”

It was a great day for the men, too.

Senior Alex Wilright led a one-through-four sweep of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.90. Teammate Polly Gnepa finished the 110-meter hurdle in 13.93, breaking his previous record of 13.99.

Jonathan Sees took the men’s 800 with a time of 1:54.68 while Jonathan Peterson finished first in the 1,500 by posting a time of 3:53.34.

“Peterson and Sees had breakouts,” said coach Jon Vochatzer. “They did really well, and looked really strong.”

Ethan Ostrom and Michael Peterson took the top two stops in the men’s pole vault, clearing 4.72 meters.

“Ostrom and Peterson had some great jumps,” Jon Vochatzer said. “They had a great day in the pole vault.”

Due to the fact that the Aggie Open allowed any entrant, several redshirted students, coaches and alumni opted to compete as unattached entries.

Ugo Eke ran the 400 in 55.59, narrowly edging out her teammates. Thrower Chid Onyewuenyi, won the shot put and hammer events with distances of 14.25 meters and 56.13 meters, respectively. Kim Conley, the current assistant cross country coach, ran the table in the 1,500 with a time of 4:24.20. Alumnus Jeff Billing, who set the record in the long jump in 2003, again leapt out to first in the in the long jump (7.46m) then took first in the 100 with a time of 10.70.

Other than showing that past and present Aggies can still compete, the results of the Aggie Open revealed that the UC Davis track squads can hang with the best. The Aggies will need to bring their A game, as next week they will host the UC Davis Classic.

“Next week will hold a similar type of meet, with a lot of folks,” Jon Vochatzer said. “I expect exactly what we did today. Step up and get the job done well.”

MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Eastern Washington

Records: Aggies, 4-8; Eagles, 5-6

Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center – Davis, Calif.

When: Sunday, March 28 at 11:00 a.m.

Who to watch: Senior Tyler Lee is a vital part of the Aggies’ team.

The Bermuda Dunes, Calif. native has been improving since his freshman year.

“Tyler has had a solid season in doubles and in singles,” said coach Daryl Lee.

Did you know: After starting the season off playing 10 of 12 contests on the road, the Aggies’ next eight matches are at home.

Preview: Even the tennis team needs a spring break. After losing their last six contests, that break is necessary too.

The Aggies’ three-week hiatus from play comes to an end on March 28 as they face the Eagles. Before then, coach Lee has a couple expectations from the team during the break.

“I hope they work on their fitness and stay in shape,” Lee said.

The Aggies have not faced the Eagles in over three years. Their last matchup resulted in a 5-2 loss in Cheney, Wash.

Despite being past the halfway point of the season, this contest can be seen as a start for the Aggies. This is because their next eight matches are all at home at the quite comfortable combines of Marya Welch Tennis Center. This will allow the team to not have to travel for quite some time.

“Hopefully there’s more mental and physical energy to compete more at home,” coach Lee said.

The Aggies’ record may not look great on paper, but there are a few success stories that can be taken from the first half of the season.

The biggest success for the Aggies has been their freshman dominance.

Both Connor Coates and Toki Sherbakov have had solid seasons so far. Sherbakov has stepped up as a true leader of the team and usually competes in the No. 1 or 2 singles matches.

Coates is also usually in the lineup at the No. 5 or 6 spot. The Roseville, Calif. native was undefeated for the first month of the season.

These freshmen have been successful in singles, and have also teamed up to form a dangerous doubles pair.

– Zander Wold

Event: Oregon Duck Invitational

Where: Eugene Country Club – Eugene, Ore.

When: March 22 and 23, all day

Who to watch: Tyler Raber finished strong at the Aggies’ last tournament. After shooting 6-over par in his first round, Raber shot 3-under for the rest of the tournament, including an eagle in his second round.

The sophomore from El Macero, Calif. seems prepared to put it all together in this tournament.

“He’s a really good player,” said coach Cy Williams. “He’s been really close in the last two tournaments and he looks great in practice. He’s hitting the ball as well as he has since the fall.”

Raber is averaging a score of 73 per round and has two top-ten finishes this year, including a win at the Stockton Sports Commission Sports Invitational.

Did you know? UC Davis has faced some very tough fields this spring playing ranked teams in each of its three tournaments.

Preview: The Aggies feel that playing the best squads shows where they’re at as a team.

“We have room to get better,” Williams said. “You don’t see that when you go against weaker competition. We’ve seen that we can play with these teams, and the guys are looking good. I think we’re right on track.”

UC Davis will face another ranked field in Oregon, but the Aggies are keeping their minds centered on themselves and their goals.

“We know it’s going to be a strong field with challenging weather,” Williams said. “We need to stay focused on our own stuff. We want to have a good finish and hopefully finish in the top third.”

The Aggies’ success will be based largely on the play of junior Austin Graham.

Graham, from San Clemente, Calif., finished in the top-ten last week at the USC Collegiate Invitational. Graham has finished in the top-five twice this year and has the best stroke-per-round average of any Aggie.

– Trevor Cramer

Despite clinching the fourth seed and a bye to begin the Big West Conference Tournament, the odds were stacked against the Aggies.

To clinch that fourth seed, UC Davis had to defeat Cal State Fullerton in overtime on the road.

To begin the league tournament, the Aggies had to again beat the Titans, this time without the services of Mark Payne.

After beating Cal State Fullerton in a game that went down to the wire, UC Davis had to play a team it had not beaten all year – No. 1 seed UC Santa Barbara.

The kicker was that they would again have to play sans Payne.

Despite the adversity, the Aggies fought hard and advanced further into the Big West Tournament than they ever had before.

Thursday – UC Davis 68, Cal State Fullerton 65

The Aggies started their tournament with a nail biter.

They were playing Cal State Fullerton for the second straight time. The first went to overtime. The second was undecided until the final seconds.

Things didn’t look good early on as the Titans got out to a quick seven-point lead. After losing Payne, who aggravated an existing shoulder injury, the Aggies fell behind and trailed by eight at the half.

“They hit us in the mouth at the start and we were back on our heels,” said coach Gary Stewart. “We talked at halftime about getting more aggressive. In the second half we played more physically. We were committed to putting the ball in the paint.”

In that second half, junior Joe Harden, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, scored 17 of his 20 points while senior Dominic Calegari scored nine of his 13.

The teams battled back and forth until the very end.

Freshman Julian Welch converted a pair of free throws with half of a second remaining to give the Aggies the edge in the game.

Even though the thrilling victory sent the Aggies into the semi-finals, they didn’t lose sight of their goal.

“I don’t want to sound braggadocios,” Stewart said, “but we didn’t come down here to play in the semi-finals. We came down for a purpose.”

Friday – UC Santa Barbara 76, UC Davis 62

That purpose was to get past the Gauchos and win the conference title.

Unfortunately, UC Davis would come up short in what would be Calegari’s final game as an Aggie.

The big man out of Berkeley, Calif. put the cap on his tremendous five-year career with 13 points, six boards and four assists on 4-of-7 shooting.

A late foul by the Aggies in a game that was already decided allowed Calegari to be subbed out and greeted by the crowd.

“He’s meant so much to our program,” Stewart said. “He’s been such a great representative of not only the program but of college basketball in general. He has the highest character, he’s a team-first player and he brings a hard hat every day. He’s a joy to coach.”

Upon his exit, Calegari shared an embrace with Stewart.

“I just thanked him and told him I appreciated him more than he’ll ever know,” Stewart said. “He’s given everything to the program for five years and he deserved to go out that way.”

MARK LING can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 6 Stanford

Where: The Pavilion

When: Sunday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation gave all- around competitor Tanya Ho [cq] the Gymnast of the Week award for the ninth time in her career and the third time this season.

The senior from Elk Grove, Calif. also won the award on Jan. 19th and 26th.

In addition, Ho posted season-best marks in the all-around (38.850) and on uneven parallel bars (9.800) in last week’s meet.

Did you know? The Aggies lead the MPSF by a wide margin with a 193.090 Regional Qualifying Score.

The next-highest score is Alaska Anchorage’s 188.825.

Preview: Before heading into the MPSF Championships, UC Davis will conclude regular-season competition Sunday with a dual-meet against Stanford.

Stanford sits at sixth in the country with an RQS of 196.450.

Cardinal gymnast Carly Janiga’s 39.410 RQS lands her at eighth in the nation in the all-around.

Janiga is also ranked sixth on uneven parallel bars with a 9.895 RQS, just ahead of teammate Allyse Ishino with 9.890.

With UC Davis’ RQS, it ranks eighth in the West Region, just behind Sacramento State with 193.140.

The Aggies are first in the MPSF in all four categories with scores of 48.190 on balance beam, 48.410 on bars, 48.425 on floor exercise and 48.410 on vault.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Ho and Katie Yamamura also lead the conference in the all-around with scores of 38.495 and 38.395, respectively.

Aggies fill the top five slots on vault, led by conference leader Yamamura with a 9.720 RQS.

With these numbers and a streak of solid team scores, coach John Lavallee has high hopes for the rest of the campaign.

“I’m unbelievably impressed by this team’s performance,” Lavallee said after last weekend’s meet. “I say that every week, but now the stakes are higher. It’s the end of the season and things are more intense. We’re working very hard to position ourselves to get into the NCAA Regional meet.”

– Grace Sprague