Senior Sirena Williams has been a dominant force in the 100m hurdles all season breaking her own school record five times before this weekend.

The Regional Championships was more of the same.

Williams started the meet off by placing second in the prelims on Friday. By clocking 13.50, she broke her school record for the sixth time this season.

“It feels amazing,” Williams said. “I called it last year. It was my goal set for this year, so I definitely had happy tears the day I broke the record. Just running a 13.50 this year is a great accomplishment for me and I’m really happy about that.“

In Saturday’s finals, Williams ran close to that mark, crossing the line at 13.59 to take seventh. She was just 11 hundredths away from fifth place, which would have earned her a berth to the national championships.

“I had a good race,” Williams said. “I feel my [Saturday] race was more solid than the race I ran breaking the record in terms of hurdles, though my start breaking the record was way better. It was just that first step. I didn’t really get out as hard as I did [Friday].“

Though Williams is graduating, there are four sub-15 second hurdlers returning in Anikia Jackson, Suzanne Howard, Ofunne Okwudiafor and Chelsea Azevado to give the Aggies a strong hurdle contingent heading into 2010.

“Hopefully my being as fast as I am will encourage my teammates to run at their potential,” Williams said. “Hopefully I can pull them to their max speed.“

Chid Onyewuenyi did double duty at the meet, taking ninth in the hammer throw on Friday. She then took 15th in the shot put on Saturday. While her shot mark of 13.63m was far below her season best of 14.60m, her hammer throw of 56.12m was close to her best of 56.84m. Her ninth-place throw in the hammer was less than 1.5m away from fifth place, which would have earned her a spot at the national championships.

Ugo Eke – who missed much of the season due to injury – capped her season by placing 14th in the 400m with a time of 55.25.

“She was in lane eight, and that’s not easy for her,” coach Deanne Vochatzer said. “She had no one to go off. She got out well, then had a bit of a lapse around 250m. She finished strong, but got surged on around 250m. It was not a great race, but it was good to build on for next year. She had a great season, especially considering the ankle injury.“

Also competing were seniors Lorin Scott and Kim Conley in the 5,000m and Ashley Hearn in the discus throw. Hearn was unable to get a legal throw, so ended up with no mark.

Conley – the school record-holder in the event – continued her string of bad luck at big meets by having her shoe knocked half off early into the race, then tossing it a few laps later before dropping out. Scott, thanks largely to a strong last mile, finished 13th in the largely tactical final, clocking 17:03.65.

“We had some really good things happen, and then we had some downs,” Vochatzer said. “It’s a learning process. This technically is the first round of the NCAA championships. The going gets tough. But it’s cool, because you can say this is what we’re going to be doing. Now we’ve got to build on it and learn from our mistakes and get people used to being here.“

ALEX WOLF-ROOT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

At 2:25 p.m. on Saturday, the starter’s pistol fired to signal the start of the men’s 110m hurdles.

Ten hurdles and less than 14 seconds later, juniors Jazz Trice and Poly Gnepa made UC Davis history by becoming the first Aggies to qualify for the NCAA Division I National Track and Field Championships. Trice finished in third, with Gnepa earning the last automatic qualifier in fifth.

“I’m still in shock,” said Trice a few hours later. “That was the goal: to just do my best and get in the top five. I’m still kind of speechless. I saw my time and then it hit me that I’m going to nationals. I really don’t have anything to say. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it’s really exciting.“

Trice clocked a 13.57 – the fastest ever by an Aggie – and Gnepa crossed at 13.75, second only to his wind-aided 13.69 in the prelims. Due to a 3.5 meters per second tail wind, their final marks won’t count for records. In that regard, Trice officially set a new record in his heats, clocking 13.73 seconds.

Gnepa, meanwhile, had only one thing on his mind: a top-five finish.

“I told myself I got to be fifth, I got to be fifth,” Gnepa said. “When I finished, they showed the first four places, and then it took a while to show fifth place. When I saw my place it was just crazy. We weren’t really worried about everyone else. We just wanted to get that top five.“

While the short hurdlers more than lived up to their hype, things didn’t go as smoothly in the longer event. National No. 14 Alex Wilright, who was expected to get a top-five spot, ended up getting disqualified for having his trail leg go around some of the hurdles on the back-stretch. This ended his chance to qualify for nationals.

Though he won’t be going to the NCAA Nationals, Wilright has qualified for the USA Track and Field National Championships. He has yet to decide if he will prolong his season.

While he didn’t make the finals, Thomas Phillips may end up in better shape than Wilright. Anyone who finished in the top 12 is eligible for an at-large berth. By finishing 11th – a mere eight thousandths of a second ahead of 13th – Phillips has an outside chance to go to the national championships.

Regardless, he knows what he did wrong, and is taking it for a learning experience.

“I’ve been 15-stepping this whole year, and basically a 15-step is too small for my size,“ Phillips said. “I’ve got to 13-step. There’s guys shorter than me and they 13-step, so I’ve got to do that. I would have liked to have learned that lesson some other meet, but I’ve got two other years left so I know what I need to do.“

Similarly, steeplechase No. 4 seed Russ Pfaff – who has the 16th best time in the nation – was unable to advance as he took 19th at 9:16.50.

“I told [distance coach] Drew [Wartenburg] that I got this stupid stuff out of the way my first try,” Pfaff said. “So now when I go back I’ll be a lot more prepared and know exactly what I’m getting myself into. I won’t make those same mistakes.“

Though there were no national qualifiers in the field, the jumpers represented UC Davis well.

Ben Nelson – seeded ninth coming into the meet – finished sixth by clearing 2.09m in the high jump to nearly qualify for the national championships. Like Phillips, Nelson is in the at-large pool and will learn if he’s made nationals on Tuesday.

The pole vault saw freshman Ethan Ostrom clear 4.91m to tie for 23rd as well as senior Jamie Feaster clear 5.06m to tie for 17th. That was a one-centimeter personal best for Feaster, who entered the meet having cleared 5m only once. He went 5.05m at Sacramento State to qualify for the Regional meet.

“It was some great competition, some of the best guys there are,“ Feaster said. “I was hoping to jump what I did, then I was hoping to jump 5.16m, and I was really close to it, but I just didn’t have enough pole today. I went up two poles that I’d never been on before, and I actually need another one.

“But all in all I jumped a foot and a half higher than I jumped last year, so I’m definitely happy how I ended the year. Pretty crazy-big jump this year.“

As a whole, the Aggies placed 15th in the West Region, scoring 13 points – 11.5 more points than last year.

“I’m just really excited how far Davis has come this year for track and field,” Trice said. “I know we had about double the amount of people qualifying for regionals and more people in the finals than we thought we would. And to have people go to nationals is amazing. I’m just really glad that I’m getting the opportunity to do that.“

ALEX WOLF-ROOT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Before signing up for my first collegiate class, before spending my first night in the dorms and before eating my first of approximately 540 meals at the dining commons freshman year, I applied for a position on the sports desk at The California Aggie.

Three years later, I’m saying goodbye.

Sort of.

I’m leaving the sports desk to be The Aggie’s new editor-in-chief. It’s no secret that our newspaper (like basically every other paper known to mankind) is struggling to make ends meet financially. Next year is going to be a difficult one for us, and the opportunity to help guide us through it was one I couldn’t pass up.

That said, I’m going to miss this desk. I’m going to miss filling this space. I’m going to miss being so close to so many players and coaches.

For those reasons, I know I can’t really say goodbye.

Instead, I’m looking ahead. Next year is going to be a fun one in the world of UC Davis athletics. Here are some of the story lines I’ll be watching for as a fan in the Aggie Pack instead of as a reporter on press row.

Three in a row?

Dwayne Shaffer said it before, and he’ll say it again.

“We had some special kids on our team this season,” the UC Davis men’s soccer coach said. “It’s going to be hard to ever duplicate some of these kids. To get a Quincy [Amarikwa], a Sule [Anibaba], Dylan Curtis, Ian Conklin, Paul Marcoux, Ahmad Hatifie, Jordan Vanderpoorten all at the same time – I hope everyone had a chance to come watch them.“

Saying the Aggies have some big shoes to fill would be an understatement.

Of those stars named above, only Marcoux returns next season. They have some younger players ready to step into bigger roles (Chris Leer, Miles Hadley, Lance Patterson, etc.), and also bring in an impressive recruiting class.

Maybe UC Davis won’t be ranked No. 7 in the nation next year. It still has the talent necessary, though, to make a run at its third NCAA Tournament berth in as many Division I seasons.

Getting defensive

Offense, offense, offense. With quarterback Greg Denham, receivers Bakari Grant and Chris Carter and four talented tailbacks returning, it’s easy to think all offense, all the time for the UC Davis football team.

That doesn’t mean you should.

Enter Mark Johnson. The new defensive coordinator brings a new zone-blitzing attack the Aggies‘ way.

Coach Bob Biggs said this new scheme is just what UC Davis needed.

“We’re not particularly big on defense – particularly on the defensive line – but we’re active,” he said. “We’ve got linebackers that can run.… [This scheme brings] a lot of opportunities to create some defensive plays behind the line of scrimmage.“

Another year of experience for Denham and the offense plus this new defensive approach spells improvement for the Aggies.

Having Boise State, Fresno State, Montana and Cal Poly on the schedule, though, means that improvement from last year’s 5-7 record won’t be easy to come by.

Replacing Vince

Mark Payne, Joe Harden, Ryan Silva, Dominic Calegari – they’re all coming back next year.

The player who won’t be back, though, is the one who’ll be impossible to replace.

Vince Oliver was the heart of the UC Davis men’s basketball team. If you needed a clutch jumper, he’d hit it. If something needed to be said, he’d say it. If you needed an actor, hell, he could be that, too (Oliver was an accomplished child actor).

Can Payne, Harden and Co. step up to fill the void left by Oliver’s departure? Can freshman phenom Julian Welch produce from Oliver’s old spot in the lineup?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then the Aggies won’t just be fighting for another win in the Big West Conference Tournament; they could be a contender for the title.

Is this even fair?

The men’s basketball team has a lot of talent coming back. The women’s team? Sheesh. They’ve got plenty.

A slew of injuries gave six freshmen – Kasey Riecks, Hana Asano, Cortney French, Lauren Juric, Samantha Meggison and Lisa Peterson – the opportunity to rack up big minutes last year.

They’ll have help next year. A ton of it.

Paige Mintun will be healthy. Haylee Donaghe and Vicky Deely will be back from season-ending injuries. Transfer Heidi Heintz will be eligible after sitting out last year. Anna Harp? Yeah, she’ll be back after redshirting last season, too.

That’s 12 players with the talent to be starters, boys and girls. Man, this is going to be fun.

Exceeding expectations

The women’s water polo team entered the 2009 season with tempered expectations, having graduated eight seniors who played integral roles in helping the team to a fourth-place national finish.

It placed No. 12 in the country.

“With the lack of experience from returning players and obviously the incoming freshman,” coach Jamey Wright said, “to get to be the co-conference regular season champ – it’s just a phenomenal accomplishment for this team.“

UC Davis will have to fill Lindsay Kiyama’s slot in the lineup next year, but returns the likes of Dakotah Mohr, Kaylee Miller and Ashley Chandler.

Odds are these Aggies will be even better next season.

ADAM LOBERSTEIN proudly hands off the sports editor and columnist reigns to Max Rosenblum. You’re going to do good things, kid. Loberstein can be reached at editor@theaggie.org. 

Larry Vanderhoef apologizes for his casual attire as he takes a seat on his office couch.

“I’m sorry,” the UC Davis chancellor says. “I hadn’t planned on coming in today.“

He’s wearing a patterned tan and black collared shirt and a plain pair of white pants usually reserved for outside the walls of fifth-floor Mrak Hall.

Cindy, his secretary, told him a few hours earlier I wanted to meet with him, but he still isn’t entirely sure why.

He’s a professional, though. He’ll play along.

I turn on my tape recorder and place it on the small table in front of him.

“That’s good there,” he says. “I’ll keep my feet off [the table].“

The interview begins. Over the next 30 minutes, Vanderhoef speaks with expected eloquence. He skips from topic to topic with ease, from stem cell research to endowments to Iran.

Associate Chancellor Maril Stratton joins us. It’s her job to make sure Vanderhoef stays on track and doesn’t say anything off-limits to the media.

She quietly nods her head with approval as he says all the right things.

I listen. I wait. Stem cell research, endowments, Iran – those subjects aren’t why we’re in this meeting. Not today.

It’s late Thursday afternoon, the building is emptying, and unbeknownst to either of them, the reason why the chancellor is in his office with me right now has everything to do with nacho cheese.

Yes, nacho cheese.

Over the past four years I’ve attended somewhere around 80 home basketball games at UC Davis, and sure as the opening tip-off, there is a scene shown on the Pavilion scoreboard monitor at each one of them: Vanderhoef with nachos.

He’ll either be walking with the nachos or eating them on the blue upper-deck bleachers with his wife, Rosalie, at his side.

After four years, I have to ask, and so I do: “Pretty good nachos?”

I can hardly finish the question.

“I like those nachos, and I especially like the cheese,” Vanderhoef says, and his speech quickens as his eyebrows tighten in mild frustration. “I’ve looked all over for the kind of cheese that Sodexo uses. I couldn’t find it. I finally had to go to Sodexo and say, ‘Hey, I want to buy cheese.‘ They said, ‘Fine. It comes in a package this big.‘“

The chancellor stretches his arms out wide to demonstrate the size of the nacho cheese package.

“And it is [that big],” he continues with a laugh. “They put them in those machines they have.“

Vanderhoef looks over to Stratton and then shakes his head mildly, as if scolding himself for spending so much time talking about nacho cheese. Then he’s back to talking business as usual.

It‘s too late, though. I’ve seen what I came to see.

A day earlier, The Aggie editor-in-chief Adam Loberstein invited me to write this column. This is my final quarter at UC Davis before graduation, so he offered to give me one last story to say whatever I felt needed to be said.

This quarter is also the last for Vanderhoef as chancellor.

Before either of us left UC Davis (Vanderhoef will return as a faculty member following an administrative leave), I had to see if my chancellor was who I thought he was.

Sure enough, he is.

Vanderhoef is a student’s chancellor. He rides his bike amongst the students. He exercises with them at the ARC. He waits in line with them at the ASUCD Coffee House for food.

He does all that for the world to see.

But behind closed doors, in his office on a late Thursday afternoon, with the building emptying and his tenure coming to a close, you see it’s genuine.

You see it when he fights the urge to lounge on his office couch with his feet up. You see it when his eyes enlarge talking about nacho cheese. You see it when his arms stretch out like a child’s to define size.

There is an intelligence and professionalism to Vanderhoef that has made him the face of this university for the past 15 years, but it’s the youthful energy behind it all that has made him our chancellor.

Vanderhoef watched UC Davis outgrow Division II and, despite faculty skepticism, chose to take the university to Division I.

He advanced this school’s academics to the point where at this month’s commencements, our diplomas will carry more value than ever before.

His final act as chancellor will be to see it through.

“I love doing the graduations,” said Vanderhoef, who will miss only one ceremony due to a time confliction with the Graduate School of Management. “I usually share them with the provost, but I want to shake as many hands as I can.“

The class of 2009 will see you there, but this graduation, it’ll be different.

You won‘t be shaking our hands.

We’ll be shaking yours.

MICHAEL GEHLKEN graduates from UC Davis on June 14 at 9 a.m. After that he’s returning home to San Diego unemployed, like a boss. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org. 

It’s not how you start but how you finish.

The UC Davis men’s varsity 8 rowing team followed this saying to a tee in the grand final race at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn. on May 24.

In last place 1,250 meters into the race, UC Davis used a late spurt over the final 750 meters to overtake four other competitors to finish in second place and grab the silver at nationals.

“The comeback we had in the grand finals was something that had been in the making all year,” said 7 seat Seth Weil. “We trained to be a fast finishing crew. By this time we had worked out all of the kinks in order to be in a strong position to use our speed in the last half of the race.“

The nine-person boat was comprised of seniors Weil and Caton Mande (3 seat), juniors Andrea Gutierrez (coxswain), Chad Christiansen (Stroke), Cooper Johnson (2 seat) and Kelly Hughes (bow), and sophomores Brandon Nuckles (4 seat), Will Wiersig (5 seat) and Pat Geddes (6 seat). Senior John Chase was an alternate.

UC Davis competed in a quarterfinal and semifinal heat before advancing to the finals.

The top three finishers in each quarterfinal race advanced to the next round. The Aggies were able to do this by coming in at second behind Michigan.

In the semifinals, the top three crews advanced again. UC Davis accomplished this as well, finishing in second place to Grand Valley State.

In the finals, all of the teams started off hot. UC Davis found itself in last place through the first half of the race. A strong finish allowed the Aggies to come in at second behind Michigan to win the silver.

For coach Sam Sweitzer, the win was all about the approach of the team.

“The entire season we had an offensive attitude in that we had to attack our competition,” Sweitzer said. “We just couldn’t let them have the race.“

It was no doubt that the killer mentality paid off for the Aggies. It did not, however, come without the intense training and conditioning that the rowers endured throughout the entire season.

“We train six days a week from 6 to 8:15 a.m. from two weeks before school starts until the third week of May,” Weil said. “Practice is year round, with varying emphasis placed on different types of endurance work.“

The second-place finish comes one year after UC Davis finished in seventh place in the petite division.

“To move up to the grand finals was a huge leap,” Sweitzer said. “I told them that medaling was obtainable but pulling out silver shows just how badly they wanted to win. This is the best finish Davis has had at a national regatta.“

MAX ROSENBLUM can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.