Event: Las Vegas Invitational

Teams: UC Davis at UNLV

Where: Las Vegas Convention Center – Las Vegas, Nev.

When: Friday and Saturday; all day

Who to watch: Sophomore Brandon Low is off to a fast start this year. He’s earned a 3-0 record, including a 5-3 decision in the Aggies‘ upset of No. 10 Northwestern on Nov. 23.

The former Saint Louis High School star from Honolulu, Hawaii has high expectations this year and hopes to join other teammates in becoming an NCAA Division I qualifier. He’ll look to turn some heads and continue his win streak this weekend.

Did you know? Last season, UC Davis finished 20th out of the 48 teams at the Las Vegas Invitational. Two Aggies, Tyler Bernacchi and Marcos Orozco, made it to the second day of competition.

Bernacchi ended up placing eighth in his weight class, and Orozco was just one win away from a place-finish.

Preview: UC Davis is coming off its biggest win in program history against No. 10 Northwestern.

The Aggies will try and use that momentum in Las Vegas this weekend, and they’ll need it as they face six Pacific-10 teams and nine nationally ranked squads at the Invitational.

“This is probably the toughest tournament in college wrestling right now,” head coach Lennie Zalesky said. “We’ll go in there and see how tough we really are. If you can place in the top eight as a team you can earn a top-20 national ranking. It would be nice if we could earn a top 10 team finish.“

Zalesky and the Aggies have their work cut out for them, but given the way the team wrestled against Northwestern, anything is possible.

–Kyle Hyland

Before tip-off Wednesday night against No. 18 Arizona State, UC Davis was outmatched on paper in almost every phase of the game.

The Aggies did not let that get to them.

After falling behind 14-0 in the game’s first 3:18 of play, the Aggies matched the Sun Devils point-for-point from then on in a 73-59 loss at the Pavilion.

“It was essentially a mismatch that we had tonight,” head coach Sandy Simpson said. “They are very patient trying to get everything into the post. We felt that we needed to shut down the inside game first. We did what we needed to do there, but Briann [January] was just brilliant.“

January lit up the Aggies from long range, going 7-for-9 from beyond the arc in scoring a career-high 25 points.

“The nerves got to us,” sophomore Paige Mintun said regarding Arizona State’s fast start. “The pressure was nothing like we expected. After the first timeout, we were told to relax and just breathe and after that we really did.“

UC Davis took the momentum of a Haylee Donaghe buzzer-beater into the second half, going on a tear to cut the lead to three points in a matter of minutes.

But January’s precision from downtown was too much for the Aggies, as she scored the game’s next 12 points – all coming on three-point opportunities.

Mintun led the way for UC Davis, scoring 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, collecting eight rebounds and holding the Sun Devils‘ post players at bay.

“[Arizona State] is a legitimate team,” said Mintun. “There are four [post players]. They are all huge and they come in and out. We had to show big. They brought me outside because they are not used to defending out there and I took advantage of them.“

Freshman Samantha Meggison came off the bench to score 12 points, while senior Haylee Donaghe added nine for the Aggies.

Despite the loss, the Aggies are proud of their effort against an opponent of Arizona State’s caliber.

“As a team, we were really excited,” said Meggison. “We proved to ourselves that we could play with top teams.“

“I am so proud of all us,” said Mintun. “I felt that we really stepped up. After the 14-point [deficit], I knew that this team had so much character and would come back and eventually be in the game.“

UC Davis outrebounded Arizona State 28-23 to gain a 22-18 advantage in the paint. The Aggies also had a 12-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Looking toward the rest of the season, the Aggies see this game as a barometer for success down the road.

“To see how well we played against this top-25 team really shows what we can do and how far we can go,” said Mintun.

UC Davis continues play on the road Saturday afternoon against St. Mary’s (1-7). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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

Before the season started, senior captain Kim Conley had a very good idea how her season would end – by being the first Aggie of the Division I era to qualify for the national championships, she proved herself right.

But her season was more than just the 80th-place finish against a field of 252 at the national championships.

In fact, it was much more than just any of her individual performances.

“She’s a person that epitomizes the balance between striving for individual goals while making sure she’s motivating and holding teammates accountable as well,” head coach Drew Warternburg said.

The Aggies competed at three highly prestigious invitationals this year: Sundodger, Stanford and Pre-Nationals. Conley led the team to top finishes at them all, placing in the top five at both Sundodger and Stanford.

But the important part of the season is championship season. And despite a bad Iliotibial band injury that led to a week of not running, Conley continued to impress.

Though not sure she’d be able to finish – or even start – the race, Conley was able to finish just behind fellow senior Kaitlin Gregg at the Big West Conference Championships to go all-conference.

Two weeks later, her national qualifying performance led the team to a sixth-place finish at the West Regional Championships.

Conley did more than just run fast. She was the team leader, and will leave a lasting impression on the program.

“She is one of the toughest competitors I know,” said Gregg. “We’ve been training partners, teammates and good friends for four years now. I’m happy we got to share this together.“

Event: Texas Invitational

Teams: UC Davis at No. 1 Texas

Where: Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center – Austin, Tex.

When: Friday and Saturday; all day

Who to Watch: A native of Los Altos, Calif., junior Russ Underwood has been making an impact for UC Davis in each of his three seasons.

A natural sprinter from the 50-yard breaststroke to the 100-freestyle, Underwood leads the team with a 50-free time of 21.51. He hopes to better that number in Texas.

“My goal is to set a season best,” he said.

Did you know? Of the 31 swimmers on the UC Davis roster, 30 are from California. The lone Aggie born outside the Golden State is senior Trent Richardson, who’s from Waialua, Hawaii.

Preview: UC Davis won’t only be facing off with some of the top swimmers in the country; it’ll be taking on some of the best from around the world, too.

Texas has long taken pride in hosting this invitational to close out its season. The undefeated, top-ranked Longhorns have knocked off No. 3 Michigan and No. 5 Auburn this season.

UC Davis won’t be sending a full squad to Austin. Rather, the Aggies will only travel those looking to gauge the success of their training against the nation’s best.

The Texas Invitational gives the Aggies a chance to push themselves to a higher level in preparation for the Big West Championships in February.

Some of the competition they’ll face this weekend will include 2008 Olympic gold medalists Ricky Berens and Dave Walters, who is also the defending NCAA 200-yard free champion.

In the pool will also be three other Olympians from the Texas squad, as well as several NCAA Champion divers.

– Andrea Gutierrez

Name: Kevin Peat

Position: Keeper

Hometown: Walnut Creek, Calif.

Things looked dim for coach Steve Doten coming into this season.

He had just lost his Third-Team All-American goalie Mike McGee, leaving him with two goalies with little college experience to play the most important position in the water.

Splitting time in the beginning of the season, Kevin Peat proved that he should be the lone starter. He caught fire as soon as he received the full time job from Doten, finishing the season with 180 saves – an average of just under 10 a game.

Peat’s official coming out party was his miraculous 14-save game against No. 2 Stanford, singlehandedly keeping the Aggies in the game in the first 16 minutes.

The former De La Salle High School standout wants to be the best goalie in UC Davis history. If he keeps things up at this pace, he’ll have a chance to become just that.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Bakersfield

Records: Aggies, 2-6; Roadrunners, 3-4

Where: The Pavilion

When: Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: After a strong showing in the team’s home opener, Kyle Brucculeri will look to stay hot at the Pavilion on Saturday when UC Davis has its second home game of the season.

Against Portland on Nov. 23, the senior forward made of four of five 3-point attempts and scored a season-high 17 points in 21 minutes.

Did you know? Bakersfield is 29-10 all-time against UC Davis, but none of that success has come during the Gary Stewart era.

The sixth-year Aggies head coach is 2-0 against the Roadrunners with the most recent win coming last season in Bakersfield, 72-69.

Preview: Two teams will be looking to put a long Wednesday night behind them when they step out onto Hamilton Court on Saturday.

UC Davis and Bakersfield both suffered tough road losses two days ago, as the Aggies fell to Causeway rival Sacramento State 82-70 and the Roadrunners were edged 67-63 in overtime by Pacific.

It was a cold shooting night for both teams. UC Davis shot 36.1 percent from the floor and went 5-for-25 from beyond the arc. Bakersfield, meanwhile, shot a combined 27.2 percent in the second half and overtime period after converting 52.4 percent in the first half.

Cal State Bakersfield is 1-1 this season against Big West Conference teams. It defeated preseason conference favorite Cal State Northridge 67-65 on Nov. 21 before losing to Pacific.

Trent Blakely leads the Roadrunners with 14.3 points and 1.7 3-pointers per game. He’s also second on the team with 5.1 rebounds behind Santwon Latunde (7.7 rebounds, 3.4 offensive).

–Michael Gehlken

The UC Davis men’s soccer team held high expectations coming into the 2008 season after qualifying for the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance a year earlier.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Ann Arbor, Mich. in UC Davis‘ 2-1 loss to No. 13 Michigan in the second round of the tournament, the Aggies‘ season came to a close with much to be proud of.

After falling to California by way of a golden goal in the first round of last year’s tournament, UC Davis earned its first-ever home playoff match and home playoff victory this season, handling Denver with ease, 4-0.

Senior forward Quincy Amarikwa was at the center of these historical accomplishments.

“He is such an important part of our team,” head coach Dwayne Shaffer said. “If he doesn’t score, he wreaks havoc for the other team. They try to slow him down, but he keeps on going.”

A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Amarikwa led a competitive Big West Conference with a career-high 15 goals, five of which came in game-winning fashion.

For his efforts, the speedy 5-foot-9, 160-pounder was named First-Team All-Big West and the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. He also became the first Aggie ever to earn National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 13.

Now, it’s The California Aggie’s turn to send some accolades Amarikwa’s way, as it proudly names him its 2008 Fall Male Athlete of the Quarter.

“He works hard on the field and is dangerous with the ball on his feet,” said Shaffer. “He is a great soccer player with great athleticism. He is the most dangerous striker on the West Coast.“

Name: Grant Muenter

Year: Senior

Position: Driver

Hometown: Alamo, Calif.

The UC Davis men’s water polo team lost its two best players and all of its leadership with the passing of the seniors last year.

Grant Muenter stepped up to become the leader of the teamand took his Aggies all the way to third place in the conference.

Muenterled the team with40assists,which shatters the old record of22.He also had the most steals (27)and was the only player to be named to the Western Water Polo Association’s first team for the Aggies.

The Monte Vista High School product was a leader in and out of the pooland the void of leadership he’ll leave will be hard to replace.

Name: Renee Ibekwe

Year: Senior

Position: Outside hitter

Hometown: Carson, Calif.

For the first time in the history of the UC Davis women’s volleyball program,it had a player named First-Team All-Big West Conference.

That player was Renee Ibekwe.

The Banning High School product started off the season by earningBig West Player of the Week in early Septemberand followed that honor up by winning the MVP award at the Air Force Invitational on Sept.6.

Ibekwe led the club with380kills on1,162attempts and added326digs with31blocks.She finished the season in fifth place in the Big West for kills per set (3.58) – a stat that she held top honors in for most of the season.

Ibekwe finishes her career with the Aggies with a total of692kills on2,159swings to go along with450digs.

Name: Kaitlin Gregg

Year: Senior

Hometown: Davis

Though often overshadowed by teammate Kim Conley,a historic period of two-and-a-half seconds gave Kaitlin Gregg a unique distinction – being the first Aggie to ever earn All Big-West Conference honors.

Additionally,Gregg went All West-Region en route to earning anat-large bid to the NCAA Division I National Championships,where she finished118th against a field of the nation’s top252runners.

Gregg helped the team place highly at some major meets,including a second-place showing at the prestigious Stanford Invitational.She then helped propel the team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championships.

Though Gregg’s cross country career has reached its end,UC Davis has not seen the last of her.Expect Gregg to impress even more in the spring,as the5,000m and10,000m specialist takes to the track.

Name: John Faletoese

Year: Senior

Position:Defensive tackle

Hometown: Carmichael, Calif.

It is a never a question of which offensive lineman will try to block John Faletoese on a given play.

It is a question of how many.

Snap after snap for12Saturdays thisseason,the6-foot-2,290-pound terrorwas double and triple teamedbut stillfound a way to wreak havoc.

A combination of brute strength and freak athleticism,Faletoese was an invaluable weapon for the Aggies,making his impact by clogging up the middle,getting to the quarterback for5.5sacks and blocking four kicks on special teams.

But after a standout four-year career,the Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Yearwill play on Saturdays no more.

If he has his way,he’ll beplaying onSundays in the NFL instead.

Year:Senior

Position: Midfielder

Hometown: Pleasanton, Calif.

After contemplating whether or not to return for his fourth year of eligibility,senior Dylan Curtis decided to come back for one more year to help the men’s soccer program make another postseason run.

The team did just that,as Curtis led his team to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and first-ever tournament victory.

The Amador Valley High School product received First-Team All-Big West Conference recognition and was named Big West Midfielder of the Year.

He is also a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award,which honorsathletes for their contributions on the field and in the community,as well as their performance in the classroom.

Curtis started all22of his team’s matches,tallying11assists,good for tops in the conference and tying a school record.

He also scored five goals,two of which came in game-winning fashion.

Name: Keala Peterson

Year: Freshman

Position: Outside hitter

Hometown: Sebastopol, Calif.

A major player in the breakout 12-15 season for the UC Davis women’s volleyball team was freshman Keala Peterson.

Peterson was just recently awarded All-Freshman honors for the Big West Conference – the first time a player from UC Davis has been given the honor.

The Analy High School product started in 22 matches this season, totaling 241 kills, 48 digs and 25 blocks. On three separate occasions, Peterson recorded her season-best 15 kills, along with five other matches where she posted double-digit kill totals.

One of her 15-kill performances came in UC Davis‘ 3-1 win against Sacramento State. It was the first Aggies victory over the Hornets since 1992.