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Editorial: Bike Church closure

Opinion
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The Davis Bike Church could not find salvation, as university administrators elected to evict the bicycle co-op from the Domes sustainable living area last month.

The university told the Bike Church this summer that it must get its facilities up to code before facing an Oct. 1 inspection. Despite rousing efforts by Bike Church ministers and members of the community to do just that, the Department of Student Housing decided to forgo their assessment of the facility after learning the church did not meet the campus fire code.

Although it is understandable that Student Housing wants to minimize its liabilities, not working toward a common solution with the Bike Church is inexcusable. The Bike Church was a much-loved UC Davis institution, adding to the university’s unique character.

It is ironic that a university that takes pride in being sustainable summarily removed an environmentally friendly asset from our campus. Offering bicycle education workshops and used bike parts to the community, the church was a prime example of a local effort to increase alternative transportation and sustainable living.

Instead of forcing the Bike Church off university property, Student Housing should have worked closely with the church to find a solution and give them clear guidelines to improve its structures. Though Student Housing’s safety concerns were legitimate, there is no reason that the church‘s shutdown had to be permanent.

This is not to say the Bike Church was free of blame. Their leadership structure was almost non-existent and the operation was not well organized. Furthermore, the Bike Church did not make an adequate effort to anticipate the potential problems with their organization.

Working together could have ended the matter with both sides pleased: Student Housing would minimize the risk of lawsuits, while the students would keep a cherished campus institution.

Instead of cooperating with each other, however, communication was poor and it seemed as though both sides were working against each other.

Although the Bike Church is clearly something students want on campus, it was no match for a “higher power” – university administration.

Editorial: ASUCD Senate

Opinion
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The role of an ASUCD senator is to monitor student activities and services, oversee the budget, initiate new projects and – at the very least – attend weekly Senate meetings and hold office hours.

Unless, of course, your name is Chad Roberts.

Roberts hasn’t shown up to a Senate meeting since Oct. 23, and has attended just four of the seven meetings this quarter. He also hasn’t authored any legislation, and his only real suggestion – to create a Legislative Analysts‘ Office to research and discuss Senate resolutions and bills prior to voting – was ill-advised.

In fact, the extent of his legislative career in the senate has been co-authorship of one senate bill. Over Roberts‘ entire term, he has missed eight of 20 Senate meetings and been late to or left early from two more.

In short, Roberts is failing in his duties and isn’t even capable of consistently showing up to meetings. When he did attend, the usefulness of his contributions was dubious at best.

The fact that the Senate won’t take any action on the issue is just as troubling.

The Senate decided on Nov. 13 that Roberts‘ behavior was inappropriate, but it won’t discipline him as his term is almost up.

Instead, it will take a course of inaction, continuing to pay him $49 per week to do nothing. The Senate should not only terminate his pay, but also demand the return of the wasted funds it spent on Roberts.

The Senate has authored legislation regarding holding certain amounts of office hours. It should do the same with Senate meeting attendance, and monetary consequences should be the penalty.

Roberts graduated from UC Davis in the spring, which may have something to do his lack of interest in the position.

Recent Senator-elect Danny Garrett is a similar situation in that he, too, could graduate prior to the completion of his term.

Garrett said he wouldn’t graduate before his term is up, and the Senate should hold him to that – unless it wants another absentee Senator. 

Yolo juvenile probation budget loses $1 million

City Editor
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Yolo County Probation’s juvenile program lost nearly $1 million in funding this year due to state budget cuts, a development that has probation officials worried about public safety.

The cuts will have a serious impact on juvenile offenders, said chief probation officer Don Meyer.

“That’s about 38 percent of our budget,” Meyer said.

Meyer worries the lack of funding could mean drastic changes to the juvenile program.

“[Budget cuts] means fewer programs, fewer staff,” he said. “There isn’t really much more to trim, so it’ll mean people and programs.“

These programs in jeopardy have been successful in reducing the population of Yolo County’s juvenile hall by 50 percent, Meyer said.

Probation officers serve to supervise and keep track of people who have been put on probation by the court.

“That entails a lot of different things from drug testing the person, to doing home visits, to searching the person’s property, to having them come in to meet with probation officers,” said adult probation program manager Jim Metzen.

When there are fewer probation officers handling a larger quantity of people, it becomes increasingly difficult for officers to do these things with regularity, Metzen said.

“It would impact our ability to monitor people effectively,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to do regular checks on people; we’d probably just be handling emergency situations.“

Metzen expressed concern that cutting probation officers could mean a threat to public safety.

“When there’s a lack of supervision there’s going to be more crime in the community,” he said. “It helps to make them aware that there is somebody that is going to be looking to see that they are complying with the terms and conditions the court ordered.“

Chief probation officer Meyer said the probation department’s budget problems are due to the economic crisis, which is a paradox for criminal justice departments.

“Often crime escalates during bad economic times,” he said. “You simply don’t have people to respond to crimes. It all takes money.“

The adult probation program, unlike the juvenile program, gets most of its funding from county general funds, and because of the county’s current budget problems, it is likely the adult program will be seeing more cuts in the near future, Meyer said.

The county is considering all reasonable methods to attempt to cut spending to address a projected 19 million dollar deficit for next year, said assistant county administrator Pat Leary.

As with state budget shortfalls, the county’s budget has been stressed by the economy and decreased tax revenue, Leary said.

The county has been working with departments to identify areas where money can be saved, she said. This process includes asking that departments leave nonessential positions vacant.

That is exactly what happened when one probation officer from the adult program retired.

Chief probation officer Meyer said the probation department must deal with and prepare for the cuts likely to come.

“[Smaller budgets] equate into substantial cuts for everybody and public safety hasn’t been exempted from that,” Meyer said. “It is a reality that budgets are going to get worse before they get better.“

 

JON GJERDE can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

POLICE BRIEFS

City Editor
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THURSDAY

 

Get your bike out of the gutter

A bike was found in a drainage ditch on Mace Boulevard.

 

Outstanding customer service

An employee was wrestling with a subject on the ground due to an alleged shoplifting complaint on East Covell Boulevard.

 

Respecting their elders

Four to five teens were seen hanging around a transient on N Street.

 

FRIDAY

 

Hit and run by cyclist

A bicyclist rear-ended a vehicle on E Street and left the scene. The vehicle was not damaged.

 

SATURDAY

 

It’s tool time!

An unknown subject broke into a truck bed toolbox on Cantrill Drive.

 

The siege of the beer bottles

A van on Fifth Street was found surrounded by beer bottles and had been vandalized by a garden hoe.

 

Siege of the beer bottles, part II

A beer bottle was thrown at a vehicle on Cowell Boulevard.

 

Ninja train

The arms were down on a railroad crossing at Fifth Street but no train was seen for seven minutes.

 

SUNDAY

 

Poodle madness

An individual hit a white poodle and then threw it over the fence on East Fourteenth Street.

 

Not your lucky day

An individual found two $100 bills on Alvarado Avenue. The bills were counterfeit.

 

POLICE BRIEFS are compiled by JEREMY OGUL and represent the official version of what happened. The crime blotter can be viewed online at cityofdavis.org/police/log. This segment appears Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Preview: City Council meeting

City Editor
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The Davis City Council will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd.

The following are descriptions of selected agenda items the council will discuss at the meeting. To view the entire agenda and associated staff reports, visit cityofdavis.org.

 

Greenhouse gas inventory

The Davis City Council will receive an update on the Davis greenhouse gas inventory, a project that is part of the city’s larger sustainability goals. The council will also be asked to establish greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for city of Davis operations and the community at large. Furthermore, the council will consider and provide comments on conceptual guidelines for carbon allowances for new residential development.

City staff will present an overview of the work done on revising greenhouse gas emissions standards, which were first approved by the Natural Resources Commission in April but have not been acted upon because more analysis was required. City staff used clean air and climate protection software from ICLEI.

The greenhouse gas reduction targets developed by the Natural Resources Commissions differ from those set by the state of California. Staff concluded that “the state targets presented considerable challenges for a local jurisdiction to achieve.“

A consultant to the city was asked to develop a methodology for establishing a greenhouse gas emissions “allowance” for individuals in the community. This methodology will be reviewed by the council at the meeting.

 

Council goals 2009-2010

The City Council will approve its goals and related objectives and direct a subcommittee to prioritize the objectives into three categories: critical initiatives, special projects and departmental initiatives.

At a one-day retreat in July, councilmembers met and outlined goal areas by consensus. The goal areas are: infrastructure, fiscal stability, Downtown Davis, housing, sustainability, safety and health, organizational strength, civic engagement and long-term visioning. The councilmembers worked to place specific projects and initiatives within these goal areas.

“The majority of these projects go above and beyond the basic everyday business of the city,” said a staff report prepared on the topic. “Regardless of whether [the] council adopts these goals, staff will continue to respond to public safety calls, maintain the parks, provide recreation classes, keep storm sewers clear, pay the city’s bills and carry on the daily business of the city.“

 

Mace Ranch Land Trust project

City staff recommend that the City Council and Davis Redevelopment Agency withdraw all commitments to a development project to be built by the Community Housing Opportunities Corporation at 2990 Fifth St.

The project would include 29 affordable ownership units and 9,764 square feet of office space for nonprofit groups.

According to a staff report, city staff members want the City Council to withdraw commitments on the project in order to keep all options open and to protect the Davis Redevelopment Agency from any more liability. The Community Housing Opportunities Corporation has failed to begin construction on the project, even after three deadline extensions.

 

JEREMY OGUL can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Panhellenic sororities conned in self-defense seminar

Campus Editor
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The Panhellenic Council sponsored a self-defense seminar last week in Freeborn Hall for hundreds of sorority sisters with an instructor who turned out to be a con artist.

David Portnoy, also known as Dave Parker, contacted the Panhellenic Council and offered to put on a free safety seminar for women. Last Monday, 80 percent of all eight Panhellenic sororities were required to attend the seminar.

Portnoy taught the women basic self-defense moves and told them various stories which may or may not have been true to scare them into buying his products.

“He said the reason he does these presentations is because he works with a group called Safety Seminars which was created by a judge in Missouri, Lawrence Portnoy, whose daughter had been abducted and raped 22 to 28 times in five days,” said Courtney Rawitch, the Programming Chair of Panhellenic.

Portnoy told the women the best way to protect themselves from an attacker is with a specific pepper spray he was selling. He also told them the proceeds went to the judge’s daughter.

Sharon Footlik, a sorority member who was present at the seminar, said Portnoy used scare tactics to sell the women his product. He mentioned that rape victims could be one’s mother or sisters, and claimed that his special pepper spray could reach long distances and was strong enough to harm a bear.

On Tuesday following the event, Rawitch began receiving e-mails and phone calls regarding the man’s authenticity. Sorority members discovered that on the Women’s Safety Education Group’s website, it specifically states that Portnoy is not a part of their organization though he claims to be.

Rawitch said women began to “overreact” and test their pepper sprays, which some claimed were tomato juice. Rawitch contacted the police that tested the spray and concluded it was real. She filed an incident report and police attempted to reach Portnoy.

“People were concerned they had been scammed out of their money but they paid for pepper spray, and that is what they got,“ said Rawitch in an e-mail interview. “It may not be as outstanding as he claimed, like that it would shoot through a wind storm and has UV in it that will stay on your attacker’s face like a residue and will be visible in black light for 10 days, but it will deter an attacker.“

Footlik said she found the same pepper spray online for $10, whereas Portnoy sold his for $18 each or $30 for two.

“We respect Panhellenic and the way that they get speakers to come and talk to us,” Footlik said. “He was teaching us self defense, and they were legitimate moves.“

Other stories Portnoy included as scare tactics was that of a woman who was attacked in a dorm shower and used his pepper spray to spray her attacker’s genitalia, after which she was able to get away.

“I feel bad for Panhellenic because they had good intentions,” said a sorority woman who wished to remain anonymous. “I feel like men-rapists take advantage of women in that way, and it’s ironic that [Portnoy] too is taking advantage of women. It’s oppressive.“

“I think that Panhellenic should admit their mistake and I think that they are making it worst by not saying anything and not apologizing,” she said.

Rawitch said she put a lot of work into putting this event together and hopes that people can learn from the experience.

“I am very upset by the whole situation because of the time and energy I put into bringing a speaker to our campus that would relate to everyone and keep the women entertained,” she said. “I just wanted people to be more aware and keep themselves safe.“

This is not the first time that Portnoy has targeted sororities. In November 2006, an article was published in The Depauw about Portnoy’s presentation at Depauw University in Indiana.

Portnoy also sent Rawitch a letter prior to the event claiming he worked with Girl Scouts of America, NFL cheerleading camps and has appeared on Oprah. His website listed in the letter, twwwa.com, does not work.

Panhellenic has drafted letters warning all other sorority headquarters and has contacted the Campus Violence Prevention Program for statistics to provide to Panhellenic’s members.

“We hope people can learn from this experience to always double check on people who contact you because we are all made increasingly accessible to people who have bad intentions,” Rawitch said.

 

ANGELA RUGGIERO can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Campus news in brief

Campus Editor
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UC Board of Regents to meet in San Francisco

UC San Francisco‘s Mission Bay campus will host the UC Regents‘ three-day set of meetings beginning today. The regents will meet in closed session to receive updates on the university‘s legal issues followed by an open session meeting to consider budget, environmental and design approvals.

Wednesday the board will hear public comment and then receive an update to the staff diversity report. The finance committee will then meet to discuss the 2009-2010 operational and capital budgets as well as the UC Retirement Plan.

Thursday will conclude with additional public comment, an open session meeting of the long range planning committee to discuss UC research opportunities and a joint session of the finance and grounds committees to discuss a new capital funding strategy.

Discussion of the long-anticipated proposal to change the freshman admissions requirements is not on the agenda, but could be discussed or voted on at the regents‘ January meeting.

To speak during a public comment period, sign up before the meeting or call the secretary and chief of staff at (510) 987-9220.

 

Governor to host global climate summit

Today and Wednesday, interested students can tune into University of California TV online to watch Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger host a conference of U.S. governors and international climate experts.

The leaders will meet in Los Angeles to discuss finding tangible, sustainable and cooperative solutions to global climate change. Topics will include tactics to reduce greenhouse gases, alternative transportation and mobility as well as forestry and agriculture. A live stream of the conference is available at uctv.tv/climate.

 

UC Davis researchers pinpoint cause of Dalmatian bladder stones

A genetic mutation that results in high levels of uric acid in all Dalmatians, often leading to bladder stones, has been identified by UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine researchers.

Scientists have known since the early 1900s that all Dalmatians have an unusually high level of uric acid. This finding will allow dog breeders to remove the trait through selective breeding with the pointer breed.

The discovery could lead to clues about the cause of similar problems in humans. It is known that humans carry the same gene, but scientists have not determined the exact mechanism that causes humans and great apes to have higher than normal uric acid levels.

Professor Jay Mechling to discuss ‘the Millenials’ tonight

Campus Editor
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You can hardly recall what life was like before the Internet, you text-message at a fervent pace and you probably remember exactly where you were the moment the World Trade Center towers fell.

Professor Jay Mechling of the American studies department will give a lecture on the generation that fits this description – the Millennials, born between 1982 and 2000.

Mechling’s talk, titled “You Millennials Aren’t as Bad (or as Good) As Everyone Says You Are,“ is part of the Last Lecture Series, sponsored by ASUCD’s Academic Affairs Commission. The talk will take place today at 6:10 p.m. in Griffin Lounge in the Memorial Union.

The idea behind the Last Lecture Series is to have a professor give a talk as if it really was their last lecture, said Daniel Stevens, junior political science and economics double major and Academic Affairs Commission member.

“[Professors] are free to talk about anything they want– it can be something they are teaching or anything else they want to talk about,” Stevens said.

“[Professors are asked], ‘If you could only talk about one other thing – what would it be, what’s the most important thing you would like to share with an audience?’” said Marcus Tang, junior political science and communication major and chair of the Academic Affairs Commission.

For this installment, Mechling said he chose to speak on the Millennials because youth culture is one of his main research interests and teaching topics.

Mechling said he feels that older generations tend to always complain about today’s youth – something he has little patience for and plans to explore in his lecture.

“I take the folklorist’s approach to understanding youth cultures, which is to say that I like a fieldwork-based approach where I get to see the youth cultures through the eyes and ears of the participants,” he said in an e-mail interview.

He also will delve into the way new media has impacted the current youth culture.

“Most interesting to me is the effect of electronic communication on the long-established patterns of friendship groups [and] gender roles,” he said. “There may even be some important cognitive consequences of the new media.“

Tang said the Last Lecture Series is just one of the ways the Academic Affairs Commission tries to give students a greater appreciation for the university.

“Professors are doing so many different things, they’re so knowledgeable, [this event is] a way for students to see a professor outside of the classroom context,” he said.

The commission nominates professors to speak at the events.

“[The commission] picked Professor Mechling because other members of the commission [and I] have had classes with him and found his style of lecture engaging. Also, he has a great sense of humor,” said Jack Zwald, vice chair of the Commission and sophomore international relations major in an e-mail interview.

Participating in the Last Lecture Series is fitting for Mechling, as this is his last academic year teaching at UC Davis.

“[The Last Lecture Series] is a classic format – my last time to talk about big ideas with students,” he said.

Upon retiring from teaching, Mechling said he still has a variety of writing projects to complete, including his first attempt to write a mystery novel.

 

ANNA OPALKA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org

Conley, Gregg qualify for NCAA National Championships

Sports Editor
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Racing against some of the best competitors in the nation, the Aggies placed an impressive sixth place at the Western Regional Championships.

And on Nov. 24, seniors Kim Conley and Kaitlin Gregg will be able to race the rest of the best as they compete at the NCAA National Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

“Today was a great effort,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg. “It was right around where we wanted to be. We talked about being fifth, but obviously that was a best-case scenario.… We were 17th last year and moving up 11 spots from one year to the next in the region meet is a large jump and gives us a lot of optimism for the future.“

The Aggies have only two seniors on the roster, and their last season is leaving big marks on the program. Conley and Gregg both earned all-West Region honors in virtue of their 12th and 16th place finishes. They are the only Aggies to ever garner such awards, as well as the first to qualify for the national championships.

“I was pretty nervous going into the race, both for myself and for the team,” Gregg said. “I knew that today could potentially be my last cross country race in an Aggie uniform. My goal was to finish in the top 25, leave everything out on the course and hopefully, that would be enough to qualify. Thankfully, it was.“

With 1k remaining, Gregg was sitting in 21st, knowing she had to move up to have a chance to qualify.

“I was battling between Irine Lagat (of Arizona) and Tara Erdmann (of Loyola Marymount) for the fourth individual spot,” she said. “I was the fourth individual with 800 to go, then got passed by Erdmann and was then the fifth individual. With about 600 to go, I passed Lagat and never looked back.“

Still recovering from an Iliotibial band injury, Conley ran a conservative first part of the race before moving up to Gregg in the middle miles.

“This is two meets in a row where we’ve really gone in not knowing necessarily what she could do on the day,” Wartenburg said. “Kimmy only warmed up for like six minutes this morning. She ran a patient race, moved up calmly, found Kaitlin and ended up passing her by a few spots.“

The team’s sixth-place finish, which was the best among Big West Conference teams, is also by far the best in school history.

Of the five teams ahead of UC Davis, only one didn’t have a national ranking. And a few behind the Aggies, including UC Riverside, received votes in the national poll.

“I am so proud of how far we have come in the past year,” Conley said. “We have definitely stepped up our presence in the region, and that momentum will only continue to grow in the years to come.“

 

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

Women’s volleyball drops a pair at home

Sports Editor
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The Aggies entered the weekend with a shot at salvaging a .500 home record.

But that wasn’t quite what happened.

The UC Davis women’s volleyball team fell to Cal State Fullerton in a 3-2 heartbreaker on Friday, and then was swept by Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

“I think Friday was a huge game for us because we had so much invested,” said head coach Jamie Holmes. “I think overall we played good volleyball in terms of execution and playing at a good, high level.

“Saturday I thought was just the residual effect from the previous night. It was a tough situation for us. All in all, it was very tough emotionally on the whole team.“

 

Friday – Cal State Fullerton 3, UC Davis 2

The opening match of the home weekend for UC Davis at the Pavilion could not have started off better.

The Aggies jumped to an early two-game lead only to surrender the win in three straight to the Titans, 21-25, 20-25, 31-29, 25-17, 15-10.

UC Davis never trailed in the first set of the night. Sophomore Kayla Varney and senior Renee Ibekwe combined for four kills early to give the team an early 7-5 advantage.

A crucial dig by junior Arveeta Singh helped seal the deal, as Varney delivered a quick knockout blow to the Titans at 25-21.

The second game looked bleak from the onset, as the Titans rebounded from their first game loss to claim a 5-1 lead. Solid defense by Varney and Singh kept the Aggies in it to force six ties in the set.

The turning point of the game came with the score tied at 18. The Titans committed two hitting errors, two net violations and a service error giving the Aggies a 23-18 lead en route to a 25-20 victory.

For the second time this season, after jumping out to a 2-0 home lead, UC Davis surrendered the final three games to give away the match.

Those final three sets were clouded by the outstanding offense provided by Titans hitter Brittany Moore, as the senior recorded 19 of her 29 kills. She got 77 swings to provide the match-high in kills, but did so on a solid .221 hitting percentage.

For the match, the Aggies finished with 51 kills on a .136 clip while the Titans hit .120 with 61 kills on seven more swings than the Aggies.

 

Saturday – Cal State Northridge 3, UC Davis 0

For the eighth time this season – and third at home – the Aggies were swept by their opponent.

The last-place Matadors were the ones who picked this one up, winning the match 25-20, 25-22, 25-20.

An early 4-1 advantage for UC Davis was made possible by junior Carson Lowden who fed senior Renee Ibekwe and sophomore Julie King, recording two of her 31 assists for the match.

Four attack errors by the Aggies hitters allowed the Titans to crawl back at seven apiece.

The score remained close until the 19th point when the Matadors began to pull away. The 19-19 ties was the 13th of the game, setting the stage for a close battle to 25.

But three attack errors by the Aggies gave the Matadors a 22-19 advantage. Then Cal State Northridge’s Angela Hupp slammed down the final two kills of the game to seal it up for the Matadors at 25-20.

The final two games of the match can be told by looking at the team’s hitting percentages. The Aggies opened up with a .225 clip, and then fell to .171 in the second, then .038 in the third – a .158 average for the match. On the other bench, the Matadors hit .227 for the match.

Hupp finished with a match-high 15 kills on a .250 hitting percentage. Sophomore Melanie Adams hit .558 for 11 kills for UC Davis.

 

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

Aggies down Thunderbirds

Sports Editor
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A young UC Davis squad comprised of seven freshmen faced its first regular season test of the 2008-2009 campaign as it traveled to Southern Utah on Friday night.

The Aggies answered the call.

Using a 9-2 run at the start of the second half, the Aggies were able to rout the Thunderbirds and capture a 64-44 road victory in their first of two away contests to open the season.

“This was a good test for our team on the road in a hostile venue,” head coach Sandy Simpson said.

UC Davis didn’t seem fazed by the hostile environment as it held Southern Utah to 13 first half points and 28 percent shooting for the game.

“We played well defensively in the first half,” Simpson said.

The defense was sparked by junior wing Haylee Donaghe, who had a career-high nine steals. The Aggies had 18 as a team.

“It’s one of her strengths,” said Simpson. “She set the tone defensively.“

Offensively, three Aggies scored in double-figures, including freshman Lisa Peterson, who shot 5 for 8 from the field for a game-high 14 points in only 21 minutes of play.

“Lisa Peterson did a good job establishing her game in the low post,” said Simpson.

Sophomore Paige Mintun and senior Genevieve Costello were the other Aggies in double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Mintun also had a team-high seven rebounds. Peterson added six of her own.

Along with her nine steals, Donaghe pitched in with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Aggies, however, were outplayed on the boards Friday night.

After outrebounding its opponents 95-50 in its two exhibition contests, UC Davis was outrebounded 46-39 by Southern Utah.

“Now that we are in the regular season, we need to pay more attention to detail,” said Simpson. “We were outhustled on the boards. Personnel-wise, we matched up well with Southern Utah. I don’t see any reason why we should have been outrebounded.“

Simpson assures that the Aggies will only improve throughout the season.

“We need to be more determined,” said Simpson. “We will work on that this week in preparation for next week. These are things that come along as the season progresses.“

UC Davis‘ next road test will come Friday when the team travels to Denver to play the Pioneers at 6 p.m.

 

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

Aggies cap season at Regional Championships

Sports Editor
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Racing against 2008 Olympic 10,000m runner Galen Rupp and a plethora of All-Americans from all over the West, the Aggies were able to place a respectable 11th at the NCAA Western Regional Championships.

“We’ve been 11th two years in a row,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg. “Eleventh this year was probably a taller order; it was probably a better accomplishment than getting 11th last year. There was a lot more depth at the top of the field.“

Two of those teams near the top were Big West Conference rivals Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.

“We were a spot or two off where we would have liked to be, obviously,” Wartenburg said. “Getting beat by Santa Barbara, being a spot back, is tough.“

Again leading the Aggies was senior captain K.C. Cody, who finished 40th in the 10k race in 30:21.69. Cody’s finish is the highest ever by an Aggie at the regional meet. The previous record was 43rd by Jonathan Peterson, who is redshirting this season.

“After conference, it was vindicating to get back up to the level I was competing at throughout the season, but ultimately still not enough,” Cody said. “Breaking up Cal Poly’s top three, after not even breaking up their top five two weeks ago, was especially good.“

Placing second and third for the Aggies were sophomores Russ Pfaff and Calvin Thigpen, finishing 49th and 65th, respectively.

“Our first three had great races,” Wartenburg said. “Russ did not have the uninterrupted training early season. He was a bit dinged up, but Russ is a guy who on the day of the meet runs through it when he’s needed. He ran the best race of his season today.

“Calvin has been probably the most consistent guy all this season. He’s a 3-4-5 guy. He ran a patient, steady race today.“ Though only seven runners toed the line, the course was filled with Aggie pride. Over 30 teammates and fans (and one cow), painted head to toe in Aggie blue and gold raced around the course to cheer on UC Davis.

“The Aggie Nation was what pulled me through,” Pfaff said. “I couldn’t have ran as well without the support of my teammates and I will have great Aggie memories because of them.“

For seniors Cody, Patrick Parsel and Keli Parker, these will be their last such memories – at least from cross country. All three will be coming back this spring to compete on the track.

“Focus turns to taking time off and basically all attention goes to track here in a few weeks,” Wartenburg said. “Lots to look forward indoors and outdoors in track, but not right away. But in due time.“

 

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

Early offense, Peat’s defense pace UC Davis to victory

Sports Editor
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Redshirt freshman Kevin Peat wants to leave UC Davis as the school’s all-time saves leader.

After Saturday’s impressive showing against No. 16 Santa Clara, he’s that much closer to reaching his goal.

Peat had 14 saves and the Aggies jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second quarter en route to a 6-5 road win over the Broncos.

The victory moves No. 11 UC Davis to 8-4 in Western Water Polo Association play, virtually assuring it the No. 3 seed in the conference championship ahead of Santa Clara.

“I’m glad this game was on the road,” head coach Steve Doten said. “I was happy to have all these home games, but to get on the road and play in someone else’s pool was good to get us ready for conference.”

The road game was UC Davis‘ first since it visited Santa Clara on Sept. 28 – a period of 10 consecutive home games.

Six different Aggies scored a goal, including seniors Adam Bennett and Adam Lindsay.

Santa Clara converted four goals on 6-on-5 chances, while UC Davis netted just two goals given seven man-up opportunities.

“Sometimes I think the team can get frantic,” Doten said. “I want the intensity and the hustle, but I want them to control the tempo of the game. We need to continue keeping our mistakes down, limit the turnovers and counterattacks.

“This game was a good test for us. I know our guys are confident. They expect to win, but they’re not overconfident.… It was great prep for next weekend.“

The WWPA Championship begins Friday at Claremont McKenna. Loyola Marymount and UC San Diego should claim the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

 

ADAM LOBERSTEIN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Mustang rally: No. 3 Cal Poly grounds Aggies with big 2nd half

Sports Editor
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Jerry Rice can credit Ramses Barden for lowering his name on the NCAA record book.

Barden can credit his team’s running game and second-half defense for making it matter.

The Cal Poly triple-option attack accounted for 427 rushing yards, and the Mustangs defense responded from a halftime scare by limiting UC Davis to 64 yards of second-half offense in a 51-28 home win.

The Aggies went blow-to-blow with No. 3 Cal Poly (8-1, 3-0) early on, entering halftime tied 21-21.

“I’m very proud of the way our guys competed,” said UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs. “We hung in with them there in the first half, but they’re just too good a team.“

The win was Cal Poly’s seventh straight and clinched not only the Great West Conference title but likely an at-large bid for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

Barden broke Rice’s record for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception, scoring for the 18th straight game.

“The record will mean a lot more a few years from now,“ said Cal Poly quarterback Jonathan Dally, who threw every touchdown during the streak. “I went over and told him congratulations, and he told me congratulations. It’s been fun. The ride’s been great, but it’s not over.“

The record was one of the few bright spots for the Cal Poly passing game. UC Davis held the Mustangs to only 95 yards in the air.

Dally was 8-of-20 for the game but found other ways to make his mark, rushing for a season-high 173 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Fullback Jordan Yocum also surpassed the century mark with 111 yards on 10 rushes, including a score.

“It was a guessing game for us because sometimes we were trying our coverage schemes to make sure they didn’t get the big play downfield to Ramses or [Trendale] Tolver,” Biggs said. “The quarterback did a great job of reading what the defense gave him and holding onto the ball in the option game.“

UC Davis scored on its opening possession of the game, capping a six-play, 81-yard drive with a five-yard reception by Brandon Rice.

After being held to a three-and-out, the Cal Poly offense retook the field after Asa Jackson forced a fumble and Greg Francis returned it to the Aggies‘ 25-yard line.

Dally eventually scored from 14 yards out to put the Mustangs on the board.

The two teams exchanged touchdowns again in the second quarter with UC Davis scoring on its next position off a 14-yard Brad Bispo touchdown reception.

Early in the third quarter, Barden scored the record-breaker from 13 yards out, but Rice found the end zone for the second time with 12 seconds remaining in the half. Rice finished the game with six receptions for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

“He came to compete, as he always does,” Biggs said. “Brandon’s put together a real good senior year this year. I was happy for him. He works really hard on his game and puts in a lot of time and effort. It’s nice to see it pay off from him.“

The Aggies offense couldn’t sustain the momentum from the Rice score, as the Cal Poly defense turned up the heat and pressured Greg Denham to throw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Denham had his fourth straight 300-yard game, going 22-of-42 for 332 with four touchdowns. He has thrown for 3,044 yards on the year, becoming the fifth quarterback in Aggies history to reach the 3,000-passing yard milestone.

With the loss, UC Davis dropped to 5-6 (2-1) on the season, which concludes next week at San Diego.

“We’re going to be bump-and-bruised; our kids played very, very hard, played very physical,” Biggs said. “But they’ll be resilient. They know we need to finish at .500 this year, and we need a good win over San Diego, so they’ll be ready to go.“

 

MICHAEL GEHLKEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org. 

Then and now

Sports Editor
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This time last season, Sule Anibaba was in tears, as the UC Davis men’s soccer team had just been selected for the NCAA Tournament in its first Division I season.

“That was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” Anibaba said. “We didn’t really know what was going to happen.… Hearing our name on ESPNews – I just remember crying.“

That was then.

This is now.

No longer are the Aggies content with a berth in the national tournament. Now, they have their sights on winning it.

“We’ll get the call, we’ll be happy – that’ll last probably 24 hours, and then it’ll be done,” Anibaba said. “We were so excited about making it last year that it didn’t really hit us until the day before we played Berkeley. The shock was in us until we played them.“

The shock of making the big dance wore off and disappointment set in as California knocked the upstart Aggies out of the tournament with a 1-0 overtime victory last season.

There will be no such shock this time around.

“We’ve been here before,” Anibaba said. “We have nine seniors. We know what it takes to win.“

UC Davis (12-4-4, 4-2-4 Big West Conference) is the No. 12 team in the nation, having been ranked in the top 15 since early October.

The Aggies also sit at No. 15 in Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which basically means they’ve been playing a bunch of really, really good teams – and beating them.

Considering 48 teams will be picked for the tournament, UC Davis knows it’s essentially a lock to make the tournament heading into today’s selection show, which will air at 3 p.m. on ESPNews.

“If we’re selected to the NCAA Tournament, it’ll be well deserved,” head coach Dwayne Shaffer said. “We have only lost four games on the season and have played quality opponents.… We have wins over Cal Poly, Santa Barbara, Michigan State – our record against teams being considered for the tournament is really good.“

That’s why this year is different.

“I’m just thinking about who we’re playing, where we’re playing this time,” Anibaba said. “We’re one of the top teams in the nation. We’re not freaking out about getting in anymore. Now, it’s about playing.“

The Aggies consider themselves a contender for a first-round bye, meaning they’d be one of the tournament’s top 16 seeds.

If they don’t pick up a bye, they expect a home game at Aggie Soccer Stadium in the first round.

“Based on what we’ve done, the teams we’ve beat – we should have home field in the first round,” Anibaba said. “Anything less would be a slap in the face.“

UC Davis knows it can do damage regardless of where it’s seeded.

“If we get a first round bye, that would be amazing,” Anibaba said. “If we don’t, that’s fine. If we have to travel, so what?”

To have success in the tournament, the Aggies will have to start finding the back of the net earlier in games.

The team has surrendered the first goal in seven straight contests, and is 1-3-3 over that stretch. UC Davis is 10-1-1 when it scores first.

“Obviously, you have to score to win,” Shaffer said. “Any time you can score the first goal, it makes it easier.“

Anibaba said finding motivation to score that first goal to break out of UC Davis‘ current skid shouldn’t be difficult given the NCAA Tournament setting.

“With the playoffs, it’s easy,” he said. “You have one shot.… On any given day, no matter how good you are, if you don’t bring it that day you’re not going to win. Every team that’s seen us play – we can beat any team in the nation.“

 

ADAM LOBERSTEIN wants you to know the men’s soccer team will be at The Graduate today at 3 p.m. for the selection show. We’ll see you there. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

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