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39-432: The conference comprised schools from the old Western Football Conference that had recently made the move from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I . The conference was founded on July 15, 1993, as an NCAA Division I-AA football -only conference. It added additional sports a year later. The members were prompted to move their programs in response to an NCAA ruling barring member institutions from competing in football at

78-556: A "Sweet 16" appearance in 2017. The UC Davis Aggies football team represents UC Davis in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The football program's first season took place in 1915 and has fielded a team each year since with the exception of 1918 during World War I and from 1943 to 1945 during World War II , when the campus, then known as the University Farm, was shut down. The team plays its home games at

117-574: A 7,600-seat arena called University Credit Union Center . The 2022–23 season is head coach Jim Les 12th with the program. During his tenure with the Aggies, the men's basketball team earned its inaugural Big West championship and first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearance in 2017. Les, along with associate head coach Kevin Nosek and assistant coaches Jonathan Metzger-Jones and Kyle Vogt entered their seventh season together in 2022–23. Following

156-635: A Division I program in 2018 as one of the Big Sky Conference 's three regular season champions. Became Big West Conference Tournament Champions in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time (2007, 2008, 2019) in program history. The UC Davis Aggies men's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 1–3 through three appearances. The UC Davis Aggies men's water polo team has won seven WWPA title, including back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. The Aggies have appeared in

195-655: A I-AA independent in football, and in 2002 their football program was dropped. UC Davis made the decision to move up to Division I in 2003, and in 2007 they joined Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly in the Big West. Former AWC members UC Davis, Cal Poly, and Southern Utah would later found the Great West Football Conference (later renamed the Great West Conference), along with newcomers Northern Colorado , North Dakota State , and South Dakota State from

234-501: A brilliant 2023 campaign. Ho guided the Aggies to the MPSF title as the No. 2 championship seed with a team national qualifying score of 195.965. UC Davis broke 196 in five meets, including the 196.200 en route to the team title. The Aggies totaled three of the MPSF's top-nine all-time scores in the final month of the regular season, including the No. 2 all-time ranking of 196.750. The last eight meets of

273-634: A lower level than other sports. The only commissioner of the American West Conference was Vic Buccola , who had been the athletic director at Cal Poly from 1973 to 1981, and commissioner of the Western Football Conference from 1981 to 1992. UC Davis and Southern Utah tied for the 1993 AWC football championship with 3–1 records. Although UC Davis was a conference member, the team was listed in Division II polls, and participated in

312-638: A share of the Big West Conference title in 2009, their first championship in program history at the Division I level. In 2015, the Aggie made history by winning the Big West Conference Tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. UC Davis swimming and diving has captured four MPSF titles (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016) since its ascension to the Division I level. In 2016, Hilvy Cheung raced in

351-649: A successful stint as an NCAA Division II program, the UC Davis women's basketball team began its transition to the NCAA Division I level in 2003–04, officially competing as a member of the Big West Conference in 2007–08.The team plays its home games at a 7,600-seat arena called University Credit Union Center . The Aggies have won six Big West Conference regular season titles (2009–10, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21) and three Big West Tournament titles (2011, 2019, 2021) in their combined 15 Division I seasons. UC Davis

390-560: Is chosen for each state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. From those 52 state-level honorees, the NCAA selects 10 finalists. The winner is then chosen at an annual televised banquet. Remarkably, the Aggies’ All-American 4x400 relay team at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships featured three finalists: 2001 finalist Kameelah Elarms was the leadoff runner, 2002 winner Tanisha Silas ran

429-532: Is led by the three-time Big West Golfer of the Year and former LPGA Tour professional Demi Runas. Runas was the first Aggie to earn her LPGA Tour card. The Aggies have posted 23 team wins as well as 22 individual victories since the program started in 2005, also making four NCAA Tournament appearances (2008, 2011, 2013, 2015) over that time. Led by Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame student-athlete Tanya Ho, UC Davis gymnastics earned their first conference title since 2015 after

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468-453: Is one of three schools in league history to win at least four consecutive Big West regular season titles, joining UC Santa Barbara (1996–2005) and Long Beach State (1985–1989). The Aggies have advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times in 2011, 2019 and 2021 as the automatic qualifier from the Big West Conference and has earned five berths to the WNIT, including an "Elite Eight" appearance in 2018 and

507-760: Is the highest total of any men's or women's team sponsored by the Big West. As a Division II team, UC Davis captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association title three times in a row from 1999 to 2002. UC Davis became a Big 12 affiliate member for that conference's first season of women's lacrosse in 2024–25, following the 2024 collapse of its former women's lacrosse home of the Pac-12 Conference . The Aggies had only joined Pac-12 women's lacrosse in 2023–24. Led by three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Coach of

546-638: The America East Conference in field hockey, the Eastern College Athletic Conference for equestrian, and the Big 12 Conference in women's lacrosse. The "Aggies" is UC Davis' official team nickname because of the university's agricultural origins. The university was previously called the College of Agriculture at Davis because it was part of UC Berkeley until it was separated in 1959 by

585-639: The Big West Conference . The Aggies' football team compete in Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) (formerly known as Division I-AA), and are members of the Big Sky Conference , granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team ( Cal and UCLA being the other two). The Aggies are also members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in women's indoor track and field, women's gymnastics, and women's swimming and diving,

624-474: The Division II postseason . UC Davis left the AWC after the 1993 season, leaving Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, Southern Utah for the 1994–95 season. In the 1994–95 season, the AWC sponsored men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's track and field, and women's tennis, in addition to football. The AWC did not have an automatic bid to

663-596: The North Central Conference , as a home for their football programs at the I-AA level in 2004. This conference remained small much like the AWC for its entire existence, ranging from only 5 to 6 football members at any given time. In late 2010 , the Big Sky Conference announced it would add UC Davis and Cal Poly as football-only members, as well as Southern Utah as a full member, thus reuniting these schools with Sacramento State in football. This move effectively dissolved

702-669: The 10,473-seat UC Davis Health Stadium . UC Davis competed as a member of the NCAA College Division through 1972; from 1973 to 2003, the Aggies competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 2004, UC Davis promoted its football program to the Division I FCS (then I-AA) level and joined the Great West Conference (then known as the Great West Football Conference) after one season as an independent team with exploratory status. After their provisional seasons and

741-703: The 200- and 400-meter dashes at the championship meet, while helping both relay squads to top-three finishes. He had the league's fastest 400 time of the year, breaking Brian Thomas' school record with a time of 46.36 seconds at the CSUN Red & Black Invite on April 2. Okonkwo's winning 21.23 clocking in the 200 at conference currently ranks second in the Big West and fourth in school history. School Records UC Davis men's golf has tallied 41 team wins and 53 individual victories dating back to 1993. School Records UC Davis captured its first Big West Championship in 2010 when individual conference champion Jonathan Peterson led

780-540: The 2024 season. The Aggies faced five Pac-12 opponents in 2022, posting wins over Cal and Oregon while also going 1–1 against San Diego State. UC Davis women's volleyball ascended to the Division I level ahead of the 2004 season and have not won a conference title since the reclassification. Head Coach Dan Conners will enter his 10th season in 2023. UC Davis Softball ascended to the Division I level in 2008 and claimed their first Big West Conference title in 2010 under Head Coach Karen Yoder. UC Davis women's water polo earned

819-485: The 3,500-seat Dobbins Stadium . Former Stanford and Texas assistant coach Tommy Nicholson was hired as the 11th head coach in program history on December 11, 2021. The school's team currently competes in the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. UC Davis' first men's basketball team was fielded during the 1910–11 season. UC Davis won an NCAA Division II national championship in 1998 and had 12 postseason appearances. The team plays its home games at

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858-410: The Aggies to their historic victory. Records UC Davis added beach volleyball ahead of the 2019 season, joining Equestrian as the department's newest sports. The Aggies opened their historic first season with a 2–0 record and enjoyed success in their most recent campaign, posting their best start to a season (9–0) in program history. UC Davis added field hockey ahead of the 2009 season, competing in

897-602: The Ags, Cal Aggies, or Aggies) are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Davis . Eighteen of the school's 25 intercollegiate sports - baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's golf, men's soccer, men's tennis, men's track & field, men's water polo, softball, women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's track & field, women's volleyball and women's water polo - compete in

936-600: The Division I (D-I) level in other sports from competing at the Division II (D-II) level in football. Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly SLO, Southern Utah, and Sacramento State, plus UC Davis for football, were the first announced members of the American West Conference. Of the eight WFC member schools: The WFC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was named for Santa Clara coach Pat Malley . Its recipients include: UC Davis Aggies The UC Davis Aggies (also referred to as

975-463: The Great West as a football-sponsoring conference. Full members Assoc. members (football only) Western Football Conference (United States) The Western Football Conference was an NCAA Division II scholarship-awarding football conference that existed from 1982 to 1993. Among its member schools were (from 1982 to 1992 unless otherwise noted): The first discussion of the formation of

1014-612: The Mid-Continent Conference, now called the Summit League , in 1997. By winning the 400 Meter Intermediate Hurdle championship races in both 1995 and 1996, David Baeza became the only Men's 400IH American West Conference Champion in history. He also won the 1996 400m Dash Championship race after finishing 3rd in the 1995 championship race. Cal State Northridge left the Big Sky for the Big West in 2001. That year, they operated as

1053-524: The NCAA Division I Tournament nine times in the program's history. 2015, 2023 Big West Tri-Champions. In 2015, the Aggies earned a program-best 17 wins at the Division I level. In 2016, Alec Adamson became the first UC Davis men's tennis player to be named the Big West Player of the Year and was the first Aggie at the Division I level to earn a berth into the NCAA Singles Tournament, finishing

1092-426: The NCAA championships since the NCAA requires a conference to have six teams. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo won the 1994 AWC football championship. The 1995–96 season was the last season of the AWC. Cal Poly accepted an invitation to the Big West Conference . Cal State Northridge and Sacramento State accepted invitations to the Big Sky Conference . Southern Utah became an independent until they became members of

1131-620: The NorPac conference. The Aggies joined the American East in 2015 and remain in the conference heading into 2023. UC Davis has not posted a winning season since the program's inception, but finished just one game below .500 (8–9) in 2019. In less than half a decade, UC Davis women's track & field boasted three finalists – including two winners – for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors excellence and leadership in athletics, academics and in

1170-913: The UC Regents. Davis began its athletics program with football in 1915 as part of the University of California team. The Aggies finished first in NCAA Division II six times in 2003 and won the NACDA Director's Cup four years in a row from 1999 to 2003. In 1998, the UC Davis men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship , despite being one of the few non-scholarship institutions in Division II at that time. UC Davis also won NCAA Division II championships in softball (2003), men's tennis (1992), and women's tennis (1990, 1993). In November 2002, UC Davis students voted to elevate

1209-434: The Year (2018, 2019, 2021), Suzanne Isidor captured her first conference title in 2021, leading the Aggies to a program-best 12–4 record. UC Davis has effectively been a partner of fellow California school San Diego State, with both teams having been in MPSF women's lacrosse until that conference dropped women's lacrosse after the 2021 season. Both played as independents for two seasons until joining Pac-12 women's lacrosse for

American West Conference - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-441: The athletics program to Division I, passing by 8 percent, with 4,638 voters approving a $ 183 annual fee increase earmarked for sports funding through 2008, defeating 3,929 voters against. However, the vote was merely advisory. Following a year of heavy discussion by campus administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the local community, taking a cue from the advisory vote, UCD chancellor Larry Vanderhoef officially announced

1287-405: The community. Founded in 1991, the award stands as one of the highest honors that national governing body bestows upon an individual. Since then, UC Davis is the only Division II institution to have won the award and is one of just two schools to have three winners (Aggie lacrosse player Kelly Albin captured the honor in 2004). Hundreds of student-athletes are nominated annually, from which one winner

1326-522: The construction of a new stadium, UC Davis became a full member of Division I in 2007 and eligible for the postseason. Throughout its history, the football program won 31 conference championships. Between 1929 and 1992, the Aggies captured 27 outright or shared Northern California Athletic Conference championships, including 20 in a row from 1971 to 1990, an American West Conference title in 1993 (co-champion), and GWFC/GWC championships in 2005 (co-champ) and 2009. The Aggies won their first football title as

1365-461: The league was held by administrators in 1976. Its founding, and only, commissioner was Vic Buccola , who had been the athletic director at Cal Poly from 1973 to 1981. He then became a founder and commissioner of the multi-sport American West Conference , which was chartered after the WFC folded in 1993. The WFC folded in part because of a new NCAA rule that prohibited member institutions who competed at

1404-561: The season all went for at least 195.250. Records UC Davis' six conference wins in 2022 were the most by any UCD team since joining the Big West. UC Davis women's soccer is yet to win a conference title at the Division I level. UC Davis has won three Big West Conference titles (2011, 2014, 2021) since it ascended to the Division I level in 2007. Records In March, 2020, UC Davis women's tennis also earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award for an outstanding Academic Progress Rate (APR) by posting its 12th perfect score in program history. This

1443-410: The third leg and 1999 winner Jamila Demby served as the anchor. Records UC Davis added Equestrian ahead of the 2019 season and the program instantly enjoyed success, earning their first ECAC Championship in 2023. The young team repeated their conference championship in 2024, and qualified for Nationals for the first time in program history as the #8 ranked team in the nation. UC Davis women's golf

1482-404: The university's move to Division I on March 11, 2003. The department then became a fully fledged D-I program on July 1, 2007. The UC Davis Aggies baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic baseball team of the University of California, Davis. The team is a member of the Big West Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games at Phil Swimley Field at

1521-616: The year ranked No. 108 in the nation according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's final poll. Ngoni Makusha, a 2008 Olympian, two-time track athlete of the year and former Drake assistant track and field coach, is UC Davis' men's and women's track & field head coach. UC Davis sprinter Matthew Okonkwo captured a share of the Big West Conference Male Track Athlete of the Year in 2022. Okonkwo captured Big West individual titles in each of

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