DAVIS, Calif. — A standing-room only crowd filled the Special Events Room at The Pavilion on Thursday to celebrate senior biomedical engineering major Morgan Bertsch and her selection by the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA Draft.

A fitting way to pay tribute to a student-athlete who brought fans to their feet so many times during a four-year career that will go down as one of the greatest in UC Davis history.

"The amount of support I have received in the last 24 hours has been incredible," Bertsch told the assembled audience. "I could have never imagined this, but I am truly thankful that I could represent UC Davis in this endeavor and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I just can't wait to see where the next couple weeks leads me."

Flanked by three-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year Jennifer Gross, the Santa Rosa, Calif., native smiled, laughed, and reflected on a career that saw her set 11 career records, 11 single-season records, and four more single-game marks — most notably the career scoring record for both the men's and women's programs.

Oh, and never mind the fact that she also became only the eighth player in the history of the Big West Conference — one that dates all the way back to 1983 — to reach 2,000 career points and ended her four years as an Aggie in third place on that prestigious list with 2,422 points to her name.

"Over the last couple of years, we've had a special group of young women accomplish some amazing things and Morgan was a leader on our team and a big reason for our success," Gross said. "This is something that we've been talking to her about for the last couple of years, what her path looks like, and what it would take to put herself in a position to be selected in this year's draft. It's a testament to the amount of work she has put in and the commitment she has made to be great."

The list of individual accolades is long, but Bertsch has never been one to dwell on personal success for too long. Looking over a list of records, honors, and accomplishments, it's the three consecutive Big West regular season titles, a 2019 conference tournament crown, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament alongside her teammates, that resonates most.

"You can go down the line and look at the things I've been able to do as an individual, but I think the ones that are the most impressive and the ones I cherish the most are what we've been able to accomplish as a team," Bertsch said. "Three consecutive regular season titles is something that hasn't been done in a long time and, I think, that goes to show the type of program we have here, the type of coaching staff we have here, and how amazing a place this is."

One of 36 players from around the world to hear their names called on draft night, Bertsch is among elite company, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Dallas draftees Arike Ogunbowale of national runner-up Notre Dame, Naismith Trophy winner Megan Gustafson of Iowa, and Kennedy Burke of UCLA. Bertsch's selection shows that a star like hers shines just as bright outside of a "Power Five" universe.

"The message here is you don't have to go to the biggest name school, you don't have to play for a BCS school, to get recognized," Gross said. "I think a player's accomplishments are directly related to their opportunities. Morgan had an incredible opportunity here and she seized it. She came in here and, from day one, started to put the work in and never, for one second, didn't appreciate the opportunity she had.

"We're so proud of how she's represented our program, our department, and our university, since she's stepped on campus and, now, she going to continue to do that as she makes her mark in the professional ranks. This is someone who is so prideful in her experience here and represents the best of UC Davis as an amazing basketball player, as a biomedical engineering major, as a spectacular person. We're fortunate that Morgan gets to continue to represent our program and our university."

With the WNBA preseason set to tip off on May 13, and the regular season opener following just 11 days later, Bertsch's next step is still unclear and there's still a lot of work to do to prepare for the rigors of professional basketball. However, with the spring quarter at UC Davis not even two weeks old, a lot of attention is sure to be paid to her remaining classwork with the goal of graduating from the nation's No. 5 public university within her grasp.

"I think that it's special to be able to do engineering and still be an athlete," Bertsch said. "When I first decided that I was going to do engineering, a lot of people told me that I was going to have to pick. I knew that it wasn't something that had to be one way or the other, there's always going to be a way that you can compromise and, I think, UC Davis has allowed me to pursue basketball as well as my academic dreams. I don't think that every university out there provides those opportunities for their student-athletes."

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.