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Thanks to an unprecedented and one-of-a-kind system, student-athletes are enjoying great jobs and graduate school opportunities, thanks to UC Davis Athletics' Aggie EVO program. 

Even though this system is designed for student-athletes and their busy schedules, which includes classes, practices, strength & conditioning workouts, games and regular meetings with student-athlete outcomes advisors, Intercollegiate Athletics also provides undergraduate students with the necessary elements, experiences and resources to enjoy a career in sports.

To help young professionals prepare for future success, Aggie EVO was created to provide student-athletes with:

1. Skills to make young men and women valuable in the workforce
2. Knowledge of what career paths exist
3. Opportunities to participate in valuable internships and job opportunities
4. Tools to secure these opportunities 

As the voice of Aggie women's basketball since he was an undergraduate, Greg Wong '15 is the latest Aggie to turn an opportunity with KDVS 90.3 FM, UC Davis' on-campus student-operated radio station, into a full-time position after accepting a position as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations Manager of the Salem Red Sox, the Advanced-A minor-league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for the 2020 season.
 
"Student broadcasters at KDVS and UC Davis have the unique ability to call almost anything they want and as much of it as they want," Wong said. "There's no substitute for experience, especially in this industry, and there's no way I could become a quality broadcaster, and earn a job like this one, without all those chances to get better."
 
By calling games for UC Davis football, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse and softball, the Berkeley native, who arrived to campus with zero experience behind a mic, is enjoying his dream career and joins an accomplished list of alums in sports broadcasting:

• Former KDVS sports director Tim Sullivan ('90) was a producer at FOX Sports Net Bay Area for a decade before joining ESPN, his current position, 17 years ago.
• Andy Reichwald was hired by ESPN in 2001 as a producer for Sunday Night Football. Since then, he produced Monday Night Baseball (2002-15) and served as an associate director for Monday Night Football (2006-15) before stepping into a new role in 2016 as the producer for the network's marquee series, Sunday Night Baseball.
• As former baseball student-athlete Rich Waltz ('86) helped the Aggies win back-to-back conference titles in '84 and '85. The sport still plays a key role in his life; the former KDVS sports director joined the MLB Network as a play-by-play commentator after spending 13 years in a similar position with the Miami Marlins.
• Eric Hasseltine ('96) worked at KDVS and Sacramento's Sports 1140 KHTK before joining the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies nearly 20 years ago as the team's play-by-play broadcaster.
• Scott Marsh ('93, M.B.A. '95) is the voice of UC Davis football, men's basketball, hosts the Sacramento Kings' pregame show and works at Sports 1140 KHTK as an experienced account manager.
• In addition to his duties as Sports 1140 KHTK's program director, sports fans can listen to Jason Ross ('94) call games for the Sacramento Kings, Sacramento State football and basketball.
• Matias Godinez ('08) remained local after graduating from UC Davis after the San Francisco 49ers selected him as its analyst for the team's radio network. 

KDVS is not the only avenue available for UC Davis students and student-athletes to gain real-world hands-on experience since additional opportunities are available within the department, or by assisting one of its 25 Division I programs.

Created in 2017 through a unique partnership with Associated Students, University of California, Davis, new full-time positions, referred to as ICA/ASUCD Fellowships, were created for current students or recent graduates. Fellows are hired for these paid positions, in various units, on a one-year term with the potential to extend their position for a second year.
 
Responsibilities vary from one unit to the next; all fellows play a key role in day-to-day operations, handle similar tasks and projects as their full-time unit colleagues and enjoy a unique Division I experience rarely offered by other athletics departments across the country.
 
Becoming a student manager or student assistant are two of the more popular ways for undergraduates who are interested in coaching, or learning about the industry from a business perspective, to strengthen their professional skill set. These opportunities are the perfect way to learn about the breadth and depth of responsibilities vital to a team's success each season, while working a position that provides the flexibility needed to succeed academically at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
 
The technical side of sports is another environment that provides students with a wealth of experience, and a chance to directly impact the ultimate outcome of games, meets and events.
 
In addition to providing video streams of home events to UC Davis' fan base, Tim Ornelas (UC Davis Athletics' director of video services and technical operations) is responsible for filming, organizing and providing footage of practices and games to football coaches and players.
 
Preparation is the key to success: This is what makes Ornelas' staff essential since film is the primary teaching tool, outside of practice, for coaches to provide feedback, strengthen student-athletes' individual skills, discover opponents' team and individual tendencies before competition.
 
As has been the case for decades before Aggie EVO was created, ICA continues to provide valuable opportunities for other undergraduates to discover their passions, earn real-world experience, and ultimately enjoy successful careers. Through positions with campus partners, student organizations the department  or one of its Division I programs, students can enjoy the best possible undergraduate experience and prepare themselves for a successful post-UC Davis career, just like their student-athlete peers.
 
 
 

AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, 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.