Davis, Calif. — UC Davis head coach Tracy Hamm and senior Leslie Fregoso lead a group of Aggies who were honored with Big West Women's Soccer year-end awards. Hamm was selected the conference Coach of the Year in her fifth season, and Fregoso was named the Big West Midfielder of the Year.

The Aggies earned a total of five All-Big West honors and one All-Freshman award. Fregoso solidified herself as the best midfielder in the conference and was selected to the All-Big West First Team. Midfielder Risa Yamada and defender Bella Mayo received All-Big West Second Team selections, while forward Sam Tristan was recognized as an honorable mention. Elise Picard was the final Aggie to be honored, finding herself on the All-Freshman Team.

Hamm, who is in her fifth year as the Aggie head coach, guided UC Davis to a second-straight season as the No. 2 seed in the Big West. Hamm's Aggies compiled a 10-6-2 regular season record, being one of only two Big West teams this season to reach double-digit win totals. Hamm becomes just the second Aggie coach ever to earn a Coach of the Year honor, with the last one being MaryClaire Robinson in 2011. The Aggies this season entered the year predicted to finish fifth in the preseason poll and shattered all expectations. Hamm's team led the conference in goal differential (+10), goals against average (0.944), shutout percentage (0.444), while also ranking second in total goals (27), and third in scoring offense (1.50). Hamm's record breaking success the past two seasons has provided UC Davis with two top-two finishes in the regular season after having not placed higher than 3rd in the Big West prior to her arrival.

Fregoso, a senior from Live Oak, Calif., becomes the first Aggie to ever capture an individual Big West end-of-year award, securing the Midfielder of the Year. After scoring a team-high six goals, and dishing out a team-high five assists, Fregoso will end up going down as the most decorated Aggie in program history, and made her last season worth every second. This season she plastered her name all over the record book, becoming the Division-I era leader for six different categories: goals, assists, shots in a season, single-season assists, single-season assists per game, and career points. Fregoso's pace and work-rate were on display all season. Among conference leaders, Fregoso stood out in every statistical metric, ranking second in shots, shots on goal, and game-winning goals, while ranking third in points, fifth in assists, and fourth in goals. She recorded goals in five games, while scoring a brace in UC Davis' 3-0 win over Eastern Washington on Sept. 14. Fregoso also tallied assists in four games this year, recording a season-high two against San Francisco on Aug. 27, and delivering the game-deciding assist in UC Davis' regular season finale against UC Irvine on Oct. 26 to propel the Aggies to the No. 2 seed.

Risa Yamada graced the All-Big West Second Team earning her second ever Big-West end-of-year honor. Coming off an injury and having to miss almost the entirety of last season, Yamada didn't miss a step and continued her dominance from 2021. Yamada's creativity dazzled in the Aggie midfield and her dominance in possession was vital to the Aggie counter-attack. Scoring a goal in the season debut against Idaho State, Yamada came into form during the second half of the season, proving to be the best player on the pitch in vital games against Hawai'i (one goal, one assist), and Cal Poly as she scored the third-fastest goal in program history. Yamada finished the season with four goals and three assists helping contribute to the Aggies third ranked scoring offense.

Mayo, from Pleasanton, Calif. earned her first All-Big West honor, gracing the Second Team alongside Yamada. One of just eight Aggies to start all contests this season for UC Davis, Mayo logged the second most minutes among her teammates. Mayo stood out as the heart and soul of the Aggie backline, leading a unit that conceded the least amount of goals in the Big West. Mayo earned her first career Defensive Player of the Week for her play during the two critical shutouts against Cal Poly, and UC Santa Barbara. Serving as a vocal leader and funneling out the oppositions attack with timely tackling all season, Mayo proved to be a perfect backer while also aiding in attack with her free-kick prowess, adding two assists to her stellar defensive play.

Tristan, a forward from Fresno, Calif., made an immediate impact in her first season with UC Davis. A former all-conference selection in the Mountain West during her time at Fresno State, Tristan was around the goal all season for the second-placed Aggies. Tying for the lead in goals among her Aggie teammates with Fregoso at six, Tristan also was second on the team in assists with four, and second in points with 16. Tristan recorded goals in five games this year, and scored a brace in her Aggie debut against Idaho State on Aug. 17. Tristan has been in form all season and delivered the game-winning goal in the regular season finale against UC Irvine to propel the Aggies to their second-placed finish.

Picard was the final Aggie earning All-Big West honors, making the All-Big West Freshman Team. The San Jose native recorded one goal while serving as the primary backer alongside Mayo in the conference's best defense. Her tackling and aerial presence proved to be indispensable to the Aggie tactics. Playing all 90 minutes in 12 games this season, Picard finished the season with nine straight games being on the pitch for the whole game, signifying her importance and trust she earned from the staff in her first season with UC Davis. Picard continues the longstanding run of having an Aggie being represented on the All-Freshman Team, making it eight consecutive seasons with UC Davis having an All-Freshman member.

All-Big West First Team
Emma Brown Jr. D Cal Poly Clovis, Calif.
Cherrie Cox So. F Long Beach State Torrance, Calif.
Bella Cruz So. MF Cal State Fullerton Kerman, Calif.
Makayla Demelo Jr. MF Long Beach State Bellflower, Calif.
Leslie Fregoso Sr. MF UC Davis Live Oak, Calif.
Tati Fung Jr. MF UC Irvine Fullerton, Calif.
Amber Gilbert R-So. F Hawai'i Honolulu, O'ahu
Makenna McGill Jr. F Cal State Fullerton Huntington Beach, Calif.
Alyssa Moore R-Jr. F UC Irvine Menifee, Calif.
Maddy Perez Jr. D Long Beach State West Covina, Calif.
Mia Ranson R-So. GK Cal State Fullerton Oxnard, Calif.
Kaylin Raibon So. D Cal State Fullerton Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Kiera Smeenge Jr. D UC Irvine La Mesa, Calif.

All-Big West Second Team
Eliza Ammendolia Gr. MF Hawai'i Griffith, New South Wales
Brooklyn Antonucci Fr. D Long Beach State Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Lauren Helwig Sr. MF UC Santa Barbara El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Glo Hinojosa Gr. GK UC Irvine Chula Vista, Calif.
Jacey Jicha Jr. D Hawai'i Mililani, O'ahu
Elysia Laramie R-Sr. F Long Beach State Simi Valley, Calif.
Bella Mayo Jr. D UC Davis Pleasanton, Calif.
Katelyn Meyer Gr. D UC San Diego Campbell, Calif.
Kate Reedy Sr. F Cal Poly Pleasanton, Calif.
Mackenzie Samuel Jr. GK Cal Poly San Diego, Calif.
Annika Smith Fr. F Cal Poly Scottsdale, Ariz.
Risa Yamada R-Jr. MF UC Davis Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan

Honorable Mention: F — Daphane Mendez (Jr; UC Riverside); Izabel Reyes (R-Jr., CSUN); Sam Tristan (Jr., UC
Davis); MF — Gianna Creighton (Sr., UC Irvine); Spenser Gonzales (So; UC Riverside); Dome Rodriguez (Sr., Cal State Bakersfield); D — Penny Smith (Jr., Cal State Bakersfield); Camryn Penn (So., Cal Poly); Marieke ten Brink (R-So., UC Riverside); GK — Zora Standifer (Jr., Long Beach State)

All-Freshman Team: Brooklyn Antonucci (Long Beach State); Izzy Ayala (Hawai'i); Emily Caughey (UC Santa Barbara);
Karize Madero (UC San Diego); Sophia Minnite (Cal Poly); Sophia Moness (Cal Poly); Kaylee Noble (Cal State Fullerton);
Elise Picard (UC Davis); Annika Smith (Cal Poly); Kana Uchida (Long Beach State); Lavinia Vaipulu (UC Riverside)