DAVIS, Calif. – On Sunday, UC Davis student-athletes were honored for their hard work and dedication at the A.G.G.I.E–– an annual year-end student-athlete charity event, organized by Intercollegiate Athletics.
The A.G.G.I.E -which stands for Aggie Gunrock Gala Idol Extravaganza––saw the announcement of the ICA student-athlete awards. In which the W.P. Lindley Award for Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Colby E. "Babe" Slater Award for Male Athlete of the Year, Dr. Hubert Heitman Award for Female Athlete of the Year, and Sarah Sumpter Perseverance Award were handed out to their respective winners.
The W.P. Lindley Award for Scholar-Athlete of the Year was awarded to junior Amber Nusser of the Equestrian team. An award given to an outstanding student-athlete at UC Davis who has attended for at least two academic years.
Nusser is the first member of the Equestrian team in program history to be honored with the W.P. Lindley Award. During the 2023 season, Nusser maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA which was honored with accolades such as earning a placement on the 2023 APHA NCEA All-Academic First Team and ECAC All-Academic First Team. Additionally, her reigning prowess in the arena garnered two MOP's and a spot on the ECAC All-Conference Reining team. Her first MOP came against TCU for a 72-reining-point and her next in the playoffs against Delaware State for 137-reining-point. She went 5-6 in events on the season and helped the Equestrian team to its first ECAC Championship in program history.
The Colby E. "Babe" Slater Award for Male Athlete of the Year was given to senior Elijah Pepper of men's basketball. The award is given to a male student that has enjoyed outstanding success and finished at least one season of eligibility at UC Davis.
This is the first time Pepper has received the Colby E. "Babe" Slater Award and it comes off a historic season for the prolific shooting-guard. During the 2022-23 season, Pepper averaged his collegiate-career highs of 22.5 points on 45% shooting. He broke a 35-year old record for most points (606) in a season previously held by Randy DeBortoli in the 1987-88 season. Pepper scored an immense 697-points on the season, beating DeBortoli's record by 91-points and cementing himself as the Aggies number-one scorer in a season. Additionally, Pepper added himself to the to the impressive 1,000 career points list, passing Preston Neumayr to take the top-third spot on the list with 1,602 career points. He was named to this year's All-Big West First Team. Additionally, Pepper was named to the NABC Division 1 All-District First Team for his accomplishments this season.
This year, the Dr. Hubert Heitman Award for Female Athlete of the Year was handed-out to two deserving student-athletes. Sophomore Brianna Weidler of the track & field and cross country teams and junior Anna Dethlefson of the softball team. The award goes to a female student that has distinguished herself as an athlete and has finished at least one season of eligibility at UC Davis.
Brianna Weidler earns the award after an incredible year in both track & field and cross country. This fall, Weidler set the Aggie record in the 5000m with a time of 15:48.57 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The sophomore claimed the Big West Individual cross country title when she torched the Agricultural Operations 6k with a time of 19:28.6. She captured the MPSF indoor title in the 3,000m and completed the trifecta as she won the 5,000m with a time of 16:09.74 in the Big West Track & Field Championships. Weidler earned the 2022 Big-West Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Additionally, she was named Big-West Conference Athlete of the Week on two occasions during her sophomore campaign.
Anna Dethlefson earned the award after her record-breaking season for the Aggies. Dethlefson broke the program's stolen base record with 40 during the 2023 season. She tallied 15 doubles and 94 total bases, breaking both of the program's division I single-season records in those categories. Dethlefson paced the conference in slugging percentage (.627), doubles (15), and stolen bases (40). She ranked second in batting average (.407), OPS (1.104), runs (43), and hits (61). Her play garnered the honor of being the 2023 Big West Conference Player of the Year.
The Sarah Sumpter Perseverance Award was handed to senior goalkeeper Sophia Noble of the nationally-ranked women's water polo team. The award is earned by those who have shown perseverance after a life-altering circumstance, while providing hope and inspiration for others who face similar situations.
Noble earns the award for her outstanding comeback season as the Aggies goalkeeper. This season, she reached a career milestone as she became the UC Davis all-time saves leader, finishing with 748 stops in her five years. Noble racked up a career-best 254 saves and 24 steals in the 2023 season. With an average of 8.8 saves-per-game, she registered double-digit saves in 12 contests, including a career-high 17 saves in the March 16 win over No. 19 Indiana. Noble was tabbed as an All-Big West honorable mention following her great season.
