I am excited to share five amazing stories coming out of UC Davis Athletics with you. At the forefront of this month's edition is our outstanding network of former Aggies. In the past month they have imparted their wisdom on current student-athletes, continuously shown support of our department through their own generosity, and become collectors of student-athlete created works of art. There is no doubt in my mind that the saying 'Once an Aggie, always an Aggie' rings true.
– Director of Athletics, Rocko DeLuca
Student-Athlete Spotlight: UC Davis Alumnae Making an Impact
On March 6th, UC Davis hosted the second annual Women in Leadership Panel for all the female student-athletes on campus. Speaking on the panel were three former UC Davis student-athletes who are all game changers in their fields.
Natalie Nielsen is the founder of N-squared Consulting and competed as a four-year letter winner, co-captain, and two-time All-American for the Aggie swim team. Nielsen is an independent researcher, program evaluator, and writer whose work focuses on improving K-12 educational opportunities and outcomes for young people from underserved populations and increasing the use of social and behavioral science to inform policy decisions. While an Aggie, Nielsen earned a bachelor's in geology from UC Davis and later went on to earn a master's in geological sciences from San Diego State University, and a Ph.D. in education from George Mason University.
Marlene Avitia Bailey is the Chief Operating Officer at Bailey Brand Management and spent her time at UC Davis on the track & field team. While in Davis, Bailey majored in exercise biology and later went on to earn her Executive MBA from Wharton Business School. Bailey found a passion for finance during her time working at Equinox, where she focused on west coast operations. Bailey spent time as an analyst at an investment firm before joining her husband's talent agency, Bailey Brand Management.
Elaine Scott is the Dean of the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University and a former women's water polo student-athlete at UC Davis. In her time at Santa Clara she has fashioned a new vision for the School, launched two new degree programs including a doctorate in bioengineering, grew enrollment by 20 percent, partnered with the College of Arts and Sciences to open the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation (SCDI), enhanced support for graduate students, boosted grant expenditures by more than $1M per year, and launched a number of diversity initiatives including the Diversity and Inclusion Student Center (DISC) and the DEI Distinguished Lecture Series, which seeks to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
Stand-Up Staff: High School Hall of Fame Inductee
Megan Dulaney, Donor Events & Stewardship Coordinator, is set to be honored in the second class of inductees for Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, CA this month. Dulaney graduated from Rodriguez in 2015 where she was a standout in the shot put event in track & field. She later attended the University of Arizona where was named All-Pac 12 twice and was an NCAA regional qualifier.
Dulaney and the rest of her class will be honored at a special ceremony on March 24.
Donor Impact: First Pitch Dinner
In memory of standout centerfielder, member of the 1972 UC Davis Hall of Fame Baseball team, and current member of the 2002 class of the Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame, Clay Sigg, the Clay Sigg Award was created.
Sigg's legacy goes well beyond his athletic prowess and his contributions as a student-athlete. Sigg consistently embodied Aggie values, aspirations, and spirit while developing the UC Davis Baseball Hall of Fame, implementing the HOF selection process, leading the production of HOF induction ceremonies, organizing alumni gatherings, contributing to fundraising activities and being a consistent supporter and effective advocate for the Aggie baseball team.
At this year's First Pitch Dinner, a fundraising event for Aggie Baseball, the inaugural Clay Sigg Award was given to two men who exemplify the values of Clay Sigg and are consistent supporters of the baseball program at UC Davis – John Patella and Ralph Rago.
Patella, a '64 basketball and baseball alumnus has been a fixture in the athletic department since his return from service in the late '60s. John has been a volunteer in the press box for both football and baseball, getting to know student-athletes and following their careers after graduation. John also took up the role of a fundraiser during the football stadium construction and continues to be an advocate for supporting athletics. He began giving to the athletic department in 1982 and hasn't stopped since.
Rago became a volunteer coach under Phil Swimley in the '70s and focused his attention on coaching the outfielders and recruiting. He has spent 61 years of his life coaching baseball and has been a dedicated supporter of Aggie Baseball for most of his life. Rago spent many years as an integral member of the coaching staff and financially pledged support to the covered batting cage project.
Patella and Rago show their support of UC Davis Athletics daily which made it a no-brainier to present them the very first Clay Sigg Award.
In The Community: Names, Images, and Likenesses
February saw the 15th annual Art of Athletes exhibition at the Manetti Shrem Museum on the campus of UC Davis. The event unveiled works of art created by Aggie student-athletes across several sports, spanning many mediums including photography, painting, jewelry design, short-film, and more.
New to the event this year was the ability for participants to earn payment for their work thanks to NIL.
Aggies In Competition: Gymnastics Raises the Bar
In the final home meet of the season, UC Davis Gymnastics saw a record-breaking night smashing multiple school records, a conference record, and several career bests.
The night began with the Aggies taking the top three spots in vault. Keanna Abraham took first with a 9.900, Megan Ray followed with a 9.850, and Emma Otsu rounded out the top 3 with a 9.825.
Four Aggies set career bests on the uneven bars, as well as breaking the UC Davis All-Time team score on bars with a 49.375. Career bests came from Amelia Moneymaker, Isabella Fitz-Gerald, Jadyn Wakita, and Milla Gideon who scored 9.925, 9.900, 9.875, and 9.875, respectively.
The Ags then placed in four of the top five spots for beam. The biggest record of the night was Anna Holtan who broke the All-Time individual school record and MPSF Conference record after securing a 9.950 and taking first place in the event. Amelia Moneymaker scored a new career high of 9.875 which earned her third place. Keanna Abraham followed closely behind with a 9.850.
To close out the stellar night the Ags had five athletes score above a 9.825 on floor to tie for the 8th All-Time highest team score with a 49.350. Amelia Moneymaker, Keanna Abraham, and Megan Ray all tied for second when they scored a 9.900 for their team. Anna Holtan and Emma Otsu both scored a 9.825.
Moneymaker was the first place All-Arounder with a career best 39.450, tying the second highest All-Time Individual record. Emma Otsu finished the night in second place with a 39.275, which is also her season best.
