DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis Athletics is proud to announce the 2024 Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame, with six members entering the hallowed halls of the Blue and Gold, also being joined by this year's Legacy Award winner.
 
This year will see Lili Alvarez (2010-14, Swimming); Jessica Dunn (2010-13, Women's Water Polo); Ejiro Evero (1999-00, 2002-03, Football); Sheri (Ladrech) Droney (1989-92, Volleyball); Phil Wells, posthumously (1972-74, Football) and Coach Lou Bronzan (1997-2015, Football) will be honored with the Non-Participant Award joining their fellow Aggies in the Hall. Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston (1990-95, Wrestling) will be honored with the Legacy Award.
 
A trailblazing wrestler, an "institution" on the Aggie sideline and five All-Americans make up this year's accomplished class.
 
"We are excited to welcome yet another exceptional class into the CAAA Hall of Fame," UC Davis director of athletics Rocko DeLuca said. "This year's group represents a unique blend of Aggie sports paired with outstanding talent. I am excited for them to come back to Davis and share stories and moments that led to their induction into the Hall of Fame." 
 
Liliana (Lili) Alvarez – Women's Swimming (2010-14)
 
From 2010-14 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Women's 100m Breaststroke Lili Alvarez reigned supreme. Owning the 100m Breaststroke for four straight seasons, and when it was said and done Alvarez brought home 10 MPSF first-place finishes.
 
Her domination of the 100m Breaststroke was the first time one swimmer won the same event for four consecutive seasons in MPSF history and she became the first Aggie swimmer in program history to qualify for the NCAA DI Championships four straight seasons.
 
Alvarez and her 400 M.R. team of Hilary Hunt, Hilvy Cheung and Haley Porter still own the Aggie school record with a time of 3:38.47 set in 2014.
 
A two-time Arthur Ashe scholarship recipient (2013, 2014), Alvarez was a two-time Mid-Major All-American (2012, 2013) and in 2012 she was honored as the top Mid-Major All-American in the nation. Along with her four MPSF 100m Breaststroke titles, Alvarez also collected first-place trophies in the 200m Breaststroke (2011, 2012, 2013), the 400 M.R. (2011), the 200 M.R. (2013, 2014) and the 400 M.R. in 2014.
 
Jessica Dunn – Women's Water Polo (2010-13)
 
A three-time ACWPC All-American (honorable mention) and four-time All-Big West Conference honoree, Jessica Dunn was an offensive powerhouse for the Aggies from 2010-13, finishing her career ranked among the top offensive leaders in program history, a place she still sits today.
 
Dunn's 2012 season earned her All-Big West Conference first team honors, along with an All-American nod by the ACWPC. In that season the Aggies climbed as high as No. 10 in the nation as Dunn finished with a team-high 53 goals.
 
If you peeked in the Aggie record book Dunn's name still sits near the top of many categories. Dunn still owns the record for most career assists (140), most minutes played per game (21.1) and from Feb. 3-Apr. 27, 2013 Dunn scored in 26 consecutive games putting her five ahead of the next closest Aggie, Noelle Wijnbelt, whose record Dunn broke.
 
She ranks third all-time in goals scored (208) and second in points (348) and shots (612). Her 45 assists in 2013 still ranks as the second-most in a single Aggie season and her 22 multi-goal games place her fifth all-time, but she is one of only three Aggies with at least one 22 multi-goal game season in program history.
 
Ejiro Evero – Football (1999-00, 2002-03)
 
A member of the UC Davis Football 2000-09 All-Decade team, Ejiro Evero was a presence in the Aggie secondary and his nose for the football meant ball carriers stayed up at night knowing they would be met in the hole by Evero on gameday.
 
Evero was a leader in the Aggie locker room and a top performer on the field and that carried into his life after football. Evero would go on to spend 14 years (and counting) as a coach in the NFL, coaching in three Super Bowls.
 
He was an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Rams staff that won Super Bowl LVI. He currently is the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.
 
Evero earned multi-year captain nods, the only defensive back during the Bob Biggs era to serve two seasons as a team captain and he earned honorable mention All-American honors in 2002. Those honors followed a season where he led the Aggies in tackles (44) and he finished his career having earned All-West Region second team honors (2002); All-Independent Football Alliance second team honors (2002) and Div. I Independent All-Star first team honors in 2003.
 
His 219 career tackles still rank him seventh in program history and first among defensive backs and his 122 solo tackles place him eighth. He was also the first defensive back to earn the team's Jerry Norris Award since Bo Eason did in 1983 and he remains the last defensive back to have earned the team honor.
 
Sheri (Ladrech) Droney – Volleyball (1989-92)
 
Walking into Hickey Gym in the early 90s Aggie fans were treated to the high-flying Sheri (Ladrech) Droney as she smashed kills and excited the crowd by playing above the net and showcasing her athleticism. A true Aggie in every sense of the word, Droney created a sense of Blue and Gold domination at the net for four seasons.
 
Named an All-American and a first team All-NCAC Conference honoree in 1992, Droney helped the Aggies to a combined 107-35 record, three NCAC National Championships appearances and a trip to the national quarterfinals that capped off a third-place finish nationally in 1992.
 
Droney's name remains present in the Aggie record book as she has the fifth-most kills in a single match (33); the second-most blocks in a single match (12); the fifth-best career hitting percentage (.270). Her 1992 season was a record-setter with her 497 kills and 4.48 kills per set still sitting as the third most in a single season respectively.
 
Phil Wells – Football (1972-74); Posthumous
 
A force coming off the edge in the Blue and Gold for three seasons, Phil Wells racked up accommodation after accommodation while chasing down opposing quarterbacks, collecting All-American honors while playing a game he truly loved.
 
Named second team AP All-American in 1974, Wells put together three seasons that also saw him earn Far Western Conference Defensive Player of the Year (1974); first team All-Far Western Conference honors (1974) and United Press International All-Coast first team honors (1974).
 
That award-winning 1974 season saw Wells finish with 15 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 101 total tackles, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one blocked punt.
 
Not a bad year on the edge. Which was recognized by UC Davis with the Colby 'Babe' Slater UC Davis Male Athlete of the Year for the 1974-75 seasons.
 
Wells would go on to spend time with the San Diego Chargers as a player before eventually finding his way back to UC Davis. He served on the UC Davis new stadium committee and the Aggie football team honors the best teammate each year with the Phil Wells Teammate of The Year Award.
 
Lou Bronzan – Football (1997-2015)
 
A staple presence on the Aggie football sidelines and UC campus for almost 20 years, Lou Bronzan served as defensive coordinator from 1989-2008 and active recruiter for future Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Famers from the mid-90s until the mid-2010s.

From 1971-74 Bronzan wore the Blue and Gold on the field and began his coaching career as a volunteer from 1975-79. He not only spent time on the sideline, but he was also a long-term professor and teacher at UC Davis teaching both on the gridiron and in the classroom while solidifying himself as an "institution" in the Blue and Gold.

It was a no-brainer that when the Aggies made the transition from Division II to Division I, Bronzan was asked to return to the sidelines and help guide the Aggies defense into exciting and uncharted waters.

Following his coaching career Bronzan remained a presence on both the campus and sidelines as he transitioned to the position of Assistant Director of Physical Education and served in that role until 2021.
 
LEGACY AWARD
Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston – Wrestling (1990-95)
 
Crack open a dictionary and flip to the word "trailblazer" and you're likely to see a photo of Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston hitting a perfect single-leg takedown on her way to a win on the mat. In 1990 she became the first female to ever join an NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling team, and she spent the rest of her collegiate career wearing the Blue and Gold.
 
Born in Tehran, Iran, Roshanzamir followed in her father's footsteps, a successful wrestler himself, to UC Davis and USA Wrestling. And in 1989 she announced herself to the world stage, becoming the first American woman to win a medal at the world championships and she would go on to become a multi-time national champion and world medalist between 1989-2000.
 
Following her time at UC Davis she continued to kick open doors for women in wrestling, becoming the first female wrestling official and in 1992 she was the first woman to officiate a men's Division I dual meet when the Aggies took the mat in Hickey Gym.
 
While never holding the title of "Olympian", Roshanzamir was a member of the USA Wrestling board and she spearheaded the campaign that got women's freestyle wrestling added as an Olympic sport in 2004. And in 2016 was in the USA's corner as a coach for the U.S. women's wrestling team that took home gold in Rio.
 
The ceremony will take place on Oct. 11 ahead of football's Homecoming game. And during UC Davis' Homecoming game against Cal Poly, on Oct. 12, all the members of the Class of 2024 will be honored on the field.
 
Anyone interested in nominating someone for the Cal Aggie Hall of Fame or Legacy and Special Recognition Award they can visit our website at https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/2018/5/29/hallfame-ucda-hallfame-html.aspx.