DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis women's water polo attacker Lillie Vehling has been recognized by the Big West as a recipient of the Service and Leadership Award, an honor highlighting student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through service, leadership, and academic achievement.

This honor comes after a standout year for Vehling both on campus and within UC Davis Athletics. She served as an officer on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and founded "Aggie Points," a student-athlete engagement platform designed to promote game attendance and boost school spirit across all sports. Her leadership extended across campus as well, where she serves as the Treasurer of the American Nuclear Society.

In addition to her work on campus, Vehling focused her efforts on community outreach by co-founding SWAG (Swim Ags) with teammate Sadie Henry. The initiative was designed to provide adult swim instruction and close a critical gap in community aquatic education. She also helped lead the women's water polo program's partnership with Team IMPACT to welcome 11-year-old teammate Alyssa Nguyen to the program.

A dominant force in the classroom and the pool, the Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Science and Engineering double major maintained a 3.93 GPA while completing prestigious nuclear engineering internships at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Vehling also put together a stellar campaign for the Aggies on the season, ranking third on the team in assists and fourth in both goals and points.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS 
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.