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Honorable Mention
Dylan Curtis
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Pleasanton, Calif.
After contemplating whether or not to return for his fourth year of eligibility, senior Dylan Curtis decided to come back for one more year to help the men’s soccer program make another postseason run.
The team did just that, as Curtis led his team to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and first-ever tournament victory.
The Amador Valley High School product received First-Team All-Big West Conference recognition and was named Big West Midfielder of the Year.
He is also a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which honors athletes for their contributions on the field and in the community, as well as their performance in the classroom.
Curtis started all 22 of his team’s matches, tallying 11 assists, good for tops in the conference and tying a school record.
He also scored five goals, two of which came in game-winning fashion.
Honorable mention
John Faletoese
Name: John Faletoese
Year: Senior
Position: Defensive tackle
Hometown: Carmichael, Calif.
It is a never a question of which offensive lineman will try to block John Faletoese on a given play.
It is a question of how many.
Snap after snap for 12 Saturdays this season, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound terror was double and triple teamed but still found a way to wreak havoc.
A combination of brute strength and freak athleticism, Faletoese was an invaluable weapon for the Aggies, making his impact by clogging up the middle, getting to the quarterback for 5.5 sacks and blocking four kicks on special teams.
But after a standout four-year career, the Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year will play on Saturdays no more.
If he has his way, he’ll be playing on Sundays in the NFL instead.
Honorable Mention
Kaitlin Gregg
Name: Kaitlin Gregg
Year: Senior
Hometown: Davis
Though often overshadowed by teammate Kim Conley, a historic period of two-and-a-half seconds gave Kaitlin Gregg a unique distinction - being the first Aggie to ever earn All Big-West Conference honors.
Additionally, Gregg went All West-Region en route to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I National Championships, where she finished 118th against a field of the nation’s top 252 runners.
Gregg helped the team place highly at some major meets, including a second-place showing at the prestigious Stanford Invitational. She then helped propel the team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championships.
Though Gregg’s cross country career has reached its end, UC Davis has not seen the last of her. Expect Gregg to impress even more in the spring, as the 5,000m and 10,000m specialist takes to the track.
Honorable Mention
Renee Ibekwe
Name: Renee Ibekwe
Year: Senior
Position: Outside hitter
Hometown: Carson, Calif.
For the first time in the history of the UC Davis women’s volleyball program, it had a player named First-Team All-Big West Conference.
That player was Renee Ibekwe.
The Banning High School product started off the season by earning Big West Player of the Week in early September and followed that honor up by winning the MVP award at the Air Force Invitational on Sept. 6.
Ibekwe led the club with 380 kills on 1,162 attempts and added 326 digs with 31 blocks. She finished the season in fifth place in the Big West for kills per set (3.58) – a stat that she held top honors in for most of the season.
Ibekwe finishes her career with the Aggies with a total of 692 kills on 2,159 swings to go along with 450 digs.
Honorable Mention
Grant Muenter
Name: Grant Muenter
Year: Senior
Position: Driver
Hometown: Alamo, Calif.
The UC Davis men’s water polo team lost its two best players and all of its leadership with the passing of the seniors last year.
Grant Muenter stepped up to become the leader of the team and took his Aggies all the way to third place in the conference.
Muenter led the team with 40 assists, which shatters the old record of 22. He also had the most steals (27) and was the only player to be named to the Western Water Polo Association’s first team for the Aggies.
The Monte Vista High School product was a leader in and out of the pool and the void of leadership he’ll leave will be hard to replace.
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