Aggie fans were treated to an incredible level of performance Friday night when UC Davis returned to the Pavilion against visiting teams Sacramento State and Oregon State. Oregon State and UC Davis both set season highs in a meet that saw impressive performances from each squad. Oregon set a Pavilion facility record with a score of 197.400 on its way to capturing first, followed by Sacramento’s 194.175. UC Davis finished third with a season-high 193.875. After a disappointing meet against California the week before, the Aggies’ score was a more than two-point increase from their previous season-high of 191.600 set two weeks ago. “It was such positive energy in the gym,” senior Erika Van Dyke said. “It was such an honor to compete with these amazing teams. And to come together and really improve as a team in this kind of atmosphere was so exciting for us.” UC Davis started the meet on the vault, an event that has consistently been one of the Aggies’ strongest this season. Junior Katie... ...

Teams: UC Davis vs. Sacramento State; vs. No. 9 Oregon State Records: Aggies, 2-6; Hornets, 3-4; Beavers, 4-0 Where: The Pavilion When:  Friday at 7 p.m. Who to watch: Sophomore Anna Shumaker is once again a force to be reckoned with after recovering from shoulder surgery in the off-season. In last weekend’s meet against California, Shumaker scored a career-high 9.850 on vault. The score was good for a tie for first. Last season Shumaker was the at-large qualifier to the NCAA Corvallis Regional on the vault. Her performance against Cal looks to be a sign that she has returned to her previous level of performance. Did you know? After five weeks of competition, UC Davis gymnasts have won weekly Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors four times. Junior Katie Yamamura has won the award three times and junior Michelle Ho has been the recipient once. Preview: On Friday the Causeway Classic rivalry will come to the Pavilion. The Aggies will take on rival Sacramento State in a triangular at home that... ...

After a close competition with Cal at the Pavilion on Jan. 27, the Aggies had hoped to come out strong against the Golden Bears on Sunday to capture the first-place finish they had so narrowly missed. But it was not to be. Shaky performances on bars and beam once again put UC Davis in second place. Cal finished first with a final score of 193.275 over the Aggies’ 190.625. The Aggies opened on uneven bars, an event that the team has struggled with in the last two meets. It was their lowest score at each meet, coming in at only 46.825 against Air Force and 47.300 in the triangular meet against Seattle Pacific and Cal. Despite the Aggies’ hopes going into the meet, UC Davis was unable to see improvement in the event, opening the meet with a 47.200 after being forced to count two falls. Cal didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the shaky performance and swept the category, winning all three individual titles and finishing the event with... ...

Teams: UC Davis at California Where: Haas Pavilion — Berkeley, Calif. When:  Sunday at 1 p.m. Who to watch: Junior Katie Yamamura is entering the meet after receiving the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Athlete of the Week title, the result of an outstanding performance at Friday’s triangular meet at home. She won the individual all-around after placing first or second in every event. Her score of 39.125 was a career best, as well as the third-highest all-around score in UC Davis history. The award is her second this season and the sixth of her career. Did you know? Sunday will be the fourth time in five meets that the Aggies have competed against a team in the Pac-12 Conference. Preview: After a heartbreaking defeat to Cal at home on Friday, UC Davis will travel to Berkeley this weekend for a chance at redemption. The Aggies led through three rounds last week before being narrowly defeated 191.750 to 191.600 in the fourth and final round of action. But UC Davis has... ...

UC Davis returned to the Pavilion for a second time last week in a triangular meet on Friday that kept hometown fans on the edge of their seats. After leading through the first three rounds, UC Davis was narrowly defeated by California 191.750 to 191.600 in the fourth and final round of the meet. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference rival Seattle Pacific placed third with a score of 189.275. The score is UC Davis’ highest of the season. After starting the year with a respectable 190.500, the team has improved upon their score at every meet this year. “We really had a good day,” head Coach John Lavallee said. “We’re inching forward.” The Aggies began the meet on vault where junior Katie Yamamura scored an impressive 9.850 to take first in the event. Sophomore Anna Shumaker’s 9.725 put her in a three-way tie for second. UC Davis struggled with some slips on the bars and beams in the following rounds, but was able to maintain its hold on first place... ...

Teams: UC Davis vs. California, Seattle Pacific Records: Aggies, 1-4; Bears, 1-2; Falcons, 1-1 Where: The Pavilion When:  Friday at 7 p.m. Who to watch: Sophomore Madeline Kennedy set or tied career bests in three events at Sunday’s home meet. Her scores were good for second-place finishes on vault and floor and helped UC Davis to capture its first win of the season. Did you know? The last time that the Aggies hosted California, UC Davis posted its second-highest score of the 2011 season (194.050). Cal finished second in the dual with a score of 191.500. Preview: UC Davis will compete at home on Friday for the second time this week as it hosts Cal and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival Seattle Pacific. After a strong home opener on Sunday, the Aggies hope to build upon their success as they once again perform with the support of a hometown audience. “We’re really working on increasing our level of performance,” head coach John Lavallee said. “We’re still working on being comfortable... ...

Teams: UC Davis vs. Air Force Where: The Pavilion When:  Sunday at 1 p.m. Who to watch: Junior Michelle Ho was announced as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week on Tuesday. It is the third such honor of her career at UC Davis. The award came after Sunday’s meet at Stanford in which the Los Altos, Calif. native had strong performances on floor, uneven bars and balance beam in her collegiate all-around debut. The Aggies have captured both of the first two MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards of 2012. The first honor of the new season was awarded last week to junior Katie Yamamura. Did you know? UC Davis has never been defeated by the Air Force Academy since John Lavallee became head coach in 2008. The last time the team hosted Air Force was on Feb. 4 last year, when the Aggies delivered a sound 192.100-to-188.950 victory over the visiting Falcons. Preview: After two challenging road trips, UC Davis is ready to perform for a... ...

The Aggies traveled to Burnham Pavilion on Sunday to compete in the NorCal Quad Meet in Stanford, Calif. Host Stanford finished first with a score of 194.900, followed by San Jose State in second with 194.300 points. Sacramento State’s score of 191.575 was good for third and UC Davis posted 190.775 to finish fourth. Sophomore Madeline Kennedy earned a career-high 9.725 on floor to help UC Davis compile a score of 48.375 in the event, their highest combined event score of the meet. Junior Michelle Ho was the top performer for the Aggies in the event with a score of 9.825, placing fourth overall. Kennedy also turned out a solid performance on vault. Her score of 9.600 led the team in the event, followed by freshman Tiana Montell (9.500) and junior Taryn West (9.525). Junior Katie Yamamura led UC Davis on bars with a score of 9.725. Yamamura was recently named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week after winning the individual all-around at Arizona State last week. It... ...

Momentum shouldn’t be a problem for the UC Davis gymnastics program in 2012. The Aggies are entering the season coming off of two consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles, and a successful 2012 season could result in their fourth championship in five years. “We really hope to maintain our position in the conference and win the championship again,” Head Coach John Lavallee confirmed. “The team has done a great job through the preseason to prepare.” The biggest challenge facing Lavallee could be the youth of his squad. Of the team’s 15 athletes, only four competed for the Aggies in the 2010 season and freshmen make up one third of the roster. However, the young squad has already drawn comparisons to UC Davis’ 2008 team that won the program’s first MPSF title with a roster containing just two upperclassmen. The young Aggies hope to duplicate this success in 2012. “Every year is a challenge,” Lavallee said . “It’s just a different set of variables to deal with.” Though the squad is... ...