Entering the 2009 season, the UC Davis women's water polo team had lost five of six starters from the year before and was looking for a leader to come out of the woodwork.
Luckily, senior Lindsay Kiyama stepped up to the plate, or into the pool, that is.
The UC Davis women's water polo team started the 2009 season with a very talented freshmen class, but no one knew how they would perform.
Freshman defender Kaylee Miller proved any doubts were erroneous as she led the talented first years on way to the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
Qualifying for the Regional Championships is often a career-capping achievement, one for which athletes may spend years waiting.
Ostrom didn't have to wait.
Thanks to his 5.05m vault at the Cal-Nevada Championships on Mar. 29th, Ostrom earned the honor of competing against the best vaulters in the West. He was one of only three freshmen to do so.
Polly Gnepa was expected to do big things entering this season. After all, he had run the 110m hurdles in 14.01 seconds - the fastest ever as an Aggie - and placed third at the Big West Conference Championships in 2008.
Gnepa did more than anyone could imagine.
Sophomore sensation Austin Graham had about as good of a year as one can have.
His 72.0 scoring average was tops on a team that skyrocketed to as high as No. 24 in the country and that captured a Big West Conference title.
In 2004 and 2005, the UC Davis men's soccer team welcomed the likes of Sule Anibaba, Jordan Vanderpoorten, Jake Mogelson, Dylan Curtis, Ian Conklin and Ahmad Hatifie - not to mention MLS draft pick Quincy Amarikwa of the San Jose Earthquakes.
In 2008, this group became seniors and put together the best season that the men's soccer program has ever seen, and arguably the best in the two years of Division I athletics at UC Davis across the board.