July 18, 2007

UC Davis makes it official: School is Division I now
By John Schumacher - Bee Staff Writer

No more asterisks. No more transition. After a four-year wait, UC Davis officially can call itself a Division I school.

At a celebratory news conference Tuesday, school officials announced the NCAA has certified UCD as a Division I school. The Aggies will compete in most sports as a full-fledged member of the Big West Conference.

UC Davis, a one-time Division II power, will remain at the Division I-AA level, now known as the Football Championship Subdivision, in football.

"It's a happy day for us, a joyous day," said UC Davis director of athletics Greg Warzecka.

The Aggies' push to join Division I started several years ago, when the idea of joining the Big West -- whose members include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State and Pacific -- seemed like a good fit.

"Our move to Division I really is a focus on the Big West, those schools we want to associate with and compete with," Warzecka said.

Softball player Deanna Menapace, a junior, said athletes were excited at the prospect of competing in Division I.

"This has become one of the most exciting times in Aggie history for staff and student athletes," she said.

Men's basketball coach Gary Stewart said the move to Division I has helped recruiting but acknowledged the challenges in competing at a higher level.

"It's been an incredible learning experience," said Stewart, whose team was 5-23 last season. "It's going to take some time."

Warzecka emphasized victories over Stanford in football, men's basketball, men's soccer, wrestling and baseball in 2005-06 as signs the Aggies were ready to compete in Division I.

"Now that we're actually competing for league championships and possibly for NCAA bids, I think fans will come and buy tickets," he said.

Warzecka said becoming a Division I school entitles UC Davis to NCAA revenue distribution, which he said would total $750,000 starting in 2008-09.

Kim Elsbach, the Aggies' faculty athletic representative to the NCAA, said the move would be done without compromising the school's emphasis on academics.

UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef announced in March 2003 the decision to leave Division II, beginning a four-year certification process that included a campus self-study and a visit from an NCAA peer review team.

The Aggies dominated in Division II, six times winning the Directors' Cup, given to the nation's outstanding overall athletic program.