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NEW ORLEANS, La. — Legendary UC Davis cross country and track and field coach Sue Williams will be inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Thursday.

Williams, who was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014, will be enshrined at the USTFCCCA annual convention in December. The event will be held in Denver, Colo.

Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Arkansas State in 1968, her master’s in physical education from Central Arkansas in 1975 and completed doctoral studies in education at Penn State in 1979.

She began at UC Davis in 1973, beginning the women’s cross-country program upon her arrival and leading it to varsity status five years later.

In 1990, Williams assumed head coaching duties for the men’s team.

The combined successes of those programs were extraordinary. The Aggie women advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships every year from 1981 — the first year the NCAA began sponsoring women’s athletics — until 2002, UCD final year of eligibility at the D-II level.

That streak, along with top 10 finishes in all but one year, are NCAA records. The Aggies finished second in 1991 for their best-ever placing at the national finals, also finishing third in 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2001. UCD finished among the top five an impressive nine times.

Williams enjoyed similar success with the men’s program. The Aggies earned berths in the NCAA Championships 10 times, finishing among the top 16 in each appearance.

Their best showing came in 1991 when the Aggies took fourth, which combined with the women’s runner-up finish, earned UCD the title of “Program of the Year.” The Aggie men’s last three years at the D-II finals resulted in two, fifth place and one, eighth place showing.

Both Aggie teams dominated conference competition, with the women grabbing 20 conference titles in 22 years and the men enjoying a stretch of nine consecutive conference championships.

Williams also served as head track coach for 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s and was later an assistant coach for distance runners with the program. Several of her athletes earned All-American accolades, conference athlete-of-the-year honors and academic distinction as well.

Williams served as a member of the NCAA Track and Field Committee, was chair of the cross-country committee. She was also a member of several other NCAA issues groups as well.

Her contributions to NCAA cross country during the 1980s led to her being named the National Coach of the Decade. She received several conference and regional coaching honors throughout her career as well.

UC Davis athletiCs/CoUrtesy photo

Sue Williams (left), who is the former UC Davis women’s cross-country and men’s track and field teams, poses with current UCD women’s cross-country head coach Emma Petersen last fall.

WELCOME: Swarming to the football

From Page B8

Garratt has been too busy in preparing his Blue Devils to face Vacaville to realize he’s going to be coaching his first Blue Devils grid game.

“I think it’s going to sink in maybe Friday night, after the game, or Saturday,” Garratt said. “I’m just trying to make sure we’re getting stuff done.”

Vacaville posted an 8-3 record during the 2021 season. The Bulldogs won the Monticello Empire League crown with a perfect 5-0 record.

“They are a storied program,” said Garratt of the Bulldogs. “They’ve done things well. They run sound and aggressive on defense. They play hard.”

Garratt notes that the Bulldogs like to run the ball, also spread out their offensive personnel on the field. That could give Davis’ defense something to think about; willl the Bulldogs move the ball on the ground or in the air.

“Spread the field and attacking down the middle and then (think about passing),” Garratt said. “We’ve got to recognize their strengths. They want to play fast. It’s something that we have been stressing since day one; playing fast, swarming to the ball.”

The Bulldogs posted a 45-8 win over the Blue Devils in the season opener in Vacaville in 2021.

All of Davis’ Delta League foes open their season Friday.

Cosumnes Oaks welcomes Sierra Foothill League powerhouse Oak Ridge. Elk Grove welcomes Granite Bay, which Davis play at the Grizzlies’ field on Friday, Aug. 26.

Sheldon makes the trip to Yuba City to play River Valley. Pleasant Grove takes on Tai-City Athletic League’s Lodi at Sheldon. Franklin of Elk Grove plays at Woodcreek of Roseville and Jesuit goes out to Reno, Nev. to play Bishop Manogue. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavisSports.

EYES: Many games left

From Page B8

Dodgers continue to sit in first place with an 81-36 record.

San Francisco has 45 games left on its schedule, entering today’s three-game set at the Colorado Rockies.

The Giants are an even six games out of second place to the Padres.

The Giants and Padres are not going to overtake the Dodgers.

That was a painful sentence to type from this Giants fan.

But the Dodgers are doing their job during the regular season.

The following sentences should help fellow Giants fans.

The Dodgers have won only one of their last three trips to the World Series since 2017.

Could Los Angeles make the World Series again this year?

If it does bet against the American League team to take home the trophy.

If you want to view the Giants’ remaining games, visit www.sfgiants.com and look for the schedule tab.

The Giants host the Padres from Aug. 29-31.

Skip a day of school, college or take a vacation day to catch a game. — Contact Mike Bush at mike@davisenterprise.net. Follow on Twitter: @MBDavisSports.