Cal Aggie Athletics Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025 And Legacy Award Winner Announced

DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis Athletics is proud to announce the 2025 Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame class and Aggie Legacy Award winner, along with the first Aggie teams to ever be introduced into the hallowed halls of the Blue and Gold, making the entire 2025 group one of the most historic classes to enter the halls.
 
This year Morgan Bertsch (2015-19, women’s basketball), Allyson Hansen (2012-16, women’s water polo) and Khris Spraker (1997-2000, football) make up the hall of fame class. And joining the class is former Aggie and longtime coach in the National Football League Nathaniel Hackett, who will be honored with the Aggie Legacy Award.
 
The Class of 2025 is historic in the sense that for the first time great Aggie teams will now be recognized in the hall, and this year marks four national championship winning squads who will forever be enshrined. 1979 men’s golf, 1980- and 1981-women’s tennis and 1981 women’s gymnastics make up the first group of teams entering the hall.
 
It’s a class chalk full of Aggie greats across the entire history of UC Davis athletics, including greats on the courts, in the pool, and on the field along with teams that brought home national titles putting the Aggies on the national map.
 
“This year’s Hall of Fame class is a powerful reflection of Aggie Pride—individual excellence, team achievement, and lasting impact,” said Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “It’s especially meaningful to welcome, for the first time ever, entire teams into the Hall. These national championship squads helped put UC Davis on the map, and their legacy continues to inspire. Paired with standout individuals like Morgan Bertsch, Allyson Hansen, Khris Spraker, and Nathaniel Hackett, this class represents the very best of what it means to be an Aggie.”
 
Morgan Bertsch – Women‘s Basketball (2015-19)
 
The all-time leading scorer in program history Morgan Bertsch rewrote the record books in Davis during her time in the Blue and Gold from 2015-19. Selected 29th overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Bertsch became the first Aggie ever selected in the WNBA Draft and entering the 2025 season she has continued her professional career and is currently a member of the Chicago Sky.
 
Bertsch ended her time at Davis with six career records, finishing first in points scored (2,422), games played (132), field goals made (469), blocks (193) and 20-point games (61). She was also the eighth player in Big West history to reach 2,000 points and when she finished her career she sat third all-time in Big West history for career points.
 
Three-times Bertsch was named first team All-Big West and with her addition to the 2016 Big West All-Freshman team she was a four-time All-Big West honoree. Bertsch was also named the 2019 Big West Player of the Year and she was named to the 2019 Big West All-Defensive team.
 
During her seasons in the Blue and Gold Bertsch shined brightest at the conference tournament, being named the 2019 Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player while also being a three-time member of the Big West Conference All-Tournament team.
 
Allyson Hansen – Women‘s Water Polo (2012-16)
 
A two-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American, Allyson Hansen left her mark in the Schaal Aquatics Center pool during a career where she scored 155 goals and won 237 draw exclusions, helping the Aggies maintain their place among the nation’s best.
 
In 2016 Hansen was named to the ACWPC All-American third team becoming just the third Aggie in program history to earn All-American honors higher then honorable mention and she became the first Aggie in eight years to repeat as an ACWPC All-American when she earned honorable mention honors in 2015.
 
A three-time All-Big West honoree, Hansen ranked fifth in total goals and second in drawn exclusion in program history when she finished her time at Davis.
 
Her 2016 season stands out with the Aggie goal scorer netting 54 goals while winning a team-best 58 exclusions. Hansen was also a key part of the program’s historic 400th all-time win a mark they reached during the 2016 season.
 
Khris Spraker – Football (1997-2000)
 
The all-time leader in career tackles, Khris Spraker made his impact felt on the football field as the Aggies entered the new millennium with continued success as one of the winningest programs in Division II history. A three-time All-American, Spraker finished his time as an Aggie with 290 career tackles, 159 assisted and 131 solo, ranking him second in assisted tackles and fourth in solo tackles on the Aggie all-time lists.
 
During the 1999-2000 seasons, Spraker was in the starting lineup and over his time as an Aggie he played in 51 games seeing impactful action in the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Division II Playoff runs the Aggies made.
 
His 2000 season stands out, during which he earned D2Football.com second team All-American honors and the Associated Press and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette each named him a third team All-American.
 
He also added 2000 All-West Region honors following a season where he recorded a school-record 143 total tackles in 13 games, adding 15 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He saved his best performance during that season in his career finale, tallying 18 total tackles in the Aggies 2000 NCAA Semifinal matchup against Bloomsburg.
 
LEGACY AWARD
Nathaniel Hackett – Football (1998-2002)
 
A name well known and respected throughout the coaching ranks of professional football, Nathaniel Hackett’s impact and legacy has been on display for over 20 years of time spent on the sidelines of the collegiate ranks and most notably on the sidelines of the National Football League.
 
A three-year letterwinner at Davis, Hackett made his presence known as both the 1998 George Belenis Award winner (scout team player of the year) and the 2002 Bob Foster Aggie Pride Award Winner. He then immediately stepped to the coaching ranks as an assistant on the Aggie 2003 staff.
 
It was not long before Hackett made his way into the NFL breaking into the ranks as a member of Jon Gruden’s staff on the 2006 Tampa Buccaneers. But it wasn’t until 2019 when the teachings of Jim Sochor and Bob Biggs really shined through as Hackett joined the Green Bay Packers staff as offensive coordinator and was introduced to future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rogers.
 
The two would almost immediately form an unbreakable bond which would lead the Super Bowl winning quarterback to back-to-back NFL Most Valuable Player Awards in 2020 and 2021 solidifying Rogers’ legacy among the league’s greatest to ever play the quarterback position.
 
Over his career, Hackett has also coached with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and New York Jets meaning that many locker rooms across the NFL have been “Finding Joy” thanks to the impact of Hackett and his Aggie Pride.
 
1979 Men‘s Golf (NCAA Division II National Champions)
 
In 1979 at El Macero Country Club, a group of UC Davis men’s golf Aggies under head coach Joe Carlson brought home the first National Championship in UC Davis athletics history when they won the NCAA Division II National Championship. They did so in dramatic fashion, shooting a 291 on the final day to catch and pass Columbus College who entered the day in the lead by one stroke.
 
It was also historic because it was the first time the Aggies had ever held an NCAA national event and it was the first time since 1973 that the Division II golf national championships were held in the state of California.
 
The team consisted of All-Americans Mike Timme (second team), Wade Dunagan (third team), Ted Harris (honorable mention) and Dennis Gedesstad (honorable mention). During the tournament Dungan led the Aggies with a second-place finish, while Timme finished 13th, Harris finished 15th, Dave Masiel came in 31st and Gedestad rounded things out in 36th as the Aggis firmly placed their name on the national map.
 
1980 Women‘s Tennis (AIAW Division III National Champions)
 
The first women’s team to bring home a national championship in UC Davis history, the 1980 Aggie women’s tennis team, under the tutelage of Aggie great Bob Foster, set a new standard for women’s sports at the start of the decade by dominating the national championships hosted in Rohnert Park, California.
 
With a championship score of 81 the Aggies bested Biola’s 53.5 and Augustana College’s 38 to come away with a convincing win that was the first national crown in program history.
 
Individually the Aggies took home three singles championships and three doubles titles led at the top by Polly Knudson’s title at No. 2 singles. Diane DeMartini won at No. 4 singles and at No. 5 singles Janice O’Brien came away victorious. In doubles, Carrie Zarraonandia and DeMartini took home the title at No. 1 doubles while Thea Uota and Knudson won No. 2 doubles and No. 3 doubles went to the tandem of O’Brien and Sue Freeman.
 
1981 Women‘s Tennis (AIAW Division III National Champions)
 
In 1981 UC Davis women’s tennis made the cross-country trip to Trenton, New Jersey, once again under Bob Foster, looking to defend its national title from the previous season. And when the dust settled in the New Jersey state capital the Aggies had done just that, winning the 1981 AIAW Division III National Championship for a second-straight year ending its time as a member of Division III athletics on a high note. The next season would see the Aggies moving up to Division II but not before leaving a lasting impact on the Division III ranks.
 
It was a bit tighter than the previous season, with the Aggies besting San Francisco State’s 58 and Occidental College’s 52 with a team score of 69.
 
The Aggies were powered by individual titles by Diane Saeed (No. 5) and Suanna Chow (No. 6). And in doubles the Foster coached squad took home the title at No. 3 thanks to the tandem of Chow and Ruth McMahon.
 
The win capped off a historic two seasons of National Championship success that no other Aggie program has been able to replicate for the years to come.
 
1981 Women‘s Gymnastics (AIAW Division III National Champions)
 
Head coach Pete Gibson led an Aggie women’s gymnastics squad to the top of the national mountain in 1981 when UC Davis was crowned the AIAW Division III National Championships following a historic season. It was a squad that claimed four AIWA All-Americans and one national champion on its way to bringing home the first gymnastics national title in program history.
 
Frossene Shuck set the standard for the Aggies in La Crosse, Wisconsin taking home the national title on bars, the second individual title in program history and the first on uneven bars. Shuck added All-American honors on bars, floor and in the all-around to cap off a historic evening in Wisconsin.
 
Julie Akin (vault), Keitha Hunter (vault, floor) and Karen Bubb (all-around, floor, bars) all joined Shuck with All-American honors giving UC Davis three All-Americans in multiple events showcasing the strong night the Aggies had on their way to being crowned national champions.
 
CAAHOF NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED: To nominate an individual for the CAAHOF, Aggie Legacy Award, or the Special Recognition Award (or view rules and criteria for each honor), please visit the links below. The deadline for consideration is January 31, 2026 for that year’s CAAHOF ceremony, but nominations are always accepted. Any nomination received after that date will enter the subsequent year’s nomination pool. 
 
CAAHOF Nomination Form (Student-Athlete) 
CAAHOF Nomination Form (Non-Participant)  
Aggie Legacy Award Nomination Form 
Special Recognition Award Nomination Form
Print-Friendly Nomination Form (PDF)   
Awards Criteria 
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