Aggies Have a good time Phil Tonne At Annual Alumni Meet

DAVIS, Calif. — More than 70 UC Davis swim and dive alumni returned to Schall Aquatic Center or joined the occasion remotely on Saturday to take part within the crew’s annual Alumni Meet and have a good time the retirement of long-time collegiate diving coach Phil Tonne, who spent his remaining 22 seasons of a 47-year collegiate teaching profession as the pinnacle diving coach at UC Davis.

“I am eternally grateful to everyone involved in Saturday’s celebration,” stated Tonne, who sat in his acquainted chair poolside alongside together with his successor and former Aggies’ assistant diving coach Laurel Abernethy to evaluate a number of final dives. “I look forward to spending time with my family, especially my new grandson. Go Ags!”

“The alumni meet is an annual reminder of the impact college athletics has on your life and this year was even more special with coach Phil’s retirement following 47 years of collegiate coaching,” stated UC Davis swim and dive head Matt Macedo, who enters his fifth season on the helm of this system in 2026-27. “In his 22 years at UC Davis, coach Phil got the best out of his athletes on the boards, but yesterday we could see, hear and feel what Phil meant to Aggie diving. It was great to see so many people share their stories and thank Phil for all he has done for them and their families. I want to thank everyone who attended and joined us remotely to wish Phil well as he prepares for his move to the East Coast in a couple of weeks.”

The occasion included a number of casual races between first-year Aggies and alums earlier than the main target grew to become the celebration for Tonne, the place audio system included Macedo, his predecessor and long-time UC Davis swim and dive coach Barbara John and Abernethy, who performed tribute to him earlier than a protracted video was performed with a lot of his former UC Davis divers wishing their former coach effectively.

UC Davis subsequent hosts its Blue vs. Gold Intrasquad Scrimmage this Saturday, Sept. 26 (9 am) earlier than their fall schedule begins with a swim solely meet at Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 3 (10 am). The Aggies open their house schedule by internet hosting Nevada on Friday, Oct. 9 (1 pm).

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS 

UC Davis, ranked No. 2 amongst public universities by the Wall Street Journal within the worth of a faculty diploma, is house to 40,000 undergraduate college students and 12,000 workers. Ranked high within the United States in agriculture and forestry in addition to No. 1 in veterinary medication, UC Davis is situated in a real California school city nestled between world-class locations such because the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports activities, with 16 sports activities transitioning to the Mountain West Conference starting in 2026–27. 

For extra info, go to ucdavisaggies.com/.