Davis, Calif. — After leading UC Davis Women's Soccer to the most successful season in the school's Division-I history, Tracy Hamm has signed a multi-year contract extension that will run through the 2028 season, UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca announced today (June 2).
"I am excited for the future of our women's soccer program under the leadership of Tracy Hamm," said DeLuca. "As of one of the top soccer coaches in the country she's done a remarkable job positioning UC Davis for sustained success and we're proud to support her championship pursuits."
Said Hamm: "UC Davis Athletics has a prowess about us now and I'm looking forward to continue adding to the powerhouse department that Rocko is building. It's an exciting campus to be on with a lot to look forward to."
"We have laid a foundation for a true program here at UC Davis. Not just good teams year to year, but a program with traditions, high standards and expectations, and quality leadership from our student athletes and staff. Our players are at the core of what we do and I'm honored to continue building with them. My staff has always been an integral part to our success, especially Jody Lingafeldt who has been here with me since day one."
"Davis is an amazing community of high performing individuals. Getting to be a part of, and to add to, the environment is really special. I'm beyond excited for the future. Going into my fifth season, I know there is a lot left to accomplish and we will continue to level up."
This past season in Hamm's fourth year at the helm, the Aggies achievements put UC Davis on the map. Registering the first win over a ranked opponent in program history, this was just a small fraction of the success captured in 2022.
The Aggies finished the season second in the Big West with a final record of 9-6-4, giving UC Davis their best regular season finish since joining the conference. A large contributor to this historic finish was a five-game win streak that Hamm guided the team to, starting with a win on the road at UC Santa Barbara on October 9, extending all the way until October 27, with another road win against Long Beach State in the regular season finale to secure the No. 2 seed this past fall. The six conference wins were the most in the Division-I era for an Aggie team, and the most since 2003.
Hamm's overall record at Davis is 26-25-4 and in her short time at Davis, she has already notched a 10-win season on her resume, implementing a standard of success that has followed her since her days as a coach at San Francisco State. The 19 victories over the last two seasons under Hamm are the most in a two-year span since 2011-12. Among those 19 wins, none might be bigger than the first win over a Pac-12 opponent after the Aggies took down Oregon State this past season, as well as the aforementioned dethroning of a ranked opponent for the first time in school history when the Aggies defeated nationally ranked Santa Clara.
Some other notable highlights this past year that occurred under Hamm's leadership was a record five Aggies winning post season awards as Leslie Fregoso, Jayde Holley, Emma Vane, Francesca Van Norden, and Sarah Canavan all had career years under Hamm's guidance. The three first team inclusions of Fregoso, Holley and Vane, was the first time UC Davis had three first team selections since 2001, and the first time ever in the Division-I era.
Uplifting the program in all facets since her arrival, Hamm has been able to maintain both success on and off the pitch for her student-athletes. On top of leading the program to new highs with on-the-field success, the Aggies have been model students in the classroom under Hamm's leadership, most recently posting a 3.57 team GPA this past year which was a Davis Athletics high during the Fall quarter and a program best for Women's Soccer in the Division 1 era.
Outside of her successful 2022, Hamm's first four seasons have seen her navigate the hurdles of turning around a program, while dealing with unimaginable challenges due to COVID-19, and Big West Conference's cancelation of the 2020 season.
Hamm's debut season in 2019 featured a young UC Davis roster that shined in the first nationally-broadcasted game with her in charge when the Aggies defeated defending Big West regular season and Tournament champions Long Beach State on its home field. That result was Hamm's inaugural Big West victory and the program's first win against The Beach on their home turf since September 11, 1984.
At the conclusion of her first season at the helm in Davis, Janae Gonzalez, Janessa Staab and Leslie Fregoso earned the first All-Big West Conference awards of their respective careers. With help of Coach Hamm, Gonzalez signed two professional contracts following graduation with Club America and Matzalan in the Liga MX Femenil.
Hamm is also known throughout the soccer community to be a passionate advocate for women coaches globally, where she also serves on the WIS (Women in Soccer) Advisory Board and believes in building confidence and leadership through soccer.
Hamm has proven to be the exact type of leader who can continue elevating UC Davis Women's Soccer to new heights and will look to pick back up right where she left off when the Aggies return to the pitch this August.
