Postseason team success and individual achievements were in plentiful supply for Big West Conference student-athletes during the 2007-08 season.

The successes began right out of the gate with Big West representation in NCAA postseason competition during the fall sports season.

Defending national champion UC Santa Barbara entered the 2007 men's soccer season with a bulls-eye on its uniform, but the added expectations did not dissuade the Gauchos from having an outstanding campaign.  Although they did not repeat as champs, UCSB reached the round of 16 and lost an emotional double overtime affair to fifth-seeded Ohio State on the road.  The Gauchos, a national No. 12 seed, ensured the Big West had at least one team advance to the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive year.  UC Davis also participated at the NCAA's in its first season as a league member.

In women's volleyball, Cal Poly claimed the No. 16 national seed after winning its second straight Big West championship.  The Mustangs traveled across the country to Athens, Ohio to win their first two matches and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 1985.  Individually, Cal Poly junior Kylie Atherstone, the Big West Player of the Year, earned third team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.  Long Beach State capped off its season with its 21st consecutive NCAA appearance.

Cross country did not go without recognition either as conference representatives squared off against the nation's elite.  Thanks to a pair of fifth place finishes at the NCAA West Regionals, the Cal Poly men and UC Santa Barbara women earned at-large bids to the NCAA Championship meet.  In addition, UC Riverside harriers Ulices Pina and Brenda Martinez were invited to compete as at-large individuals at the national meet.  For the second consecutive year, Cal Poly's Phillip Reid claimed All-America status.

Moving into the winter sports season, basketball produced a pair of tournament champions with wildly different postseason backgrounds.  

On the one hand, the UC Santa Barbara women extended their postseason streak to 13 (10 NCAA, 3 WNIT) as the recipient of the Big West's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.  The Gauchos recaptured the tournament throne they had abdicated for two seasons after an impressive nine-year title run (1997-2005).  UCSB also posted a 15-1 conference record to collect its 13th regular season title.  The Gauchos defeated first-year Big West member UC Davis in the tournament finals.  The Aggies capped off their first Division I campaign with a trip to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

Men's basketball champion Cal State Fullerton may as well have been a first-time patron to the NCAA extravaganza.  None of the players who comprised the Titans' 11-man roster were even close to being born when the school participated in its first NCAA shindig in 1978.  But this year's squad bridged the 30-year gap between postseason visits, tallying a school record 24 wins along the way and culminating with a first round matchup against Wisconsin.  The site of that battle - Omaha, Neb. - normally had been reserved for the school's baseball program, to the tune of 15 previous appearances in the College World Series.  In 2008, the Titans traded in natural grass for the hardwood.

The swimming and diving season resulted in nine student-athletes competing in the NCAA Championship and two earning All-American honors.  Sophomore Anne Marie May earned All-American honors for UC Santa Barbara, swimming the 50 free in 22.00 for third place.  UC Irvine senior Eddie Erazo placed eighth in the 200 butterfly (1:45.20) for All-American status.

UC Santa Barbara dominated the pool at the Big West Championship, winning both the men's and women's titles and accounting for eight of the 14 records that were broken at Belmont Plaza this year.

The accolades continued as the Big West transitioned into the spring sports season.

Baseball prolonged its tradition as a staple of Big West postseason representation, sending four representatives into the playoffs - Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UC Davis and UC Irvine.  The Titans and Anteaters won their respective regionals and advanced to the Super Regional round. CSF finished No. 10 and UCI No. 11 in the final Baseball America national poll.  LBSU gave the Big West a third nationally ranked team as the 49ers finished No. 25 in the BA rankings.  

The talent level of Big West baseball also was evidenced by a conference record 50 players being selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

A stellar season from freshman pitcher Brooke Turner catapulted Long Beach State back to softball prominence as the 49ers won the Big West championship for the first time since 2005.  Turner became the first conference player to claim two major awards in the same season as she was named both Pitcher and Freshman Pitcher of the Year.  A national No. 14 seed, the 49ers were joined in the NCAA Tournament by Cal State Fullerton, giving the Big West multiple NCAA bids for the 24th consecutive season.

UC Davis made a big splash in golf, as the women's team reached the NCAA Championship in only its third year as a program and first at the Division I level.  The Aggies finished in 21st place at nationals, on the heels of a dramatic NCAA West Regional performance that required them to win a sudden death playoff.  Meanwhile, UC Irvine racked up its fourth straight Big West Championship.

In men's golf, UC Irvine won the Big West Championship and finished third at NCAA Regionals, more than enough to qualify for the NCAA Championship.  It was the first national tournament appearance for the Anteaters since 2001.  UC Davis pushed the Anteaters to the limit at the conference tournament, as both teams were tied entering the final round.

Tennis remained consistent at the top as Long Beach State captured its fifth straight women's championship while UC Santa Barbara notched its third men's title in a row.  In addition, four Big West student-athletes advanced to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

In track and field, the Big West produced five All-Americans at the NCAA Championship - Cal Poly's Sharon Day (high jump), Long Beach State's Brent Gray (200m) and Chris Richardson (decathlon), and Cal State Northridge's Desirae Gonder (high jump) and Reindell Cole, who followed up his indoor track and field title in the long jump with a 10th place finish in the outdoor event.  In a season full of highlights, the most memorable one took place at the Big West Championships at Cal State Northridge.  Day, a former national champion in the high jump, set the school, meet, stadium and Big West record with her leap of 6-4.75 (1.95m) in the event.

In all, 20 Big West teams and 38 individual athletes participated in NCAA postseason competition this past season.  Of those 38 athletes, seven earned All-American accolades.  As a whole (round robin and individual sports), the Big West had 31 All-Americans in 10 sports.