Two Hope College juniors have claimed MIAA Athlete of the Week distinction: Parker Hovey in men’s basketball and Dylan Terpstra in men’s track and field.

Hovey (Hart, Michigan / Hart) is the MIAA Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the first time.

Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) is the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for the first time.

Hovey averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over two games: a 71-64 victory at Ohio Northern University on Friday and a 60-59 win at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5 forward matched his career high with 21 points on 80% field-goal shooting at Ohio Wesleyan (8-of-10). He sank two go-ahead free throws with 10 seconds remaining and made all five of his attempts at the foul line.

Terpstra clocked the fastest 400-meter time in NCAA Division III on Friday with a school-record run of 48.16 seconds at Grand Valley State University’s Holiday Open.

The communication major eclipsed Brandon Wolliston’s 2017 Flying Dutchmen record in the event on GVSU’s 300-meter track and topped a field of 18 runners during the season-opening meet.

Terpstra also led off the second-place 4×400 relay that finished in 3:20.58.

The 33^rd edition of the multi-sport event returns to the location of the very first regional Games in 1959, as the Thai capital of Bangkok plays host together with the Chonburi region. The full SEA Games schedule is available to view here.

During his four years as a member of the Patriots’ track and field program, Yap developed into one of Mason’s top throwers, earning multiple Atlantic 10 Championship appearances and cementing his place in the program’s record books. Yap credits his time at George Mason for preparing him to compete at the international level. He believes that the four years of balancing academics, athletics, and an internship gave him the confidence to pursue his dreams.

“I really have to thank all the coaches, professors, and managers that have been through this journey with me the past several years,” said Yap. “Without the support of them, I don’t think I would be where I am at today.”

 

One of Yap’s most memorable moments at George Mason was breaking the school record in men’s hammer throw during the season opener of his final year. He recounts the experience as unexpected but incredibly rewarding, as he had two throws that surpassed the previous record.

 

“It was even more memorable because there was a lot going on throughout the year as a team, and I was fortunate enough to have Coach Becky (Hartley) there,” Yap said. “She was the one that saw something in me and gave me a chance to compete for Mason. Being able to celebrate with her and have that moment where all the hard work is on display, that is something that I will never forget.”

 

Yap’s passion for track and field is what drives him to continue competing. He loves the process, the training, and the constant pursuit of improvement. Despite most athletes retiring after college, Yap felt he had the discipline, drive, and physical ability to keep going.

 

In addition to his love for the sport, representing the Philippines added an extra layer of motivation for Yap. As a first-generation Filipino-American, he takes pride in his heritage and is inspired by the opportunity to wear the country’s colors.

 

“I very much throw to achieve goals that I set for myself,” said Yap. “But to also make my family and friends proud is something that inspires me as well.”

 

Competing in the SEA Games is an opportunity for Yap to honor his family’s heritage. It allows him to visit the Philippines, see his relatives, and express gratitude for the love and support he has received throughout his journey. As Yap prepares to compete in the SEA Games, he looks forward to representing the Philippines and contributing to the success of his country.

 

“It makes me very proud being able to represent where my family comes from,” Yap said. “I can’t express my gratitude to all the family and friends who have shown me love and support through this journey. At the end of the day, I want to make them proud.”

His dedication, discipline, and love for the sport continue to drive him towards achieving his goals and making his family and friends proud.

Beyond athletics, Yap has also begun building a successful professional career. A graduate of four academic programs from the Costello College of Business, Yap currently works for Navy Federal Credit Union, where he supports member-focused financial services and applies the same discipline and work ethic that defined his collegiate experience. Balancing full-time work with elite-level training has strengthened his time-management skills and reinforced his commitment to pursuing excellence both on and off the field. Read the recent article on Yap’s career success LINK.

“I have trained ever so hard for this moment, and I have faith leading up to these games that I know I can put out a solid performance,” said Yap. “Likewise, I personally want to contribute towards the success and make the country proud.”

 

In terms of first impressions, it’s hard to make a better one on the collegiate track and field scene than Hillsdale College freshman Anna Roessner.

Roessner has been awarded the G-MAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon, after a stunning debut performance at the GVSU Holiday Open. It’s the first G-MAC track and field award to be handed out this season.

All Roessner did in her first-ever collegiate race, a 60 meter dash prelim, was obliterate the old Hillsdale school record of 7.58 held jointly by Kajsa Johansson and Lucy Minning by over two-tenths of a second, and also break the G-MAC record of 7.41 held by past All-Americans Kya Epps of Walsh and Jordan Taylor of Findlay. Her time of 7.36 is currently the fastest time in the nation in NCAA Division II, in the top 10 collegiately regardless of division, and would have placed fourth in the nation at last year’s NCAA DII Indoor Championships.

Roessner proved her time wasn’t a fluke in the final, running a 7.41 to take first in the event, and also ran a solid 200 meter dash, placing third with a respectable opening time of 24.81. Her 60 meter time gives her an excellent chance to be selected for the 2026 NCAA DII Indoor Championships in March at Virginia Beach, and she’ll have plenty of time to try and improve on it throughout the rest of the spring, with several meets in January and February and a very competitive sprint conference in the G-MAC to race against.

The Chargers will next be in action on Jan. 16, coming back from Christmas Break to compete in the Al Campbell Invite hosted by the University of Akron.

VERMILLION, S.D. — The story continues for the 2025 South Dakota football team, adventuring to the state of Montana for the second-straight FCS Playoffs as they head to Missoula, Montana to battle the No. 3-seeded Montana Grizzlies on Saturday, December 13 in the FCS Quarterfinals from Washington-Grizzly Stadium led by the new South Dakota career passing leader Aidan Bouman. 
 
The game will televisted on ABC with Roy Philpott (PxP), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline) on the call for the 2025 FCS Quarterfinals. You can listen to the voice of the Coyotes John Thayer on the Coyote Sports Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. (CT) for the pre-game show with former Coyote Gary Culver joining Thayer for the call at 2:30 p.m. (CT).
 

FCS QUARTERFINALS | No. 11-seed SOUTH DAKOTA (10-4, 6-2 MVFC) at No. 3-seed MONTANA (12-1, 7-1 Big Sky)
Date | Time	Saturday, December 13 | 1:30 PM (MT) / 2:30 PM (CT)
Location	Missoula, Mont. | Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217)
Fan Information	Tickets | Parking | Game Day Info
Television	ABC – Roy Philpott (PxP), Sam Acho (Analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
Radio	Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver) [KVHT 106.3 FM]
Live Stats	NCAA
Game Notes	South Dakota | Montana | MVFC | College Pressbox
Digital Program	NCAA Program
Social Media	@SDCoyotesFB  | #GoYotes | @sdcoyotesfb  | Facebook

YOTES IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS

• South Dakota makes their fifth trip to the FCS Playoffs this season (2017, 2021, 2023-25) and third-straight trip.
• It’s the first trip for head coach Travis Johansen in his first season as head coach, though he’s been a part of four total trips now as defensive coordinator and/or head coach. 
• Six of the 10 total FCS Playoff games for South Dakota have been played in the DakotaDome, while Saturday’s game at Montana will be the fifth road FCS Playoff game.
• The Yotes are set to clash with what’s proven to be the most frequent conference in the FCS Playoff with their fourth meeting against a Big Sky school in the playoffs.
• QB Aidan Bouman is just one of two USD QBs to play in multiple FCS Playoff games (Streveler, 2017). He’s the only QB to throw for 1,000+ yards in the playoffs.
• South Dakota is undefeated in FCS Playoff games when they score first (4-0), lead at halftime (5-0), force 3+ takeaways (4-0), and/or holds the ball for 30+ minutes of game action (3-0).

 
KEY STORYLINES

• South Dakota and Montana are set to meet for the 21^st time in program history on Saturday with the first-ever meeting in the FCS Playoffs.
• This season South Dakota is 7-2 when scoring first, 7-0 when leading at halftime, 7-1 when not committing a turnover, 5-0 with a rusher over 150+ yards in the game, and 5-0 with a receiver having 100+ yards in the game.
• The Yotes are 4-2 against top-25 FCS opponents this season with all four wins coming in the months of November and December.
• USD had a stretch of not committing a turnover in six-straight games did not commit a turnover in six of the eight MVFC games this season. It’s now eight games this season without a turnover, following the Mercer game (Dec. 6).
• PACING THE FCS: L.J. Phillips Jr. LEADS the FCS net rushing yards (1,847), fourth in carries (279), fourth in rushing yards per game (131.9), T7th in rushing touchdowns (18), and sixth in yards per carry (6.62).
• Phillips Jr. has climbed the top-10 single-season all-time list for rushing yards, sitting SECOND entering heading to Missoula. He needs 115 yards to set a new single-season program record.  
• Phillips Jr. became the 12^th Coyote – and third in the Division I FCS era – to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a single season against Northern Iowa (Oct. 18).
• Aidan Bouman holds a 32-13 (45 games) record as the starting quarterback at South Dakota and has thrown a touchdown pass in 12 of the 14 games this season with a new season – and career-high five touchdowns in the regular season finale at Southern Illinois.
• After the Mercer game, Bouman is now the South Dakota career passing yards leader (9,047) and SECOND all-time in career passing touchdowns (66).
• Bouman has now thrown 11 touchdown passes in the last three games.
• With 11 100-yard rushing games this season (nine from Phillips Jr., two from Fletcher), South Dakota now has had 78 100-yard rushing games in the Division I FCS era with Phillips Jr.’s 301 yards against Northern Colorado being the Division I single-game record.
• Walsh (at Lamar), Roman Tillmon (vs. UNC), Nate Ewell (at NDSU; at UNI; vs. UND; at SIU; vs. Drake) are the only three Yotes with 10+ tackles in a game this season with Tillmon (14) now holding the season high.
• Mikey Munn has been on a tear at cornerback with a career-high two interceptions (x2; vs. Drake, Sept 20; at Mercer, Dec. 6) and leads the team with ten (10) pass-break ups on the season.
• South Dakota has won 20 of their last 24 MVFC games dating back to the 2023 season.
• South Dakota is in their 130^th season of college football and with their 31^st head coach in program history.  
• Last week, head coach Travis Johansen became the first coach to win double-digit games in their first season as head coach at South Dakota.
• South Dakota holds an all-time program record of 590-568-35 entering Saturday. In the Division I FCS era, South Dakota has won 96 games (96-108).

 
MONTANA GRIZZLIES

• Led by Bobby Hauck in his 14^th full season in Missoula, he picked up his 150^th win leading the Griz with the 50-29 win over South Dakota State last weekend in the Second Round.
• Montana won their first 11 games of the season before dropping a top-5 clash to in-state rival Montana State to end the regular season and finished with a 11-1 record.
• Earning the No. 3 national seed, the Griz had a First Round bye before a dominant win over SDSU last time out.
• The Griz are 2-0 against MVFC teams this season – both games in Missoula – defeating SDSU and North Dakota (24-23 back in September).
• QB Keali’I Ah Yat has thrown for over 3,500 passing yards this season with 29 touchdowns to help the Griz to their 12-1 mark. He leads an offense that boasts a top-10 FCS passing offense (286.6 yards per game) and top-5 total offense (466.1 yards per game).
• The defense, however, has struggled to stop opponents’ passing attacks. The Griz sit 115^th of 126 FCS programs, allowing 263.6 passing yards per game.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• South Dakota and Montana have met 20 previous times, with Montana leading the all-time series, 14-6.
• Montana has won eight-straight games in the series with South Dakota never defeating the Griz since going Division I (0-5).
• In Missoula, the Griz lead the series 11-3 with the last South Dakota win coming in Montana back in 1965.
• It marks the fourth Big Sky opponent for South Dakota in the FCS Playoffs (USD, 2-1).