SDSU Sports Information

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State’s Hunter Wallster becomes one of 42 spring athletes to receive the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.

“Congratulations to Hunter on this tremendous honor that puts an exclamation point on his incredible career as a Jackrabbit,” head coach Rod DeHaven said. “He worked very hard in the classroom, labs, and as an athlete to achieve this award! All the best to him in his future endeavors.”

The NCAA awards a one-time, non-renewable $10,000 scholarship to 21 men and 21 women three times a year across three seasons (fall, winter, spring) to encourage student-athletes to pursue postgraduate education. To be considered for the scholarship, student-athletes must be in their final year of undergraduate studies, hold at least a 3.200 cumulative GPA, and have performed with distinction in the varsity sport for which they are nominated.

Wallster received this award following an impressive four-year stint with the Jackrabbits. During his time at SDSU, Wallster collected four conference titles, two in the weight throw and two in the hammer throw. He also made the Summit League All-League team from 2023-25 in both indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

Wallster holds the school record in the hammer throw. He threw 207-01 (63.12m) to take the program record and finish runner-up at the 2023 Summit League Outdoor Championships. Wallster’s program record qualified him for the 2023 NCAA West First Round Regionals, where he threw 183-06 (55.93m) to finish 43rd.

The streak is now at three straight years that California Community College women’s volleyball programs have moved more than 100 student-athletes to play and continue their educations at the next level.

The 2024-2025 class includes 19 players who earned NCAA Division I scholarships, featuring All-Americans Morgan Castaneda (American River) and Aniyah Hall (San Mateo) each going to San Jose State University, All-State Lucy Ryan (Feather River) now at Cal Baptist, and All-South Region selection Jordyn Romero (Mt. San Antonio) moving to the University of Buffalo (NY).

Overall, 42 colleges have transferred 114 student-athletes to play volleyball, a number of them choosing to compete on both indoor and beach teams.

’24 3C2A state champion Feather River had the most scholarship athletes with seven, followed by San Joaquin Delta, Cerritos, and Mt. San Jacinto with six, then San Diego Mesa, American River, Fresno City, and Coalinga each with five.

Forty-eight student-athletes are moving to out of state universities.

 

Story Continues

Don’t Miss TipRanks’ Half-Year Sale

Global Acquisitions Corporation ( (AASP) ) just unveiled an announcement.

On July 9, 2025, Agassi Sports Entertainment Corp. announced a collaboration with IBM to launch a cutting-edge digital racquet sports experience. The partnership, leveraging IBM’s AI technology, aims to enhance player performance, create innovative digital solutions, and foster a global community of racquet sports enthusiasts. This initiative is expected to elevate the accessibility and enjoyment of racquet sports worldwide, aligning with Agassi Sports Entertainment’s mission to grow the industry and promote health and wellness.

More about Global Acquisitions Corporation

Agassi Sports Entertainment Corp. is a dynamic sports entertainment, content, media, and technology company focused on uniting sports communities under one brand. The company aims to become a leader in the racquet sports sector, including pickleball and padel, by promoting and expanding the industry through various organic and transactional efforts globally.

Average Trading Volume: 2,101

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: $50.88M

Find detailed analytics on AASP stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.

Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach and director of track & field Duane Ross has announced the hiring of Jeff Chakouian as an assistant coach. Chakouian will be tasked with leading and developing the Tennessee throws program.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff Chakouian and his family to Rocky Top,” Ross said. “Coach Chak brings a passion for developing athletes and a proven track record of preparing them to perform at the highest level. His experience as an All-American and SEC Champion gives him a unique perspective that will resonate with our student-athletes. I have no doubt he’ll make an immediate impact as we continue our pursuit of championships here in Knoxville.”
 
Chakouian arrives on Rocky Top with 20 years of full-time collegiate coaching experience after previous stints at Baylor, UCF and Illinois State. In his most recent eight-year tenure at Baylor, he guided his throwers to 17 school record performances, three First Team All-America honors and three Big 12 titles in the throwing events.
 
“I’m incredibly excited to join the Tennessee staff and become part of the Vol family,” Chakouian said. “Tennessee is recognized as one of the premier track and field programs in the country, and both the Vol and Lady Vol programs have a rich tradition of excellence. I look forward to contributing to that legacy and helping bring championships back to Knoxville.
 
“After speaking with Coach Ross and learning more about his vision for the program, it was clear that Tennessee was the perfect fit for me and my family. I want to thank Coach Ross for this amazing opportunity. I’m also deeply grateful to Coach Todd Harbour for hiring me at Baylor and Coach Mike Ford for retaining me—without their support, I wouldn’t be in this position today. And to all my former athletes, thank you for your trust and hard work. I can’t wait to get to Knoxville and become part of this incredible community. Go Vols!”
 
Chakouian mentored three-time All-American and Big 12 individual conference champion Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi, a javelin specialist who represented Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He established the Nigerian national record in the men’s javelin with a lifetime-best toss of 82.80m (271-8) to win the 2024 African Games title with a mark that ranks 11th in collegiate history.
 
Nnamdi finished top-five at the NCAA Outdoor Championships all three seasons competing under Chakouian’s tutelage at Baylor, including a third-place showing at the 2023 national meet in Austin, Texas.
 
Chakouian guided Baylor standout JL van Rensburg to a silver medal finish in the men’s shot put at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships, missing the title by just two centimeters with a toss of 20.74m (68-0). Chakouian also coached Gary Moore Jr. to a phenomenal true freshman campaign for the Bears in 2023, ending the year as the Pan American U20 Champion and USATF U20 National Champion in the men’s shot put.
 
Over the course of eight seasons in Waco, Chakouian guided numerous athletes to top-10 program marks and All-Big 12 honors. Five current Baylor school records were established under his watch from 2018-25.
 
Prior to Baylor, Chakouian spent the previous eight seasons coaching all field events at UCF in addition to serving as the Knights’ recruiting coordinator. During his time in Orlando, he helped guide the team to five conference championships, claiming four outdoor titles in a row. He coached 18 NCAA qualifiers and 20 all-conference performers in addition to helping student-athletes break 30 school records in field events.
 
Prior to UCF, Chakouian spent three seasons at Illinois State University where he coached a pair of Missouri Valley Champions, 13 all-conference standouts and 10 NCAA outdoor regional qualifiers. His athletes recorded two school records for the Redbirds. 
 
Chakouian’s coaching career began with stints as a volunteer assistant at Kentucky and Brown, coaching six all-conference performers.
 

As a student-athlete and member of the Kentucky track & field program, Chakouian was a six-time All-American, five-time SEC champion and eight-time All-SEC selection in the men’s shot put. His collegiate-best performances of 20.08m (65-10.5) and 20.19m (66-3) both stood as indoor and outdoor program records for nearly two decades.
 
A Seekonk, Massachusetts, native, Chakouian graduated from Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2005. Chakouian and his wife, Samantha, have two daughters, Mackenzie and Leota.