LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Nov. 16. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
 
With their sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Helgesen, from Kaysville, Utah, led the Aggies during a pair of matches last week at the NCAA Tournament, including a first-round upset of seventh-seeded Tennessee (3-2) and a loss to second-seeded Arizona State (3-1). Against the Volunteers, Helgesen finished with 14 kills on a .308 hitting percentage and tied for the team lead with four blocks while adding seven digs, one ace and one assist. Against the Sun Devils, Helgesen recorded 19 kills on a .429 hitting percentage, both team highs, and added three digs, one block and one assist.

Helgesen finished the season with a .295 hitting percentage, ranking ninth all-time for a single season at USU with at least five attacks per set. Her career hitting percentage of .275 also ranks sixth all-time in program history with at least 1,000 attacks.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

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Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:

MEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Mason Falslev (Benson, Utah) helped Utah State to a 1-1 record on the road last week with a 74-6` loss at South Florida and a 79-53 win at Charlotte. Against the Bulls, Falslev scored 19 points, to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, while shooting 7-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Against the 49ers, he scored 22 points, along with six assists, five rebounds, and four steals, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, 0-of-3 from 3-point range and 8-of-8 at the free throw line. For the week, Falslev averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game, while shooting 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the field, 33.3 percent (3-of-9) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the free throw line.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles (Las Vegas, Nevada) led the Aggies with 16.0 points per game last week in a pair of road losses at LMU (63-58) and San Diego (70-66). Against the Lions, Gayles scored 12 points and added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Against the Toreros, Gayles scored a team-high 20 points, USU’s first 20-point scorer this season, on 6-of-15 shooting, and led the team with four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.

  

2025-26 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners

Sept. 1 – Miles Davis, Football

Sept. 8 – John Miller, Football

Sept. 15 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 22 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 29 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball

Oct. 13 – Tess Werts, Soccer

Oct. 20 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic, Volleyball 

Nov. 10 – Rine Yonaha, Soccer

Nov. 17 – Garry Clark, Men’s Basketball

Nov. 24 – MJ Collins, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 1 – Andrea Simovski, Volleyball

Dec. 8 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

 – USU –

There’s no shortage of fast runners in the NC State athletic program. With women’s cross country coming off an NCAA National Championship run, many of the same speedsters who hoisted the big trophy have made the transition to indoor track season.

NC State’s top runners made the trip up to Boston, Massachusetts, to compete in the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, while the throwers stayed close to home and competed in the Winston-Salem College Kick-off in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Success continued for the Wolfpack in long distance running as a number of athletes marked strong performances in the 3000m and 5000m races.

In the 3000m, junior Angelina Napoleon led the charge with a fourth-place finish in the elite first heat, with a time of 8:46.15. Also competing in the first heat, Sadie Englehardt finished 17th with a time of 9:09.47. Junior Kate Putman competed in the second heat, finishing 14th with a time of 9:17.92.

Three NC State athletes competed in the 5000m, with senior Briley Bickerstaff finishing 40th with a time of 15:59.61, graduate Brooke Rauber finishing 54th with a time of 16:06.79 and junior Jolena Quarzo finishing 72nd with a time of 16:15.68.

Senior Grace Hartman, notably absent from the initial indoor track events, was away competing in the 2025 USA Track & Field Cross-Country Championships. In a field full of current and former NCAA champions and USA Olympians, Hartman finished with a strong sixth-place time of 34:25.7.

On the men’s side, junior Elliot McArthur sped through the mile in 4:03.19, placing eighth overall to become No. 9 on NC State’s top-10 list. Sophomore Noah Valyo and the UNC-Chapel Hill transfer, junior Luke Wiley, competed in the 5000m. Vaylo finished 156th in 14:27.13 and Wily finished 177th in 14:39.19.

In the throwing events, taking place in Winston Salem, junior Tony Taylor II showed out with a runner-up finish in the weight throw with a personal-best 17.83-meter toss. Sophomore Bradley Pawlak also showed some gusto with a fifth-place mark of 17.24. In the women’s weight throw, junior Natalie Griffith finished fifth with a personal-best 16.80-meter toss.

The Wolfpack women’s shotputters also made the trip to Winston-Salem. Junior Iniyah Mitchell finished 26th with a mark of 10.38m, while graduate Jakerra Covington finished 32nd with a mark of 9.71.

Next up, the Pack will head to Blacksburg, Virginia, for the Virginia Tech Invitational Jan. 16-17.

By The Associated Press

2025 NCAA Women’s Div I Volleyball Tournament Glance All Times EST

First Round

Thursday, Dec. 4

No. 4 Colorado def. American, 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

No. 4 Kansas def. High Point, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

No. 6 Baylor def. Arkansas St., 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

No. 5 Miami (FL) def. Tulsa, 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. Toledo, 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

North Carolina def. No. 6 UTEP, 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

No. 8 UCLA def. Georgia Tech, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 25-10

No. 6 N. Iowa def. Utah, 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Utah St. def. No. 7 Tennessee, 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 15-11

No. 3 Purdue def. Wright St., 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Kentucky def. Wofford, 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Cal Poly def. No. 5 BYU, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

No. 3 Creighton def. Northern Colorado, 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Coppin St., 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

No. 4 Southern Cal def. Princeton, 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

No. 3 Wisconsin def. Eastern Ill., 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Friday, Dec. 5

Marquette def. No. 7 W. Kentucky, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16

Michigan def. No. 8 Xavier, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Kansas St. def. No. 8 San Diego vs., 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

No. 6 TCU def. Steven F. Austin St., 25-8, 26-24, 25-20

Florida def. No. 7 Rice, 27-25, 25-23, 25-19

No. 5 Iowa St. def. St. Thomas (Minn.), 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

No. 8 Penn St. def. South Florida, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. UMBC, 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

No. 2 Louisville def. Loyola Chicago, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

No. 2 SMU def. Cent. Arkansas, 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

No. 3 Texas A&M def. Campbell, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

Arizona def. No. 7 South Dakota St., 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

No. 1 Nebraska def. LIU, 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

No. 1 Texas def. Florida A&M, 25-11, 25-8, 25-14

No. 4 Minnesota def. Fairfield, 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

No. 2 Stanford def. Utah Valley, 21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14

Second Round
Friday, Dec. 5

No. 3 Purdue def. No. 6 Baylor, 25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. No. 5 Colorado, 25-20, 25-17, 25-13

No. 1 Kentucky def. No. 8 UCLA, 30-25, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

No. 4 Kansas def. No. 5 Miami, 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25

No. 3 Creighton def. N. Iowa, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Utah St., 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15

No. 3 Wisconsin def. North Carolina, 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Cal Poly def. No. 4 Southern Cal, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7

Saturday, Dec. 6

No. 2 Louisville def. Marquette, 21-15, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. Michigan, 25-23, 25-23, 25-18

No. 1 Texas def. No. 8 Penn St., 25-16, 25-9, 25-19

No. 1 Nebraska def. Kansas St., 25-17, 25-21, 25-16

No. 2 SMU def. Florida, 25-11, 25-21, 26-24

No. 3 Texas A&M def. TCU, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 29-27

No. 4 Minnesota def. No. 5 Iowa St., 25-22, 25-21, 25-14

No. 2 Stanford def. Arizona, 25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20

Third Round
Thursday, Dec. 11

No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m.

No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m.

No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 7 p.m.

No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 12

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, noon

No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m.

No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 3 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m.

Waterville, Maine – The Colby College Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams opened their indoor season in dominant fashion, sweeping both team titles as they hosted the Elm City Classic. The men scored 155 points to finish 1st of 5 teams, while the women collected 168 points to finish 1st of 4 teams on their home track.

The men delivered strong performances from sprints to field events. Ian Irwin won the 60m (7.02), while Levi Biery swept both the 200m (23.12) and 60m hurdles (8.47). Jackson Coelho claimed the 600m (1:21.71) and later anchored the victorious 4x400m relay with Sam Graubart, Biery, and Logan Sullivan (3:32.24). In the distance events, Stephen White captured the 3000m (8:32.80), and the Mules won the distance medley relay behind Chris Gould, Liam McGoldrick, Hugh McGuire, and Danny Reyes (11:07.15). Colby also earned multiple wins in the field, highlighted by Logan Sullivan taking the high jump (1.93m) and Logan Lehnert winning the pole vault (4.45m).

The women controlled the meet from start to finish, led by Charlotte Brake-Hoffman, who won both the 60m (7.90) and 200m (25.87). Tally Zeller took the 400m (59.16), Kaitlyn Ewald earned wins in the 600m (1:38.07) and long jump (5.14m), and Paige Goodwin secured the mile (5:44.18). Josie Hopkins won the 60m hurdles (9.62) and placed second in the pentathlon, while the 4x400m relay of Ellie Wang, Brake-Hoffman, Amina Cifric, and Alex Hermsdorff (4:11.92) closed out the track events with another Colby victory. In the field, Amina Cifric won the pole vault (3.32m).

The meet produced a strong list of AARTFC qualifiers, and several Mules broke into the Colby all-time top ten, including Hopkins (#3 LJ), Cifric (#4 PV), Sullivan (#5 HJ, facility record), Jack Coelho (#5 600m, facility record), and several multi-event athletes.

The Mules will be back on January 16th for the Bates Invitational at Lewiston, Maine. 

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – For the first time in his career, Coy Gunderson has been named NSIC Wrestler of the Week, announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. 

Coy Gunderson (174 lbs., R-Jr., Murdock, Minn. / Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg HS)

– Went 2-0 in a pair of conference duals

– Opened with a 4-2 decision over Damen Pape of Northern State

– Had a second-period escape and third-period takedown

– Earned a 4-1 decision over No. 3-ranked Drake Hayward of No. 12 Minnesota State

– Set the tone, earning a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the third period

With snow on the ground outside each of the three facilities, Penn State kicked off its 2025-26 indoor season in Boston, Philadelphia and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions competed at the Penn Opener, Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener and Bison Opener, where they earned 12 top finishes across the three meets.

Penn Opener

Senior multi-eventer Maddie Pitts got things going on Friday at the Penn Opener, where she won the pentathlon with a meet record score of 4,132.

Pitts broke the meet record in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and shot put — which was also a personal best — as she opened the season right where she left off last year.

Sophomore Hannah Riolo continued the strong performance momentum on Saturday as she jumped 1.75m for second place in the women’s high jump. Riolo was followed by Katie Becker and Gwen Cudmore in fifth and sixth place, who jumped 1.72m and 1.62m, respectively.

In the women’s long jump, Lizzie Schreiber jumped her way into first place with a personal-best performance of 5.98m.

Schreiber finished the Penn Opener in the women’s triple jump, where she finished in second place with a jump of 12.74m.

Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener

Sophomore Tayissa Buchanan opened the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener with a bang, running the second-fastest 800-meter in Penn State history.

Buchanan broke her personal best by nearly five seconds as she ran a 2:02.67 for second place.

In the women’s 3,000 meters, sophomore Ada Rand also etched herself into the No. 2 spot in Penn State history. Rand ran a 9:06.18 to finish fourth at the invite, followed by Sarah Pickering in 9:29.65 for 25th place.

Senior Justin Healey earned a personal best in the men’s 3,000m, running a time of 8:05.23 to finish 36th out of 124 runners.

The women’s 5,000 meters saw a pair of personal bests for Penn State, as Charlotte Costich took over a minute off her time to earn the No. 3 mark in school history.

Costich finished in 22nd place with a time of 15:49.68, followed by Claire Daniels in 65th with a time of 16:13.69.

Nick Sloff came out of the gates in the men’s 5000m in similar fashion, earning the No. 2 spot in school history with a 13:45.36 for 38th place.

Bison Opener

Freshman Lucas Band bursted onto the scene in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, where he finished first in both the prelims and the finals with a time of 8.17 seconds.

Addyson White shared similar consistency in the women’s 60m hurdles, finishing second in both races with a time of 8.88 seconds.

Sophomore Scotty Coffi showed improvement through both races at the Bison Opener as he finished second in the prelims and finals. Coffi earned a personal-best 6.84 in the prelims before cutting to 6.78 seconds in the finals.

Freshman Will Landwer made his collegiate debut in the men’s 60m, running 6.97 seconds for seventh place before scratching his finals.

The Nittany Lions also had a strong showing in the women’s 60m, as White took the win with a personal-best 7.59-second performance.

Alexandria North and White also earned finals berths, finishing in 7.69 seconds and 7.84 seconds for third and sixth place, respectively.

Graduate student Collin Burkhart picked up where he left off last season in the men’s weight throw, winning the event with a throw of 20.38m. MIT transfer Sam Engebretson finished third in his Penn State debut, throwing 19.30m.

Alex Pancoast earned a big personal best in the women’s weight throw, as shce threw 18.97m for another first place.

Gabby Cope finished third with 17.18m, followed by junior Gabi Deglau in fourth with 17.07m.

The men’s high jump experienced a Penn State sweep in the top three places, as junior Robert Allen won the event with a jump of 2.05m. Freshman Trip Campbell finished second with 2.05m, followed by Tim Watson tying for third in 1.95m.

The women’s pole vault saw similar domination by the Nittany Lions. Senior Meredith Baham led the way with a jump of 4.00m for first place, with sophomore Amelia McBain in second with 3.70m.

The Nittany Lions had four runners compete in the women’s 200 meter, including North leading the way in second place with a 24.99 performance. Duffy, Jacoutot and Aument finished in sixth, eighth and 13th, respectively.

Cope earned her second podium finish of the day in the women’s shot put, throwing 14.95m for first place.

Tristan McGarrah earned Penn State another first-place finish in the women’s pole vault, jumping 5.00m. Mason Bucks finished in third with 4.70m.

The Nittany Lions ended the Bison Invite in the men’s shot put as Engebretson won with a throw of 17.41m. Iowa transfer Brady Mider finished fifth with a personal best 16.67m.

Up next

The Nittany Lions will host their first of three indoor meets with the Nittany Lion Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 17.

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