With their sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Jensen advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:00.46 at the NCAA West First Rounds in College Station, Texas, on Saturday. She took second place in her heat, closing with a final lap time of 1:09.79, the fastest single lap of any of the 96 women competing in the event at the West or East prelims, to become Utah State’s first nationals qualifier since Cierra Simmons-Mecham in 2019. The Westlake HS product ranks 11th in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase heading into the national championships.

UP NEXT

Jensen and junior Logan Hammer will next compete at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, which will be held Wednesday through Saturday, June 11-14. The men’s pole vault final will take place on Wednesday, June 11 at 5:35 p.m. (MT). The semifinals of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase are scheduled for Thursday, June 12 at 5:38 p.m. (MT). Broadcast coverage of the championships will be on the ESPN family of networks.

Fans can follow the Utah State track and field programs on X at USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on X at USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics. 

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

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD – Junior Logan Hammer (Nampa, Idaho) advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 5.42 meters (17-9.25) at the NCAA West First Rounds in College Station, Texas, on Wednesday. He was one of ten vaulters to clear the qualifying height, finishing tied for sixth overall after tiebreakers. The two-time All-American will be making his second-straight nationals appearance. He enters this year’s finals ranked second in the nation in the event behind Texas A&M’s Aleksandr Solovev.

2024-25 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners

Sept. 2 – Tess Werts, Soccer

Sept. 9. – Kate Christian, Soccer

Sept. 16 – Rahsul Faison, Football

Sept. 23 – Cora Brendle, Soccer

Sept. 30 – Sergi Micó Fenollar, Men’s Tennis

Oct. 7 – Brooklyn Smith, Soccer

Oct. 14 – Tierney Barlow, Volleyball

Oct. 21 – Bizzy Arevalo, Soccer

Oct. 28 – Tanner Cragun, Football

Nov. 3 – Tierney Barlow, Volleyball

Nov. 11 – Kaylie Chambers, Soccer

Nov. 18 – Rahsul Faison, Football

Nov. 25 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Dec. 2 – Mason Falslev, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 9 – Ian Martinez, Men’s Basketball 

Dec. 16 – Daniel Chase, Track and Field 

Dec. 23 – Mason Falslev, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 30 – Tucker Anderson, Men’s Basketball 

Jan. 6 – Ian Martinez, Men’s Basketball 

Jan. 13 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field 

Jan. 20 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field

Jan. 27 – Elise Livingston, Women’s Basketball

Feb. 3 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field

Feb. 10 – Grace Matej, Softball

Feb. 17 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field

Feb. 24 – Claudia Medina, Softball

Mar. 3 – Cheyenne Stubbs, Women’s Basketball

Mar. 10 – Nyla Morabito, Gymnastics

Mar. 17 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field

Mar. 24 – Brianna Brooks, Gymnastics

Mar. 31 – Tatum Silva, Softball

Apr. 7 – Camren Todd, Track and Field

Apr. 14 – Sergi Micó Fenollar, Men’s Tennis

Apr. 21 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field

Apr. 28 – Emma Thornley, Track and Field

May 5 – Diego Aguirre-Stewart, Track and Field

May 12 – Women’s 4×400-Meter Relay Team (Mashaylee Jones, Emma Reeves, Adi Nielson, Alison Richter), Track and Field

May 19 – Enrique Karg, Men’s Golf

June 2 – Shelby Jensen, Track and Field

– USU –

 

Federal immigration officials are defending the arrest of a high school student who was detained on his way to volleyball practice.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston field office, said the 18-year-old was taken into custody Saturday because he is in the country illegally.

“We were looking for his father,” Lyons said at a news conference Monday. “Obviously, he isn’t father of the year. He brought his son up here illegally as well.”

Lyons said officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle the teen was driving and determined he was in the U.S. unlawfully. He emphasized that ICE agents have the authority to detain individuals who are in the country illegally.

RELATED STORY | 36 Chinese and Taiwanese nationals arrested in Los Angeles nightclub raid, officials say

“I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody,” Lyons told reporters.

He added that his agency has taken in nearly 1,500 immigrants into custody in Massachusetts in May.

The teen will appear before an immigration judge and will have the opportunity to post bond, Lyons said. The teen’s father has not turned himself in, he added.

RELATED STORY | Students, immigration attorneys worry about pause on student visa appointments

Friends told NBC News that the student was born in Brazil and has attended school in the district since the age of 6.

The arrest has sparked backlash in the community, with protests erupting and local officials demanding answers.

“I’m disturbed and outraged by reports that a Milford High School student was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “Local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads-up and no answers to their questions.”

The Maple Ridge Burrards shook off their first two losses of the season, and got a tie and their first win of the year in weekend action.

The Burrards and the Coquitlam Adanacs battled to a 9-9 tie on Saturday night, May 31, and then the Burrards got a 12-11 overtime win against the Nanaimo Timbermen in their regular Sunday night home game.

Marcus Klarich was picked as the player of the game in Coquitlam, as he scored three of the Burrards first four goals, assisted on the fourth, and finished the game with three goals and five points.

Ryan Jones had a goal and three assists in that game, while Garret Winter and Dylan McIntosh each had a goal and two helpers. Veteran Riley Loewen and rookie Ethan M’Lot also put up a goal and an apple each.

Burrards goaltender Brandon Humphrey had 41 saves as he duelled Adanac star Christian Del Bianco – a former National Lacrosse League MVP.

On Sunday, the Burrards had a big 9-3 lead over the Timbermen at one point in the third period, but Nanaimo scored four goals in the last minute and a half to tie the game 11-11 and send it to overtime.

With a Nanaimo player in the sin bin for a crease violation early in OT, Dylan McIntosh finally felled the Timbermen with the game winning goal on the power play. That was his fourth goal of the game, and McIntosh was selected the first star.

The third star was Declan Fitzpatrick, who had three goals and four points.

Klarich had a goal and five assists, which moves him to the top of the league scoring race with 21 points after four games

Rookie defender Brayden Laity scored his first two goals as a Burrard, while Winter a goal and two helpers.

This weekend the Burrards will be back in Victoria to take on the 4-0 Shamrocks on Friday night, and then they will host the Adanacs to a rematch on Sunday, June 8 at Cam Neely Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.

Two Oregon high school athletes refused to share the podium with a transgender competitor at the state’s track and field championships, footage shows.

The female students — Tigard High School’s Alexa Anderson and Sherwood High School’s Reese Eckard — stepped down from the high jump podium as the winners of the competition were being announced across the Eugene stadium Saturday night.

Anderson and Eckard had finished in third and fourth place, while Ida B. Wells High School’s trans student Lia Rose tied for fifth.

Rose had competed in boys’ track and field divisions as recently as 2024 and 2023, according to Fox News.

Crowds were cheering for the athletes throughout the ceremony, and it remains unclear how the audience reacted to the protest.

A race official showed up shortly after Anderson and Eckard stepped down and ushered them away as they stood with their backs to the podium.

It remains unclear if their standing at the competition was affected by the move.

But the incident quickly gained attention online, especially after women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines — who is staunchly opposed to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports — posted footage from it on X.

“Watch this. Two female athletes in Oregon refused to stand on the podium because a boy was awarded a place,” Gaines wrote.

“Girls have had enough,” she added.

The video was also picked up by other accounts — including “Libs of TikTok” — which praised the athletes’ act of defiance.

It was just the latest incident in which women athletes have protested against transgender competitors in their division.

In April, women’s fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee rather than competing with a trans person during a Maryland match, and was put on a year-long probation by USA Fencing for the move.

And in May, 16-year-old high schooler Reese Hogan finished second to a trans athlete in California’s CIF Southern Section Finals triple jump competition — but stepped up to the first-place spot on the podium after her competitor stepped down.

Texas Border Business

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Cameron County has announced that Isla Blanca Park has once again been recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Beaches in Texas by the prestigious 2025 USA TODAY Readers’ Choice Awards. For the second year in a row, Isla Blanca Park has claimed the #1 spot, reaffirming its status as the premier beach destination in the Lone Star State.

This national recognition follows a competitive selection process conducted by a panel of travel experts and USA TODAY’s “10Best” editors, who nominated an elite list of Texas beach destinations. Following several weeks of public voting, Isla Blanca Park rose to the top, earning the admiration and votes of thousands of beach lovers from across Texas and the nation.

Affectionately known as the “Crown Jewel of the Texas Gulf Coast,” Isla Blanca Park is situated at the southernmost tip of South Padre Island. The park offers over a mile of pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters, along with a variety of recreational options including swimming, snorkeling, beach volleyball, jetty and surf fishing and more. Guests can enjoy modern amenities such as beachfront pavilions, dining facilities, beach front boardwalks, water sport rentals, cabana and umbrella rentals, a boat ramp, a full-service marina, Amphitheater & Event Center and over 600 RV campsites. Visitors can also witness SpaceX launch activities with a front- row view.

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“We are incredibly proud to see Isla Blanca Park once again named the best beach in Texas,” said Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. “This recognition reflects the commitment of Cameron County to preserving and enhancing our coastal treasures for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. Isla Blanca is more than a destination; it’s a source of pride for our entire community.”

“Isla Blanca Park is an essential part of our local identity and economy,” added Cameron County Commissioner Sofia C. Benavides, Pct. 1. “We’ve made significant investments in this park to improve infrastructure, enhance amenities and protect the natural beauty that makes it so special. This award validates those efforts and highlights the value of continued stewardship.”

“This recognition is a distinguished honor and a direct result of the leadership and support of the Cameron County Commissioners’ Court, and the unwavering commitment of the Cameron County Parks & Recreation staff,” said Joe E. Vega, Cameron County Parks Director. “Our Parks team strive every day to provide a safe, clean and memorable experience for everyone who visits Isla Blanca Park and County Coastal Parks. We thank the voters, and we welcome everyone to come see for themselves why Isla Blanca Park is the best in Texas.”

Information Source:’ Cameron County Judge’s Office

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