Statesman Sports Desk | Spring 2024

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Letter from the editor As we shuffle patiently through the snowstorms, waiting for the vibrant hues of spring to paint our surroundings, Aggie teams are warming up for competition.

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to the Spring 2024 Statesman Sports magazine. This edition marks a new beginning in Statesman sports content. We aren’t just covering the basics — we’re highlighting each spring sport and the athletes dedicated to it. We’ve rebranded with a throwback 90s sports design and vibrant new layouts. In the pages that follow, you’ll find compelling stories of hard-fought victories and the camaraderie that binds athletes together.

This magazine celebrates the indomitable spirit that defines the sporting season. From the crack of the bat on the softball field to the rhythmic thud of sneakers on the tennis court, our spring sports teams leave an indelible mark on the fields of competition.

Here’s to another season of dedication, teamwork and the enduring spirit of athletes.

Madison Weber Sports Editor

Contributors Production Production: Magazine editor: Madison Weber Statesman manager: Leah Call Photo editor: Heidi Bingham Magazine designers: Abigail Fillmore Derrick Hawley Advertising: Tylin Ritchie Nicole Clarke

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Reporters Reporters: Madison Weber Henry Wright Hayden Gardner Rylan Bean Jacob Casper Phil Weber Ashley Dorius Cait Keith Cameron Carnes

Photographers Photographers: Heidi Bingham Jack Burton Claire Ott Phil Weber Hailey Cullumber Wyatt Merchant Zach Guercio USU Athletics Produced and Distributed

by USU Student Media 0165 Old Main Hill Logan, Utah 84322-0165

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W. Basketball Jan. 3 - Home Wyoming Jan. 6 - Home San José State Jan. 10 - Away New Mexico Jan. 13 - Away Fresno State Jan. 17 - Home Nevada Jan. 20 - Away Boise State Jan. 24 - Home San Diego State Jan. 31 - Away Nevada Feb. 3 - Home Fresno State Feb. 7 - Away Wyoming Feb. 10 - Home Air Force Feb. 14 - Home Boise State Feb. 17 - Away San Diego State Feb. 21 - Away San José State Feb. 24 - Home Colorado State Feb. 28 - Away Air Force March 5 - Home UNLV 8

Ivory Finley (0) Jr. Guard Samiana Suguturaga (1) Jr. guard/forward Isabella Tañedo (2) So. Guard Ali Wetta (3) Fr. Guard Cheyenne Stubbs (4) Jr. Guard Taylia Stimpson (10) Gr. Guard Macy Smith (11) Jr. Guard Lauren Crocker (14) Fr. Forward Gracie Johnson (15) Fr. Forward Lillian Harris (20) Jr. Forward Tiairra Hill-Brown (23) So. Forward Skye Miller (24) Jr. Guard Bridget Mullings (25) Jr. Forward Allyzee Verdan (31) Sr. Forward Livia Knapp (33) Jr. Guard

A beauty &

basketball queen

By Phil Weber Isabella Tañedo started as a competitive dancer, but inspired by her family’s basketball pursuits, she transitioned to the court, aiming to “hoop like them.”

“Bella” Tañedo is in her second year with Utah State women’s basketball and attributes her court skills to her dance background. She said people have told her she has a different technique.

Tañedo attended St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., earning a spot on the varsity team as a freshman in 2019. She describes her high school career as more difficult than anticipated, despite leading the team to two state championship victories.

“A lot of people say that they can tell by the way I move on the court,” she said.

“I didn’t really get any rewards from that till my senior year.

And we were a really good program,” Tañedo said. “I was excited because I was able to lead my team to a championship my senior year.”

Raised in Laurel, Maryland,

Tañedo’s journey to USU

was unique, influenced by the lingering effects of the pandemic on her recruitment.

She didn’t get an offer from USU while she was in school like many others and decided to turn to her other passion in the meantime: cosmetology.

“I was just waiting after my senior year to see, you know, what my options were,” Tañedo said. “I was working at a nail salon and I was like, ‘OK, I’m just trying to figure out what I’m going to do.’”

As the national signing day passed and athletes headed to their respective campuses for 9

summer training, Tañedo was working and planning what might be her next chapter after basketball. That’s when she got a surprise phone call in the middle of June 2022.

the defense. We know when we need a stop, I can put her in,” Ard said.

“I do hair, obviously lashes and nails,” Tañedo said. “I love getting my nails done.”

Junior guard Cheyenne Stubbs echoed the same sentiment.

USU’s head coach, Kayla Ard, offered her a spot on the team with little time to make a decision.

“She’s very, very aggressive on defense, and we when we need a stop, we all know that she can get us a stop,” Stubbs said. “We rely on that big time.”

Tañedo, who is majoring in business management, aspires to create a space for womenrun businesses.

“She offered me late, but I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m taking this.’

She’s like, ‘You got to get out here,’ so I had like a week. I didn’t even say goodbye to anybody. I was just like, pick it up and then I came here,” Tañedo said.

Tañedo stuck with the team through a challenging freshman season, during which the Aggies went 4-26 overall.

She stayed while most of the other players left.

“I really believe in Coach K. I believe in everything that she’s doing and her vision and everything she wants to do for us,” Tañedo said.

Ard commends Tañedo as a fierce defender, emphasizing her prowess on the defensive end.

“She is really, really good on defense. She’s just a dog on 10

Tañedo said if she weren’t playing basketball, she’d like to play football because of her aggressive mentality. Her high energy has helped her contribute significantly on the court for USU. She believes her role on the team is to bring that power.

“I feel like I’m a really big energy giver,” Tañedo said. “I bring the energy on defense.”

Off the court, her personality helps bring teammates together.

She brings us energy, and she’s just fun to be around, you know, makes everyone laugh.

She’s always dancing. Just good energy,” Stubbs said.

A self-described beauty guru for the team, Tañedo’s passion beyond basketball is cosmetology.

“My dream and my goal is to own buildings and real estate, but buildings with suites in them for young women in the beauty industry,” she said.

On the court, she’s a “defensive dog” who has helped the team gain more wins in fall play than the entire season last year. Off the court, she’s a beauty guru unifying the team one dance move at a time.

“She’s just that kid. She’s always dancing, she’s a happy kid. I love having her here,” Ard said. “She plays hard, I never have to ask her to play harder. I’m glad she’s here.”

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M. Basketball Jan. 2 - Away Air Force Jan. 6 - Home Colorado State Jan. 9 - Home Wyoming Jan. 13 - Away UNLV Jan. 16 - Away New Mexico Jan. 20 - Home Fresno State Jan. 27 - Away Boise State Jan. 30 - Home San José State Feb. 3 - Away San Diego State Feb. 6 - Home Nevada Feb. 10 - Home Boise State Feb. 14 - Away Wyoming Feb. 17 - Away Colorado State Feb. 20 - Home San Diego State Feb. 27 - Away Fresno State March 1 - Home Air Force March 6 - Away San José State March 9 - Home New Mexico March 13 - Neutral MW Championship 14

Landon Brenchley (0) So. Guard Great Osobor (1) Jr. Wing Garrison Phelps (2) Fr. Guard Jaxon Smith (3) Fr. Guard Ian Martinez (4) Sr. Guard Darius Brown II (10) Gr. Guard Dallin Grant (11) Fr. Wing Mason Falslev (12) R-Fr. Guard Josh Uduje (14) Jr. Guard Isaac Johnson (20) R-So. Center Jackson Grant (21) Jr. Forward Javon Jackson (22) So. Guard Max Agbonkpolo (23) Gr. Wing Karson Templin (24) Fr. Forward Kalifa Sakho (34) Jr. Forward Nigel Burris (35) So. Forward

By Hayden Gardner

From playstation to playing in the spectrum

Utah State men’s basketball has high expectations for the new basketball season. The program saw unprecedented turnover this offseason, with the departure of not only every scoring player from last year’s roster but also the coaching staff.

Former Montana State head coach and 2022 Big Sky Conference coach of the year Danny Sprinkle and his staff have brought in 13 new faces to Cache Valley, including some important additions in the transfer portal. One of the highest-scoring transfers is junior guard Josh Uduje.

Uduje is a native of London, England, hometown of previous Aggies Dan Akin and RJ EytleRock. Like most children growing up in London, basketball was not the most prominent sport for Uduje.

Because Uduje was attending school on a scholarship for soccer and rugby, he was not allowed to focus on basketball until age 15. Uduje says he discovered his love for basketball by playing video games on a rugby trip.

“I bought NBA 2K15 before a rugby trip to Barcelona. I ended up playing the game’s career mode, and I was like ‘Yo, this

is cold. This is really, really fun,’” Uduje said. “I played it a little bit and played basketball in P.E. class and I was like, ‘I think I could do this and go to America.’”

From there, it was about convincing his parents, who were not overly excited about the idea. Moving overseas to play high school basketball meant forgoing a scholarship in rugby.

“I told my parents and it was like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Uduje said. “They gave me a little grace period, but it was short. They gave me a year — age 13 to 14 was my grace period.”

Once he decided to come to the U.S., Uduje had plenty of suitors. As a member of the U16 British national team, he was one of the best players in his age group in Europe. He played his junior year of high school in New York before playing his senior year at Arizona Compass Prep, one of the top high school basketball programs in the country.

Out of high school, Uduje was exactly the kind of player Sprinkle and his staff at Montana State wanted on their roster — a long, fast, athletic 15

Spectrum and all its riches. Hill said Sprinkle’s first move as head coach was to dial up Uduje and get him to Cache Valley.

guard who could shoot the basketball, as well as defend multiple positions — and assistant coach Andy Hill said they recruited him hard.

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Former USU head coach Ryan Odom was also high on Uduje and had tried to recruit him to Logan. Uduje would ultimately end up in Conway, South Carolina, playing for the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina University. He played two years there before deciding to move on, and he entered his name in the transfer portal on Mar. 23.

“It was his first call, 10 minutes after,” Hill said. “We already had a really good relationship with him beforehand, and I think that really helped that he was comfortable with Coach and his system and obviously saw the success that we’d had at Montana State, and he jumped at the chance to come to Utah State. We’re very fortunate.”

Two weeks later, on Apr. 7, Danny Sprinkle was hired as the head coach of USU basketball, receiving the keys to the Dee Glen Smith

Hill, a fellow Brit who watched Uduje grow and develop in London, had high praise for the kind of person he is on and off the court.

“I’ve known him for a long time, and as good a player as he is on the floor, he’s an even better person off the floor,” Hill said. “He’s a high-character kid, he’s got a smile on his face. He’s just a great kid to be around, and that’s the type of kid we want to bring in to represent the program, that we want to coach, and that’s important to coach Sprinkle.”

Uduje’s fast twitch and shooting abilities have already won him the affection of the HURD and other fans in the Spectrum.

“I would like to be known as someone who’s able to score the ball, impact the game on both sides of the floor, whether that means passing to the open guy and creating for others or putting the ball in the basket and then getting a championship,” Uduje said.

But although he does want to be “a winner,” Uduje hopes Aggie fans will remember him for more than his stats.

“I think a big thing for me is the impact that I have on

people on and off the court. On the court being my performance and what I’m able to bring to the team,” Uduje said. “On top of that, being able to carry myself within the community as a good role model to the young kids in the area, because Utah State basketball has a rich tradition of greatness, and it’s good people who have contributed to the community.”

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Golf Feb. 20-21

Julio Arronte Sanchez Junior John Cook Senior

Wyoming Invite March 18-19

Cole Enlow Senior

Arizona Invite March 24-26

Luis Gerardo Cantu Junior

UC San Diego Invite April 1-2 Wyoming Invite April 14-16 Northern Colorado Invite April 24-26 MW Championships

Esteban Jaramillo Junior Enrique Karg Freshman Ashton McArthur Freshman Josh Pehrson Senior

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Sanchez drives

victory

on the collegiate

fairways Utah State golfer Julio Arronte Sanchez has astounded the Aggie golfing world, quickly becoming a standout member of the team. Last year, he began the 2022-23 season by shooting a career-best 4-under through 3 rounds and has kept it up throughout the spring and fall.

With a strong stroke average of 73.23, Sanchez has played a key role in the team’s recent showings. At the Monterrey Collegiate Classic, Sanchez led the tournament and finished with 16 birdies plus an eagle. His performance landed him at fifth all-time for USU golfers playing 54 holes.

Sanchez, now a junior, picked up golf at a young age and started to compete soon after.

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“I started playing golf when I was four,” Sanchez said.

“My dad was a golfer, so I learned and went to play with him when he went on the weekends. I started from there and began to take lessons and invest time into it.”

Sanchez said his time on the team has given him some of the best experiences of his life.

Hailing from Xalapa, Mexico, Sanchez said the Monterrey tournament was a special opportunity for him to lead his team to victory in his home country.

“Three weeks ago, we won in Mexico,” Sanchez said. “It was an amazing experience to go down to my home country and win. Tournaments and

By Jacob Hutchison traveling are really fun.”

But Sanchez hasn’t just enjoyed the competition. His relationships with teammates have evolved and grown into something he describes as truly amazing. Even though they come from different parts of the world, their bond has become unbreakable.

“I feel like my teammates are my brothers,” Sanchez said. “We fight together, we laugh together, we’re going to college together, we’re a family.”

His first year as an Aggie got off to a rough start, however, as a car crash left him unable to compete for much of the year, and when he came back the following spring, he felt

something was off. Despite the setback, he’s been able to push forward and continue his ascent.

“My first year was really tough because I was injured, and I couldn’t play the full season,” Sanchez said. “But later on, I started to play a little bit better, and I’m still growing.”

Aggie, both on and off the course.

“Very polite young man, very structured in his conversations, and phenomenal junior player in Mexico,” Johansen said.

“First impressions were that he was going to be a very good player and a very good young man.”

Coach Dean Johansen was impressed with Sanchez’s drive and work ethic during those hard times.

“Julio is very honest, he’s very genuine, and he’s kind of quiet,” Johansen said. “When he’s engaged, he’s very school spirit-oriented, he supports other teams and he goes to trivia night. He helps them go to these events.”

Teammate Luis Cantu, a friend from Sanchez’s teen years, has had a long friendship with him.

“I met Julio when I was around 15 years old. We used to play a lot of national tournaments down in Mexico, and that’s how we met. I remember one day when we were paired to play a practice round together,” Cantu said.

“Julio is one of the kids that I’ve seen make the biggest change the fastest. He came in as a freshman, got into a car accident, and hurt his wrist,” Johansen said. “He had to sit out his first year and wasn’t reaching his potential. He committed to work hard over the summer and came back visibly stronger.

He just exploded right out of the gate.”

From the moment Johansen met Sanchez, he knew he would do well as an

teammates involved with campus activities, further strengthening their friendship.

Their connection has only grown stronger since joining the USU golf team, and the two are nearly inseparable.

“We’re basically best friends here at Utah State,” Cantu said. “We’ve been living together since we got here.

We’ve bonded a lot. We do everything together, we go to the games together, and our relationship is growing.”

Johansen has also seen Sanchez get his

Cantu has seen the team rally 21

around Sanchez, helping each other grow both as golfers and people.

“He’s probably the person that has the most impact on the team. Everyone likes him, he’s always making people laugh and making their time more enjoyable,” Cantu said.

Even though competing can be difficult at times with a college workload, Sanchez’s relationships with his coaches have helped him succeed academically.

“It’s a little bit tough to handle school and sports, but it’s been positive,” Sanchez said.

“Coaches are always pushing us to try and get good grades, to have extra study hours and that kind of stuff.”

Sanchez said no matter what happens, he’ll always move forward and chase championships. As he heads into his next season of golf as an Aggie, Sanchez looks to continue playing his best.

“It’s really nice when you see the results of your season and see them at tournaments. It makes me feel good,” Sanchez said. “Trying to strive for moments like that, for victories — that’s what keeps me motivated.”

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GYMNASTICS Jan. 5 - Away North Carolina Ball State Rutgers Jan. 15 - Neutral BYU Southern Utah Utah Jan. 19 - Away Southern Utah University Arizona State Jan. 26 - Home Air Force Feb. 2 - Home Southern Utah Feb. 9 - Away Oklahoma BYU Texas Woman's University Feb. 16 - Home San José State Feb. 23 - Home Boise State Iowa State Texas Woman's University March 1 - Away Air Force San José State March 15 - Away Utah March 17 - Away BoiseState Oregon State March 23 - Home Air Force Boise State University San José State April 3 - Neutral TBD April 18 - Neutral TBD

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Lexi Aragon UB, BB, FX Gr. Avery Bibbey AA So. Lexi Boone VT, UB, FX Fr. Juliette Boyer VT, UB, FX Gr. Brianna Brooks AA Sr. Jenna Eagles VT, BB, FX Sr. Amari Evans AA Jr. Payton Gatzlaff VT, UB, FX Jr. Sydney Jelen AA Fr. Dani Kirstine VT, UB, BB Jr. Nyla Morabito AA Fr. Alivia Ostendorf VT, BB, FX Gr. Marley Peterson VT, BB, FX So Riley Sorrell AA Fr. Chelsea Southam VT, BB, FX So. Angel Stuart VT, UB, FX Sr. Isabella Vater AA Fr. Mya Witte AA Fr. Hattie Wright AA Fr.

Flipping the script:

Brianna

Brooks

builds trust and sets records

By Cameron Carnes Since she was two years old, Brianna Brooks has taken the gymnastics world by storm.

“My mom and I took a few ‘mommy and me’ classes,” Brooks said. “I was still in diapers, so I don’t remember much, but I’ve stuck with it since.”

Brooks, who was recently named the 2023 NCAA North Central Region Gymnast of the Year, experimented with soccer and dance as a kid, but gymnastics became her true passion.

“I love everything about gymnastics. I enjoy going in every day and I have since I can remember. It’s all I’ve ever really known and the thought

of not doing it anymore is a little scary,” Brooks said.

“Around the age of 13, I knew that was what I wanted to do.

From that point, college had become the dream. I loved gymnastics even more while I was working towards a goal that I wanted to achieve.”

Coming from Las Vegas, Brooks immediately fell in love with USU’s campus and gymnastics team on a college visit. Her time as an Aggie has been spent setting records and making memories.

“My favorite memory was during my sophomore year at our gymnastics conference.

When we won the conference, there was this sort of feeling that is incomparable to

anything else. There’s nothing else like it,” Brooks said. “I still get chills thinking about it. It was amazing to have all your hard work pay off, and the team we had was something else.”

Brooks ranks first all-time in school history with a singleseason bars average of 9.860, set in 2022. She holds the third-best bars average in program history with a 9.855, set in 2023, and ranks eighth and ninth all-time in school history with single-season beam averages of 9.825 and 9.820, set in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

She also holds the secondbest and is tied for third-best bars score in school history for 25

an NCAA Regional Championships meet with a career-best 9.925 in 2023 and a 9.900 in 2022.

With graduation coming up, Brooks is only just getting started on the rest of her life.

“I currently coach a little bit on the side, and I love it. I’m starting to think that is the route I want to go after college. Getting my degree and finding a career I want to pursue is just the cherry on top,” Brooks said.

Brooks is currently majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science.

“I originally had the plan to pursue a career in physical therapy, especially because I have had to get physical therapy many different times in the past. After trying coaching, I’ve discovered that it is something I would really like to do. If I’m able to get a start in that after college, it would be the dream,” Brooks said. “I would love to be able to coach at the college level one day. In some ways, it’s become the new dream.”

Brooks has carried her dedication to gymnastics into her classes. Her current favorite class is Kinesiology 5100, where she is learning how to program specific exercises to help athletes in a hands-on program. Part of her passion for helping athletes originates from her own experiences where she has learned the true meaning of perseverance.

“When I was in middle school, I had a pretty bad ankle injury. Because of it, I wasn’t able to compete in a season for the first time ever. It was incredibly hard, especially to recover and come back for the next season,” Brooks said. “But, being able 26

to come back stronger and better than ever really helped me mature as a gymnast and as a person. I learned what it really meant to keep going during a trial, especially one that puts limits on your true passion.”

Brooks has plenty of practice in dealing with change at USU as well.

“I came from a pretty small gymnastics club, which meant that I was mostly expected to compete by myself. So, it was a pretty big change when I came to USU. Now, I have 20 different best friends who I get to compete with and work with,” Brooks said. “At one point, we had a coaching change and a lot of my teammates left. At that moment, I had to put a lot of trust into the new coaching staff and new teammates.”

It was through adversity and change that Brooks was able to discover the true meaning of being on a team.

“After overcoming a new change, our team became one big family. It was because of the way we put trust into each other during a hard time that brought us closer than ever before,” Brooks said.

Just like any great leader, Brooks’ leadership is partially attributed to her role models.

“My mom is one of my biggest role models.

She’s my biggest supporter, whether that was through tough love or celebration; she always knew how to motivate me to continue to chase my dreams,” Brooks said. “I also had an amazing club coach whose name was Jessie.

She was great at bringing the fun into the gym, and it is because of that that I am able to have fun on the bad days.”

Brooks said one of the most important things she has learned is about finding purpose in her passion.

“Whatever it is you’re passionate about, you need to find out why you love it, why you continue to do it amongst all the hardships and changes that could show up,” Brooks said. “In my opinion, there are always going to be good and bad days. But, if you know your ‘why,’ the good days will always overpower the bad days.”

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Hockey

George Kuehn (4) Nolan Mulneaux (5) Josh Girard (7)

Jan. 6 - Away Weber State Jan. 12-15 - Away Big Mountain Classic Jan. 19-20 - Home New Hampshire Jan. 25 - Home Denver Jan. 26 - Home Metropolitan State @ Denver Jan. 27 - Home Colorado Feb. 2-3 - Away Wasatch Classic Feb. 8-10 - Home MWCHL Tournament Feb. 16 - Home Weber State Feb. 17 - Away Weber State Feb. 23-25 - Away ACHA West Regionals March 11-15 - Away ACHA National Tournament

Dillon Hale (8) Alec Moser (9) Ethan Saldanha (10) Ben Tschida (11) Nolan Gifford (12) Cutler Schofield (13) Trace Farr (15) Zach Pires (18) Caleb Sanborn (19) Tate Jenson (20) Ethan Tarver (21) Brendan Woolcott (22) Jackson Ferry (23) Brogan Young (24) Ben Carlson (25) Mason Mulneaux (27) Sean Johnston (29) Kale Samuels (30) Isaac Rice (31) Titan Anderson (35) Sam Voss (45) Jack Perkins (92)

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By Rylan Bean

Breaking the ice: Pires leads in and out of the rink

Sophomore Zach Pires leads the USU hockey team both on and off the ice. During the 2022-23 season, Pires was fourth on the team in scoring, recording 12 goals, and first in assists with 26. This season, he continues his high style of play with 12 goals and 20 assists only part-way through the season.

Hailing from Orange County, California, Pires is a big city kid embracing the small town feel of Logan.

Hockey isn’t the sport of preference most people associate with the sunny skies of California. When asked why he chose hockey, Pires got a big smile on his face.

“Back in 1993, it was when the Anaheim Ducks became a hockey team — the first team in Southern California.

My grandma actually bought my mom and dad season tickets for the Ducks for their wedding presents. Ever since I was born and growing up, we were going to every single game,” Pires said.

“Hockey started to develop in California really rapidly, and then I just took off. I played baseball, soccer, all the other sports, and then I just told [my parents], ‘I don’t want to play

anything else. I’m playing hockey.’”

Hockey has been a big part of Pires’ life since he started on the ice at just three years old. As he grew older, he started traveling and playing competitively.

“Honestly, if it wasn’t for my mom, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She sacrificed a lot as far as money and time,” Pires said. “Once you transition into travel hockey at a young age, you’re traveling three times a month, you’re flying to different places and you’re playing in different tournaments. It’s expensive.

The older I’ve gotten, I’ve been more appreciative of what she’s done.”

Pires’ road to the ice in Logan has been less than traditional.

After battling with different injuries and other setbacks, he is grateful to be healthy and playing.

“I moved away when I was 18 years old to Canada to go play junior hockey, and I ended up tearing both my rotator cuffs. I came home, had surgery on my right side, had to wait three months, then had surgery on my left side, had to wait another three 33

months, and then the whole recovery time was about a year and a half,” Pires said.

Pires was first committed to Nazareth College in New York, but due to the pandemic, they weren’t playing at all.

Thanks to Titan Anderson, a former teammate from a club hockey team and now current teammate with the Aggies, Pires was led to USU. “I didn’t want to move all the way to New York and not play just because there was no season,” Pires said.

“That’s when Titan reached out and said, ‘Hey, we’re still playing, you want to come out and play?’ And I was like, ‘Definitely,’ because I was tired of sitting at home.”

Pires’ maturity and experience have helped the Aggies on and off the ice. Head coach Sam Lindquist credits him with helping the team in their chemistry and allowing others to play more freely.

“Zach himself is from California and is not focused on fitting in but purely being himself. This allows other players on the team to feel comfortable with what they all bring to the team and they all 34

enjoy showcasing part of their personality and no one is afraid of displaying traits of their heritage,” Lindquist wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman. “Zach seems easy to get along with and laughs are often involved in conversations that Zach is part of.”

Not only does Zach’s personality and drive help his teammates, it also sets him apart from other players.

“Zach really thrives in the offensive side of the game,” Lindquist wrote. “He has been a reliable scorer but also a passer on this team. He goes through periods where he will score a lot of goals himself but then also periods when he finds himself creating a lot of scoring chances for his

teammates through his passing and vision of the game. His ‘hockey IQ’ is what sets him apart.”

Despite the journey to get here, Pires is grateful for his experience at Utah State and loves the support he and his teammates receive from the Aggie community.

“We have one of the best fan bases in all of college hockey, if not the best. It’s something where you take pride in, because when we go to a game and there’s 2,000 people in the crowd, you don’t want to lose,” Pires said.

The team is coming in strong off last season after a trip to the national tournament. Pires and others want to use what they learned and continue to get better to make some noise on the national level.

“We went to nationals last season, and we did not perform well. We were like 0 and 3. That was our goal, to get to nationals. The goal this year is to get to nationals, but actually compete in nationals,” Pires said. “I don’t want to say we were satisfied with being at nationals, but I think we were happy that we got there, and we didn’t really know what it took to take those next steps to win a national championship.”

As the USU hockey program continues to grow and gain recognition throughout the community, Pires is just one of many players making an impact on and off the ice.

“Many will follow him into the battle each game,” Lindquist wrote. “A team always looks for those types of leaders on the ice, a player who brings others with them into the uncomfortable parts of the game.”

35

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Softball Feb. 9 - Away: Portland State & UC Riverside Feb. 10 - Neutral: Oklahoma State Feb. 11 - Neutral: Portland State & UC Riverside Feb. 16 - Neutral: CSU Bakersfield & Weber State Feb. 17 - Away: CSU Bakersfield & California Baptist Feb. 18 & 23 - Neutral: Weber State Feb. 24 - Neutral: Weber State & Eastern Kentucky Feb. 25 - Away: Eastern Kentucky

Hailey McLean (00) P/OF So. Kya Pratt (2) OF So. Claudia Medina (7) INF/OF Jr. Jessica Stewart (8) RHP Sr. Emily Dority (9) RHP/INF R-So. Grace Matej (12) C So. Giselle Gonzalez (13) INF Jr. Tess Bumiller (18) P So. Taryn Edds (22) C Jr. Ariel Fifita (23) INF Jr. Sydney Saldaña (27) P So.

& Utah Tech March 1 - Away: BYU & UC Davis March 2 - Away: Sacramento State March 3 - Neutral: UC Santa Barbara March 5 - Away: Utah Tech March 8 - Neutral: Fairfield & North Dakota March 9 - Neutral: Yale University & Toledo March 10 - Away: Long Beach State March 13 - Away: Southern Utah March 15-17 - Away: San Diego State March 19 - Away: Idaho State

Hannah Vargas (29) OF R-Jr. Jaden Colunga (32) OF So. Ali Ashner OF Sr. Alex Bunton INF So. Kaylee Erickson C Jr. Paige McLeod INF/OF Fr. Emerson Meggers INF Fr. Brooklyn Pritchett OF Jr. Tatum Silva OF Fr.

March 22-24 - Home: Boise State March 28-30 - Away: UNLV April 1 - Away: Utah April 3 - Home: Nevada April 6 -7 - Away: Fresno State

Denay Smith P R-So. Zereniti Sousa C Fr. Katie Zuniga P Gr.

April 12-14 - Home: Colorado State April 16 - Away: Utah Valley April 19-21 - Away: New Mexico May 2-4 - Home: San José State

37

Fearless on the mound: Hailey McClean strikes her way to victory

By Henry Wright

As a high school softball player with dreams of playing at the collegiate level, the summer between sophomore and junior year is when most of the recruiting process occurs. For sophomore pitcher Hailey McClean, the pandemic could not have come at a worse time.

“My recruiting was a little kind of shaky because it was during COVID. We had a dead period until April 1, I believe, of my junior year,” McClean said. “It was kind of scary because it was super late in the recruiting process, and if you didn’t have a big social media presence, you weren’t going to get seen by those bigger schools.”

McClean graduated from Spanish Springs High School in Reno, Nevada, but USU felt like a natural fit to continue 38

her athletic career and pursue a career as a large animal veterinarian.

Despite the strong freshman campaign, McClean still had to adjust to the collegiate level.

“I grew up in a more country atmosphere. I won’t say I’m a cowgirl because softball took over, so I kind of steered away from that lifestyle, but I’m an avid outdoor person,” McClean said. “That has been a huge part of my life, and so being at an ag school has been super cool to see people that resemble me.”

“Hitters are definitely a lot better in college than they were in travel ball and high school,” McClean said. “It was just making adjustments: making sure that I toned in my practices, making sure that I relied on my team a lot more than I did back when I was in high school and perfecting my craft.”

McClean made an immediate impact on the field upon her arrival. In her first game as an Aggie, she recorded a school record 20 strikeouts while throwing a complete game and only giving up one run against CSU Bakersfield. She went on to lead the 2023 team with 105.1 innings pitched and 154 strikeouts.

McClean tries to pitch to her strengths, but discovering what kind of pitcher she is required trusting the people around her.

“Every pitcher has a different perfection. There’s your spin pitchers or speed pitchers and strikeout pitchers, and you kind of just have to know what kind of pitcher you are,” McClean said. “Progressing

through my career with all my coaches saying, ‘Yeah, you move the ball, and you’re a strikeout pitcher.’ It came down to basically just trusting what I’ve been told, what I know as a pitcher.”

Over the summer, the team underwent a coaching change, but McClean’s work ethic has been hard to ignore for pitching coach Mia Trejo.

“Hailey is an insanely hard worker. She shows up every single day with a great attitude and a great work ethic,” Trejo said. “She gets after each bullpen. I think the combination of her great attitude and attention to detail definitely is very impressive, and I think it helps make her the player she is.”

McClean, and the entire pitching staff, will have to adjust to having new faces behind the plate while they’re in the circle after the graduation of catcher Makenzie Macfarlane last year. Despite this, McClean isn’t worried.

“Last year, Makenzie was a senior and I was a freshman, and she did a really good job of taking me under her wing and kind of teaching me how college works,” McClean said. “Now I’m actually living with one of the catchers on the team, and we just have a super deep personal relationship.”

Last year, the Aggies finished with an 18-26 record while finishing tied for 7th place in the Mountain West.

This year, McClean has seen a change in team culture and hopes she and her teammates will be able to translate it into success on the field.

“We have a little bit of a changed mentality with a new coaching staff this year, and it’s been super productive. As a team, we have come together so much more, which is very good for the team culture,” McClean said. “We have tailgates every single football game that the coaches put on.

But we’ve also had a lot of players stepping up and cohosting team bonding kind of on their own. It’s been so much better.”

The Aggies hope McClean’s energy and passion for the sport and her teammates will help propel USU into a competitive 2024 campaign.

“I think the biggest thing she brings is her work ethic and her passion and energy. She brings a lot of passion to everything she does,” Trejo said. “All seven of our pitchers are elite, and they’ve all been doing a great job, so we’re excited to see them work together as a staff this year and put their heads together and dominate this conference.”

39

Utah State Utah State Utah State Utah State Utah State Utah State Utah State Utah 40

41

W. Tennis

Jade Brilhante Sophomore

Jan. 20 vs Idaho State

Maile Brilhante

Jan. 27 at Utah Tech

Senior

Feb. 2 vs BYU

Ana Paula Chavez Sanchez

Feb. 13 vs Weber State

Freshman

Feb. 17 vs at Montana

Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario Senior

Feb. 18 at Eastern Washington Feb. 24 at University of Idaho Feb. 25 at Gonzaga March 10 at Santa Clara March 11 at Sacramento State March 15 vs San Diego State March 17 at Fresno State March 23 at Colorado State March 24 at Wyoming

Savannah Johnson Freshman Niyati Kukreti Freshman Lisa Küng Senior Zeynep Naz Ozturk Fifth year

March 28 vs Air Force March 30 vs New Mexico April 5 vs UNLV April 12 at Nevada April 14 at San José State April 19 vs Boise State April 25-27 MW Championships

42

Indya Nespor Junior Magdalena Nunez Pureco Sophomore Cielo Tapia-Cruz Junior

By Caitlin Keith

Tennis is a family matter: Lisa Küng aces her way to success

In her fourth and final season, senior Lisa Küng is the longest standing member of the Utah State women’s tennis team. Hailing from Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, she grew up playing tennis and participating in tournaments with her dad as her coach and her sister by her side.

and after trying dance lessons for a while, nine-year-old Küng joined her sister.

Küng has been at USU as long as the team’s head coach, Veronika Golanova, who started in 2020 as an assistant coach and was named head coach in May 2023.

Küng said most of the kids she played around had started a lot younger than she did, but she immediately jumped into playing in bigger tournaments because her sister was already playing in them.

“Lisa is quite honestly the first player that I had an in-person interaction with at Utah State,” Golanova said. “We have an amazing history.”

Golanova said she was the one who picked Küng up from the airport when she first arrived in Utah and gave her a tour around USU’s campus.

“She’s tremendously talented,” Golanova said. “She’s a little bit different than anybody else, the way she plays tennis.

So it just adds a depth and different level to our program, her being here.”

As a kid, Küng lived in Florida for a few years. Her older sister Leonie played tennis,

“Honestly, the reason I started was because I always saw her wearing really cute dresses.

And I told my parents, ‘I want to wear cute dresses, too,’” Küng said.

When she was 11, her family moved back to Switzerland, and her dad Martin began coaching both Küng and her sister. He had played soccer and didn’t have a background in tennis, so he taught himself to be able to coach his daughters.

“He basically just read online, read books, watched videos.

He literally taught himself and made two daughters that both can play really good tennis,” Küng said. “He has no background, but now he’s obsessed with it. Even now that we’re both out of the house, he’s still playing.”

As their dad coached, Küng’s 43

mom Angelika stayed involved acting as their manager, booking flights and finding tournaments. She would also help coach.

Leonie still plays tennis professionally, and two years ago, Küng was able to watch her play in the U.S. Open.

When Küng started at USU in 2020, she was 17, and due to the pandemic was not able to visit before committing to the team.

Küng said she had never planned on playing collegiate tennis and had always planned to go straight to playing professionally. When the pandemic hit, it became harder to get into tournaments, and her plans inevitably changed.

“In that moment, it was just like making a decision,” Küng said. “I also wanted to leave home for a little bit and be more independent.

So it was not anything I wanted until like a half year before I came.”

Küng has played both singles and doubles tennis between her career before 44

college and her time at USU. In fall play, she competed in doubles with partner Zeynep Naz Ozturk. They also played as doubles partners when Ozturk first came to USU during Küng’s sophomore season.

Ozturk is a fifth-year senior from Turkey going into her third year at USU after transferring from Purdue University.

“I love playing with her because our perspective towards the sport is very similar. We’re both competitive.

We both want to do well and win, and sometimes it can be hard on ourselves,” Ozturk said. “She’s a good baseline player, and I feel very confident in the net. She sets me up pretty well when I’m on the net.”

Both in their final year on the team, Ozturk and Küng together act as leaders helping to encourage and inspire the other players.

Ozturk said Küng acts as a sort of “team mom” for the other girls, doing things like creating packing lists for team travel and helping them stay organized.

Senior Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario has been friends with Küng since she joined the team and even went to visit Küng in Switzerland last summer.

“She has been very organized, especially this year stepping up as a senior,” De Hilario said.

“She has helped the team have good communication between coaches and teammates.”

Despite being on a different continent than her parents, Küng still receives support from her family both in her general life and in her tennis career.

Her parents have been able

to visit her a couple of times, and last year, her dad stayed for about a month helping out at the team’s practices.

“She has a very close family,” Golanova said. “She has a sister, and they’re very close, and she’s very close to her parents too. So I think her safety net is definitely her family.”

Along with her family, playing tennis has helped Küng get through challenging aspects of life, acting as an escape. It’s constant in her life.

“It’s just an amazing feeling, and to me, it’s really like an outlet,” Küng said.

“Whenever I’m not feeling good, I’m sad about something, I miss home, like, tennis just kind of makes me shut off my mind. It’s just love for me, honestly.”

45

46

M. Tennis Jan. 21 - Home Weber State Jan. 27-28 - Away UC San Diego Feb. 4 - Home Montana State Feb. 11 - Home Denver Feb. 17 - Away Santa Clara Feb. 18 - Away GCU Feb. 19 - Away Arizona State Feb. 23 - Home Idaho State March 1 - Away UTSA March 2 - Away UTA March 10 - Home LMU March 15 - Away Weber State March 22-23 - Away Boise March 28 - Away New Mexico March 30 - Away Air Force April 6 - Home Boise State April 12 - Home Nevada April 14 - Home UNLV April 20 - Away San Diego State April 24-26 - Away MW Championships

David Martirosian Junior

Sergi Micó Fenollar Junior

Stijn Paardekooper Senior

Nuno Pinheiro Sohphomore

Philipp Rein Freshman

Bodin Zarkovic 5th Year

47

Bodin Zarkovic

to go

By Madison Weber

Coming up on nearly a year of undefeated play, fifth-year senior Bodin Zarkovic is setting records on top of records for USU men’s tennis.

from Serbia who was already playing there. After just two years, the program was cut, and he was forced to join the transfer portal.

Zarkovic has earned AllMountain West Singles and Doubles honors, was named Mountain West Men’s Player of the Week, notched USU’s only victory over a ranked opponent on the season, and rewrote history with the firstever Aggie win at the ITA Fall National Championships.

“All of a sudden, we had to transfer,” Zarkovic said.

“Coach Paajanen texted me, and it just seemed like the guys here were very serious professionals and I liked it. I took the opportunity to rest a little bit because I knew Utah was a little bit different than a lot of states, and especially where I come from.”

Zarkovic holds the No. 1 spot in Utah State history for most singles wins in a fall tournament season, his last loss being on Feb. 24, 2022 at the Arizona State Invite.

Before finding success at USU, Zarkovic spent time at the University of Minnesota.

He was recruited after high school, joining his best friend 48

Hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, Zarkovic said the adjustment was difficult at first, but he has tried to take advantage of the slower-paced lifestyle, even taking time for walks to enjoy the scenery Logan provides.

Head coach Aaron Paajanen relates to Zarkovic with a similar transition. He came to

prepares

pro

USU after the tennis program was cut at Detroit Mercy.

“He and I are both at Utah State kind of for the same reason,” Paajanen said.

“Everybody that I spoke to prior to bringing Bodin in only said positive things about him, and he’s exceeded everything that anybody had told me.”

Growing up, Zarkovic found inspiration and a love of tennis while watching Novak Djokovic on TV. “I just saw tennis on TV, and it happened to be the moment when tennis exploded in my country because Djokovic was the No. 1 player in the world. I started playing tennis when he started booming,” Zarkovic said. “My

parents didn’t know anything about tennis, and they just bought me a racket from Walmart and like three tennis balls.”

He played with his Walmart racket, hitting the ball against a wall for a year before joining a tennis club for lessons. His practice during that first year set him apart, showing advanced skills at a beginner level.

For the next two years, Zarkovic practiced and competed, and he became a national champion before he was 13. He won the Serbian National Championship for the U12, U14, U16, and U18 age groups and is a senior National Champion for Serbia.

“I was able to get them all, you know. And a lot of times — to be honest, I would like to brag — but a lot of times I wasn’t even the best player.

But you know, I was able to capture those titles,” Zarkovic said. “Those results were an extra motivation to keep going, to keep pushing and try to achieve more success.”

At age 13, he was recruited to play at an academy in Italy for two years.

Coaches and mentors aimed to help him become a professional player and develop at a young age. He attributes his success to those he met in Italy and all those who have supported him along the way.

“They really took care of me, and it’s a trend that continues in my life,” Zarkovic said. “The large part of my success is

being in environments where I had kind people helping me.

It makes a huge difference, especially with tennis — that is, an individual sport. It’ll be pretty easy to come out here and say I did it by myself because of what you see. No, it’s actually a lot of people included, a lot of people that I met in my life that created an opportunity for me to be here today.”

Zarkovic’s success doesn’t come without pressure, especially on such a significant winning streak.

“When you’re just winning, I mean, what can go wrong?

You’re obviously feeling good all the time, but at the same time, it was definitely a new type of pressure to withstand just having a lot of eyes on you, sort of having a lot of expectations,” Zarkovic said.

“At a certain point, winning is just like a normal thing. So you can imagine what losing it is, right? It’s a disaster.”

Tennis is known to be one of the most mentally challenging sports. The training is important, but winning is nearly impossible if your mind isn’t focused. Zarkovic said he has learned through experience how to calm his 49

mind during a match.

“You can’t think about it.

It’s just finding a fine line where you can continue your process, like not getting bothered about outside things and just committing to tennis and to competing,” he said. “It mostly comes with experience.

I’ve been playing tennis for a long, long time. Having a lot of matches and experience under my belt is something that helps a lot in going through pressures and being mentally tough in important situations.”

Off the court, Zarkovic finds support from his teammates and family. Six of the seven players on the roster are international, something Zarkovic believes creates a unique and united team.

He says they stick together because they relate to each other, even coming from distinct backgrounds.

His family, including parents Nenad and Maja Zarkovic, support him from afar, watching his matches online.

While his family would like to see him come back to Serbia one day, they continue to support him in his endeavors.

Going into his final season as an Aggie, Zarkovic is 50

hopeful about spring play and his future post-graduation.

With his recent success, more attention is on him to pursue a professional tennis career.

“What does the future hold for me? Well, I’m not sure yet. With this recent success, a lot of people are trying to encourage me to try to play professionally. For now, I have several options, whether it’s working in my profession, which would be marketing, or staying in tennis — working as a coach, sparring partner or going professional.”

Success now and after USU has come from his hard work, mental grit, and support from those around him.

“For me especially, it comes from experience,” he said.

“I fell down so many times.

I lost so many matches. I disappointed myself and a lot of people a lot of times. At some point, you can cry about those pressures, but you just have to deal with it, and then you get used to it and get over it.”

Zarkovic continues to be a leader on the court by breaking university records and off the court with his charismatic personality. His

coaches, teammates, family and all of USU eagerly anticipate his imminent success.

“Very fortunate to have been able to work with him the last three years,” Paajanen said.

“His personality on and off the court is awesome. He’s just such a good guy to be around — such a happy guy all the time, and then the fact that he’s a pretty good tennis player is just a bonus.”

Track & Field Men’s: Bridger Altice, Sr. Rylan Anderson, So. Caleb Armstrong, Jr. Josh Armstrong, Fr. Samuel Beckwith, Fr. Gavin Beierle, Sr. Brennan Benson, Jr. Landon Bott, Fr. Godwin Charles, Jr. Kelton Chenworth, Jr. Carson Coleman, Fr. Mark Crandall, Sr. Anthony Davies, Fr. Walker Deede, Fr. Benji Douglas, So. Joseph Douglas, Fr. Caden Dupee, Jr. Wyatt Evans, Jr. LJ Floyd, So. Nate Franz, Jr. Logan Garnica, So. Eli Gregory, So. Carter Guiness, So. Logan Hammer, So. Joshua Hartvigsen, Jr. Bryce Hill, Fr. Drew Hogan, So. Cooper Jones, Fr. Kace Jones, Fr. Christopher Kauffman, Sr. Daniel Larsen, Fr. Jed Megargel, Fr. Yonas Mogos, Jr. Grady Mylander, So. Eric Nelson, Jr. Spencer Nelson, Sr. Brandon Ovington, Sr. Spencer Price, So. Javin Richards, So. Johnathan Simmons, Fr. Camren Todd, Jr. Joseph Turner, Fr. Robbie Walker, So. Max Wehrli, Jr. Bradford Woodhouse, Fr.

Women’s: Sara Abbott, Fr. Alisabeth Apedaile, Fr. Hazel Baird, So. Paige Lila Berg, Jr. Abby Blau, Fr. Bailey Brinkerhoff-Todd, Sr. Sophie Chandler, So. Karlee Christensen, Jr. Kaybree Christensen-Hamson, Jr. Valerie Clark, Jr. Mikayla Dalton, Jr. Hannah Davidson, Sr. Maddie Edwards, Jr. Sarah Ellis, So. Sabrina Fairbanks, Fr. Symphony Fike, Fr. Milly Garren, So. Mattie Geddes, Sr. Paige Hansen, Fr. Annie Hill, Sr. Brooklyn Hill, Fr. Carissa Hofeling, So. Elle Jacobson, Fr. Mariah Jenkins, Jr. Abby Jensen, Sr. Shelby Jensen, Fr. Ruby Jordan, Fr. Autumn Kidd, Sr. Sammi Lee, Jr. Malia Lowe, So. Megumi Ludlow, So. Hannah Lybbert, So. Courtney Madsen, Fr. Alyssa McNutt, Sr. Mimi Miyazawa, Jr. Caroline Moon, Fr. Cameron Moore, Fr. Sidnee Naerebout, Sr. Adi Nielson, Jr. Taylia Norris, Sr. Morgan Nygren, So. Marion Packer, Fr. Djamilliah Paepke-Chile, Sr. Claire Petersen, Fr. Meredith Price, So. Breanna Raven, Fr. Emma Reeves, Jr. Miley Richards, Fr. Alison Richter, So. Viann Robinson, Fr. Brie Smith, Fr. Olivia Smith, Jr. Madison Strasner, Sr. Julia Stuard, Fr. Natalie Swain, Fr. Madison Tareski, Jr. Kari Taylor, Jr. Emma Thornley, Jr. Krysthina Vlahovic, So. Ana Weaver, So

51

Mikayla jumps for the stars

By Ashley Dorius Flying 10 feet in the air over a pole sounds hard enough to most, but using a pole to do it makes things even more complicated. However, Mikayla Dalton does this every spring as a member of Utah State University’s women’s pole vault team.

up,” Dalton said. “I love gymnastics. I still have dreams about it, which is kind of silly, but I miss it less due to pole vaulting.”

“It’s so unique. Pole vaulting is not very common,” Dalton said. “I get to say, ‘I jump on really long sticks over other really long sticks.’”

“I tried pole vault my freshman year of high school and loved it,” Dalton said.

Dalton, a journalism major with an emphasis in social media and a double minor in marketing and marketing design, is a third-year student who has been with the pole vault team since her first year. Her road to becoming a pole vaulter for USU is unique, since she began in a completely different sport.

“I was a gymnast for 10-15 years, basically all growing 52

When Dalton entered high school, she was introduced to pole vaulting.

Dalton excelled in pole vault all four years of high school, relying on skills she had built from her days in gymnastics.

“Gymnastics helped me with body awareness, strength and speed,” Dalton said.

When it came time to choose the next step, Dalton knew she wanted to be an Aggie student before knowing she wanted to be an Aggie student-athlete.

“I knew I was going to USU before I knew I was going to

be on the team,” Dalton said.

“I was a walk-on.”

However, Erik Rasmussen, the jumps and combined events coach at Utah State, saw her potential and persistence.

“I could tell early on that she had the mentality needed to be a great pole vaulter,” Rasmussen said. “You have to have a little bit of a crazy streak, a little bit of sass, and you have to be able to be like, ‘That sucked; this next one will be better.’”

Dalton took those traits and went straight to work, constantly trying to better herself by applying her old gymnastics skills and Learning new ones.

“She’s really strong, coming from a gymnastics background, which was really good,” Rasmussen said. “But

a lot of athletes that come from gymnastics, being fast runningwise isn’t a big focus.”

Dalton said her mentality was to give her all and treat every day like a competition day.

Sometimes, she can give 100% of herself to practice, while other days she can only give 50% of her usual strength, but she always gives all she has, which Rasmussen has noticed.

“She’s improved, I think, more than anyone else on the team, as far as speed goes,” Rasmussen said. “That just goes to show her dedication to being her best every day.”

Dalton has not just grown as a pole vaulter, however.

Rasmussen said Dalton has always been outgoing and friendly, but she’s become a leader in the program.

Dalton has loved getting to take on this role, especially as one of the few upperclassmen on the team. This year, she has three first-year students on the team with her.

each other,” Dalton said. “We associate a lot with our jumps group, but we see the sprinters quite a bit because their practices are normally around the same time.”

“I’ve been kind of getting to mama bird them, which is so fun,” Dalton said. “I get to show them the ropes.”

Dalton is also an accomplished student, gaining recognition as an Academic All-Mountain West scholar, Mountain West Scholar-Athlete, and USU Whitesides Scholar-Athlete, all in 2022. She has learned much about balancing school, track and other parts of life.

Dalton has also made new friendships, both on the pole vaulting team itself and with other teams that make up track and field.

“It’s really fun to train with your best friends; we all support and love

“I am very much a list person.

Time management is really big,” Dalton said. “I always try and work ahead in all my classes and communicate with professors. I’m very much Type A.” Dalton is goal-oriented and keeps a journal, especially for pole vaulting. Rasmussen said this is a habit he encourages to remind athletes of their progress and their goals.

“It’s really hard on your mentality,” Dalton said.

“We’ve been setting small goals to excel and reach our bigger goals.”

Those small goals are paying off, with Dalton earning a 53

career-best at 3.48 meters in indoor track and 3.32 meters in outdoor competitions. This upcoming season, which begins with a scrimmage-style meet that decides the final roster, she hopes to continue improving.

from being kids fresh out of high school to true adults who will have a great impact on the world.

When it comes to competing, Dalton does certain rituals to get herself in the zone.

“Utah State is sick. It’s really fun to be representing a school that means so much to me,” Dalton said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity here, and I’m proud to be an Aggie.”

“I’m not superstitious, but I always make sure I eat the morning of a meet,” Dalton said. “I’m a big Red Bull fan, so I have three flavors I like, but I always drink the coconut Red Bull before a meet. To me, it’s become the taste of competition day. My teammates will tease me about it.”

After the fun part of her traditional prep, which also includes listening to Rihanna and 2000s pop throwbacks while stretching with her team and putting the letter U on her cheeks, Dalton locks in.

“I focus up and go over my cues in my head,” Dalton said.

“Then, it’s go time.”

Rasmussen said watching progress like Dalton’s is why he loves his job so much. He enjoys watching athletes go 54

Even more than her love for pole vaulting, Dalton loves USU.

55

We are Utah State

56