Statesman Sports Desk
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Fall 2025 Life 404 Student
Letter from the Aggie fans,
Editor
Thank you for reading the 2025 Fall Sports Magazine from The Utah Statesman. This magazine represents hundreds of hours of hard work from reporters, photographers, designers, videographers, copy editors and many more. More than that, this magazine represents thousands of hours of dedication and work from the student-athletes that are featured within and even more from those that aren’t. We have chosen to recognize and feature several student-athletes, and one coach, in this magazine that are figures of Utah State Athletics — that have compelling stories and strong connections to the university. We recognize there are many more student-athletes we have not featured here that are more than deserving. Make no mistake, this magazine does not represent the end of our efforts to feature those athletes, their accomplishments and their stories. If anything, it merely represents the beginning.
interactions with the athletes, coaches and families that have made me continually love my job. Our stories and backgrounds are what define us. They’re what make athletics special. When I think of my favorite sports moments, it’s the context and the stories that truly made those moments special. Things here in Logan are no different — it’s the players we love. In a constantly changing environment of college athletics, this is more important than ever. This year at the Statesman, we are more committed than ever to telling the stories of the student-athletes that make this campus special. From all of us at the Statesman, we want to thank these student-athletes for being willing to tell us their stories. We want to thank their families for raising the highquality characters we have the privilege of covering. And we want to thank all of those within Utah State Athletics for their continued help in our process and coverage.
Utah State is an amazing place, and the student-athletes that represent this university are even more so. Each of them has their own unique background and their own unique story. As Utah State University’s student-run publication, we feel it is our responsibility to tell those stories and highlight what makes USU Athletics special.
And, once again, thank you. Thank you for caring about these student-athletes, and thank you for supporting student journalism. We hope to have your continued support this year and for many more years to come.
This is my third year covering Utah State for the Statesman and my first year as sports editor. As much as I enjoy the games, the events and the highlights, it’s the
Sincerely, Mark Greenwood Sports Editor — The Utah Statesman
Contents
06 11
Football is family for the barnes Brothers
14
Kaylie Chambers emerges as key figure in USU Soccer’s golden era
Utah State Running Back Miles Davis finds new purpose at usu
18
From Lisbon to Logan: Manny Martins’ Life in soccer
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Sports Editor: Mark Greenwood
Design Manager: Kamrin McNeill
Reporters: Carson Frost Jayke Martin Alici Archibald Rory McNeill
Photographers: Jack Burton Hadley Sintay Dane Johnson Claire Ott
Advertising: Carson Day
22 26
How Tierney Barlow has become the leader of Utah State Volleyball
Published and Distributed by USU Student Media 0165 Old Main Hill Logan, Utah 84322-0165
The volleyball journey of Utah State’s Mara Štiglic Photo by: Hadley Sintay
Cover photos via Statesman files
06 Fall 2025
Football is family for the
Barnes brothers Mark Greenwood
Many athletes commonly refer to their teammates as their family — or their brothers. That statement should rarely be taken literally, as they are typically just referring to the familial sentiment playing a sport together creates. But for Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes, his teammates are his family — literally. Blake Barnes, Bryson’s younger brother, is an inside linebacker for the Aggies now in his second season in Logan after redshirting his first year. Bryson is also in his second season playing for Utah State after he transferred from Utah last year, a decision that had an impact on both the Barnes boys. “The biggest thing for me was Bryson,” Blake told The Utah Statesman on his decision to come to Utah State. “He was the one that believed in me from the beginning — a lot more than I believed in myself.”
Earlier this year, Blake had surgery to repair a deviated septum he’s convinced Bryson caused growing up. “I think that’s pretty accurate,” Chris said with a chuckle. As two now older brothers tend to do, they have matured and grown up since their young fighting days, and their relationship has grown along with it. When Bryson graduated and moved up to join the Utes, Blake was at home in the early stages of a prolific high school football career. Even with Bryson now away from home, his influence was still felt, though in a different way than before.
“I remember Bryson watching his college game film, taking care of his stuff, but he would also be watching Blake’s high school film,” said Stacy Barnes, Blake and Bryson’s mother, in Though Bryson was an instrumental influence an interview with the Statesman. “They would in Blake coming to USU, their relationship was talk about it after the games, telling [Blake] not always that way. things to look for.” As two young, competitive brothers tend to do, Blake and Bryson had their fair share of fights and competitions growing up.
Now that Blake has joined Bryson as a teammate, that mentor role is even more prevalent.
has been able to help Blake learn the ropes of the Utah State system. Bryson has also continued to instill his distinct work ethic into his younger brother. This was especially prevalent this spring as the two worked out together throughout the month of May. May is typically the month without mandatory team workouts where players can either workout on their own or take some time off. The Barnes brothers did anything but take time off. Their day started with breakfast at 6:30 every morning before grueling workouts from 7 to noon.
“They butted heads a lot because Bryson was so “You come to college, you don’t really have serious and dialed in, and it was, ‘You’re going this mental fortitude or this mental strength or to do what I want to do.’ And it was all athletics,” belief in yourself when you get up to college,” “There was a switch, and I was still in the high said Chris Barnes, Blake and Bryson’s father, in Bryson said. “You have to find that in yourself. school mode, like, ‘I don’t know if I want to an interview with the Statesman. “When he And so, the lessons that I’ve learned — I’m able get up at 6:30 every morning,’” Blake said. started to mature and he started pushing back, to teach him along with it.” “But then you accept that wow, this is — it’s yeah, there were some headbutts. There were special … It was really special, just because some pretty good wrestling matches. There In addition to leading Blake in the ways of there’s a point in time where this isn’t going were some fists thrown.” being a collegiate athlete in general, Bryson to happen again.”
07 Their workouts and time spent together over the offseason influenced the brothers in a way that was noticeable to more than just themselves. “It rolled them right together,” Chris said. “Now they’re both mature, grown men, and they were just their best friends.” “It was fun to get the calls with them going swimming together and just working out together like that,” Stacy agreed. “It was sweet to see that happen again when it came home.” As the offseason continued, team workouts resumed, and the brothers returned to their team and position group workouts. They continued to prepare for the season, Bryson looking toward being the top starter for the first time in his career and Blake hoping to make a difference on a revamped defense.
Statesman Sports Desk
Photo by: Dane Johnson
08 Fall 2025
All was going well until Blake suffered a season-ending injury as he tore his ACL in early July while setting a personal best on a power clean lift. After Blake tore his ACL, Stacy came to Logan to help him prepare for and receive surgery and get set up afterwards. Although Bryson couldn’t help him as much as fall camp was right around the corner, he still made sure to help where he could. “[Blake] was thinking ‘I’m going to be right back,’ but to realize ‘I’m going to learn the game from sitting and watching things, and learning that way instead of being in it,’ I
Photo by: Dane Johnson
think that helped his perspective,” Stacy said. “Bryson helped with that, ‘Do what you can do. You obviously can’t practice physically, but practice mentally the game.’ I saw that with Bryson that week when I was up here with him. Bryson was just taking care of, in that regard, just always leading.” Though the injury was difficult for Blake, there was something that he was even more disappointed about. “[Blake] made the comment to me one time, ‘I love the game of football. I love being up here. But what I’m really going to miss is not being able to travel with Bryson in his senior
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year,’” Chris shared. “It was a bummer. It was bummer for all of us, but things happen. We’ll move on.”
you want. Set your goals. God’s going to steer you in different directions. Be humble and work hard, and things will work out.’”
The family support demonstrated by Bryson, Chris and Stacy after Blake’s injury is merely one manifestation of the support system that’s been there the whole time.
That message, constantly reiterated in the Barnes household growing up, applied to more than just externally limiting oneself. In a family where older siblings have such athletic success, it can be easy for younger siblings to feel as if they’re living in a shadow.
The family has always been supportive of whatever current situation they’re in, but they have also encouraged them not to put limits on what they can accomplish long term.
“Something my dad used to say was, ‘You don’t have to be in the shade of someone else’s mountain if you’re a different mountain,’” When Bryson turned down other college offers Blake said. “So yeah, having Bryson out there in favor of starting his career as a preferred — it was more inspirational than a shadow, and walk on at Utah, that was a major reason why. just seeing what he was doing was just all the more motivation to do the best I could do and “My dad definitely wanted me to take the what I was doing.” opportunity that he felt was best for me,” Bryson said. “And he believed in me as a player The mantra of creating your own legacy has to be able to go and perform at that school and lifted more than just Bryson and Blake to be able to play at that level of football.” impressive achievements. The lone sister of the family Emily Barnes-Sterzer ran track at For Chris, that required a very conscious, Weber State. intentional approach. Their youngest brother Colton Barnes started “I would take him around to camps to compare competing in the high jump during his senior him with the bigger school kids — to show year and ended up setting a school record him that ‘You can compete. They’re just for the event. Blake and Bryson are also both kids. You’re big, strong and fast,’” Chris said. state champion wrestlers. “‘Don’t set the limits on yourself. Work for what
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“We’re all different. We all come with strengths. Build on your strengths,” Chris said. “Build you the best you can. I hate comparing. Our kids are all totally different — they have their own strengths.” “Look at your strengths and build on your strengths, whether it’s this direction or whether it’s that direction,” Stacy emphasized. “Build on what God gave us.” As the Barnes family continues to grow and mature, including adding kids and grandkids, the life beyond sports is growing ever more important.
“The dynamic has really changed now because people are starting to get outside of collegiate sports. They’re moving on with life, opening new chapters, and that involves having nieces and nephews,” Bryson said about the family. “Instead of running outside and playing games outside, now it’s tormenting the nieces or tormenting the little kids. It’s just a new stage, but it’s been great.” The relatively recent addition of nieces and young kids has brought out a new side of the Barnes duo. “You see Bryson out here being the competitor that he is on a football field, and then you get
him on a FaceTime call with his nieces, and he’s — he’s a wuss,” Chris said. “And Blake’s the same way.” “He’s like a teddy bear,” Stacy said with a smile. Though the sun may be setting on Bryson’s college football career, there is much more waiting beyond football. His tender side, along with his family’s, will continue to be put to the test as Bryson and his wife Brittlyn welcome their first son in October.
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Utah State running back
Miles Davis
finds new purpose at USU Jayke Martin
Utah State running back Miles Davis doesn’t see the game the way he used to. Having transferred to USU from Brigham Young University, Davis enters this season with a new perspective: It’s not just about chasing wins but about playing for his team. Davis, a former wide receiver, has only begun to prove himself as a great addition to the team. Having spent five seasons at BYU, he arrived in Logan with plenty of experience but also a hunger for a fresh start. The
transition wasn’t just about switching schools or positions — it was about finding a new purpose in the game. “Once I got to meet these coaches and got to see the campus and got to see all these beautiful mountains around, it was a done deal,” Davis said about his decision to transfer to USU. Growing up in an athletic family, Davis was always competing, especially with his older
siblings. It’s his competitive mindset that kept him going and set him on the path to becoming a student-athlete. From a young age, Davis dreamed of making it to the NFL, chasing every opportunity to improve and prove himself. “I knew I wanted to play sports because I always wanted to compete against my big brothers and my big sisters,” Davis said. “I ended up playing basketball at first and then track. I was racing my big brother, and I used to get mad I couldn’t beat them, but as I was getting mad I couldn’t beat them, I was able to beat other kids.” Davis started out playing basketball and running track, where he showed his competitive nature early on. His main goal was to beat his older siblings, and the frustration of not succeeding pushed him to work harder. This motivation helped him do well in track and also built the speed and toughness he later used in football. His love for the game clicked after his very first football experience on one of football’s biggest stages. “I got to play my very first football game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium,” Davis said. “After I
Photo by: Dane Johnson
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got to meet them, I was like, ‘I think I want to play football.’ I was sold.” That fire hasn’t faded, but Davis has learned how to channel it as a leader.
has always driven him, but he’s starting to see football is bigger than individual effort. The game is no longer just about racking up wins or proving himself. It’s about building trust, lifting up his teammates and playing for something larger than himself.
“I feel like I’m an okay leader, but there’s always room for improvement,” Davis “Playing here made me realize that it means said. “I’ve got that competitive mindset. Not something,” Davis said. “Like it always everybody has that all the time. So sometimes meant something to me, but here is a deeper when we’re super tired, I’m like, ‘Bro, you’re not meaning. I feel like I was always playing tired, you’re not tired.’ But they don’t want to for myself. I’m not just playing for myself. It hear that — they really are tired. I find myself goes back to, ‘What’s my why?’ It wasn’t having to back off a little.” just because I wanted to play football or I was having fun here. I feel like coach Bronco Davis sees leadership as more than just [Mendenhall] instilled a deeper meaning.” playing football as he handles the challenges of being a student-athlete. Since the start, he That “why,” Davis said, is his teammates. has balanced football with his schoolwork. His parents taught him school should come “It’s all these boys on the field right now,” Davis before sports. said. “These boys have been here from winter workouts, summer workouts all the way “My mom and dad always told me, ‘You’ve got through, and so now I’m not just playing for to be a student-athlete. And so, you have to myself or my dad, I’m playing for these guys.” be a student first no matter what because the athlete part is only a short period of our life but While Davis insists his focus is on the team, his the student part is so long,’” Davis recalled. play hasn’t gone unnoticed. That mindset is something Davis tries to instill in younger players. “I always joke around with the freshmen,” Davis said. “I’m always telling them, ‘Make sure you go to class’ and stuff like that. Especially the young guys in the running back room, like, ‘Did you go to class today?’” While Davis is quick to point out his own flaws as a leader, his teammates see a different picture. “When Miles first came in, he was a little quiet at first, but then once everyone started welcoming him in, he started stepping up — being the leader that he was supposed to be,” said USU running back Derrick Jameson. “He helped me with the plays a lot. Even just, like, mental — he helps with that a lot, just having someone to talk to or just go to.” Those experiences have shown Davis leadership isn’t only about pushing teammates to their limits — it’s about understanding them. His competitive edge
“Davis is the only FBS player to have a game this season with at least 50 rushing yards and multiple receiving touchdowns. The only other MW player to have such a game over the last six seasons is Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in 2023 at Memphis,” wrote Phil Perry, the Mountain West Conference assistant commissioner of strategic communications, in an email to The Utah Statesman. For Davis, the numbers are only part of the story. His real goal is to keep improving and to find new ways to support his teammates. “It does get stressful,” Davis admitted. “But once you have the mindset of, ‘I’m loving everybody here right now, I love the HURD, I love my dad coming to the game,’ I count them as the 12th man caring for us. And I focus on the guys that are on the field.”
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Kaylie Chambers
emerges as key figure in USU Soccer’s golden era Carson Frost
Photo by: Claire Ott
The drive from Fort Collins to Denver is long, and for a while, it was a constant part of USU Soccer forward Kaylie Chambers’ life. An hour and a half down I-25, practice with the Colorado Rush, then another hour and a half back home. For two years, she and her family made it work until finally, they decided to move closer for Chambers’ soccer.
Kaylie was athletic across the board — softball, swimming, dance, soccer — sometimes playing softball tournaments and soccer matches on the same day. By 11, she was playing on a U14 softball team while still excelling in soccer. When she was 12, a coach told her it was time to pick one. Chambers chose soccer.
“I went out there and practiced with them and was like, ‘Oh, this team is actually really good. We have a lot of potential,’” Chambers said. “So, I decided to do it. I made the drive for like two years … and finally I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ And then my mom was like, ‘Well, we can move.’ So, we just moved to Arvada, which was closer.”
That choice meant year-round competition. She played for the youth club Arsenal in Fort Collins before joining Rush, where the expectations were high. Some of the training included juggling 100 times with a weaker foot before being allowed to start, fitness tests at a young age and long weekends at regional tournaments.
That move was just one in a series of choices, sacrifices and commitments that shaped Chambers’ soccer journey. From competing in U.S. Soccer National team identification camps to winning championships at Utah State, the path has been built on persistence and family support.
Rush reached a national final, and Chambers trained under coaches who would later lead college and USL W League programs at the pre-professional level.
Her mom Julie Chambers remembers how quickly sports took hold. “Her first ball was a soccer ball, and that was probably at one year old,” Julie said. “By 18 months, she was hitting a ball off a tee, and before she was two, she was hitting a ball that was pitched to her.”
“Honestly, the connections and friendships I made — we were very close,” Kaylie said. “The culture I had at Rush is very similar to here at Utah State. The memories from the long car rides, the plane rides, all of these events we had together as a team made our bond stronger.” The sacrifices weren’t only hers. Julie said the family structured everything around travel, training and games. Eventually, they relocated.
Photo by: Jack Burton Statesman Sports Desk
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“She carpooled eighth grade and ninth grade, and then once she could drive, I said, ‘We have to move down to Denver because I don’t want her on the freeway by herself,’” Julie said.
“Her positivity, the way she led through love and kindness, helped me a lot,” Chambers said. “I don’t know where I would have been without her.”
By high school, Chambers was already on recruiting radars. Arkansas called in eighth grade, and later, BYU began checking in weekly. The family thought Provo might be the destination.
The hard work paid off. As a sophomore in 2023, she helped Utah State win the Mountain West tournament, the program’s first under Martins. The Aggies repeated in 2024, and Chambers was named tournament MVP. Along the way, she earned allconference honors and the school’s Sagebrush Award, given for impact on and off the field.
“We let some of the relationships go with other schools because BYU was telling her, ‘You’re number one, you’re number one,’” Julie said. “And then they ghosted us.” The pivot came quickly. USU head coach Manny Martins reached out not long after, and though the family admitted they barely knew the Aggies had a program, the official visit changed everything. “There was just something about it,” Julie said. “We almost instantly knew this is where she was supposed to play. Manny told us, ‘We might struggle a little bit your freshman year, but by your sophomore year, we’re going to win a championship.’ And they did.” Chambers arrived in Logan in 2022 and immediately felt the difference in skill level.
“That not only speaks about the stuff I do on the field but off the field as well,” she said. “It shows the kind of person that I am.” Her development has mirrored the rise of Utah State Soccer. When she and her teammates once handed out flyers for a game, some students didn’t even know the school had a Division I team. This past year, the Aggies broke attendance records at the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field, climbed into the top 10 nationally and sent multiple players into the professional ranks. “Now people are starting to know and see that we’re actually good — that we deserve the fans and the hype,” Chambers said.
“My mindset going in — I was terrified,” Kaylie Chambers has also broadened her said. “This is a whole new level of playing, like experiences through the USL W League, nothing I’ve ever experienced. Everyone’s good, spending summers with the South Georgia everyone has the ability to start, and I’m just a Tormenta FC, Minnesota Aurora FC and little freshman. I’m 5’2 as a striker, which isn’t Utah United. With Utah, she won the 2025 really preferred. But I came in like, ‘I’m going national championship. to work hard, and I’m going to prove I deserve a spot on this team.’” “It’s kind of another look at what the next level would be like,” Chambers said. “It’s made me She leaned on older players, especially senior think about playing at the next level, and it’s forward Nicole Hadlock-Hardy, who she calls something I want to try. If it doesn’t work out, it a role model. is what it is, but I at least want to try.”
17 “She’s not the loud leader on the field, but she leads by example,” Julie said. “She’s always been humble and dedicated. That hasn’t really ever changed.” The Aggies’ results this season have been uneven, and while Chambers has seen several scoring chances narrowly miss, she hasn’t wavered in her approach. “In the moment you might think, ‘Dang, that should have gone in,’” she said. “But when you look at film, it’s, ‘How can I do better next
time?’ Sometimes you just credit the goalie. Then after practice, you do five good reps, and you’re done. That’s about all you can do.” From the long car rides out of Fort Collins to back-to-back Mountain West titles in Logan, Chambers has built a career on steady growth and resilience. She has been a central figure in USU’s rise and a player her teammates and coaches point to as a standard for culture and work ethic. As her college career winds down, her future may include professional soccer or mentoring the next generation. Whatever direction it takes, the foundation she has laid is owed to a mix of sacrifice, family support and a quiet determination that has carried her from Colorado to center stage in Logan.
Photo by: Jack Burton
Statesman Sports Desk
Off the field, she studies kinesiology, fascinated by anatomy and sports performance. She sometimes shares what she learns with teammates or trainers, and she has begun mentoring younger athletes through a program called Athlete to Athlete.
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From Lisbon to Logan:
Manny Martins’ Life in Soccer Carson Frost Emanuel “Manny” Martins still remembers the streets where he first fell in love with soccer. In his Lisbon neighborhood, the goals weren’t nets — they were garage doors on mechanic shops. The street sloped uphill, twisted into a curve and served as a playground for hours-long matches that ended only when his grandmother called him inside. If no one else was around, he would play alone, kicking the ball into doors and inventing imaginary opponents and crowds. “As far as I can remember myself, it was always there,” Martins said. “I can’t remember when I first fell in love with it because as long as I remember, it was already a part of me.” Soccer wasn’t just a sport to Martins. It was a throughline in a life that stretched across continents, from a childhood in Portugal to an unexpected new life in California, from coaching high school kids in an underserved community to leading Utah State University into national contention. Along the way, he’s become a believer in something bigger than tactics or talent: relationships. “Coaching is very little about the X’s and O’s,” he said. “It’s about human interactions.” Martins arrived in California in 1993, just before his 18th birthday. His mother, who
Photo by: Jack Burton
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often traveled to her home country of Angola, had been stranded there during civil war. Manny had been on his own since 15, working and drifting away from school. “As a teenager, I thought I was on top of the world, living on my own,” he said. “But really, I wasn’t.” Then, a missionary family with ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized his mother and offered Martins a chance to finish high school in the U.S. At first, he resisted. But eventually, he agreed, thinking a diploma might change his prospects. “At the time, I thought an education was just finishing high school,” Martins said. “In my family, I was the first to get a college degree. The target was to finish high school, then go work.” He landed at the Los Angeles International Airport on a Sunday night. By the following morning, he was in a high school classroom in the San Fernando Valley, unable to speak English. He was older, more mature from years of living independently, and struggled to connect with classmates. What steadied him, once again, was soccer. His high school teammates, many from Latin American families, welcomed him. Their Spanish was close enough to Portuguese
that he picked it up quickly. Soccer gave him community and confidence, and within a year, he was a team captain. “Being on the team allowed me to continue my passion,” Martins said. “It gave me people I could relate to.” California reshaped his life. He learned English, earned his diploma and met a fellow student named Lorena, who became his wife. The plan to return to Portugal faded. He enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona, studied kinesiology and became the first in his family to graduate from college. Coaching, however, wasn’t something he ever envisioned. That changed when he was asked to help with soccer at his alma mater high school. His first season ended with a 1-13 record, and Martins quickly reevaluated his decision. “I wanted to quit,” he said. “I told them, ‘This isn’t for me.’” But a mentor urged him to stay one more year. The second season finished a .500 record, and more importantly, Martins began to see the purpose. “I realized coaching is about finding qualities in people and helping them grow,” he said. “It’s about being a source of support and guidance.” The kids he coached were from disadvantaged communities, many the first
in their families to graduate high school or college, some touched by gang violence or incarceration at home. The relationships mattered more than results. “Maybe I could be that person for them in ways I didn’t always have,” he said. By his third year, his team won the league. Over the next several seasons, they became a dominant program. That start launched a career that took him into college coaching at Los Angeles Mission College, then through the club and semi-pro ranks of Southern California and then in 2014, to the University of Oregon women’s soccer staff under Kat Mertz. There, Martins developed a reputation as a sharp tactical coach and recruiter. His work earned opportunities with U.S. Soccer, where he served as a scout and analyst for the U-17 and U-20 women’s national teams. He traveled to World Cups in Jordan, France and China.
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“You realize the game is universal but the contexts are different,” Martins said. “The common ground is the passion, but you also see different ways of living. It made me grow not just as a coach but as a person.” In May 2021, Utah State hired Martins as its women’s soccer coach. The Aggies hadn’t established themselves nationally, but Martins brought belief. Two months into his tenure, USU stunned No. 18 BYU in Provo, its firstever win over a ranked opponent. “From day one, I told our players we can compete with anyone,” Martins said. Since then, USU has redefined itself. The Aggies have set program records for wins, goals, assists and shutouts. They’ve reached back-to-back NCAA tournaments and climbed into the national top 10, and Martins has earned consecutive Mountain West Coach of the Year honors. But for Martins, he prefers to talk more about stories than numbers. He remembers defender Addy Weichers, who tore her ACL before ever playing but returned to become a captain and lead USU to titles before signing professionally. He points to transfer Nicole Hadlock-Hardy, who came in unproven but left as a leader. “The biggest thing is belief,” he said. “That’s what has carried us.” Alongside Martins is a coach who has lived that philosophy himself. Associate head coach Erin Carrillo-Bautista grew up in Portland, Oregon and had a brief playing career before pivoting to coaching. He got his start as a manager with the Oregon women’s team, where his first meeting with Martins was less of an interview than a conversation. “He cared more about me as a person,” Carrillo-Bautista said. “That’s when I knew there was something different about him.” Carrillo-Bautista absorbed everything, coaching with Martins in USL League Two and following him to Utah State. This summer, he was promoted to associate head coach.
Photo by: Dane Johnson
“I feel like I’ve gotten my PhD in soccer just being around Manny,” he said. “He’s the hardest working person I’ve ever met. He coaches through relationships, and I try to model that.” Together, Martins and Carrillo-Bautista have helped make USU more than just a winning program. Attendance has surged, the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field has been renovated and the program has become a visible part of campus life. Former players still stop by the office years later. Coaches get invited to weddings. The culture, they both say, matters as much as the results. “It doesn’t happen without the players,” Carrillo-Bautista said. “They bought into Manny’s vision, and to me, that means more than titles.” Martins doesn’t hide his ambition. He believes the Aggies can compete for a national championship — not by dominating every
year but by consistently reaching Sweet 16s and Elite Eights, positioning themselves just a couple games away from it all. “If you can consistently be in that mix, you’re a contender,” Martins said. Still, his legacy is measured in people, not accolades. “What I love about the game is affecting people’s lives in a positive way,” Martins said. “That’s what lasts.” From the garage doors of Lisbon to the sidelines in Logan, Martins has carried soccer with him as a constant: an escape, a career and now a platform to shape lives. The stories of the people he’s impacted — whether Carrillo-Bautista or the players he’s elevated — reflect the very approach that made it possible: care about people first, and everything else will follow.
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Fall 2025
How
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Tierney Barlow
has become the leader of Utah State Volleyball
Rory McNeill
The Utah State Volleyball team has been one of the most consistent and successful teams at USU. In the 2025 season, they’re looking to maintain their standard of success, and a key piece for achieving that goal will be star middle blocker Tierney Barlow. As the 2025 season kicked off, Barlow found herself in a unique position as the only senior on this year’s team. In fact, of the 17 players on this year’s team, 14 are sophomores or freshman. Because of her seniority, Barlow has moved into a new position of leadership over the team — one that she has strived to fulfill. “She’s kind of the de facto mom on the team,” said coach Rob Neilson. “She’s been huge from a playing standpoint for us and has really become a great voice for the culture and the things that we’re trying to accomplish.”
Photo by: Hadley Sintay
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Barlow’s journey to becoming the volleyball team’s leader has been a long one — one that started long before she arrived at Utah State. “I picked up volleyball in middle school when I had moved to Colorado Springs. I had a bunch of friends who played volleyball, so I picked it up and found that I loved it,” Barlow said. “I just kept doing it, and people were telling me that I was pretty good at it.” In high school, Barlow significantly advanced her game. She established herself as one of the premier players in Colorado, winning female athlete of the year, receiving all-league and all-state honors and being named to the All-Tournament team at USA Volleyball Nationals, as well as a member of the All-Star Colorado team. “I’d say when I first started playing for Colorado Juniors, I realized I wanted to take this to the next level,” Barlow said. “They preached so much about responsibility, and they took volleyball very seriously, which helped me to get to the next level.” Barlow committed to play for the University of Wyoming’s team after high school. There, she
won the 2022 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and was named All-Mountain West in 2023. Despite her success at Wyoming, she elected to enter the transfer portal following the 2023 season. While in the portal, Barlow decided Utah State would be her new home for the 2024 season and onward, highlighting her faith as an important factor in her decision. “There were so many aspects that I loved here: the coaches, the team. I loved Logan so much and felt that the community was so strong here,” Barlow said. “One big reason I picked Utah State was because of the culture here. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I wanted to come to Utah to have more of that culture surrounding me.” Her commitment was not only important for her, but it was also huge for the program and its continued success. “She was exceptional her sophomore year at Wyoming, and she was dominant in the middle. We played a match against her here in Logan. She was serving right in front of the
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HURD, and she stepped back and had 7 aces,” Neilson said. “When her name came up in the portal, we reached out, and we loved talking to her. She wanted to come to Utah State, so it worked out really well for us. She’s been big for our ability to be successful on the court but also the team dynamics. She just fits in and leads us in so many great ways.” Barlow continued to dominate through her first year at Utah State, being named to the All-Mountain West team after tying for the team lead in blocks and finishing top five in hitting percentage, blocks per set, kills and service aces.
Photo by: Jack Burton
Through her impressive skillset, Barlow cemented herself as a cornerstone of the team on the court. Despite her immense success, she faced a new challenge with her new role on the team. “I worked really hard this spring and summer to build those relationships with my teammates and gain that respect from them,” Barlow said. “I don’t really see myself as their superior. I care more about the relationships that I am building and the people that I am affecting through my last year.” Barlow’s focus on building relationships was something that was certainly noted by her teammates throughout the offseason. “Tierney has a big heart on her sleeve, and she makes it known,” said junior setter Olivia Tukuafu. “Last year, we had three seniors that I feel like were great role models, especially for her, and I think that she has done a great job stepping into that role.”
Multiple teammates also highlighted Barlow’s ability to bring the team together off the court. “Tierney is one of the most positive people on our team, on and off the court,” said junior libero Kendel Thompson. “She always brings the team together, whether it’s something at her house as a team or something after practice that we could go do together. It’s so important to connect with each other off the court so you can be better on the court.” The coaching staff has also been impressed with how well Barlow stepped into the leadership role.
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“I don’t know if you ever earn the right to be a leader, but she’s certainly developed into that role,” Neilson said. “She is really starting to realize what that means and how many players look to her as an example.”
It’s still undecided whether this will be Barlow’s final year in collegiate volleyball, but regardless, Barlow hopes her time at Utah State is just a steppingstone to an even longer career in volleyball.
Barlow highlighted how important her family “I have a dream of playing pro in the U.S.” has been in helping her move into this role as Barlow said. “I’m really excited about the well as continue to improve as a player. pro teams that are here, and it would be my dream to play for one of them.” “Something that my mom always told me is that there’s always someone better than you. Regardless of how her career pans out after There’s always someone working harder than college, Barlow has already cemented herself you,” Barlow said. “It helped me develop a as an Aggie legend and a role model for the mindset that I don’t want to be slacking. I entire team. want to be working hard and being proud of the effort that I’m putting in.”
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The volleyball journey of Utah State’s
Mara Štiglic Alici Archibald
Sophomore Mara Štiglic is killing it over 6,000 miles away from her hometown Rijeka, Croatia. Since joining Utah State University Volleyball, Štiglic has quickly made a name for herself as a standout player. She plays as an outside hitter, an offensive leader that typically serves as the team’s primary attacker. Štiglic’s volleyball career started at 11 years old when she fell in love with the sport. Just a few years later at 13, she joined the Croatian National Volleyball Team. Her international experience expanded in 2020 and 2021, when Štiglic helped lead her volleyball club HAOK Rijeka to a secondplace finish in the Croatian Volleyball Cup.
She then helped lead her team to a fifthplace finish at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U19 World Championship alongside fellow USU player Kate Lijic. In 2023, she was named the MVP of the Middle European Volleyball Zonal Association. Rob Neilson, head coach of USU Volleyball, first discovered Štiglic two years ago. Neilson was in Croatia with a Mountain West All-Star team and saw Croatia’s national team compete. He was impressed watching Štiglic play.
Photo by: Hadley Sintay
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“She was the best player on the court,” Neilson said. USU signed setter Lijic for the 2024 season. When Lijic was asked if anyone from her national team was interested in joining, she said Štiglic may be.
Unfortunately, Štiglic faced challenges early in her collegiate career when she hurt her ankle, taking her out of play for the first month and missing most of the preseason games. But she made it back right in time for conference play, making a comeback Neilson described as “phenomenal.”
“We were thrilled,” Neilson said. “We were so “She was really good, especially for a freshman, excited because we knew the type of player you know, her first time,” Neilson said. that she was and how athletically gifted she is.” Štiglic encountered another setback in the Even before becoming her coach, Neilson second half of conference play when she said he had a connection with Štiglic and her injured her back. She was out of play until culture. About 20 years ago, Neilson served USU’s playoff match, returning with a strong a mission in Croatia for the Church of Jesus performance. In this game, Neilson said she Christ of Latter-day Saints. “played really well in a match that we ended up losing, but she was a bright spot for us.” “It was really fun, you know, speaking a little bit of the language, getting to know her and her Štiglic said though she’s dealt with several family,” he said. injuries, that won’t stop her. Before starting her first season with USU in “I feel like it only makes me like stronger,” she 2024, Štiglic competed in the Junior European said. “I was cheering for my team, and I feel Volleyball Championship with the Croatia like that made me more connected to them.” team. She started practice at USU late, but Neilson noted she quickly took the opportunity Despite her injuries last year, as a true to showcase her skills. freshman, Štiglic appeared in 15 matches, starting in eight. She finished her first season “The first day where she really showed what with an impressive 156 kills, 52 digs, 30 blocks she could do, she just hammers this ball, and and 7 aces. Her performance ranked her No. 2 everybody kind of freaked out in the gym,” on the team with 2.79 kills per set and No. 10 Neilson said. in the Mountain West, averaging 3 kills per set during league play.
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Štiglic said her decision to attend USU was driven by her desire to pursue her education. She wanted to go to school but didn’t want to stop playing volleyball.
“You’re not alone,” she said. “Even if you mess up, you always have someone who’s got your back.”
“In Croatia, doing both of those things is really hard,” she said.
As the 2025 season progresses, Štiglic acknowledged their preseason record has not met their expectations, but she remains optimistic.
Currently majoring in marketing, Štiglic is also excelling off the court. Last year, she was named a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Mountain West honoree due to her 4.0 GPA.
“I feel like we’re only going to grow from this and we’re going to be really good in the Mountain West Conference,” she said.
“She’s the coolest kid,” Neilson said. “She just fits in. She adds so much to our culture.” Looking ahead, Štiglic plans to go back to Europe and play pro volleyball for another few years after graduation. Her favorite part of volleyball is playing with a team.
Looking forward, Neilson said their team is excited to see what she will do. “We’re really excited about the progress that she will make,” he said. “I think she’s going to be a rock star for us.”
Photo by: Jack Burton
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