LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's tennis junior Bodin Zarkovic has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending Sunday, Sept.26. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
With their sponsorship of the Student-Athlete of the Week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Zarkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) reached the semifinals in singles play, including wins over No. 6 Bruno Caula of Utah (6-3, 6-1), No. 24 Francisco Bascon from Idaho (6-4, 6-4) and No. 32 Matheus Leite of BYU (6-4, 6-4) at ITA Regionals held in Provo, Utah. The transfer from Minnesota did not drop a set during singles play until the semifinal round, which is the furthest a USU player has advanced at ITA Regionals since 2016. Playing alongside junior David Cierny in doubles play, Zarkovic also advanced to the quarterfinal round via victories over teams from Weber State and New Mexico.

Utah State men's tennis is currently in the midst of their fall tournament season and will be represented this week at the ITA All-Americans by senior Felipe Acosta, starting on Saturday. The Aggies will then head to Salt Lake City for the Utah Invitational on Oct. 8.

Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at /UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUMensTennis.  Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

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

FOOTBALL – Graduate junior running back Calvin Tyler Jr. (Beaumont, Texas) posted his second-straight 100-yard rushing game as he had a career-high 20 carries for 126 yards in Utah State's 27-3 Mountain West home loss to Boise State.

GOLF – Freshman Esteban Jaramillo (Bogota, Colombia) was the top Aggie placer at last week's Colorado State-hosted Ram Masters Invitational as he tied for 46th at 29-over 239. It was Jaramillo's first collegiate tournament at Utah State, which finished in 16th place. Jaramillo led the Aggies with 27 pars at the tournament. He also recorded his first-career birdie.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY – Graduate senior Connor Weaver (Parker, Colorado) helped lead the 17th-ranked Utah State men's cross country squad to the team title at the Idaho State Invitational. In his first competition of the season for the Aggies, Weaver was the top overall finisher in the 6K race with a time of 18:14.1. USU finished with 26 points, while Utah Valley was a distant second at 46 points and the host Bengals were third with 58 points.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY – Senior LeAnn Larkin-Hatch (Shelley, Idaho) helped lead the Utah State women's cross country squad to the team title at the Idaho State Invitational. Larkin-Hatch was the first Aggie to cross the finish line as she placed second in the 6K race with a time of with a time of 22:28.0. USU finished with 32 points to beat host Idaho State (34 points) and Utah Valley (58 points).

SOCCER – Senior forward Jordan Foraker (Anchorage, Alaska) scored the game winner in both matches last week as Utah State posted a pair of Mountain West victories with a 2-1 home win against Nevada and a 2-0 road win at UNLV as the Aggies started the conference season a perfect 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Against the Wolf Pack, Foraker put the game winner away in the 87th minute on her only shot. Against the Lady Rebels, Foraker logged the game winner in the 22nd minute on her only shot. For the week, Foraker recorded two goals on two shots in 102 minutes.

WOMEN'S TENNIS – Sophomore Lisa Küng (Stein am Rhein, Switzerland) captured third place in the Gray Singles Draw at the Washington State Classic, winning the third-place match after her opponent withdrew. For the weekend, Küng went 4-1 in singles matches, including straight-set victories over Jayanne Palma from Idaho, Ivayla Mitkova from Montana and Makoto Ohara from Portland State. Partnered with senior Gabrielle Dekkers in doubles play, Küng also placed fourth in the Crimson Doubles Draw.

VOLLEYBALL – Senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen (Sandy, Utah) helped Utah State to a 1-1 Mountain West road record last week with a 3-2 win at Wyoming and a 3-0 loss at Colorado State. Against the Cowgirls, Larsen led the Aggies with a career-high 18 kills, hitting .405 (18-3-37). She also added six blocks, with one solo and five assists, along with two digs. Against the Rams, Larsen recorded two kills on eight attempts (.250), adding two service aces. On the week, Larsen hit .378 (20-3-45), averaging 2.50 kills and 0.75 blocks per set.
 
2021-22 America First Credit Union Student-Athletes of the Week
Aug. 30 - Ashley Cardozo, Soccer
Sept. 6 - Deven Thompkins, Football
Sept. 13 - Sammie Murdock, Soccer
Sept. 20 - Tenzi Knowles, Soccer
Sept. 27 - Bodin Zarkovic, Men's Tennis

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