Weekly Aggie Update
WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - FEBRUARY 27, 2023
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
This Week
Wed., March 1 --- at UNLV, 9 p.m. (MT) (CBSSN)
Sat., March 4 --- BOISE STATE, 7 p.m. (MWN)
• Utah State men's basketball (22-7, 11-5 MW) concludes Mountain West action this week with a pair of games as it plays at UNLV (17-11, 6-10 MW) on Wednesday, March 1, at 9 p.m. (MT) and hosts Boise State (22-7, 12-4 MW) on Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m. USU 13-34 all-time against the Rebels, including a 3-19 road record, and 34-21 all-time against the Broncos, including a 20-4 home record. USU's game at UNLV will be televised live on CBS Sports Network (Xfinity Ch. 269/753 HD, DISH Ch. 158, DirecTV Ch. 221), while its game against BSU will be streamed live on the MW Network and available at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
W, 65-55 --- at Wyoming
• Utah State posted a 65-55 win at Wyoming in its only game last week. Overall, USU shot 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the floor, 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from deep and 72.7 percent (16-of-22) at the free throw line. UW shot 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the field, 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from behind the arc, and 75.0 percent (15-of-20) at the free throw line. Three Aggies scored in double figures in junior guard Steven Ashworth (19), junior guard Max Shulga (11) and graduate forward Dan Akin (11).
MEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Adalee Randall - (435) 797-8584
Next Week
Wed., March 8 --- at UC Riverside, 4 p.m. (MT)
Thur., March 9 --- at UC Santa Barbara, 2 p.m. (MT)
Sat., March 11 --- at UC Irvine, 3 p.m. (MT)
• Utah State men's tennis (4-7, 0-0 MW) continues its 2023 spring season next week with three matches as it plays at UC Riverside (4-8) on Wednesday, March 8, at 4 p.m. (MT), at UC Santa Barbara (9-1) on Thursday, March 9, at 2 p.m. (MT), and at UC Irvine (1-4) on Saturday, March 11, at 3 p.m. (MT).
Last Week
at Arizona State Invitational
L, 2-4 --- vs. Loyola Marymount
L, 2-4 --- vs. No. 55 New Mexico
W, 4-2 --- vs. Idaho
• Utah State posted a 1-2 record last week with a pair of 4-2 losses to Loyola Marymount and No. 55 New Mexico, and a 4-2 win against Idaho at the Arizona State Invitational. Against the Lions, senior David Cierny posted a three-sets win at No. 1 singles (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) and teamed with fellow senior Bodin Zarkovic for a 6-3 win at the first doubles position. At No. 5 singles, freshman Nuno Pinheiro won his match in three sets (6-7, 6-0, 7-5). Against the Lobos, USU took the doubles point as junior Stijn Paardekooper and freshman Nuno Pinheiro posted a 6-4 win at the second position, while senior Javier Ruiz and junior Jack Ninteman notched a 6-3 win at the third position. In singles play, Zarkovic won in straight sets at the No. 2 spot (6-1, 6-3). And against the Vandals, USU won the doubles point with a 6-3 win at the first position by partners Cierny and Zarkovic, and a 6-4 win at the second position by Paardekooper and Pinheiro. In singles, Zarkovic won in straight sets at the No. 2 spot (6-4, 6-1), Savin won in straight sets at the No. 4 spot (7-5, 6-4) and Pinheiro won in straight sets at the No. 5 spot (6-3, 7-5).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Ajay Salvesen - (435) 797-2066
This Week
Tue., Feb. 28 --- SAN JOSÉ STATE, 6 p.m. (MWN)
Sun., March 4 --- MW Championships, Las Vegas, Nevada (MWN)
• Utah State's women's basketball (4-24, 1-16 MW) concludes its regular season with a home game against San José State (4-24, 2-15 MW) on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. USU is 19-15 all-time against SJSU. The Aggies will then head to Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete in the 2023 Mountain West Championships, beginning on Sunday, March 4. Fans can watch every game via the Mountain West Network, streaming online at www.utahstateaggies.com/watch.
Last Week
L, 32-86 --- at No. 24 UNLV
L, 55-111 --- at New Mexico
• Utah State posted a 0-2 Mountain West record last week with an 86-32 loss at No. 24 UNLV and a 111-55 loss at New Mexico. Against the Rebels, sophomore Cristina Oliva and freshman Natalie Fraley led the Aggies with seven points apiece. USU shot 18.0 percent (11-for-61) from the field, 18.2 percent (6-for-33) from behind the arc, and 57.1 percent (4-for-7) at the free throw line. UNLV shot 50.0 percent (32-for-64) from the floor, 33.3 percent (10-for-30) from 3-point range, and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the free throw line. And against the Lobos, graduate guard Maria Carvalho led USU with 20 points, while graduate forward Mayson Kimball added 11 points. USU shot 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the floor, 23.3 percent (7-for-30) from 3-point range and 72.7 percent (8-for-11) at the free throw line. UNM shot 54.8 percent (40-for-73) from the field, 48.5 percent (16-for-33) from the arc, and 83.3 percent (15-for-18) from the charity stripe.
GYMNASTICS
Contact: Wade Denniston - (435) 797-1361
This Week
Fri., March 3 --- ALASKA / NEBRASKA, 7 p.m.
• Utah State gymnastics (1-8, 1-7 MRGC) continues its 2023 season this weekend when the Aggies welcome Alaska (2-7) and Nebraska (6-6) for a Senior Night tri meet on Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
Last Week
L, 195.425-196.450 --- at BYU
• Senior Alivia Ostendorf captured two titles and junior Brianna Brooks won the all-around and tied for first on beam to highlight Utah State's 196.450-195.425 loss at BYU last weekend. Brooks scored a 39.050 to win her fourth all-around title of the season and had a career-high-tying 9.900 on beam. Ostendorf placed first on vault with a personal-best 9.900, which is tied for eighth all-time in school history, and placed first on floor with a 9.900. Graduate senior Carley Bayles matched Brooks' 9.900 on beam to tie for first on the event. USU opened the meet with a 48.775 on bars. Brooks, senior Jessica Gutierrez and sophomore Dani Kirstine had matching 9.775s to tie for fourth. In the second rotation, Ostendorf led the way on vault with her 9.900, while sophomore Payton Gatzlaff tied for second with a career-high 9.875 as the Aggies finished with a 48.675. On beam in the third rotation, Bayles and Brooks helped the Aggies record a 48.975 on the event with their 9.900s. Senior Sofi Sullivan tied for fourth with a 9.875 and Ostendorf tied for seventh with a season-high 9.800. Closing the meet on floor, USU scored a 49.000. Senior Ariel Toomey gave the Aggies a pair of top-three placers as she tied for third with a 9.850, while Gatzlaff tied for seventh with a 9.800.
TRACK & FIELD
Contact: Daniel Hansen - (435) 797-8584
Next Competition
Fri.-Sat., March 24-25 --- at Arizona Invite, All Day
Sat., March 25 --- at Utah Valley Invite, All Day
• Utah State's men's and women's track & field teams will begin their respective outdoor seasons on Friday and Saturday, March 24-25 at a pair of meets. USU will compete at the Arizona Invite on Friday and Saturday, March 24-25, and at the Utah Valley Collegiate Invitational on Saturday, March 25.
Last Week
M: 5th/7; W: 10th/11--- at MW Championships, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Utah State's men placed fifth out of seven teams with 64 points, while the Aggie women finished 10th out of 11 teams with 30 points at the 2023 Mountain West Indoor Championships held last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Colorado State won the women's championship with 125.50 points, edging out New Mexico by a single point, while Air Force won the men's title with 208 points. The Aggies earned a total of six podium finishes across the three-day competition. USU's top finish of the weekend came in the men's high jump where junior Kelton Chenworth placed second with a personal-best mark of 2.12 meters (6-11.50). Chenworth's mark is tied for ninth all-time in school history. USU began the weekend with a pair of third-place finishes in the men's and women's distance medley relay. On the women's side, juniors Hannah Davidson, Olivia Smith and Mattie Geddes, plus senior Abby Jensen, recorded the second-fastest DMR time in school history at 11:33.21. Seniors Devin Pancake, Zack Bell and Christopher Kauffman, plus junior Brennan Benson, finished third with a time of 9:44.03 in the men's DMR, ranking as the third-best time in USU history. Senior Christopher Kauffman finished third in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:51.87, earning the third-place finish by a mere four-thousandths of a second. USU's final podium came in the competition's final event in the 4x400-meter relay. The Aggie quartet of seniors Skyler Andam, Zach Meyer and Zack Bell, plus freshman Carter Guiness, placed third with a season-best time of 3:15.16. Elsewhere on the weekend, junior Mattie Geddes recorded a fifth-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.14, ranking as the sixth-best time in the event in Aggie history. Graduate senior Mica Rivera placed fourth in the 5,000 meters, finishing with a time of 16:21.42, the second-fastest time in school history. Junior Peyton Teevens placed seventh overall in the pentathlon with 3,552 points, the best finish by an Aggie in the pentathlon since 2019 and the eighth-best total in the pentathlon in USU history. Teevens also won the 800 meters in the pentathlon with a time of 2:17.94.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Contact: Adalee Randall - (435) 797-8584
Next Week
Wed., March 8 --- at UC San Diego, 2 p.m. (MT)
Sat., March 11 --- vs. UC Irvine, San Diego, California, 11 a.m. (MT)
• Utah State women's tennis (3-3, 0-0 MW) continues its 2023 spring season next week in San Diego, California, as it plays at UC San Diego (5-5) on Wednesday, March 8, at 2 p.m. (MT) and against UC Irvine (3-2) on Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m. (MT).
Last Week
W, 5-2 --- IDAHO
• Utah State posted a 5-2 home win against Idaho last weekend in its only match. The Aggies took an early 1-0 lead by posting wins at all three doubles positions. Seniors Monique Burton and Zeynep Naz Ozturk posted a 6-4 win at the first position, senior Sidnee Lavatai and junior Lisa Küng notched a 6-2 win at the second position, and senior Annaliese County and junior Maile Brilhante posted a 6-0 win at the third position. In singles play, Küng won at the No. 1 spot (6-4, 7-5), Ozturk won at the No. 2 spot (6-4, 6-1), Burton won at the No. 3 spot (6-1, 6-1) and freshman Magdalena Nunez Pureco won at the No. 5 spot (7-6 (1), 6-1).
SOFTBALL
Contact: Ashley Springer - (435) 797-5547
Next Week
at Silicon Valley Classic II
Fri., March 10 --- at Santa Clara, 3:30 p.m. (MT)
Fri., March 10 --- vs. CS Northridge, 6 p.m. (MT)
Sat., March 11 --- vs. UC Davis, 1 p.m. (MT)
Sat., March 11 --- at Santa Clara, 6 p.m. (MT)
Sun., March 12 --- at Santa Clara, 9:30 a.m. (MT)
• Utah State softball (7-8, 0-0 MW) continues its 2023 season next weekend at the Silicon Valley Classic II in California. USU will begin the tournament on Friday, March 10, against Santa Clara (6-9) and CS Northridge (5-9) at 3:30 p.m. (MT) and 6 p.m. (MT), respectively. USU then plays UC Davis (6-3) and Santa Clara on Saturday, March 11, at 1 p.m. (MT) and 6 p.m. (MT), respectively. USU then concludes the tournament against Santa Clara on Sunday, March 12, at 9:30 a.m. (MT).
Last Week
at Grand Canyon Tournament, Phoenix, Arizona
L, 2-4 --- vs. South Dakota
L, 0-5 --- at Grand Canyon
W, 9-3 --- vs. Montana
W, 8-5 --- vs. South Dakota
W, 12-9 --- vs. Montana
• Utah State went 3-2 last weekend at the Grand Canyon Invitational as the Aggies swept Montana (W, 9-3; W, 12-9), split against South Dakota (L, 2-4; W, 8-5) and lost 5-0 to host Grand Canyon. Four Aggies saw time in the circle, combining for a 5.56 ERA. The USU pitching staff allowed 36 hits and 21 earned runs, while striking out 30 batters and walking 23. Freshman Jaden Colunga led the Aggies at the plate after batting .667 (4-of-6). As a team, USU hit .288 (40-of-139), including five doubles and seven home runs. Senior Makenzie Macfarlane led the Aggies with 32 putouts and 2 assists.
GOLF
Contact: Wade Denniston - (435) 797-1361
Next Competition
Mon.-Tues., March 27-28 --- at UC San Diego Invite, All Day
• Utah State's golf team returns to action on Monday and Tuesday, March 27-28, when the Aggies travel to the Golden State, for the UC San Diego Invitational, at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California.
Last Competition
3rd/10 --- at Southern Utah Invite
• Junior Josh Pehrson shot a 2-under 70 in the final round of the Southern Utah-hosted Thunderbird Invitational, helping Utah State to a third-place finish last month at Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George, Utah. Pehrson was one of two Aggies to place in the top 10 as he tied for fourth with a career-best-tying 54-hole score of 6-under 210 (66-75-70) on the par-72, 6,781-yard course. It marked the best placing of his career. Sophomore Julio Arronte Sanchez, playing as an individual, recorded the best finish of his career as he placed seventh with a career-best 4-under 212 (70-70-72). John Cook, who was tied for first heading into Sunday's final round, ended tied for 19th at 1-over 217. Utah State led Utah Valley by six strokes heading into the final round, but the Wolverines shot a final-round 16-under 272 to win the tournament by 20 strokes at 22-under (280-290-272=842) over second-place Weber State (292-288-282=862). The Aggies (278-286-299=863) finished a stroke back of the Wildcats at 1-under. Utah Valley's Brady McKinlay took home medalist honors at 9-under 207, including a final-round 7-under 72. USU sophomores Esteban Jaramillo (219, +3) and Luis Gerardo Cantu (225, +9) tied for 23rd and tied for 38th, respectively. Junior Javier Vazquez also tied for 38th, and sophomore Nathan Preslar (229, +13), playing as an individual, tied for 46th.
