LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women's tennis sophomore Terezia Mlkva has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Nov. 8. 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.
 
Mlkva became the first Aggie women's tennis player to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships with a three-match run at the ITA Conference Masters Championship in Rome, Georgia. Mlkva took down Omaha's Katelynn Kock in the opening round with a 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory before defeating Buffalo's Sarah Hartel in the second round, 6-4, 6-3. In the quarterfinals with a spot in the NCAA Championship on the line, Mlkva defeated FIU's Sofia Fernandez Figueras, 6-3, 6-4, to book her ticket to Athens. Complete with her four-match run at the Pac-12 Qualifier several weeks ago to reach the ITA Conference Masters, Mlkva won seven-straight singles matches to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championship.

This is Mlkva's second time in his career being named the AFCU USU Student-Athlete of the Week after earning the award following her run at the Pac-12 Qualifier.

Fans can follow USU's women's tennis team on Twitter @USUWomensTennis, on Facebook at /UtahStateWomensTennis or on Instagram at USUWomensTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics. 
 
Join The Big Blue Club
Gifts to the Big Blue Club provide the resources necessary to build championship-caliber programs. It also comes with great benefits, including complimentary parking at football and men's basketball games, access to the best seat locations, exclusive ticket presales, and more. Join online here or contact a member of the Big Blue Club via email or by phone at (435) 797-2583.
 
Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:
MEN'S TENNIS
Sophomore Jakub Medved (Banská Bystrica, Slovakia) led men's tennis at the Easley Memorial Classic. Seeded third and earning a first-round bye, Medved defeated Idaho State's Hayden Ciguenza in the second round, 1-6, 6-4, 6–4 to reach the quarterfinal round. Medved also combined with sophomore Emmanuel Alex to score an 8-6 win in doubles play over Idaho State's Sam Wensley and Jack Calleri. 

VOLLEYBALL
Junior outside hitter Olivia Ruy (Salt Lake City, Utah) recorded 34 kills in a pair of Pac-12 home wins last week over Texas State (3-2) and Oregon State (3-0). Ruy hit .356 for the week on 73 attempts, averaging 4.25 kills per set. Against the Bobcats, she finished with a team-high 21 kills, her third match this season with at least 20 kills, while recording a .362 hitting percentage and tying her career-high with six blocks. In USU's sweep of OSU, Ruy added 13 kills on 26 attempts, recording a team-high .346 hitting percentage for the match while also adding a block.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Freshman forward Nicole Ogun (Kirkkonummi, Finland) led USU during a 1-2 week to open the season with a win over Westminster (61-45) followed by losses to LMU (70-45) and No. 3 USC (118-40). Ogun averaged a team-high 11.0 points per game alongside 7.7 rebounds per contest while adding four steals, three blocks and three assists. Against the Griffins, Ogun scored 19 points in her collegiate debut, recording a double-double with 11 rebounds and adding two blocks, two assists and three steals. Ogun then scored eight points and added eight rebounds with a block and a steal against LMU. Ogun wrapped her week with six points and four rebounds with an assist against the Trojans.

FOOTBALL
Sophomore defensive tackle Carson Tujague (Crozet, Virginia) led a Utah State defense that recorded 10 tackles for loss and held Fresno State to just 16 rushing yards in the Aggies' 17-10 victory. The 10 TFLs were the most since Utah State recorded 13 against San Diego State, while the 16 rushing yards were the fewest allowed since the Aggies held San José State to 12 in 2021. It also marked the third consecutive game USU held its opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards.

Tujague finished with four tackles, including two solo stops, and added two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. His two pass breakups tied his career high, which he set earlier this season against Washington State, and brought his season total to seven.

SOCCER
Senior forward Kate Christian (Kennewick, Washington) led Utah State to a 1-0-0 week with a 2-0 win over San Diego State on Thursday to secure the Pac-12 regular-season championship. Against the Aztecs, Christian scored the game-winning goal with a highlight strike in the 68th minute. She also led all players with six shots in the match, while starting and playing 62 minutes. 

MEN'S BASKETBALL 
Junior guard Mason Falslev (Benson, Utah) helped Utah State to a 2-0 record last week with a 94-58 win over Idaho State on Monday and a 90-56 win over Omaha on Saturday. Against the Bengals, Falslev scored nine points to go along with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, while shooting 3-of-7 from the floor, 0-of-1 from deep and 3-of-4 at the free throw line. Against the Mavericks, he totaled game highs of 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, along with four steals while shooting 10-of-17 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range and 1-of-2 at the free throw line. For the week, Falslev averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game, while shooting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field, 25.0 percent (1-of-4) from 3-point range and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) at the free throw line.

2026-27 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners
Aug. 31 — Ellie Hendrix, Soccer
Sept. 6 — Jedediah Megargel, Cross Country
Sept. 13 — Solena Sellers, Soccer
Sept. 20 — Mia Lopez, Soccer
Sept. 27 — Grady Brosterhous, Football
Oct. 4 — Hadli Barrera, Soccer
Oct. 11 — Xavier Calvelo, Men's Tennis
Oct. 18 — Sabina Pintea, Women's Tennis 
Oct. 25 — Terezia Mlkva, Women's Tennis
Nov. 1 — McCae Hillstead, Football
Nov. 8 — Terezia Mlkva, Women's Tennis

 - USU -