LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's tennis senior Jean-Baptiste Badon has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, April 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.
 
Badon led Utah State to a Mountain West Tournament title and earned MW Tournament MVP honors, going 3-1 across singles and doubles play to help USU to wins against No. 8 Nevada (4-0) in the quarterfinals, No. 4 UNLV (4-3) in the semifinals and No. 3 Boise State (4-3) in the championship match. Against the Wolf Pack, Badon was one point away from victory in both his doubles and singles match before leaving both abandoned after the clinching points were reached elsewhere. Against the Rebels, Badon defeated the MW Player of the Year and the ITA's 65th-ranked singles player in the nation, 6-3, 6-2, in a crucial match for the Aggies to eventually score the 4-3 win and advance to the championship match. In the title match against the Broncos, Badon first teamed with sophomore Dmitri Goubin for a 7-5 win at the second position to clinch the doubles point. At No. 1 singles, Badon stormed back from a dropped first set and outlasted his Bronco opponent in a third-set tiebreaker for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory to clinch the tournament championship.

This is Badon's second time in his career being named the AFCU USU Student-Athlete of the Week.

Next Up
USU awaits their fate in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship during the selection show today at 2 p.m. (MT), streaming on NCAA.com.

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:
SOFTBALL – Senior catcher Grace Matej (Orangevale, California) led Utah State during an 0-4 showing last week with games at Utah Valley (L; 4-10) and versus Colorado State (L, 8-11 (8); L, 5-7; L, 6-15 (5)). Matej began the week by going 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Wolverines. In game one against the Rams, she went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. In the second game, she went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. She finished the week by going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, an RBI and a run scored. In total, Matej hit .571 (8-for-14) on the week with a double, two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored. She had a .571 on base percentage and a 1.071 slugging percentage.
  
WOMEN'S TENNIS – Sophomore Maria Paula Ramos Garcia (Guatemala City, Guatemala) helped Utah State to the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament, going 2-0 across singles and doubles play during the tournament as USU defeated No. 11 San Jose State (4-2) in the opening round before falling to No. 3 UNLV (4-1) in the quarterfinals. Against the Spartans, Ramos Garcia scored a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles alongside freshman Chahd Tourkhani to help the Aggies take a 1-0 lead in the match with the doubles point. Ramos Garcia then provided the clinching point in singles play, scoring a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory at the third position to send USU into the quarterfinals. Against the Rebels, Ramos Garcia had her doubles match left unfinished while ahead, 4-3, after the clinching point was reached. In singles, Ramos Garcia battled back at the third position and was one point away from sending her match to a third set before the match was again left unfinished.
 
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD – Junior Walker Deede (Springville, Utah) broke his own personal record by almost 13 feet as he posted a throw of 74.90 meters (245-9) in a dominating victory in the men's javelin at the USU-hosted Aggie Invitational this past weekend. On his second attempt, Deede set a personal best for the third time in four meets and moved into second place in both Utah State and MW history in the event, ranking only behind two-time USU All-American Sindri Gudmundsson. The two-time MW silver medalist leads the conference by over 22 feet and ranks as the 10th-best javelin thrower in the country.
 
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD – Senior Valerie Clark (Mona, Utah) broke the Utah State record in the women's javelin at the USU-hosted Aggie Invitational this past weekend. Clark launched three-straight personal-best throws to open the competition, culminating with her record mark of 53.60 meters (175-10). She broke Mia Estes's 2018 record of 51.38 meters (168-7) on her second throw before topping it again on her third. Clark beat her previous personal-best of 49.07 meters (161-0) by over 14 feet. With her throw, Clark currently ranks second in the MW and 19th in the nation in the javelin.
 
2025-26 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners
Sept. 1 – Miles Davis, Football
Sept. 8 – John Miller, Football
Sept. 15 – Bryson Barnes, Football
Sept. 22 – Bryson Barnes, Football
Sept. 29 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball
Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball
Oct. 13 – Tess Werts, Soccer
Oct. 20 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball
Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball
Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic, Volleyball 
Nov. 10 – Rine Yonaha, Soccer
Nov. 17 – Garry Clark, Men's Basketball
Nov. 24 – MJ Collins Jr., Men's Basketball
Dec. 1 – Andrea Simovski, Volleyball
Dec. 8 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball
Dec. 15 – Javin Richards, Track and Field
Dec. 22 – Mason Falslev, Men's Basketball
Jan. 5 – MJ Collins Jr., Men's Basketball
Jan. 12 – MJ Collins Jr., Men's Basketball
Jan. 19 – Ayodele Ojo, Jr., Track and Field
Jan. 26 – Sydney Jelen, Gymnastics
Feb. 2 – Landon Bott, Track and Field
Feb. 9 – Mason Falslev, Men's Basketball
Feb. 16 – Jayden Holdsworth, Track and Field
Feb. 23 – Olivia Orengo, Gymnastics
March 2 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field
March 9 – Nyla Morabito, Gymnastics
March 16 – Logan Hammer, Track and Field
March 23 – Mya Witte, Gymnastics
March 30 – Ayodele Ojo, Jr., Track and Field
April 6 – Jean-Baptiste Badon, Men's Tennis
April 13 – Roman Venger, Men's Tennis
April 20 – Logan Garnica, Track and Field
April 27 – Jean-Baptiste Badon, Men's Tennis

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