LOGAN, Utah – Utah State Athletics held its Sagebrush Awards Banquet on Monday night in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom on the USU campus, honoring excellence in athletics, education, service and leadership during the 2024-25 academic year. The event was sponsored by America First Credit Union.
The top honor of the night went to senior track & field/cross country student-athlete Emma Thornley, who was named the Joe E. Whitesides Award Winner. Thornley has a 4.00 grade point average majoring in kinesiology.
The event began by recognizing junior track & field athlete Logan Hammer and senior soccer player Kaitlyn Richins, who were honored at this year’s Robins Awards as the Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Junior track & field runner Marshall Rasmussen received the Aggie Achievement Award, for demonstrating perseverance in the eyes of adversity.
Gymnastics senior Dani Kirstine and men’s track & field senior Joshua Hartvigsen received the Wayne Estes Memorial Award, which is presented to a female and male graduating senior who excels in scholarship, citizenship and leadership.
Jake Okelberry and Zach Schwager received the Mentor and Tutor of the Year, respectively, while Claire Jones (mentor/tutor) and Kevin Shaffer (women’s basketball) were honored as Student Assistants of the Year.
Utah State handed out team honors as men’s basketball was recognized as the most improved academic team with less than 20 members, while football was the most improved academic team with more than 20 members. Women’s cross country was the most outstanding academic team with more than 20 members, while gymnastics was the most outstanding academic team with less than 20 members.
Utah State then recognized Utah State’s 266 student-athletes that earned Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete honors. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or have posted a 3.2 GPA during the last two semesters. The Whitesides honors were started in 1953 by former USU athlete, coach and athletics director Joe E. Whitesides.
The USU’s Registrar’s Office received the Meet the Challenge Award in recognition of significant contributions toward our student-athletes academic services, and more importantly, to our Aggie student-athletes.
Soccer senior Kaylie Chambers and Hartvigsen were named the Male and Female Sagebrush Award winners. The Sagebrush Award is the highest honor given by Utah State Athletics for all-around excellence. It recognizes one male and one female student-athlete who exemplify leadership and distinction across four key areas: athletic performance, academic achievement, service and community engagement, and ground-level leadership.
Hammer and soccer junior Grace Matej were named the Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year as voted on by the student-athletes.
Golf sophomore Enrique Karg and track and field freshman Abbie Scott were named the Male and Female Rookie of the Year.
Senior men’s basketball player Ian Martinez and track and field junior Krysthina Vlahovic were named the Male and Female International Athlete of the Year.
Junior track and field runners Samuel Green and Elizabeth Phillips were named the Male and Female Transfer of the Year.
Redshirt junior softball player Kaylee Erickson was named the Comeback Player of the Year after missing all but two games of the 2024 season due to injury.
The Male Performance of the Year went to senior tennis player Sergi Mico Fenollar, who won the 67th annual Men’s Intercollegiate Championship Singles Title last fall, while junior pitcher Carly Limosnero won the Female Performance of the Year Award as she pitched a complete game in USU’s 6-4 win against No. 19 Baylor.
Gymnastics claimed the Moment of the Year Award for winning the Mountain West Championship and softball was awarded the Upset of the Year for its 6-4 victory against No. 19 Baylor.
Soccer was the Team of the Year after winning its second-straight Mountain West Tournament and advancing to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, while soccer’s Manny Martins was named Coach of the Year.
Women’s tennis won the Team Service Award as the group had over 222 hours of service during the academic year.
Below is a list of each award nominee and subsequent winner.
Joe E. Whitesides Award Winner
• Emma Thornley, Women’s Cross Country / Track & Field
Robins Award Winner
• Logan Hammer, Men’s Track & Field
• Kaitlyn Richins, Soccer
Tutor of the Year
• Zach Schwager
Mentor of the Year
• Jake Okelberry
Most Improved Academic Team
• Football – More than 20 Members
• Men’s Basketball – Less than 20 Members
Most Outstanding Academic Team
• Women’s Cross Country – More than 20 Members
• Gymnastics – Less than 20 Members
Meet the Challenge Award
• USU Registrar’s Office
Aggie Achievement Award
• Marshall Rasmussen, Men’s Track & Field
Wayne Estes Memorial Award
• Dani Kirstine, Gymnastics
• Joshua Hartvigsen, Men’s Track & Field
Female Sagebrush Award
• Kaylie Chambers, Soccer (WINNER)
• Dani Kirstine, Gymnastics
• Indya Nespor, Women’s Tennis
Male Sagebrush Award
• Joshua Hartvigsen, Men’s Track & Field (WINNER)
• Julio Arronte, Golf
• Sergi Mico Fenollar, Men’s Tennis
Female Student-Athlete of the Year
• Grace Matej, Softball (WINNER)
• Brianna Brooks, Gymnastics
• Adna Mehmedovic, Volleyball
• Indya Nespor, Women’s Tennis
• Kaityln Richins, Soccer
• Cheyenne Stubbs, Women’s Basketball
• Emma Thornley, Women’s Cross Country / Track & Field
Male Student-Athlete of the Year
• Logan Hammer, Men’s Track & Field (WINNER)
• Julio Arronte, Golf
• Rahsul Faison, Football
• Sergi Mico Fenollar, Men’s Tennis
• Ian Martinez, Men’s Basketball
• Camren Todd, Men’s Cross Country
Female Rookie of the Year
• Abbie Scott, Track & Field (WINNER)
• Ellie Hendrix, Soccer
• Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball
• Carlie Latta, Women’s Basketball
• Olivia Orengo, Gymnastics
• Natalie Paterova, Women’s Tennis
Male Rookie of the Year
• Enrique Karg, Golf (WINNER)
• Jordy Barnes, Men’s Basketball
• Daniel Chase, Men’s Track & Field
• Noah Flores, Football
• Dmitri Goubin, Men’s Tennis
• Joshua McKee, Men’s Cross Country
Female International Athlete of the Year
• Krysthina Vlahovic, Track & Field (WINNER)
• Nyla Morabito, Gymnastics
• Natalie Paterova, Women’s Tennis
• Sophia Sene, Women’s Basketball
• Andrea Simovski, Volleyball
• Rine Yonaha, Soccer
Male International Athlete of the Year
• Ian Martinez, Men’s Basketball (WINNER)
• Sergi Mico Fenollar, Men’s Tennis
• Esteban Jaramillo, Golf
• Stephen Kotsanlee, Football
Female Transfer of the Year
• Elizabeth Phillips, Track & Field (WINNER)
• Ali Ashner, Softball
• Tierney Barlow, Volleyball
• Cora Brendle, Soccer
• Olivia Halvorsen, Women’s Tennis
• Jamisyn Heaton, Women’s Basketball
Male Transfer of the Year
• Samuel Green, Track & Field (WINNER)
• Drake Allen, Men’s Basketball
• Jordan Vincent, Football
Female Student Assistant of the Year
• Claire Jones, Mentor/Tutor
Male Student Assistant of the Year
• Kevin Shaffer, Women’s Basketball
Comeback Player of the Year
• Kaylee Erickson, Softball (WINNER)
• Ike Larsen, Football
• Marshall Rasmussen, Men’s Track & Field
• Keanu Rigby, Men’s Tennis
• Cielo Tapia-Cruz, Women’s Tennis
Female Performance of the Year
• Carly Limosnero, Softball (WINNER) – Limosnero pitched a complete game in Utah State’s 6-4 win against No. 19 Baylor, the team’s first win over a top 20 opponent since 2010. She pitched all 7.0 innings, facing 34 batters and allowing just two extra base hits, to go along with two strikeouts.
• Kaylie Chambers, Soccer – Chambers scored both of Utah State’s goals in its Mountain West Championship game win against Boise State. She scored in the 10th minute and again in the 25th minute as she was named the MW Tournament Most Valuable Player.
• Elise Livingston, Women’s Basketball – Livingston scored a season high 22 points as she went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final four minutes to help turn a tie game into a 70-64 win at San Jose State.
• Andrea Simovski, Volleyball – Simovski recorded a season high 28 kills in Utah State’s five-set win against Boise State.
Male Performance of the Year
• Sergi Mico Fenollar, Men’s Tennis (WINNER) – Fenollar won the 67th annual Men’s Intercollegiate Championship Singles Title with a straight set win over the top-seeded player, securing entry into an ATP event.
• Bryson Barnes, Football – Barnes was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week following his performance in Utah State’s 41-20 home win against San Diego State. Barnes accounted for four touchdowns and had 332 yards of total offense as he came off the bench in the second quarter to lead the team to a come-from-behind win. In the game, he set a single-game school record for rushing yards by a quarterback as he gained a career-high 193 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown for his first career 100-yard rushing game in only 2.5 quarters of play. He was also 13-of-15 passing for 139 yards and a season-high three touchdowns against the Aztecs.
• Mason Falslev, Men’s Basketball – Falslev recorded 27 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals in Utah State’s 88-67 home win against South Florida as he was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. He played 39 minutes and went 10-of-18 from the field, 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
• Logan Hammer, Men’s Track & Field – Hammer won the Mountain West Outdoor title in the pole vault with his clearance of 5.62m (18-5.25) to break his own school record of 5.53m (18-1.75) and the all-time MW record of 5.61m (18-4.75). His jump ranked as the seventh-best performance in the country.
• Camren Todd, Men’s Cross Country – Todd earned All-American honors as he placed 25th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships as he roared back from 75th place at the 5K mark of the race, the largest comeback of any All-American runner. Todd became the seventh cross country All-American in school history.
Moment of the Year
• Gymnastics (WINNER) – Utah State won its first-ever Mountain West Championship and its seventh conference title all-time as it defeated regular season champion Boise State, along with Air Force and San Jose State with a team score of 196.100.
• Tanner Cragun, Football – Cragun made a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give Utah State a 27-25 win at Wyoming. It was USU’s first walk-off field goal since 2019.
• Men’s Cross Country – The men’s cross country finished 22nd at the NCAA National Championships, its fifth appearance in program history. The team placed fourth at the NCAA Mountain Regional to claim an at-large berth to nationals.
• Golf – Utah State finished second with a team score of 5-under 859 (290-285-284) at the Air Force Invitational as three Aggies placed in the top 20. It was USU’s best finish at the Air Force Invitational since 1980 when All-American Jay Don Blake led the Aggies to the team title.
• Logan Hammer, Men’s Track & Field – Hammer won the pole vault competition at the USU-hosted Roman Ruiz Speed and Power Meet in the Nelson Fieldhouse with a height of 5.60m (18-4.5) to break his own school record of 5.55m (18-2.5). He also broke the Nelson Fieldhouse facility record of 5.50m (18-0.5) set by former Aggie Lance White in 1998.
• Ian Martinez, Men’s Basketball – Martinez converted a four-point play in the final seconds against Boise State to help Utah State come back from double-digits for the 81-79 win. USU trailed by two points prior to Martinez hitting a 3-pointer and getting fouled with seven seconds to play to give USU an 81-79 win.
• Soccer – Utah State was selected to host an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history, earning a No. 8 seed and hosting Washington.
• Sergi, Mico Fenollar, Men’s Tennis – Fenollar won the 67th annual Men’s Intercollegiate Championship Singles Title with a straight set win over the top-seeded player, securing entry into an ATP event.
Upset of the Year
• Softball (WINNER) – Utah State defeated No. 19 Baylor in College Station, Texas, 6-4 as the Aggies scored four runs in the first inning and led the rest of the way, with Carly Limosnero pitching a complete game. It was the team’s first win over a top 20 opponent since 2010.
• Men’s Basketball – Utah State defeated No. 20 San Diego State 67-66 on a buzzer-beater from Tucker Anderson, overcoming an 18-point deficit. It was USU’s first road win over a top 25 team since 1991, and second-ever win at San Diego State.
• Soccer – Utah State defeated No. 16 BYU in Provo 2-1 for its third win in program history against a ranked opponent. Tess Werts scored the game-winner in the 57th minute.
Coach of the Year
• Manny Martins, Soccer (WINNER)
• Jerrod Calhoun, Men’s Basketball
• Artie Gulden, Cross Country
• Kristin White, Gymnastics
Team of the Year
• Soccer (WINNER)
• Men’s Basketball
• Men’s Cross Country
• Gymnastics
Team Service Award
• Women’s Tennis (WINNER)
• Gymnastics
• Soccer
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