Terezia Mlkva, a sophomore on the Utah State women's tennis team, has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Oct. 25. According to an October 26 announcement, the award is decided by a state-wide media panel.
Mlkva secured the program's first-ever individual conference title by winning the Pac-12 singles title at the Pac-12 Qualifier. During the tournament, she achieved four consecutive victories over the weekend. Her path to the title included two comeback wins, first against Colorado State's Annika Planinsek with a score of 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, and then against San Diego State's Constanza Fernandez Rincon with a score of 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1. She concluded her run with a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal victory over Washington State's Chisato Kanemaki.
Other nominees for the award included several student-athletes from various Utah State programs. Junior Eliot Nobel of men's tennis recorded a first-round singles victory over Boise State's Avery Avery Tallakson, 6-2, 6-3, before falling in the semifinals to San Diego State's Aleksi Lofman. In volleyball, sophomore setter Silina Damuni recorded nine double-doubles this season, including career-highs of 45 assists and 21 digs during road conference losses at Boise State and Oregon State.
In football, graduate wide receiver Anthony Garcia recorded a career-high eight receptions for 87 yards. During a game, Garcia caught an 18-yard pass from quarterback Grady Brosterhous and later threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to freshman Kaisa Watson to tie the game at 17. In soccer, senior forward Solena Sellers scored the lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Gonzaga on Sunday.
The America First Credit Union sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week award provides funds that are donated directly to support student-athlete scholarships. The Big Blue Club also provides resources for championship-caliber programs, offering benefits such as complimentary parking for football and men's basketball games and exclusive ticket presales.
