As classes begin for the fall semester, Bronco Athletics are in full swing.
Here is what’s happened this week:
VOLLEYBALL
Boise State volleyball started their season off strong this last weekend with a clean sweep against the Idaho State Bengals, after just their first week of play, the Broncos are 2-0.
Paige Bartsch led the Broncos with a season-high 24 kills on .333 percent. Recent Portland State graduate, Noelani Helm, recorded the Broncos’ first double-double of the year and her first in a Bronco uniform on 22 assists and 10 digs. To accompany her double-double, Helm had seven kills, one ace and two blocks. Annie Kaminski put up impressive numbers as well with seven blocks and five kills.
“The season is young, and we still have much to work on and keep improving,” Boise State head coach Shawn Garus said.
Next up for the Broncos is the Asics Invitational, where the Broncos will face Oklahoma on Sept. 2 and Oregon State on Sept. 3 in Corvallis, Oregon.
SOCCER
With three games under their belt for the season, and two being played this last week, the Broncos now hold a 1-1-1 record.
The Boise State Broncos’ early season opened up with a 1-1 draw in their contest against North Dakota State on Aug. 17, and defeated North Dakota 3-2 on Aug. 20.
The soccer team hosted No. 11 BYU in the home-opening match of the 2023 campaign, on Aug. 26.
Though the team suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Cougars, Saturday’s attendance was a Broncos’ single-game record, with 1,620 fans supporting the team under the lights at the Boas Soccer Complex.
“It was great playing under the lights with 1,600 people,” head coach Jim Thomas said. “We got to share something with the community the way it’s meant to be shared. I’m so proud of Jeramiah (Dickey), Heather (Berry), Nathan (Burk), Bryan (Beals) and all the guys that made this thing happen because we got to give it back to the players and the community.”
Junior midfielder, Michaela Justiniani, scored the lone goal for the Broncos, marking the first goal of her collegiate career.
“I am so proud of the girls for putting themselves out there like that, allowing themselves to grow from playing against such an amazing team that’s been in the top 10 for the last 10 to 15 years,” Thomas said. “We get to learn from the best, and they’ll pull so much from tonight and from watching videos that will stay with them for the rest of their careers.”
Boise State (1-1-1) will face Arizona State on Aug. 31 in Tempe, Arizona for their next game.
SOFTBALL
Boise State softball player, Serena Huchingson, has been selected as the Mountain West’s nominee for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
For years, the NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership in graduating female student-athletes. Hutchingson is no stranger to that kind of excellence.
Besides being a pivotal role-player on the Broncos’ softball team, she has also dedicated much of her time to the Boise community itself.
Huchingson, a native of Newbury Park, California, graduated in 2023 from Boise State, and earned second-team NFCA All-Pacific Region and second-team All-Mountain West honors as a senior in 2023.
The catcher recorded a batting average of .313 with seven doubles, nine home runs and 30 RBI. She also threw out 11 of 28 base runners and led the Broncos to the second regular-season Mountain West title in program history.
While putting up an outstanding stat line, Hutchingson also found time to lead the Boise State athletics department with 107 logged community service hours in 2022-2023. She spent her time volunteering at local hospitals, raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation and assisted in Operation School Bell.
Hutchingson served as a member of the Broncos’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years, spent her last two years on the executive team and served on the Mountain West’s SAAC for two years. She was also a member of Boise State’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.
The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee was also a standout in the classroom. Huchingson graduated with a 3.82 GPA in health science studies and will attend Duke University to pursue a nursing degree.
FOOTBALL
Bronco Athletics announced the game-day promotions schedule for all home football game days, they are as followed:
Saturday, Sept. 9, the Broncos will face the University of Central Florida (UFC) for their first game day back on the Blue, the theme for this game will be a blue out.
On Saturday, Sept. 16 the Broncos will face North Dakota at home, kickoff will be at 10 a.m. and it will be a throwback game, also a white out game.
Homecoming and Parent and Family Weekend will be on Oct. 7, the Broncos will be playing San Jose State at 6 p.m, this game will be a blue out.
The time has yet to be set for the match against the University of Wyoming on Oct. 28, however this game will be the “Halloween Game,” and will be an orange out
Nov. 11, the Broncos host the University of New Mexico for their Military Appreciation Day game, the theme for this game day attire will be “Dark Mode”.
To round out the regular season at home, the Broncos will celebrate Senior Day on the Blue against Air Force on Nov. 24 at 2 p.m., and this game will be a blue out.
Bronco Athletics is also urging students, fans and alumni to participate in the revival of “Bronco Fan Friday”.
“We invite Bronco Nation to join us and show your pride every Friday by wearing Bronco gear or flying a Bronco flag,” said athletic director Jeremiah Dickey. “We are excited to represent the Gem State and are grateful for Bronco fans in the Treasure Valley, throughout Idaho and beyond.”
Fans are encouraged to secure the latest game day attire by visiting Boise State’s official team store or stopping at one of the Bronco Shop retail locations on campus to get the latest game day gear.
GOLF
Schedules for both womens and mens golf have been released for the 2023-24 season.
Womens Golf
The Boise State women’s golf program will take part in 10 events over seven states during the 2023-24 season.
- Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational hosted by New Mexico on Sept. 11-12.
- Golfweek Red Sky Classic in Wolcott, Colorado, on Sept. 25-27.
- New Mexico State Golf Iconic Classic, on Oct. 9-11.
- The Clash at Boulder Creek in Boulder City, Nevada, on Oct. 22-24
- Co-host the Mountain Classic Match Play in Palm Springs, California, on Feb. 12-14.
- Pizza Hut-Lady Thunderbird Invitational hosted by Southern Utah in St. George, Utah on March 7-9..
- Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, hosted by Hawaii in Kauai, on March 17-19.
- Cowgirl Classic, hosted by Wyoming in Maricopa, Arizona, on April 4-5.
- Bobcat Desert Classic hosted by Montana State in Goodyear, Arizona, on April 8-10.
- Mountain West Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 15-17.
“We are going to travel to some difficult courses in the fall,” said Boise State women’s golf head coach Kailin Downs. “I always love beginning our spring competitive schedule with the match play event. March will lead us into the April grind when we will be in tournaments for three-straight weeks. I am confident we have a great mix of competition built into this schedule that will prepare us to compete in the Mountain West Championship.”
Mens Golf
The Boise State men’s golf will compete in 12 events this season throughout the 2023-24 season.
- The season starts off on Sept. 3-4, in Harris, Michigan, at the Island Resort Classic.
- Kansas State Wildcats Invitational on Sept. 17-18.
- The Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational on Oct. 2-3.
- Oregon State Invitational on Oct. 9-10.
- Ka’anapali Classic on Oct. 27-29, at the Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course.
- Loyola Intercollegiate on Feb. 25-27, in Goodyear, Arizona.
- Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate tournament on March 4-5 in Aiken, South Carolina.
- Bandon Dunes Collegiate tournament on March 10-12.
- The Oregon Duck Invitational on March 25-26.
- UC Santa Barbara Intercollegiate on April 8-9.
- Local tournament held at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho against University of Idaho on April 15-16 for the final regular season event of the season.
- The Mountain West Championships will be played in Tucson, Arizona on April 26-28
Depending on the turnout of the season for the Broncos, there will be an opportunity to participate in the NCAA Regionals on May 13-15 at various sites, as well as the NCAA Championships being held in Carlsbad, California, May 24-29.
“I am extremely excited for our upcoming slate,” said Boise State men’s golf head coach David Trainor. “Our goal this year is to be ready right out of the gate, and this schedule will challenge our team with some great competition! We have a young team with some new events, as well as some events we know well. We look forward to representing Bronco Nation!”
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Boise State beach volleyball released its 2023 fall schedule, which will primarily consist of four tournaments and a bid for one pair to compete at the AVCA National Pairs Championship.
- Alki Pairs Tournament hosted by University of Washington on Oct. 7-8 in Seattle, Washington.
- Boise State will host the second annual City of Trees Classic at the Boise State Beach Volleyball Complex on Oct. 21-22.
- The team will travel to Huntington Beach, California, the following weekend for the Relentless Collegiate Challenge, Oct. 28-29.
- One pair will participate in the AVCA National Pairs Championship in Huntsville, Alabama, on Nov. 3-5. The remainder of the team will compete at the Best of the Rest Pairs Tournament hosted by Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona.
“We are very excited about our fall season this year,” head coach Allison Voigt said. “The fall is all about how we can individually get better. We have some exciting competition coming up and I’m excited to see how we compete and keep growing.”