Good morning! Boise State Athletics is spotlighting the graduate assistants who work to help each department within athletics run smoothly while obtaining their master's degree. 

This morning, read more about Sydney Bruner and her second year as a GA working in the business development and revenue innovation department.

What else are we kicking into today’s edition, Bronco Nation?

🏐 A trio of Academic All-District teammates
🏀 Bronco basketball recaps
🔷 And much, much more!

☕️ BRONCO BREW

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🔷 ONE BIG THING

Boise State's volleyball team placed three members on the Academic All-District Team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC). Paige Bartsch, Noelani Helm and Bella McGirr were each selected as honorees recognized for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

🔷 Bartsch, a K-12 physical education and health major, is the 2023 Mountain West Co-Player of the Year and first-team All-MW. She started all 29 matches and led the conference in eight statistical categories, finishing the regular season ranked in the top 20 nationally in all eight. 

🔷 McGirr, a biology major, played in all 29 matches for Boise State, splitting time between defensive specialist and libero. She tallied 284 digs and had a serve-receive percentage of .938.

🔷 Working on a Master of Athletic Leadership, Helm started as a setter in all 29 matches. She recorded 936 assists, 110 kills, 35 blocks and 144.5 points. Helm ranked fourth in the MW for assists per set (8.91) and seventh in total assists. 

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Rocky Topped. Boise State women’s basketball started with a strong first quarter and never looked back as the Broncos earned the 67-46 win over Rocky Mountain College for the team’s eighth victory of the season.

Off the bench, sophomore Tatum Thompson led the team in scoring with 18 points on 75% shooting from the field while Elodie Lalotte finished the game with 14 points on a perfect shooting performance. Next up, the team will have a week to get rested and prepare for the San Diego Classic where the Broncos will face UC San Diego on Dec. 20 and San Diego on Dec. 21.

🔼 Went and Took It. Boise State came away with a 19th-straight home win, tying the school record, in a dominant fashion as the team took down Northwestern State 95-54. Four Broncos finished the game in the double-digits as Tyson Degenhart led the team with 20 points on an efficient 80% shooting. Max Rice and Chibuzo Agbo were stellar from beyond the arc as the two combined for nine made threes in the matchup.

Next up, the Broncos will have a chance to set a new school record as the team will look to earn its 20th home win in a row against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at 2 p.m.

🔼 Mountain’s Top. Boise State gymnastics received three first-place votes to finish at the top of the Mountain West Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Broncos sit above San Jose State, Utah State and Air Force in the conference heading into the first meet of the season in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 5.

🗣️ "We cannot wait for the season to begin. It is a thrill to be ranked first in the Mountain West preseason poll and we are looking forward to this inaugural year!" - Tina Bird, head coach

🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA

Key Returner. Bronco gymnastics is already off to a good start in the preseason and will be looking to achieve some of the same success from a season ago. Do you know which event Boise State gymnastics had a national runner-up last season?

Think you've got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

📱 FROM THE AD’S DESK

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🗓 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times are Mountain

Wednesday, Dec. 13

No scheduled events

Thursday, Dec. 14

No scheduled events

Friday, Dec. 15

No scheduled events

Saturday, Dec. 16

🏈 Football vs. UCLA in LA Bowl @ 5:30 p.m. in Inglewood, Calif. on ABC | Tickets | Listen | Bowl Central

Sunday, Dec. 17

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Cal State Fullerton @ 2 p.m. in Boise, Idaho | Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Monday, Dec. 18

No scheduled events

Tuesday, Dec. 19

No scheduled events

🔷 Click here to view the entire Boise State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Vault!

Courtney Blackson returns to the team following a national runner-up finish on vault where she posted a 9.925.

🔷 Have a great Wednesday, Bronco Nation!