Good morning! Boise State men’s tennis started its 2024 campaign strong with not one, but two wins on the home court. Check out some of the highlights from the matches last weekend.

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

🏀 Men’s basketball recap
🏈 Hassanein earns Academic All-America honors
🔷 And much, much more!

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🔷 ONE BIG THING

Gymnastics senior Emily Lopez earned two Mountain West Specialist of the Week awards, while senior Courtney Blackson and junior Emma Loyim each were awarded one weekly honor following their performances in the Broncos' home opener.

For the third week in a row, Lopez was tabbed the MW Specialist of the Week, scoring a season-high 9.950 on bars, and also co-beam award winner, tallying a season-high mark of 9.925. Lopez won bars and tied for first on beam.

Blackson earned MW co-vault award honors after tying for first with a season-best score of 9.900 while Loyim shared co-beam accolades for matching her career-high score of 9.925, tying for first with Lopez.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Grind Never Stops. After jumping out to a 10-point lead at halftime, Boise State men’s basketball was able to hold on late in the game and take down Fresno State on the road. The Broncos’ 72-68 win improves the team’s record to 14-5 on the season and 5-1 in conference play. Chibuzo Agbo and Max Rice finished as the Broncos’ team scoring leaders with 16 points apiece while O’Mar Stanley helped the cause with an extra 14 points.

Next up, Boise State will host Utah State at The X on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.

🔼 Off The Field Success. Defensive standout Ahmed Hassanein earned Second Team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors. Hassanein, who maintains a 3.68 GPA in interdisciplinary studies, becomes the 15th Bronco football student-athlete to be named an Academic All-American by the CSC.

On top of his academic success, the native of Cairo, Egypt, was named First Team All-Mountain West. He finished the season with 12.5 sacks, ranking fifth nationally. This total is the sixth-best single-season number in Boise State history, and his streak of nine straight games with at least 0.5 sacks marked the longest in the FBS since 2015.

🔼 Tale of Two Teams. Boise State women's basketball will take on UNLV this evening at 6:30 p.m. in The X. The Broncos, who are tied for third in the Mountain West, will take on the Lady Rebels who are tied atop the league standings. The matchup will consist of a clash of styles as the Broncos enter as the top defensive team in the MW, allowing 55.8 points per game on 35.5% shooting. Meanwhile, UNLV comes in as the top-scoring team in the conference, averaging 80.9 points per game.

Boise State is hot, and is riding a four-game winning streak. Three players are scoring in double figures during the span – Dani Bayes (12.8 ppg), Natalie Pasco (11.8) and Mya Hansen (10.3).

🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA

Gridiron Smarts. Defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein is the latest Bronco to earn recognition for his efforts in the classroom. Do you know how many Academic All-America awards Boise State football has had in program history?

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

📱 FROM THE AD’S DESK

Please help Boise State women’s basketball support the health and well-being of local students. The team will be collecting hygiene items as part of the Mental Health Matters game. Bins will be located inside Entry 2 at tonight’s game.

📬 FORWARDED BY A FRIEND

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🗓 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times are Mountain

Wednesday, Jan. 24

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. UNLV @ 6:30 p.m. in Boise, Idaho | Tickets | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Thursday, Jan. 25

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Idaho State @ 5 p.m. in Boise, Idaho | Live Scoring

Friday, Jan. 26

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Kickoff Weekend vs. Oregon in Columbus, Ohio

👟 Track and Field @ UW Invitational in Seattle, Wash.

👟 Track and Field @ New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque, N.M.

Saturday, Jan. 27

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Kickoff Weekend vs. Ohio State or Vanderbilt in Columbus, Ohio

👟 Track and Field @ UW Invitational in Seattle, Wash.

👟 Track and Field @ New Mexico Team Open in Albuquerque, N.M.

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Washington State @ 11 a.m. in Boise, Idaho | Live Scoring

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Utah State @ 2 p.m. in Boise, Idaho | Watch on KTVB/MWN | Tickets | Listen | Live Stats

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. San Diego State @ 2 p.m. in San Diego, Calif. | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Sunday, Jan. 28

No scheduled events

Monday, Jan. 29

No scheduled events

Tuesday, Jan. 30

No scheduled events

🔷 Click here to view the entire Boise State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 22!

Boise State football has 22 Academic All-America selections including seven since 2019.

🔷 Have a great Wednesday, Bronco Nation!