Nov. 11, 2013

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State sophomore wide receiver Bruce Natson has been named the America First Credit Union USU Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Nov. 10 it was announced Monday, in an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

Overall, it is the first time in his career that Natson has been named USU's student-athlete of the week.

Natson, a 5-7, 151-pounder from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Boyd Andersen HS) scored his first two career rushing touchdowns in helping Utah State to a 28-24 Mountain West road win at UNLV last weekend. Natson's first touchdown run was from 12 yards and his second was from 13 yards with 3:56 to play in the game to give USU the lead for good. Natson finished the game with a career-high nine rushes for a career-best 71 yards, and added two receptions for 30 yards and two punt returns for 12 yards. Natson entered the game against UNLV with nine career rushes for a total of 49 yards.

On the season, Natson ranks second on the team with 44 receptions for 314 yards (31.4 ypg/7.1 ypr) and one touchdown. He has also carried the ball 16 times for 105 yards (10.5 ypg/6.6 ypc) with two touchdowns, and has returned 23 punts for 194 yards (8.4 ypr) with one touchdown. Overall, he ranks fourth in the Mountain West and 37th in the nation with an average of 8.4 yards per punt return.

Utah State (6-4, 5-1 MW) has a bye this week and returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 when it hosts Colorado State (5-5, 3-2 MW) in a Mountain West game at 1:30 p.m. (MT). The game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269/753HD, Dish Network Ch. 158, DirecTV Ch. 221).

For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week Included:

MEN'S BASKETBALL - Senior guard Preston Medlin (Carrollton, Texas) scored 17 points in helping Utah State to a 78-65 season-opening home win against Pac-12 opponent USC last weekend. Medlin finshed the game shooting 6-of-13 from the field (.462), 4-of-9 from three-point range (.444) and 1-for-2 at the free throw line, while adding four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 34 minutes. Medlin scored 12 of his 17 points in the second-half, including 11 in a three-minute span, as USU extended its advantage to 18 points en route to its double-digit win.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - Sophomore guard Makenlee Williams (Syracuse, Utah) scored a career-high 35 points to lead Utah State to a 103-46 season-opening home win against Black Hill State last weekend. Against the Yellow Jackets, Williams was 13-of-19 from the field (.684), 2-of-5 from three-point range (.400) and 7-for-7 at the free throw line, while adding six rebounds and four steals. Overall, the 35 points scored by Williams is the fourth-most in a single-game in school history.

SOCCER - Senior forward Mari Miyashiro (Mililani, Hawaii) was named to the Mountain West's all-tournament team as she helped fifth-seeded Utah State advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament last week. USU began the tournament with a 2-0 win against Nevada in the first round, followed by a 4-2 win against New Mexico in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks after the match was tied 0-0 at the end of two overtimes. USU then lost to top-seeded and tournament champion San Diego State, 3-2, in the semifinals. During the tournament, Miyashiro scored one goal against Nevada and had four total shots, including two on goal.

VOLLEYBALL -- Junior middle blocker Kaitlyn VanHoff (Draper, Utah) helped Utah State post a 1-1 Mountain West road record last weekend with a 3-1 win at Air Force and a 3-0 loss at New Mexico. Against the Falcons, she posted 11 kills and hit a career-high .667 (11-1-15), while adding seven block assists. Against the Lobos, she recorded seven kills and four blocks. For the weekend, VanHoff posted a .382 (18-5-34) attack percentage and averaged 3.43 points, 2.57 kills and 1.57 blocks per set.

2013-14 Utah State Athlete of the Week Winners
Sept. 2 - Jeannie Woller, Soccer
Sept. 9 - Chuckie Keeton, Football
Sept. 16- Chuckie Keeton, Football
Sept. 23 - Elle Brainard, Volleyball
Sept. 30 - Tanner Higham, Golf
Oct. 7 - Sebastian Schneider, Men's Tennis
Oct. 14 - Seokwon Jeon, Golf
Oct. 21 - Joey DeMartino, Football
Oct. 28 - Elle Brainard, Volleyball
Nov. 4 - Darell Garreston, Football
Nov. 11 - Bruce Natson, Football