FARMINGTON, Utah (July 16, 2025) – Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 athletic calendar, the Big Sky Conference has released its Scholar Athletes for the year, highlighted by some of the most prominent athletes the league has featured in recent history.
“Being named a Scholar Athlete in your conference is an honor, and I’m incredibly proud of this group for the commitment they’ve made to their institutions over their course of their careers,” Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “Longevity is something that seems to be losing momentum in college sports, but you wouldn’t know that when talking about this group of individuals. From All-Americans, to NFL Draft picks, this is a diverse group that accomplished a lot during their collegiate tenures and will continue to do big things in the future. Thank you for your commitment to your schools, and the Big Sky Conference as a whole.”
To be eligible for this award, the student-athlete must have exhausted his or her intercollegiate athletic eligibility and/or be a member of the graduating class, earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0) scale, been a participant in a Big Sky-sponsored sport, completed at least two (2) years of intercollegiate competition at the institution, and been a letter winner.
The group consists of a number of student-athletes that made national headlines during the course of their career.
In 2023, Northern Arizona’s Drew Bosley broke the NCAA all-time record for the men’s indoor 3,000-meter, running the event in a time of 7:36.42. He was also part of three of NAU’s men’s cross country national championship teams.
This past April, Montana State's Tommy Mellott was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, following a senior season where he won the Walter Payton Award and was a unanimous First Team All-American. Mellott won 33 games while at MSU, leading the Bobcats to a pair of FCS National Championship Game appearances and two Big Sky football titles. Off the field, Mellott won the 2023 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, which is presented to the top FCS student-athlete who excels on the playing field, in the classroom and across the community.
At the most recent NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Northern Arizona’s Maggi Congdon had the best performance across the Big Sky finishing third in the women’s 1,500-meter to earn First Team All-American status.
Below is the full list of honorees broken down by institution.
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Eastern Washington
Kate Hatch, Volleyball, Masters in Wellness and Movement Sciences (Mesa, Ariz.)
Efton Chism III, Football, Health and Physical Education (Monroe, Wash.)
Idaho
Jenna Bruggeman, Women’s Golf, Art and Architecture (Edmonton, Alberta)
Tommy McCormick, Football, Medical Sciences (Fallon, Nev.)
Idaho State
Jamie Streit, Volleyball, Education; Interdisciplinary Studies (Pinedale, Wyo.)
Brandon Walker, Men’s XC/T&F, Sports & Exercise Science (Boise, Idaho)
Montana
Charley Boone, Soccer, Finance (Seattle, Wash.)
Trevin Gradney, Football, Business Administration (Billings, Mont.)
Montana State
Grace Gilbreth Women’s XC/T&F, Economics (Bozeman, Mont.)
Tommy Mellott, Football, Financial Engineering (Butte, Mont.)
Northern Arizona
Maggi Congdon, Women’s XC/T&F, Civil Engineering (Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Drew Bosley, Men’s XC/T&F, Educational Foundations (Thiensville, Wisc.)
Northern Colorado
Isabelle DiNapoli, Softball, Sport & Exercise Science: Human Performance (Littleton, Colo.)
Isaac Rascon, Men’s XC/TF, Sport & Exercise Science: Human Performance (Middletown, Calif.)
Portland State
Nika Beukers, Women's Tennis, Business Administration: Marketing (Den Bosch, Netherlands)
Abdi Ibrahim, Men's XC/T&F, Nonprofit Leadership (Portland, Ore.)
Sacramento State
Sneha Sharan, Women’s Golf, Psychology (Bengaluru, India)
Miles Grant, Men’s Track & Field, Art (Portland, Ore.)
Weber State
Kate Payne, Volleyball, Master of Education, (Lehi, Utah)
Tristan Sarap, Men's Tennis, Professional Sales (San Diego, Calif.)
Cal Poly
Charles Lincoln, Football, Agriculture (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
UC Davis
Angelo Genetti, Football, Political Science (Linden, Calif.)