Joining the squad are Hayden Galas (Oregon State), Jaret Rocha (CSU San Bernardino), and Abdou Samb (Memphis), the latter two of which bring plenty of veteran experience to the mix.

Galas, a redshirt freshman from Eugene, Ore., comes to Orem by way of Oregon State where he redshirted the 2024 season. Galas prepped at South Eugene HS, where he was a two-time All-League selection, including a first team nod as a senior. Galas played in the USL League Two this summer for Lane United, which is based out of his hometown.

Rocha, a redshirt senior from Paramount, Calif., moves to the Division I level after spending the last two seasons at D-II Cal State San Bernardino. After redshirting the 2023 season, Rocha put up a strong 2024, appearing in 16 games with 13 starts and logging 1,013 minutes. Prior to CSUSB, Rocha played two seasons at JUCO Cerritos College, where he earned first team All-America honors from United Soccer Coaches as a sophomore.

Samb, a redshirt junior from Dakar, Senegal, reunites with his former JUCO coach Ty O’Connor at UVU after spending the last two seasons at Memphis. In 2024, Samb helped lead the Tigers to an AAC regular season title, appearing in 14 games with 10 starts. Prior to Memphis, Samb spent two seasons at Otero College, including the 2022 season where he was coached by O’Connor and was teammates with fellow Wolverine Gilles Aurelien.

The three newcomers join an already strong defensive corps that return four starters from the 2024 season when the Wolverines posted a 1.11 goals-against average, the second-best in the WAC. Utah Valley opens the 2025 campaign in a few short weeks on Aug. 21 against CSU Bakersfield for the team’s first game at UCCU Stadium.

Cross country releases 2025 schedule

Utah Valley cross country coach Scott Houle has announced his teams’ 2025 schedule, beginning with the UVU Invitational on Aug. 29 at Scera Park and culminating in the WAC Championships on Oct. 31 in Arlington, Texas.

Following the Wolverines’ home meet, Utah Valley will run in a pair of local meets, the BYU Autumn Classic on Sept. 5 at Lakeside Park, and Utah’s Beehive Invitational on Sept. 12 at Sugar House Park.

The Wolverines will get a preview of this season’s NCAA Championship course on Sept. 26 at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri. UVU will then head to Cedar City for the Color Country Invitational on Oct. 4.

Utah Valley closes out the regular season with Oregon’s Bill Dellinger Invitational on Oct. 10 and Princeton’s Fall Classic on Oct. 17. The Wolverines will then head to Texas for the WAC Championships, hosted by UT Arlington at the Harold Patterson Sports Center.

The 2025 NCAA West Regionals will be hosted just up the road in Salt Lake City at the Rose Park Golf Course on Nov. 14. The NCAA Championships will be held at Missouri’s Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri on Nov. 22.

Softball set for eight-game fall schedule

Utah Valley head softball coach Cody Thomson has announced his team’s eight-game fall slate, featuring five home contests and a trio of road tilts against in-state rivals Weber State, Utah, and BYU.

The Wolverines will open the fall season with the first of two home matchups against Salt Lake CC on Sept. 26. The team will then head to Ogden on to face Weber State Sept. 30 and Salt Lake City to play Utah on Oct. 2.

Utah Valley will host four games in 12 days, beginning with the second matchup against SLCC on Oct. 7. The Wolverines will then host a pair of Idaho teams in Idaho State and CSI on Oct. 11 and 16 respectively.

UVU finishes off its home schedule with Big Sky foe Montana on Oct. 19, then closes the curtain on 2025 with a road matchup at BYU on Oct. 22.

All fall games at Wolverine Softball Field are free and open to the public. Times and dates are subject to change