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The Utah Valley men's soccer team will play its first season the Big West Conference in 2026.

UVU Athletics

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The Utah Valley women's volleyball team receive their WAC championship rings from the 2025 season.

Aaron Rackham, UVU Athletics

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Utah Valley men’s soccer head coach Michael Chesler will have plenty of experience at his disposal in his first season as head coach, returning six starters and 12 players overall from the 2025 squad. Additionally, Chesler brought in 11 newcomers who have at least two years of collegiate experience.

On the defensive side, senior goalkeeper Kolby Sessions will look to build off his historic debut campaign as a Wolverine after tying the single-season shutouts record and ranking among the best keepers in the nation in save percentage (34th, .778) and goals against average (15th, 0.73). Aiding Sessions on the backline is stalwart center back Toke Amtrup, who is the leading returner in minutes played with 1,273 out of a possible 1,350 and is the only returner who started every game in 2025. Amtrup was the lone Wolverine named to the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team.

On the offensive side, the Wolverines return three of their top scoring threats in Nil Grau, Noah Pogue, and Jose Luis Martin Montealegre. Grau (5G/2A) and Pogue (4G/2A) each registered at least 10 points in 2025, marking the first time since 2022 that the Wolverines return multiple 10-point scorers from a previous season. Montealegre (2G/5A) is the team’s leading returner in assists and will look to help fill the creative void left by the departure of wing back Keegan Oyler, who now plays professionally for AC Boise.

Among the “newcomers” is a familiar face in 2022 WAC Freshman of the Year Owen Knecht, who returns to the team after serving a two-year Church mission to Paraguay. Knecht, who will operate primarily as a wing back, registered six goals and six assists across the 2022-23 seasons, including a team-leading five assists in 2023.

Seven of the newcomers come to Orem from the JUCO ranks, including an NJCAA national champion in Indian Hills CC transfer midfielder Adem Arous. Arous defeated fellow debutant midfielder Bismark Ayamba and Daytona State to win the 2025 championship.

Grad transfer defender Edgar Correia brings a high-profile pedigree to UVU in his final collegiate season. Prior to spending two years apiece at Central Arkansas and IU-Indy (formerly IUPUI), Correia played for the S.C. Braga and Benfica academies in his native Portugal. Correia is good friends with two-time Champions League winner João Neves, who currently plays with Paris Saint-Germain, and AFC Bournemouth star Antonio Silva, who both play for the Portugal National Team. The trio played for the same academy teams at Benfica while growing up.

Namdar promoted to Director of Recruiting

Utah Valley University men’s basketball head coach Todd Phillips has announced the promotion of Seena Namdar to Director of Recruiting for the 2026-27 season.

Namdar moves into the Director of Recruiting role after spending the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant on Phillips’ staff. During his time in Orem, Namdar has played an integral role in the Wolverines’ recruiting efforts, roster management, player development, scouting, and day-to-day basketball operations.

“Seena has been an incredible addition to our staff,” Phillips said. “He’s a young, hungry coach who brings tremendous energy, works extremely hard, and is willing to do whatever it takes to help our program succeed. He has played a vital role in our back-to-back WAC championships the past two years as a graduate assistant, and he has earned this opportunity through his work and commitment to our program.

“As Seena steps into his new role as a coach on our staff, we’re excited to watch him continue to grow and develop. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in his future, and I truly believe the sky is the limit for Seena. We’re excited to have him with us and can’t wait to see what’s next for him.”

A native of Sandy, Utah, Namdar played two seasons at Colorado Northwestern Community College, where he earned NJCAA All-Academic First Team honors and received the Region 18 Sportsmanship Award. He also worked as a trainer for Lace ‘Em Up Basketball and graduated from Alta High School.

Utah Valley begins its first season as a member of the Big West Conference in 2026-27.

Women’s volleyball honors 2025 WAC title team

Utah Valley women’s volleyball opened its preseason schedule Wednesday night with its annual Green vs. White scrimmage at Lockhart Arena, as the Green team earned a sweep over the White team in the Wolverines’ lone intrasquad match before exhibition play.

“It’s exciting to get back on the court again to prepare for another season,” said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. “There is much to learn and each day on the court will get us closer to our goals.”

Prior to the match, the 2025 Utah Valley squad was presented with its Western Athletic Conference championship rings in recognition of last season’s title. Avery Page was also honored for her All-American campaign. The Wolverines now turn their attention to exhibition competition this weekend. Utah Valley will host Colorado Mesa on Friday at 6 p.m. MT inside Lockhart Arena before traveling to Ogden to face Idaho State later in the weekend. Utah Valley will continue preparations for the upcoming 2025 season through its pair of exhibition matches before opening regular-season play later this month.

Thompson signs extension with softball

Utah Valley softball head coach Cody Thomson has signed a contract extension through the 2028 season following the Wolverines’ historic 2026 campaign that saw the most wins since 2013 and numerous team records broken.

“Coach Thomson has done an incredible job of building a team-first culture that has helped our softball program reach new heights,” said UVU Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion. “The successes his teams have had both on the field and in the classroom are a testament to the work he and his assistants have put into building this program. We’re excited to head into The Big West under his leadership.”

“I’d like to thank Jared for continuing to trust me with the softball program,” said Thomson. “We’re continuing to build and get better as a program, andI can’t wait to see what’s next for us in the new conference.”

The 2026 season was one of the best both offensively and defensively in program history, as the Wolverines broke 10 team records, including batting average, slugging, hits, doubles, and total bases. In the field, Utah Valley also posted its best fielding percentage at .966 — surpassing a record broken a year prior in 2025 — and its best stolen base percentage against at .712.

One of the greatest strengths of Thomson’s teams has been their record against in-state competition. In 2026, the Wolverines posted a 13-5 record against Beehive State foes, including a second-straight win at BYU and three-game sweeps of both Utah State and Weber State for the first time ever. The 13 wins were the team’s most against in-state rivals in the D-I era, surpassing the previous record of 12 that Thomson also set in 2024.