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Articles by Alex Dean
Nanooks hoops sign multiple prospects
Women’s hoops signs Ava Wiley The Nanooks women’s basketball team announced the signing of Ava Wiley ahead of the 2026-27 season. Wiley, a 5-3 guard out of Anaheim, Calif., joins the Nanooks from Buena Park High School in Buena Park, Calif. “We’re excited to welcome Ava to the Nanook family,” said Head Coach Michael Ricks. “She has a strong work ethic and approaches the game the right way. Ava has a really good feel and is a terrific shooter with deep range and a quick release.
Nanooks men’s hoops announces signing of Leyton Nield
The Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball program has announced its first signing of the 2026-27 season in Leyton Nield. Nield, a 6-4 guard/forward from Fairbanks, has spent the past two seasons at Mt. Hood Community College in the Northwest Athletic Conference. “We are very excited to bring another local basketball player back to the University of Alaska,” said Head Coach Frank Ostanik. “Leyton is a complete player who has the ability to really impact both ends of the floor.
Nanooks fall to Seawolves in double overtime of GNAC Championship semifinals
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Nanooks men's basketball team came back from a 14-point deficit in their GNAC Championship semifinal game vs. the No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Friday, forcing overtime after both teams ended regulation tied at 67. However, after neither side could claim the victory in the extra five minutes, the Nanook's season came to an end in an 87-86 double-overtime loss.
Tyriq Luke earns GNAC men's basketball Player of the Week
Tyriq Luke was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball Player of the Week on Monday, after helping propel the Nanooks to two critical road wins over Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings last week. This is Luke's first-career player of the week honor. "Going into the weekend I had a feeling someone would need to step up for us if we were going to come away with two really big road wins. Tyriq was that guy," said Head Coach Frank Ostanik.
Nanooks end Utah invitational in fifth after 15k classic on Sunday
MIDWAY, Utah — The Alaska Nanooks Nordic skiing team concluded its time in Utah on Sunday, skiing in the 15k classic mass start races at the Utah Invitational. After collecting 97 points in the classic races, the ‘Nooks ended the invite in fifth with 215 points. “Another good day for the team!” said interim head coach Ben Buck following Alaska’s performances in the classic races today.
Nanooks fail to secure comeback in loss against Falcons
The Nanooks men's basketball team dropped their matchup against the Seattle Pacific Falcons 82-75 on Saturday afternoon, unable to complete the comeback after nearly erasing an 18-point deficit against SPU. Tariq Weiser got the scoring started with a three before Davis Crilly, and Tyriq Luke added a pair of jumpers to put the 'Nooks up 7-2 two minutes into the contest. However, SPU responded with a 10-2 run, leaving the Nanooks trailing by three.
Nanooks fall to Yellowjackets on Thursday evening
The Nanooks men’s basketball team fell to 9-8, 4-4 GNAC on Thursday evening after a 90-72 loss to the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets. The Nanooks searched for their first basket for nearly the first two minutes, with Mike Miller eventually registering their first field goal of the game with a two-point jumper to tie the game at three at the 18:07 mark.
Nanooks take down Seawolves in front of a packed Patty Center
The Nanooks men’s basketball team extended its winning streak over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves to four games on Saturday afternoon, securing a 91-76 win in front of 1,065 fans in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium to improve to 9-7, 4-3 GNAC. The Nanooks got off to a hot start, going up 12-2 in the opening three and a half minutes thanks to three three-pointers from Mike Miller and another from Davis Crilly.
Nanooks take down Eagles in record-setting fashion
It was an offensive explosion for the Nanooks men's basketball team (5-4, 1-1 GNAC) in their return to Fairbanks on Friday evening, as they defeated the West Coast Baptist Eagles 126-81. Their point total from the game ranks as the second-most in program history and the most since joining the GNAC. Additionally, their 24 three-pointers on the night matches the third-most in GNAC history.
Nanooks drop Saturday contest at Saint Martin’s, 74-37
LACEY, Wash. – The Alaska Nanooks women's basketball team (0-8, 0-2 GNAC) dropped its afternoon matchup at Saint Martin's (6-4, 2-0 GNAC) on Saturday, 74-37. Tamai Mancuso began the scoring with a layup to give the Nanooks a 2-0 lead, but a 7-0 run by the Saints saw the 'Nooks facing an early five-point deficit. Mancuso ended the run with a jumper in the paint, and Ashlyn Waggoner followed by converting a three-point play to tie the game at seven.
Nanooks fall to Saints on the road, 66-56
LACEY, Wash. – The Nanooks men's basketball team (4-4, 1-1 GNAC) fell to the Saint Martin's Saints (7-2, 2-0) 66-56 on Saturday afternoon. After a Davis Crilly jumper opened the scoring and gave the Nanooks a 2-0 lead, the Saints scored the following 13 points without a Nanooks response to take an early double-digit lead.
Nanooks Nordic skiing announces hiring of Max Beiergrohslein as assistant coach
Interim Head Coach Ben Buck and the Nanooks Nordic skiing team have announced the hiring of Max Beiergrohslein as their new assistant coach. “I am thrilled to announce the signing of Max Beiergrohslein as assistant coach for the 2025-26 season!” said Buck. “Max’s experience with Nanook Skiing as a former student-athlete makes him a great asset to the team.
Nanooks women's basketball fall to Dragons in Moorhead on Friday, 112-63
MOORHEAD, Minn. — The Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball team (0-5, 0-0 GNAC) dropped its contest at Minnesota State Moorhead (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) 112-63 on Friday. Chozen Horn-Young gave the ‘Nooks an early 3-2 lead after sinking a three for their first points of the game, but a 9-2 run for the Dragons put the Nanooks in a six-point hole.
Nanooks fall to Warriors in opening game of Sprite Tundra Tip-Off Friday
ANCHORAGE — The Nanooks men’s basketball team (2-3, 0-0 GNAC) kicked off the Sprite Tundra Tip-Off on Friday vs. Westmont (2-3, 0-0 PacWest), where the Blue & Gold would fall in a hard-fought contest against the Warriors, 72-66. The Nanooks jumped out to an early 8-3 lead after Tyriq Luke and Davis Crilly connected on shots from three-point range.
Nanooks swimming place fifth at Northwest Collegiate Invite
BOISE, Idaho — The Alaska Nanooks swimming team officially concluded the Northwest Collegiate Invite on Sunday, placing fifth as a team with 754 points. The Nanooks posted 63 season bests, 22 personal bests, 10 top-10 program performances and two NCAA B Cuts during the three days of competition. The ‘Nooks had three swimmers in the 200-yard backstroke finals, with McKenzie Fazio and Charisma Watkins competing in the C Final and Mariia Sirotinskaia swimming in the D Final.
Nanooks fall to Griffins in first game of Westminster Classic
SALT LAKE CITY — The Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball team dropped its opening matchup at the Westminster Classic on Friday, falling to the Westminster Griffins 99-74. The ‘Nooks fell behind 8-3 early on in the contest, but would tie the game at 10 after a 7-2 run spurred on by an Emily Freeman three-pointer. The Nanooks eventually took the lead 19-18 after a Freeman layup off her own steal.
Nanooks fall to Chaminade in first game of Alaska/Hawaii Challenge Satruday
ANCHORAGE — The Nanooks men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling to Chaminade 102-86 in game one of the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge, hosted by Alaska Anchorage. The loss moves them to 2-1, 0-0 GNAC on the season. The ‘Nooks fell behind early in the contest, finding themselves in a 9-2 hole after the first four minutes of action. They were able to trim the deficit to two thanks to a pair of Davis Crilly layups and a Mike Miller three.
Women’s Basketball drops regular season opener to Hawaii Hilo Friday evening
The Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball team began its regular season on Friday evening by falling to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, 98-76. The ‘Nooks trailed 5-4 in the opening minutes of the contest, with Chozen Horn-Young hitting a floater to put Alaska behind by one at the 6:54 mark. However, the Vulcans responded with a 9-1 run over the next three and a half minutes to build a 14-5 advantage. Tamai Mancuso ended the run with a three.
Nanooks rifle defeat Rebels in Saturday match at Ole Miss
The Nanooks rifle team (3-0, 3-0 PRC) picked up its third win of the season on Saturday, taking down the Ole Miss Rebels (2-1, 1-1 PRC) 4716-4709 on the road. Despite the Rebels taking the top three spots in the aggregate standings, the Nanooks showed their depth, locking out the fourth through 10th place finishes in aggregate scores. Amanda Pettersen led the way for the Nanooks in fourth place with an 1179-79x, just beating out Marshall Schmidt, who posted an 1179-78x.
Nanooks crack triple digits vs. Pioneers to improve to 2-0
The Nanooks men’s basketball team picked up its second win of the season on Thursday evening, defeating the Pacific Union Pioneers 110-70 to sweep their midweek series and move to 2-0 on the season. Luke Fotheringham got the ‘Nooks on the board right away, hitting a layup 14 seconds into the contest. Tyriq Luke followed with buckets on the next two possessions, knocking down a layup and three to give Alaska an early 7-2 lead.
Nanooks pick up win in season opener vs. Pacific Union, 92-59
The Nanooks men’s basketball team officially kicked off its season on Wednesday evening with a resounding 92-59 win over the Pacific Union Pioneers. Jalai O’Keith began the game by scoring the first five points of the contest, knocking down a layup and three just over two minutes into the game.
Men’s basketball kicks off 2025-26 season with two midweek home contests vs. Pacific Union
The Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball team officially kicks off its season this week with two midweek contests against the Pacific Union Pioneers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. both Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium. The Nanooks are returning five players from last year’s squad. Redshirt senior guard Mike Miller, senior guard Jalai O’Keith, senior guard Jeremiah Hersrud, senior guard Cortarius Mingo and senior forward Jackson Krug all return for another year in Fairbanks.
Nanooks fall to Oregon State in final preseason exhibition contest
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball continued its week of exhibition play in Oregon on Sunday evening, taking on the Oregon State Beavers in Gill Coliseum in front of 1,800 fans. The Nanooks fell to the Beavers, 104-27, in their final preseason exhibition. The Nanooks went 11-62 from the field and 2-29 from deep during the contest, knocking down three of their six free throw attempts.
Nanooks women's basketball drop exhibition contest vs. George Fox
NEWBERG, Ore. — The Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball team kicked off its 2025-26 season with an exhibition contest at George Fox on Thursday. Tamai Mancuso and Emily Freeman both recorded double-digit points, but the ‘Nooks dropped the matchup 103-72. How it happened The Nanooks found themselves in an early 10-2 hole through the first 2:10 of the game. Mancuso connected on a pair of threes to make it a 15-10 contest, but a 13-0 Bruins run saw the deficit increase to 18 points.
Nanooks swimming fall to Simon Fraser in dual meets Friday and Saturday; Dancsok set pool record
Saturday: Nanooks drop Saturday morning dual meet vs. Red Leafs The Nanooks swimming team welcomed Simon Fraser back to the Patty Center Pool for their second dual meet on Saturday morning. Alaska recorded an individual and relay win on the day, but fell to the Red Leafs 100-48. The ‘Nooks started strong, winning the 200-yard medley relay to open the meet.
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