Designated as the all-Big Sky first-team’s second baseman, Kirk finished the regular season hitting .326 with a team-leading 37 RBIs, fourth-most RBIs in the Big Sky. She hit six home runs and totaled a .414 on-base percentage.

WSU’s two other top hitters also made the first team: juniors Riley Whalen and Abby Grundy.

Whalen hit .375, fourth-best average in the Big Sky, with a tied-for-best 60 hits. Typically a designated hitter, Whalen was named to the first team as a utility player.

At third base, Grundy batted .367 (10th in Big Sky) with a .439 on-base percentage, driving in 31 runs and hitting a league-best 18 doubles.

All-world slugger Ava Brown of Idaho State took home player of the year honors. Brown hit .388 with 24 home runs (third nationally) with 62 RBIs (first in the league by 23) and an OPS of 1.452.

ISU’s Kasey Aguinaga took pitcher of the year honors. Kirk shared the freshman award with Sacramento State’s Madison Evers-Lyles. ISU’s Andrew Rich was named coach of the year.

Weber State placed first baseman Kiaira Smith and pitcher Cali McCraw on the second team.

Catcher Eva Richardson, shortstop Taegan Smith and outfielder Olivia Birkinshaw received honorable mention nods.

WOMEN’S HOOPS ADDS TRANSFER

Weber State women’s basketball continues stockpiling 6-foot-plus wing players with its latest addition in Makenna Shaffer, a transfer from Buffalo. The 6-foot-1 player announced her commitment to WSU on Monday night via Instagram.

From Greeley, Colorado, Shaffer prepped in Arizona before playing one season at Florida Southwestern College, averaging 12 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 34.5% from the 3-point line. Her single-game highs in junior college were 21 points, 17 rebounds, and six 3-pointers.

Shaffer didn’t play a ton at Buffalo this past season, a 30-win team with six seniors. She totaled 54 minutes in 14 appearances, totaling eight points and six rebounds.

Shaffer joins Utah Tech post player Nicole Willardson, Montana State guard Hannah Robbins and Eastern Arizona wing/forward Celestine Segretain as transfer additions for WSU this offseason.

Additionally, New Mexico junior and transfer wing/forward Paris Lauro is expected to join the Wildcats. She’s changed her Instagram bio to indicate she’s part of Weber State women’s basketball but has not made an official announcement. She played 52 games off the bench in two seasons with the Lobos, totaling 125 points and 67 rebounds in 384 minutes, shooting 25 of 71 (35.2%) from the 3-point line.

The Wildcats are likely to add another guard to round out the roster.

NCAA UPDATES APR SCORES

The NCAA updated scores for Academic Progress Rates to include the 2023-24 school year and all Weber State team sports are in good standing with their four-year rolling average.

Nine of 14 programs posted perfect scores of 1,000 for the 2023-24 school year. For women’s teams, that includes basketball, cross country, golf, softball, tennis, track and volleyball. For men’s teams, perfect 1,000 scores include basketball and tennis.

APR, according to the NCAA, “holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.”

Teams must have a four-year APR score of 930 or higher to be eligible to compete in postseason championships, and lower scores draw penalties. All WSU programs are well clear of potential trouble in this regard.

Below are the four-year average scores for each program from 2020-24.

MEN’S TEAMS: Tennis 1,000, golf 993, basketball 984, cross country 968, track 966, football 962

WOMEN’S TEAMS: Softball 997, golf 993, tennis 991, basketball 990, soccer 989, track 981, cross country 977, volleyball 972