Habtom Samuel and Pamela Kosgei have been named the men’s and women’s Mountain West Indoor Student-Athletes of the Year for the indoor track and field season, the league announced Thursday.

Samuel won league titles in the men’s 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter finals at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships before claiming his first indoor national championship in the latter race at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Kosgei, like Samuel, swept the Mountain West women’s 3K and 5K finals to help secure her second consecutive Indoor Student-Athlete of the Year honor.

Both Samuel and Kosgei were also named to the Bowerman award watch list Thursday. Named for famed Oregon track and field coach, the award is annually given to the most outstanding men’s and women’s collegiate track and field athletes.

Albuquerque mixed-martial arts legend Diego Sanchez will serve no prison time as a consequence of his arrest on gun-related charges last summer.

The 44-year-old was sentenced in 2nd Judicial District Court on Thursday to five years’ supervised probation and 800 hours of community service.

Sanchez initially pleaded not guilty to the felony gun charge but changed his plea to guilty on Feb. 18. As a convicted felon, Sanchez is prohibited from possessing a firearm for 10 years after serving his sentence.

A records search showed Sanchez had no prior convictions. A 2002 DWI charge and a 2023 charge of battery against a household member, both misdemeanors, were dismissed.

On July 17, according to a criminal complaint, police officers were attending to a crash on westbound Interstate 40 when they heard a loud bang coming from a passing vehicle.

Police pursued the vehicle, which exited the interstate at Sixth NW. Police pulled over a white Jeep Gladiator at Sixth and the westbound frontage road.

Sanchez, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was asked if he’d fired a shot, and he said no but acknowledged there was a gun in the vehicle. According to the complaint, two live rounds were found on the passenger-side floorboard and another under the passenger seat. A spent casing was found on the passenger-side floorboard.

Police asked the driver of the vehicle if Sanchez had fired a weapon. The driver said yes.

A black Glock 42 pistol was found in the rear pocket of the driver’s seat, police said.

Sanchez was arrested and charged with firing a weapon at or from motor vehicle (with no great bodily harm) and with negligent use of a deadly weapon. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center early on July 18 and released a week later.

Sanchez, an Albuquerque native and a former state high school wrestling champion, is widely considered one of MMA’s foundational fighters. The winner of his first 15 fights and 21 of his first 22, he became wildly popular for his aggressive, crowd-pleasing style.

Having lost 13 of his most recent 22 fights, dropping his overall record to 30-14, Sanchez last competed as an MMA fighter in March 2022. In February 2023, he lost a bare-knuckle fight to fellow New Mexican Austin Trout at Tingley Coliseum.

A proposed April 2025 boxing match was scratched when a card scheduled for the Pit fell through.

Micah Grenz, over the years, has proven himself to be one of the top soccer coaches in Middle Tennessee. He and his staff have worked hard to try and make Stone Memorial High School an elite boys program.

The 2026 campaign may prove to be one of Grenz’s toughest coaching jobs yet. Not including players that graduated from last year’s 15-5 squad, Grenz is competing this year without eight players who are either injured or have chosen to pursue future goals in another sport.

Such was the case Tuesday night in Crossville when the Panthers dropped a 5-1 decision to Concord Christian.

“We improved, but we're missing, from who we anticipated being here at the beginning of the year, we're missing eight starters,” Grenz said after the match. “So, when you only have 11 players on the team it can be tough.

“This gives us a chance to give some of our freshmen a great opportunity to grow up a little bit.”

The first half of the action went back and forth. Stone played well, Grenz said, but Concord was able to slip one by the goalkeeper to take a 1-0 advantage into halftime.

“We were honestly doing a lot of great things in the first half. It was probably the best we’ve played all year,” Grenz said. “But, it's teaching these students how the game is 80 minutes for a reason. It's not just 40 minutes.”

Concord Christian opened the second half of action with an early goal to make it 2-0, and then tacked on three more goals in the final period to take a 5-0 advantage.

Stone’s lone goal late in the game came off the foot of Jeffrey Perez.

“We talk about being ready to attack a challenge rather than letting a challenge attack us,” Grenz said. “We are telling them bad things are going to happen, but what are you going to do about it. When Concord scored at the beginning of the second half, you could see a couple of guys drop their heads. As a staff, we’re like ‘Let’s go.’”

Grenz said Concord Christian played a similar style to Stone, so it was a completely foreign concept to the Panthers. Both teams moved the ball tactically.

“With so many young guys, you can’t really change a lot at halftime,”Grenz said. “Those guys are still trying to grasp what you told them at the beginning of the game. Their minds are spinning and the game is already going fast.”

Stone Memorial will now turn its attention to the Smoky Mountain Soccer Classic March 27-29 at Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg. The Panthers will play Dickson County at 5:40 p.m. CST. Stone will battle Lakeway Christian Saturday at 11:40 a.m. and then close out the day with a game against William Blount at 5:10 p.m.

“I know some teams use this as a bonding time for the team. But I feel that could be done in the preseason,” Grenz said. “I go into every match expecting to win, but I would like to see them becoming smart about being ready to play three games so close together. If I need to sprint, being calculated about when we’re going to do that, while not giving up any of that intensity.”

Mar. 25—MANKATO — Natalie Bremer has reached the pinnacle of Division II women's basketball. The Lake City graduate and Minnesota State University, Mankato senior guard was named the WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year.

Bremer was named an All-American on Tuesday, then received the top award Wednesday. She became the first player in the history of Minnesota State, Mankato to be named the Player of the Year.

One year ago, Bremer was honored as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. This year, her best of four terrific seasons at Mankato, she took things to the top.

"It is very cool to see that all the hard work I've put into basketball my entire life has now reaped this kind of reward; it is awesome," Bremer said. "I think I was able to win the award because I've been able to grow all aspects of my game over the years. It's not just the stats, but that I've been showing up in other areas of the game. I've impacted the game in lots of ways."

The school's all-time leading scorer (2,371 career points) averaged 21.8 points per game this season while shooting 49% from the field, 37% from 3-point range and 88% from the free-throw line. She also grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game.

Bremer had 21 games of 20 or more points, including four times scoring in the 30s. She became the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer this season with 2,371 career points.

Minnesota State, Mankato finished 29-3 this season, including 21-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Mavericks lost to Minnesota Duluth, 72-63, in the NCAA Central Region Tournament.

Besides being the Mavericks' first national Player of the Year, she became just the fifth Mankato player to be named All-American. There, she joined Elsie Ohm, Lisa Walters, Heather Johnson and Joey Batt.

Mavericks coach Emilee Thiesse lauded her for her success and commitment.

"Natalie has cemented herself as one of the very best in all of Division II Women's Basketball," Thiesse said. "She is a proven leader and performer who has left an indelible mark on our program. Natalie has fully embraced the values of Mavericks women's basketball and her continued growth and development as a player reflect her outstanding work ethic and competitive drive. We are extremely proud of Natalie for this honor; she is truly deserving of this incredible recognition."

Bremer has determined that she will not try to play professional basketball, meaning her playing career is officially over.

That is a strange thought for her, but she is gradually beginning to wrap her mind around it.

"I think I first picked up a basketball when I was 2 years old," Bremer said. "And I've been competitive in it for as long as I can remember. So now that I'm done playing here in Mankato, it will be different."

Mar. 25—Carol Perroz was a softball standout among the three sports she played at Freeport, and she continued in softball in college at Slippery Rock.

Though she was dedicated to her school teams in the spring, her diamond exploits didn't end when her scholastic seasons came to a close.

Many of her summer days, starting in the late 1970s and into the early '80s, were full of softball for amateur club teams locally and throughout the region.

With more than 45 years of competition under her belt, Perroz, now 63, doesn't expect to slow down any time soon.

Her love of the game and her passion drives her desire to still play.

"It is just a part of me. I enjoy it so much," said Perroz, who grew up the youngest of seven siblings.

"It's been a part of our family for as long as I can remember. My brother, Dick, and my brother, Bill, still play in their senior league. I also play in a guys league Mondays and Fridays in the summer at Kunkle Park (in Washington Township). That also keeps me competitive and keeps me going."

Her longstanding, dedicated, and accomplished career as a shortstop and her success at the plate has earned her many accolades, and USA Softball of Pennsylvania recently celebrated her with induction into its hall of fame for an "outstanding ability as demonstrated in softball competition, sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of softball."

"Growing up, you never expect something like this," Perroz said of the hall-of-fame honor.

"I just played the sport because I loved it. To get that call and to have people recognize you for what you've done, it was just a wonderful feeling."

Perroz's Amateur Softball Association experience continued to take off while playing locally for Wiegands Brothers from 1982 to 1984. She helped Wiegands win multiple state titles.

"I joined the Wiegands team because of a girl I played with in college," Perroz said. "We were a team all from around here. It was a fun time meeting up with college friends in the summer and playing with them."

Perroz continued to rise up the amateur ranks to the Major level and played for the Pittsburgh Debs after graduating from Slippery Rock in 1985.

"Major was the top level you could play," Perroz said. "The Debs' storied history went back a long way, and I came along at the end of it. They were 'the team' in Pittsburgh back in their heyday. Those were the ladies you looked up to and wanted to be like. It was what you knew. When I played for Wiegands, we would play Debs. From my standpoint, they carried themselves differently."

When the Debs closed operations in 1988, Perroz joined the Conneaut Lake Lakerettes and enjoyed more than a decade and a half of success which included Class A national titles in 1998 and 1999 and championships in the 35-and-over league from 1999 to 2004 and also in 2006.

Perroz twice was named nationals Most Valuable Player, first in 1999 and again in 2004.

"Back then, the seasons were from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and some seasons, we would play a total of 100 games, just on weekends, because of all the local and regional tournaments we went to," she said.

"There were times where we would get home at 12:30 or 1 in the morning after a long tournament and have to get up and go to work the next day. The next weekend, we would do it all over again."

Perroz is a member of the ASA All-Time team, received numerous ASA All-American honors and was named to the ASA All-Decade team for the 1990s. She was part of a 2010 Class C national championship team.

Perroz now plays for Homegrown Legends, a senior tournament team based in Arkansas.

"We have players from Ohio, Michigan, Texas, all over," she said. "We have our next tournament in two weeks in Alabama. Our tournaments are all over the country as opposed to local travel. We have to do what we can to get there."

The USA Softball of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame enshrinement comes 13 years after her softball accomplishments were honored with induction into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

At that time, Perroz was in her ninth season as Valley's coach while closing in on 30 years of coaching area athletes in multiple sports, including basketball and volleyball. She led the Vikings to several section titles and WPIAL playoff appearances. Valley captured WPIAL titles in 2007 and 2010 with the crown jewel being a PIAA state title in 2011.

She stepped away from coaching in 2023.

"I really appreciated my time as a coach and working with all the kids, but I try to stay away from the fields because I know I would be right back there because it's just something that is in me," Perroz said.

"I am definitely enjoying just playing the game right now. It is a lot less stressful and demanding."

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

LONDON — Students, staff and community members gathered last week at Somerset Community College’s Laurel North Campus to get an inside look at the fast-paced world of rally racing, as London native Samuel Curry led a presentation alongside Argentine rally champion Javier Castro.

The event offered attendees a firsthand introduction to the mechanics, logistics and growing presence of stage rally racing in Kentucky. Curry, who has been working to promote American Rally Association (ARA) events across the region, opened the presentation by breaking down the sport for the audience in attendance.

“Imagine dirt track racing on steroids,” Curry said, explaining the high-speed nature of rally competition, where drivers navigate rough terrain at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Unlike traditional circuit racing, rally racing spans large geographic areas and requires a driver and co-driver team. The co-driver reads detailed notes — a system of directions outlining every turn, hazard and terrain change — in real time as the driver navigates winding backroads.

“Things happen so fast, and the margins are so thin, that you have to have somebody giving you directions — not just where to go, but when to turn and what’s ahead,” Curry said.

Curry also emphasized the demanding nature of the sport, describing it as “a game of attrition,” where teams must carefully manage both their vehicles and time across multiple stages that can stretch across dozens of miles. He noted that rally events can cover upwards of 75 square miles, with competitors traveling between stages on public roads under strict time controls.

A key focus of the presentation was the Boone Forest Rally, an American Rally Association event scheduled to take place in Eastern Kentucky this summer, with portions anticipated to run through Jackson County and surrounding areas. Curry encouraged those in attendance to consider volunteering, noting the growing need for local involvement as the sport expands in the United States.

“We need more and more volunteers every year,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for people here to get involved.”

Attendees also heard from Javier Castro, an Argentina-based rally champion, mechanic and tuner who has recently brought his team to the region. In a video shot by Curry and shown at the event, Castro shared insight into the technical side of rally racing while also showcasing his very own competition vehicle in person.

In a Facebook post, Castro described the presentation event as an exciting day.

“An exciting day for the team — to feel real interest in this new sport for Kentucky as the rally,” he said. “The first of many events that we will be doing to get more people interested in our nationwide rally project!”

The presentation included a video demonstration of international rally competition, highlighting the sport’s global popularity — particularly in Europe — and its potential for growth in the U.S. Curry noted that similar high-level racing could soon become more common in Kentucky as events like the Boone Forest Rally gain traction.

In addition to discussing racing strategy and logistics, Curry pointed to career pathways tied to the sport, particularly for students studying electrical systems and engineering.

“These cars require a huge team,” he said. “There’s always something breaking, always something to fix. It takes a lot of people to make it work.”

The event, open to the public, gave attendees the chance to meet a professional driver, view a rally car up close and gain a deeper understanding of a sport that organizers hope will continue to grow locally.

With increased exposure and community engagement, Curry said he believes rally racing could become a significant draw for the region — both as a spectator sport and an economic driver.

“This is something that’s only getting bigger,” he said. “And Kentucky has a real chance to be part of that growth.”