Published Jan 23, 2024 by Josh Reed

The UAA women’s basketball team has yet to cool down since it last tasted defeat on Dec. 2, 2023. With wins over Great Northwest Athletic Conference foes Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene this past week, the Seawolves are now on a nine-game winning streak. After reaching double figures in scoring in both games including a double-double by leading the team with 18 points and a dozen rebounds in Thursday’s win over the Wildcats, junior forward/center Tori Hollingshead earned GNAC Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.

The UAA men’s basketball team bounced back from having its four-game winning streak snapped in a 92-83 loss to Western Washington on the road last Thursday with a resounding 71-49 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday. The Seawolves were led to victory by senior guard Tyson Gilbert who recorded his first career double-double by leading the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds. They also got 18 points from junior point guard Dillon Barrientos and a career-high 10 points from sophomore guard Hasaan Herrington.

The UAA gymnastics team held its only home meets of the 2024 season this past weekend and while they fell in both to visiting UC Davis, there were several standout performances. On Sunday, senior Silje Hildebrand thrived in her final competition at the Alaska Airlines Center by tying her career best on vault with a 9.675 and posted the same score on the floor exercise. Sophomore Montana Fairbairn’s mark of 9.8 on the floor exercise also set a career-high and was a team-high score for the day. She also tied a career high on balance beam with a 9.775 and scored 9.7 on vault, finishing with a 38.350 in the all-around.

The UAA men’s hockey team split its weekend road series with No. 9 ranked Providence College, getting shut out 2-0 on Friday and returning the favor and doubling the score with a 4-0 shutout victory on Saturday. The Seawolves had four players record a goal in their win over the Friars on Saturday including junior forward Maximilion Helgeson of Anchorage who found the back of the net at 17:05 in the second period to extend the team’s lead to 3-0. It came unassisted and marked his 10th goal of the season which also leads the team. Sophomore goalie Jared Whale recorded 26 saves to earn his second career shutout. It also marked the first time Providence was held scoreless this season.

Published Jan 23, 2024 by Anchorage Daily News

Gymnast Silje Hildebrand scored a career high in her final home meet with the Seawolves as the University of Alaska Anchorage fell to the University of California Davis 195.300-191.050 in a dual Sunday at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The teams matched up Friday, with the Seawolves scoring 186.250 total. But as the team celebrated Senior Night on Sunday, UAA saw improvements in all four apparatuses and improved by nearly five points overall.

“I’m really proud of our team for making the individual adjustments and bouncing back so strong from Friday’s performance,” UAA head coach Marie-Sophie Boggasch said in a statement. “It will be exciting to get back in the gym next week and start working on the necessary improvements for the rest of the season.”

Published Jan 22, 2024 by Alaska Native News

The 50th Festival of Native Arts will be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha’ Campus on Feb. 22-24, 2024.

The festival’s theme this year is Troth Yeddha’ Forever: Our Ways of Life. UAF’s Fairbanks campus sits on Troth Yeddha’, or “wild potato ridge,” in the ancestral lands of the Lower Tanana Dene’. The theme not only pays respect to the people who stewarded this land before the university’s creation but also recognizes the unique and collective spirit of the cultures that gather here each year. 

Destine Poulsen designed the 50th Festival of Native Arts logo. Poulsen was born in Dillingham and lived in Togiak until her family moved to Washington state and then Hawaii. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Native arts from UAF in 2023.

There are many ways to get involved with the festival by volunteering, performing, vending and more.