🏈🐻 Kings of the Big Sky

Welcome to Good Ol’ Grizzlies, a newsletter fueled by Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL) for the University of Montana’s collective Good Ol’ Grizzlies.

In today’s content:
- Football On Top 🏈
- Soccer Updates ⚽
+ So much more 👍

⚽ Soccer stars Charley Boone and Ally Henrikson have been named captains for the upcoming season

🏈 Junior Bergen has been named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000, an annual watchlist of the top NFL prospects that are all-star game eligible in the coming season

🏈 FOOTBALL ON TOP

The Montana Grizzlies have been picked to win back-to-back Big Sky titles by the league's coaches and media in 2024, slotting in at No. 1 in both preseason polls, the conference announced Sunday from its football kickoff event at the Northern Quest Casino in Spokane (READ MORE).

Returning 2023 first-team all-conference performers Junior Bergen, Brandon Casey, and Trevin Gradney were each picked to once again be some of the league' top players in their senior seasons. Reigning FCS Freshman of the Year, running back Eli Gillman, joined them on this year's preseason team along with breakout star linebacker Riley Wilson and do-it-all running back-turned linebacker Isiah Childs for his work on Montana's highly effective special teams (READ MORE).

⚽ FROM MISSOULA TO ZIMBABWE

Ally Henrikson recently participated as a passenger in Zimbabwe's 50th Air Rally, an event emphasizing traditional navigation skills over technology. Pilots rely on minimal instrumentation, with GPS and smartphones prohibited. Henrikson has faced challenges after a knee injury in 2022 disrupted her promising sophomore season. Despite limited play since her injury, her leadership and motivational skills earned her two Heart of a Grizzly awards. After a period of recovery and self-discovery in South Africa, she returns with renewed vigor for the upcoming soccer season, taking on a team captain role (READ MORE).