University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Head Men’s Basketball Coach Zach Malvik has completed his coaching staff by announcing the additions of Adam Smith and Nate Peterson as assistant coaches.

Malvik, entering his first season as head coach of the Blugolds, has surrounded himself with coaches from the highest levels of college basketball. Peterson joins UW-Eau Claire from the University of Colorado, while Smith moves to Eau Claire from the University of Wisconsin.

“I’m really excited to be adding both Coach Smith and Coach Peterson to our staff,” Malvik said. “Both of these guys bring important qualities that I was looking for in assistant coaches when putting this staff together. They are great at building relationships and they really care about the development of our student-athletes both on and off the court.”

Smith joins UW-Eau Claire after three seasons with the University of Wisconsin. He was a graduate assistant with the Badgers from 2021-2023 before serving as the program’s Video and Operations Analyst in the 2023-24 campaign. He was part of Wisconsin’s 2022 Big Ten Conference regular season championship and the Badgers’ NCAA Tournament teams in 2022 and 2024.

Smith’s stint with the Badgers was preceded by one year as a student assistant at the University of  Minnesota Duluth. The Kaukauna, Wisconsin, native played for the Bulldogs from 2017-20 before moving into an assistant role for the 2020-21 season. He graduated from Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2021 and later earned a Master of Science degree at Wisconsin.

“I’m thrilled to join Coach Malvik’s staff at UW-Eau Claire and to have the opportunity to contribute to such a storied basketball program,” Smith said. “I’m especially excited for the new challenges that lie ahead in the coming months, and to work closely with all of those involved in Blugold Basketball in the past, present, and future. Further, I’m grateful for the chance to establish myself in the coaching profession at such a great university, in an incredible city, in my home state of Wisconsin. Coach Malvik’s vision for the program left me with no doubt that Blugold Basketball is going to have some very special seasons in the near future and I’m appreciative to play a role in it. Go Blugolds!”

“Coach Smith is someone who I have followed for a long time,” Malvik said. “From his playing career at Kaukauna High School, winning a state championship and then playing for a really successful program at Minnesota Duluth, he is a winner! He was tough as nails as a player and is the same way every day in the office, on the recruiting trail and on the court. He was part of the program at the University of Wisconsin the past three years and has gained valuable experience that will help him really elevate our program here.”

Peterson was a graduate assistant at Colorado for two seasons from 2022 to 2024. He was part of a coaching staff which steered the Buffaloes to a school-record 26 wins in the 2023-24 season, capped by a pair of NCAA Tournament wins in a run to the round of 32.

Prior to his time at Colorado, Peterson was a student assistant at Lewis & Clark College — his alma mater — from 2018-2022. The Richmond, California, native graduated from Lewis & Clark in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and earned a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado in 2024.

“I am extremely excited to join Coach Malvik’s staff here in Eau Claire and to be a part of the Blugold community,” Peterson said. “Getting to work at a top-notch institution like UWEC for a basketball program with so much tradition and history makes this a dream job for me. I can’t wait to get to work.”

“Coach Peterson is another guy that comes from a successful Division I program the last two years at University of Colorado as well as having a Division III background from Lewis & Clark College,” Malvik said. “He is driven and has a great work ethic and will add a ton of value to our program in all areas.”

The Blugolds will begin a historic 2023-24 season in November. UW-Eau Claire’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will begin playing in the state-of-the-art Sonnentag Event Center this winter.

https://blugolds.com/news/2024/6/14/mens-basketball-smith-peterson-round-out-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx

FARGO — Gavin Sell has been on the North Dakota State football radar for the last year.

Sell decided to make Fargo his home, committing to the Bison after spending the weekend at their annual individual camp.

“I had zero offers coming into this weekend but managed to pick up two from NDSU and Augustana.” Sell said. “This camp is like no other in the whole country, you get to get coached by the best coaches in the midwest and you get to for three days straight and you really create a bond with them.”

Sell hails from Baldwin, Wisconsin. He’s 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and was a two-way playmaker for the Blackhawks. He had 49 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver this past season. Sell was an honorable mention all-state selection at wide receiver.

He starred on defense as well, racking up 66 tackles and two interceptions from the linebacker spot. It’s there where the Bison see Sell at the next level.

“Ever since i was younger, I’ve always seen myself as a playmaker but it just so happens to be the Bison like a playmaker on defense and I love it.”

“The position is like no other in sports, you get to hit, you get to cover, you get to do it all, and that’s what I love in football.”

Baldwin sits about 45 minutes east from Minneapolis. The Blackhawks posted a 10-3 record last season, falling in the state semifinals.

Sell becomes the second known commitment out of Wisconsin for the Class of 2025. Grafton offensive lineman James Nellis committed to the Bison back in May.

Sell’s commitment brings NDSU to a total of eight commitments for the incoming class.

“My commitment meant everything to me, I’ve dreamed of an offer like this since I was a little kid. I knew once they offered me that I was going to commit to the Bison.”

They have such a great coaching staff and especially Coach (Grant) Olson really stood out to me. Our connection felt like no other and I can’t wait to play for him.”

Dom Izzo is the Sports Director at WDAY-TV. He began working for WDAY in 2006 as the weekend sports anchor and was promoted to Sports Director in 2010.

MILWAUKEE — Sarah Martis is a busy working mom, who serves as the executive director of the Milwaukee Bar Association.

“What we’re focused on is providing those attorneys support they need to do their jobs well,” said Martis. 

Martis is focused on helping others. She was never used to asking for help herself until a major health scare in her 30s. 

“It’s really kind of surreal that it even happened to me because I don’t feel like I had a stroke at all,” said Martis. “I feel like just how I did before.”

Martis experienced what’s called an “ischemic” stroke in the middle of the night. Her husband woke up shortly after and was able to call 911.

“From the time he found me to the time I was on a table at Froedtert was about 45 minutes, which is super lucky,” said Martis. “The longer that you sit there with the blood on your brain. This side of my brain was covered in blood and totally deprived it of any kind oxygen.”

Doctors were able to intervene before any permanent damage was done. What exactly led to Martis’ stroke is unknown, but she did gain some insight from genetic testing.

“I do have a genetic mutation which causes me to clot more than an average person,” said Martis.

Dr. Hatim Attar, a vascular neurologist at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, described what an ischemic stroke is.

“Strokes are when a blood clot goes in a blood vessel and blocks the blood flow to a certain area of the brain,” said Attar. “That’s what we call ischemic strokes. You can also have hemorrhagic when there’s bleeding in the brain.”

He said the level at which you’re affected by a stroke depends on its location and severity and how fast you get treatment.

An important acronym he uses to recognize signs of a stroke is BE FAST:

• B stands for balance: recognizing changes in balance or trouble walking
• E stands for eyes: trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
• F stands for face: facial drooping or uneven smile
• A stands for arm: noticing arm or leg weakness or numbness
• S stands for speech: slurred speech or difficulty talking or understanding
• T stands for time: call 911 and get to a hospital as soon as possible

Martis said she is forever thankful for her husband’s quick response. She has no major side effects but gets checkups more often now.

“It’s just a part of what you do for yourself, for your family,” said Martis. “So that you can stay around and to not be scared of things.” 

As a young survivor, she’s added a new role to her life in advocating for stroke awareness and prevention.