SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 12, 2026) – Two Golden Bears have earned Golden Bear Athlete of the Week for the second time this season following outstanding performances for their individual teams, leading to great success. Women's wrestling's Maddie Ripley and men's basketball's Luka Vlajkovic pick up honors this week. 

Ripley helped lead the WNE women's wrestling team to a fourth-place finish at this weekend's NWCA National Duals event, picking up wins in all four matches to lead the Golden Bears. Ripley opened with a forfeit win in the 117 lb. weight class against McMurry University. In her first dual match of the weekend, Ripley earned a technical fall win, 13-2, over Manchester University's Paola Villarruel, earning four points for the Golden Bears as they defeated Manchester 28-17 in the match to continue on in the championship bracket. Ripley's day two of the event was just as, if not more impressive, than day one, earning two more wins to help the Golden Bears secure a fourth-place finish overall. Ripley earned another technical fall victory, a 12-1 win over Layla Phillips of Simpson College, and capped off the weekend with her third technical fall win, coming on a 17-6 win over Aurora University's Natasha Markoutsis. Ripley went 4-0 on the weekend, improving to 17-1 on the year during her first season in Blue and Gold. 

Vlajkovic scored double figures in both Conference of New England (CNE) games this week for WNE men's basketball, continuing his impressive senior campaign. To open the week, Vlajkovic notched 17 points on 7/16 shooting, going 1/3 from the outside while picking up eight rebounds, and an assist against 22^nd-ranked Endicott College. In the first home game of 2026, Vlajkovic shined, helping the Golden Bears defeat the University of New England, 101-75. There, Vlajkovic filled the stat sheet with 20 points, shooting a perfect 8/8 from the field, hitting his lone three-point shot. Vlajkovic was also aggressive on the glass, ripping down a career-high 15 rebounds, while also picking up nine assists in the game, as well as a steal. Vlajkovic is averaging 14.3 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, and over four assists per game for the Blue and Gold, who hold a 9-4 record this season, a 3-2 mark in CNE action.  

The Western New England women's wrestling team gets back in action on Saturday, January 18 at 10:00 AM when they wrestle at the Will Abele Open, hosted by Ursinus College. 

Western New England men's basketball jumps back into conference action with a road tilt at Nichols College on Wednesday, January 14, at 7:30 PM.