After a long January full of Fresno State athletes giving it their all on the court, the pool, the field, the green and the track, some were just a cut above the rest.
Fresno State water polo attacker Hailey Andress and men’s basketball forward DeShawn Gory are my ‘Dogs of the Month.
One name that constantly came up when looking at players to choose for this was Andress. The water polo team has hovered around the top 10 teams in the NCAA so far.
While many players on the team have balled out, Andress has been the top scorer for the team and has been everywhere on the attack.
She has had six multi-goal games, four of them being at least a hat trick. Andress has led the team in goals by five and is shooting around 41%.
During the Polopalooza tournament that kicked off the season, Andress scored 10 goals against four of the top 15 teams in college, helping the ‘Dogs start off 3-1.
Since then, she has continued to dominate, keeping up the scoring with nine goals in her next four games.
Climbing out of the pool and onto the court, the men’s basketball team has a promising freshman on the roster.
DeShawn Gory’s January has had his most consistent stretch of games yet. Over the eight games played in January, he averaged a 15-point double-double on nearly 50% shooting.
The 6-foot-6-inch forward also has the tendency to go airborne when he scores, igniting the crowd.
He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Jan. 19 for his performances against Colorado State and Wyoming. But he didn’t stop there.
Against New Mexico, he dropped 31 points with 14 rebounds and five assists, although it was to no avail in a not-so-close loss.
The team will look to improve their 4-4 record since the start of 2026. They have eight opportunities in February and Gory will be a key player going forward.
There were so many athletes who played a pivotal part in their team’s success in January, but a notable one is women’s basketball guard Emilia Long, who had a great start to the year. Another is water polo’s freshman goalie Katelyn Mobley, who was named Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 29 and has shown up when the team needs her.
Look out next month for February’s ‘Dogs of the Month. Fresno State softball and baseball will be in full swing by then, which will make the choices that much more difficult.
