On weekday mornings, Nevada Sports Net will recap three big headlines of the day in its Morning Download. Read below for today’s topics.
1. Metallica awards Nevada alum Austin Corbett the Panthers’ Man of the Year Award
Austin Corbett, the Reed High and Nevada Wolf Pack alum, was awarded the Carolina Panthers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Thursday morning, with the message being delivered by Metallica frontman James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo. Each NFL team selects one Walter Payton Man of the Year Award honoree with Corbett advancing to the award’s next stage with the NFL selecting one league-wide winner in the coming weeks. The Panthers’ website outlined all of the volunteer and community-service work done by Corbett and his wife, Madison, a former Nevada volleyball player. You can vote for Corbett here.
2. Nevada track and field opens indoor season at Reno-Tahoe Indoor Track
The Nevada women’s track and field team will open its indoor season today at the Reno-Tahoe Indoor Track, which opened inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center last year. The Wolf Pack will host six meets in Reno this season, including this week’s Silver State Invitational, which runs Thursday-Saturday, as well as February’s Mountain West Championships. In total, the $5 million track will host 12 events this year and is expected to add 20,000 room nights to Northern Nevada with an economic impact last year of $7 million. Tickets cost $10 for this week’s meet with $100 for a season pass. You can see Nevada’s full schedule here and watch our preview of the season below.
3. Galena High to induct 13 people, one team into 2026 Hall of Fame
Galena High will induct 11 players, two additional people and a state championship team into its Hall of Fame as part of the Grizzlies’ 2026 class. The group includes Jacob Anderson (baseball); Mike Crooks (wrestling, football); Jillian Dowty (cheer and stunt, track and field); Luxchimi Gill (golf); Pete Lazzari (football, baseball); Colleen Mullins (golf, basketball); Abigail Parker (softball, cross country, track and field); Joel Rivadenyra (football, wrestling); Damin Rivadenyra (football, wrestling); JD Peters (basketball, baseball); Jimmy Sargent (football, baseball, track and field); Bob Affonso (band director); Ed Parise (coach in football, track and field); and the 1996 state championship softball team. The ceremony will be held Jan. 31 at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino.