College Update: Former Glendale Community College standout Collin Keoshian leading the way for Illinois State

The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.

Collin Keoshian (Glendale Community College, 2013) junior running back, Illinois State football: After basking in the limelight last season with the Vaqueros, Keoshian has wasted no time adjusting to carrying the ball on a regular basis at the NCAA Division I-AA level.

Keoshian, who earned All-Pacific Conference American Division first-team honors after scoring 11 rushing touchdowns in nine games in his lone season with the Vaqueros, has fit in nicely with the 24th-ranked Redbirds (1-3, 0-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference) and received plenty of responsibilities.

While the Redbirds have started off slow, Keoshian has been a bright spot.

On Saturday, Keoshian rushed for a touchdown in Illinois State’s 37-10 loss to host Missouri State in a conference opener. He finished with 17 yards rushing, but scored on a one-yard run to give the Redbirds a 10-7 lead with 12:02 remaining in the second quarter.

Keoshian enjoyed a nice effort in a nonconference home game against Abilene Christian on Sept. 21. He rushed for 54 yards on 16 carries and tallied a pair of touchdowns to help Illinois State pick up a 31-17 victory. He scored on a 10-yard run in the first quarter to give the Redbirds a 7-0 lead before completing the scoring with a three-yard run in the fourth stanza.

In four games, Keoshian has rushed for 140 yards in 43 carries. He’s scored all five rushing touchdowns for Illinois State, which will next participate in a conference home contest versus Western Illinois at noon PDT Saturday.

Eric Verso (St. Francis High, 2011) sophomore forward, Stanford men’s soccer: The former All-Area honoree has had a knack for scoring key goals for the Cardinal during the first month of the season. Stanford has won five straight matches, its best surge since 2009. Verso has scored two match-winning goals during Stanford’s successful run.

Verso’s latest round of heroics came Sept. 22 during a nonconference home match against Colgate. Verso scored on a header off a rebound in the 47th minute to give the Cardinal a 1-0 victory. In a nonconference match against Santa Clara on Sept. 7, Verso scored in a 1-0 victory.

Against Colgate, Verso finished with three shots, including two on goal. In seven matches, Verso has four points and eight shots.

Verso’s younger brother, Mark, is a freshman forward with Stanford and a St. Francis graduate. He’s notched six shots in six matches.

Stanford (5-1-1) will next meet visiting Washington at 7 p.m. Thursday in a Pacific Athletic Conference-12 match opener.

Ryan McAleenan (St. Francis High, 2012) freshman linebacker, College of the Canyons football: McAleenan a former All-Area and All-Mission League honoree, who transferred from San Jose State, continues to thrive with the Cougars.

His best performance of the season might have come Saturday in a Northern Conference National Division-opening contest against host Pasadena City College. McAleenan collected a team-high 12 tackles and broke up a pass in Canyons’ convincing 54-10 victory.

In a nonconference game against visiting Desert, McAleenan had three tackles in Canyons’ 17-0 win.

In four games, McAleenan is tied for the team lead in tackles with 29.

Canyons, which has won three games in a row, will battle visiting Bakersfield College in a division game at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Camille Coffey (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2011) junior outside hitter, Fairfield University: Coffey, a former All-Area Girls’ Volleyball Player of the Year, has received plenty of playing time for the Stags. Unfortunately for the Stags, they’ve struggled during the first part of the season.

Fairfield suffered its third straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest, falling, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 25-15, to host Iona on Sunday in New Rochelle, N.Y. Coffey finished with five digs.

Coffey enjoyed one of her best efforts Sept. 25 in a conference home match against Siena College. She collected 13 digs in Fairfield’s 21-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-12 defeat.

In a conference opener against visiting Quinnipiac University, Coffey contributed eight digs in the Stags’ 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 25-16 victory in Hamden, Conn.

In 52 games, Coffey has registered 95 digs and 16 kills.

Fairfield (3-11, 1-3 in conference) will play its next five matches at home, beginning with a conference meeting against St. Peter’s at 10 a.m. PDT Saturday.