Baseball
Closer to Wrigley Field: In the third round of the MLB draft, the Chicago Cubs selected WCC Freshman of the Year and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Jacob H. Hannemann (’16), an outfielder who is actually at BYU on a football scholarship. He wasn’t the only Cougar to sign an MLB contract: in later rounds, Adam C. Law (’15) signed with the Dodgers, Jaycob H. Brugman (’14) with the A’s, and Adam T. Miller (’14) with the Diamondbacks. Legendary Coaches: Glen C. Tuckett (MS ’62, PhD ’75) and Gary D. Pullins (BA ’69, MA ’75), Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame coaches, became the first Cougars to have their baseball jerseys retired by the university. Their numbers now hang at Larry H. Miller Field.
Basketball
Portsmouth MVP: Brandon J. Davies (’13) was named MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an invitation-only tournament for 64 of the top NCAA seniors. He was also invited to the NBA Draft Combine. Davies ranks in BYU’s top 10 in 10 different statistical categories, including career points, field goals, and blocks.
Swimming
Sweeping the Pool: Nicholas P. Suder (’15) was named MPSF Male Diver of the Year, Payton M. Sorenson (’16) and Alexandria N. Sorensen (’16) were Male and Female Rookies of the Year, and J. Keith Russell (BS ’73) was Male Diving Coach of the Year for the 15th time in his career.
Abbey A. Nelsen
(’15) (left) and Lea K.
Wride (’15) (right).
Cougarettes
Double Titles: The Cougarettes became the first to secure two national championship titles in the same year at the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Competition, winning both the Division 1A Hip-Hop and Open Dance categories.
Football
NFL Bound: Five BYU football players signed free-agent agreements with NFL teams. Braden J. Brown (BS ’12) signed with the St. Louis Rams, Braden C. Hansen (BS ’12) with the Oakland Raiders, M. Brandon Ogletree (BA ’12) with the Miami Dolphins, and Uona Kaveinga (’14) and Romney J. Fuga (BS ’12) with the Denver Broncos.
Golf
Co-POY: Zachary J. Blair (’13)—with seven top-five finishes this season—was named WCC Co-Player of the Year
Softball
Perfect Pitch: Hannah L. Howell (’13) became the second Cougar to pitch a perfect game, preserving an 11–0 victory over Loyola Marymount. Can’t Stop Clayton: Shortstop Jacqueline (JC) M. Clayton (’13) broke school records for the most bases stolen in a game (4) and the most career hits (269). She now holds 11 individual career and season records for BYU. Conference Bests: Gordon R. Eakin (’00) was named Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) Coach of the Year, Clayton was Player of the Year, and Marissa (Gordy) A. Bravo (’16) was Freshman of the Year. The team won the PCSC Championship.
Tennis
Region Champs: The men’s tennis team placed first in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Mountain Region and swept the region awards: Patrick B. Kawka (’14) won Singles Player of the Year; Kawka and Francis J. Sargeant (’15) won Doubles Team of the Year; and head coach Brad D. Pearce (BIS ’99) won Coach of the Year.
Track and Field
Nationals: At the NCAA Division-I Outdoor Championships, Victor R. Weirich (’13) took fifth place in the pole vault—using borrowed poles. His didn’t arrive in time. Jared B. Ward (’14) took eighth in the 10,000-meter, and Curtis A. Carr (’13) took fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. All three athletes earned first-team All-America honors. Combined Program: The men’s and women’s track and field teams have been combined under head coach Edward D. Eyestone (BS ’85, MS ’90). Under NCAA rules, institutions with separate men’s and women’s teams can have only three full-time coaches per team, and those coaches cannot work with athletes on the other team; the consolidation will allow all BYU track athletes access to all six BYU track coaches.
Jonathan Linehan
Rugby
Dropkick Champs: BYU beat rival and rugby powerhouse Cal in the Varsity Cup National Championship. Freshman Jonathan M. Linehan (’17), who earned MVPhonors, scored 22 of BYU’s 27 points—including a game-winning dropkick to break a tie in the last seconds of the game.
