Jaren Hall blazes his own trail while following his father’s footsteps as a BYU Cougar
When you speak to most pundits — and even casual fans — the fate of the 2022 BYU football team will come down to the right arm (… and legs … and mind) of junior quarterback Jaren Hall. The second-year starting quarterback is considered an NFL draft prospect and is on a number of […]
Improving Prospects: BYU’s Built4Life program focuses on long-term athlete success beyond the playing field
College athletics has hit the Big Leagues. While BYU and other athletics departments around the country balance student academic achievement with on-the-field wins, a new stewardship has hit coaches, administrators, parents and the athletes themselves. Through a combination of new state laws and NCAA regulations, athletes now have more protections and opportunities to make […]
40 Under 40: Jon McBride
BYU • Provo • Media Relations • Age 37 Jon McBride is hashtag-important. He’s the social media manager at BYU and has been in charge of growing the university’s main accounts. With thoughtful initiatives, he’s tackled crucial topics such as sexual assault, consent, racism, sexism, homophobia, conflict resolution and mental health awareness. And last year, […]
20 Q’s with Chad Lewis
During the 20th year of Utah Valley Magazine, we’re re-interviewing cover stories with 20 new questions. Utah Valley Magazine: What do you remember about being on the cover of Utah Valley Magazine in 2002? Chad Lewis: It was a great honor at the time, and I still feel the same way now. UV: What advice […]
A Behind the Scenes Look at Christmas Around the World Artistic Director, Jeanette Geslison
In 1987, Jeanette Geslison traveled from her home in Denmark to study dance at Provo’s true blue university. Every year since, she has participated in the annual Christmas Around the World concert. She began as a student dancer, and now she’s worked as the artistic director of the production for nine years. Each year she […]
Obstacle Obliterator: Timpanogos High Star Leads BYU Men’s Cross Country Toward National Title After Life-Threatening Scare
Jacob Heslington’s first running adventures weren’t on the track or the cross country course. They were on his makeshift steeplechase course on the family farm by Utah Lake. “I would hurdle hay bales and time myself,” Jacob says. Now, Jacob is a senior on the BYU cross country team and one of the leaders on […]
Tall Tale: Heather Gneiting has come a short way down I-15 from Pleasant Grove High to BYU
Heather Gneiting has a hard time sneaking past anyone. The 6-foot-4 superstar middle blocker for the Cougars makes a statement when she walks into a room. Even as a freshman entering the coaches’ offices at BYU, she sent expectations soaring. “They asked about my goals as we started the season,” Heather remembers. “I mentioned wanting […]
Breakdown of BYU Football’s Defense
When the schedule includes nationally leading programs like Tennessee, USC, Washington, Utah and Boise State, it helps to have a solid defense that can keep the team in the ballgame while the offense gets going. This is good news for the Cougars, who finished last season No. 18 in total defense, including No. 1 field […]
Anchor’s Away: KSL’s Dave McCann Calls Cougar Football and His Own Game Plan
As a BYU broadcasting student, Dave McCann earned a $1,000 scholarship from KSL, which he used to help fund an internship in Indiana. He didn’t return to the KSL building again until he was walking in wearing a Nordstrom suit as the nightly anchor for the leading Salt Lake City station in May 2012. Dave […]
Dave Rose takes down the nets of his 14-year career as head BYU basketball coach
Dave and Cheryl Rose had just finished lunch at Centro Woodfired Pizza in Cedar City, one of their all-time favorite places to eat. The two were on their way home to Provo after cleaning out their St. George vacation home Dave had decided to sell on a whim. (He describes it as a “we” […]
Tis the season of college applications: 10 tips for applying to BYU
Brigham Young University: the dream school of over 13,700 annual applicants. Hundreds of those hopeful high schoolers will come from Utah Valley this year, and all of them will have to mind a new deadline. BYU Admissions moved the application deadline for the fall 2019 semester to Dec.15 of this year. In past years applicants could […]
Stop and smell the turf: behind the scenes of LaVell Edwards Stadium turf upkeep
BYU football fans know their team works hard in practice so they can leave it all on the field come game day. What fans might not know is that the grounds grew puts just as much effort into preparing the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium for a home game. Before each BYU football home game, […]
BYU celebrating 21 years of ‘stone cold sober’ with limited edition chocolate milk
After carrying the title of “stone cold sober” for the past two decades, Brigham Young University is raising their glasses with a new type of chocolate milk to celebrate its 21st consecutive year at the top of Princeton Review’s annual list. BYU Dining Services announced the “Stone Cold 21,” a drink that mixes two signature treats […]
Keys to a better season for BYU football in 2018
No better example of Murphy’s Law exists than BYU’s 2017 football season. Everything that could go wrong for the Cougars did go wrong. A flurry of injuries, an inept offense, and an inconsistent defense all combined to help BYU finish with its most losses in a season since 1955. Now, the Cougars are looking to […]
Two Utah County cities named to SafeWise’s 50 Safest College Towns in America
Two Utah County cities made SafeWise’s list for “50 safest College Towns in America.” Orem ranked No. 15 while neighboring city, Provo, came in at No. 33. Home to Utah Valley University, Orem frequently makes lists for best places to live. Orem, which has a population of 95, 640 people, has 0.68 violent crimes per […]
5 BYU newcomers who could make a splash in 2018
Many position battles are far from settled as BYU opened up its fall football camp on Thursday. That may not be a bad thing for the Cougars as they look to bounce back from a disastrous season. Competition at quarterback, receiver and other key positions is giving BYU a chance to develop some quality depth. […]
UTA won’t be done with UVX construction until fall
By mid-August, Utah Valley Express buses will be rolling through Provo and Orem. They’ll arrive at stops every six minutes during peak times. And stop every 10 minutes in off-peak hours. But they won’t be using most of the platforms or driving down the center lanes. That’s because construction on University Parkway and University Avenue […]
Quarterback vs. quarterback: who will lead BYU’s offense in 2018?
Injuries and ineffective play created a revolving door at quarterback for BYU last season. With a new offense in place, the Cougars hope to avoid a repeat scenario this fall. The search for the right quarterback to run this new offense will extend into fall camp. BYU finished spring ball with several players making a […]
BYU receivers seeking to elevate their game in new offense
Things feel much different for Dylan Collie in his second stint at BYU. Collie, a graduate transfer from Hawaii, is becoming a mentor to a group of receivers short on experience but long on potential. The senior definitely has plenty of wisdom to impart from his time with the Rainbows. But he has also learned […]
BYU counting on coaching experience to build a better offense in 2018
Experience has become the tool of choice for BYU in rebuilding an offense from the ashes. The Cougars sunk to unthinkable depths a year ago en route to a 4–9 season. Putting points on the board, or even moving the chains, became a virtually impossible task at times. Last season, BYU ranked among the bottom […]
Jimmy Fallon mocks BYU ‘Women in Math’ poster in ‘Bad Signs’ segment
Late-night host Jimmy Fallon mocked a BYU poster during his “Bad Signs” segment on the “Tonight Show” on Wednesday. “Let’s see who’s running it,” Fallon said as the video panned up the poster to reveal photos of four men. Steve Higgins, the announcer on the “Tonight Show,” joked, “That don’t add up.” The poster, which […]
Former BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth earning his NBA shot with the Dallas Mavericks
Playing at Vivint Smart Home Arena is not a new experience for Kyle Collinsworth. Still, this latest game carried a much different feeling for him than the previous ones. Collinsworth played in the arena many times during his college career at BYU. This time around, when he checked in late in the first quarter, he […]
What does BYU’s 2018 class reveal about the Cougars going forward?
Few surprises emerged for BYU on National Signing Day. A large percentage of the team’s 2018 football signing class officially joined the Cougars in the early signing period in December. This development ended up aiding head coach Kalani Sitake in a transition period. Coming off a 4–9 season, Sitake shook up his coaching staff during […]
Covering the BYU fireside that turned into a frightening ordeal
It was a quiet Sunday evening in the newsroom of the Daily Universe on BYU’s campus. As the assistant sports editor, I was putting together the sports pages for Monday’s paper while other fellow editors were working on their own pages on Feb. 7, 1993. On the television screens, the BYU devotional, featuring President Howard […]
Most notable BYU sports moments in 2017
As 2018 approaches, it’s time to reflect on the last 365 days. For BYU sports in 2017, there were plenty of highs and definitely plenty of lows to improve on in the coming year. Here’s a list of 12 notable BYU sports moments from the past year. Some are good memories and some are bad, […]
5 things we learned about BYU football’s early signees
BYU is banking on athletes possessing large frames and versatile games to help turn things around after a difficult football season. The Cougars brought in 14 players during the early signing period on Wednesday and Thursday. If this first wave of recruits is an accurate barometer for how the remainder of BYU’s 2018 class will […]
BYU and UVU sports weekend roundup: BYU men’s basketball tops rival Utah; UVU men’s basketball loses by one point
If you were as busy as the Cougars and Wolverines were this weekend, chances are you didn’t get to watch all of the games. Here’s a quick recap of how it all went down. BYU men’s basketball beats Utah in Deseret First Duel Junior guard Elijah Bryant led the BYU men’s basketball team to victory […]
Looking ahead: a promising future for BYU women’s volleyball
The 2017 BYU women’s volleyball season is over — but the future looks bright for the Cougars. After losing in the Sweet 16 to Kentucky on Friday, Dec. 8, it already looks like the team is poised for another postseason run next year as they return the majority of their core for the 2018 season. […]
BYU and UVU sports weekend roundup: BYU volleyball loses in Sweet 16; BYU women’s basketball tops rival Utah
If you were as busy as the Cougars and Wolverines were this weekend, chances are you didn’t get to watch all of the games. Here’s a quick recap of how it all went down. BYU women’s volleyball eliminated from NCAA Tournament The BYU women’s volleyball team lost in five sets (25–20, 17–25, 25–22, 18–25, 9–15) […]
Devashrayee’s career high leads BYU women’s basketball to victory over rival Utah
Behind senior guard Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee’s career-high 36 points, the BYU women’s basketball team beat rival Utah 77–68 in the Deseret First Duel on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. The Cougars snapped their four-game losing streak to improve to 4–5 on the year with the victory. “I’m really proud of this team,” BYU head […]