BYU men’s golf finished at 12-under-par to win the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in Napa Valley, California, by eight shots Tuesday after shooting 280-285-287 for a total of 852.

Freshman Cooper Jones secured his first collegiate victory at 7-under-par, with the rest of the Cougar squad securing finishes in the top 20.

The BYU team led the tournament from the get-go, finishing eight shots clear of second place Sam Houston.

Jones carded rounds of 69-67-73-209 over the two-day tournament while making 15 birdies to finish at 7-under-par. After making a triple-bogey on the 12th hole in Tuesday’s final round, the freshman recovered with birdies on the par-3 15th and the par-4 17th to secure a one-shot victory over three players who tied for second.

“Obviously, it’s great to come out of there with the team and individual win. It is a great time of year to get some momentum for myself and the team,” Jones said. “I made this win a little closer than I should have with some big mistakes midway through my final round. I was able to finish strong and get the job done. There is lots of good I can take into these upcoming tournaments and the postseason.”

Peter Kim tied for seventh (71-71-72-214; -2), Max Brenchley (70-74-71-215; -1) tied for ninth, Zac Jones tied for 14th (70-73-75-218; +2) and Keanu Akina tied for 17th (72-77-71-220; +4) to earn the Cougars their first win of the season.

Brock Goyen (73-78-71-222; +6) competed as an individual and finished 28th after jumping 12 spots on the leaderboard with a 1-under final round, finishing 6-over.

“It says a lot about Cooper as a competitor and a golfer that he got the win the first time he was in contention,” BYU director of golf Todd Miller said. “It doesn’t happen too often. Most guys have to get in contention five to six times before they learn to win with the pressure in them. I’m also excited for him to get an exemption for a Korn Ferry event! I hope this win brings momentum to our team as we prepare for the postseason.”

The Cougars are not done this week as they head to Palo Alto, California, to compete in The Goodwin from Thursday to Saturday.

BYU head women’s volleyball coach Heather Olmstead named USA women’s U21 head coach

BYU women’s volleyball head coach Heather Olmstead has been named the U.S. Women’s U21 National Team head coach, USA Volleyball announced this afternoon.

“Coaching for USA volleyball is one of the highest honors in our sport,” Olmstead said. “It’s a humbling opportunity for me to learn from some of the best coaches and players in the United States. Karch Kiraly and his staff have done an incredible job with the culture and performance of USA Volleyball. The chance to lead any USA team is an honor. I’m very grateful and excited to have the opportunity to work with this talented group of athletes and staff.”

Olmstead will lead the American squad in this summer’s NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship, competition that will serve as a qualifier for the 2025 FIVB World Championship.

The Continental Championship will be held in Toronto, Canada from June 23 through July 1, with training held June 14-22 in Anaheim, California.

Olmstead will be joined by assistant coaches Alex Dunhpy (Stanford), former BYU men’s volleyball alumni Jalen Reyes (Nebraska), performance analyst Virginia Pham (USC), athletic trainer Rachel Menze (CSUN) and team leader Courtney Smith.

Working with USA Volleyball in various capacities previously, Olmstead has also served as an assistant coach for the 2023 Collegiate National Team (CNT), 2022 U21 team, 2020 CNT Gold Team and gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2018, Olmstead has a 213-29 (.880) record in eight seasons at BYU. She currently has the highest winning percentage of any women’s volleyball coach in NCAA Division I history, and is also the fastest coach to reach 200 wins, doing so in just 225 games.

Under her leadership, BYU has reached the NCAA Tournament every year, including a Final Four appearance in 2018, six Sweet 16 runs and six West Coast Conference championships.

Cougar softball wins at Utah Tech

BYU softball defeated Utah Tech, 9-1 at Karl Brooks Field in St. George on Tuesday evening, powered by a pair of home runs from Lily Owens and Hailey Morrow.

The Cougars earned nine runs on 10 hits through the run-rule contest to improve 18-12 on the season. Six runs came in the third inning alone, amidst two brief rain delays.

BYU will resume conference play, hosting Houston in a second-straight conference home series at Gail Miller Field, Thursday-Saturday. All three games will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

UVU athletes earn academic all-district honors

Utah Valley men’s basketball graduate center Trevin Dorius and Wolverine women’s basketball student-athletes Amanda Barcello, Kylee Mabry, and Liana Kaitu’u were named to their respective 2023-24 Academic All-District Teams on Tuesday, as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

The CSC selects student-athletes who excel on the field and in their studies to the Academic All-District teams. This honor puts Trevin in the running for the national CSC Academic All-America team, which will be announced on April 17.

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