BYU's Meghan Hunter will compete in the 800 meters at the NCAA Track and Field Meet in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

In her senior season at BYU, Hunter won the 800m at the outdoor Big 12 Championships, breaking both program and meet records in the process. Additionally, her time of 1:58.99 ranks her as the No. 3 all-time performer in NCAA outdoor track and field history.

At the 2025 Husky Classic, Hunter and teammates Carmen Alder, Tessa Buswell and Riley Chamberlain had a historic performance as they broke not only the BYU record but the NCAA record in the Distance Medley Relay, crossing in 10:37.58.

Jerry Larson, AP Photo

Hunter earned her third First Team All-American honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this year, clocking a 1:59.03 for the fourth sub-two-minute performance of her career to give her third place in the 800m.

In the classroom, Hunter maintained a 3.95 GPA while earning a master’s degree in communication disorders. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders in 2023. In June 2025, she was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team. Additionally, in 2024, Hunter earned Academic All-Big 12 honors and received the reputable Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award.

Hunter’s path to success was marked by resilience. Shortly after signing her letter of intent with BYU in 2019, she was involved in a serious car accident that resulted in a broken neck, leaving doctors unsure if she would ever run again. Through intense physical and mental rehabilitation, she regained her athletic ability and became a source of inspiration for teammates and coaches alike.

Even with a busy schedule as a student-athlete, Hunter has actively served in her local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She does motivational speaking, sharing her inspirational story. In connection with her field of study, Hunter has volunteered extensively in equine therapy, conducted hearing loss screenings, worked with elderly individuals experiencing severe mental health challenges, administered speech therapy and participated in research on dyslexia, aphasia and alternative communication devices.

Hunter becomes the second consecutive BYU student-athlete to receive this award, following women’s soccer’s Bella Folino in 2024.

Sitake earns spot on Dodd Trophy watch list

ATLANTA — BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Dodd Trophy presented by PNC Bank. The preseason list includes 26 of the nation’s top college football coaches as selected by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc.

Named after legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, the Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the FBS football coach whose program represents the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity–the three pillars of Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.

Sitake is entering his 10th season leading the BYU program he once played for under College Football Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards. A former Cougar running back (1994, 1997-2000), Sitake has guided the Cougars to a 72-43 overall record during his first nine seasons (2016-24) at the helm after leading BYU to an 11-2 record and a No. 13/14 final ranking in 2024.

Entering his 25th overall season as a college football coach, Sitake is the first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent as well as the first former player under Edwards to be named head coach at BYU. He led the Cougars from the ranks of FBS independent to membership in the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

During BYU’s independent era, Sitake guided the Cougars to notable power-conference wins over Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, USC, Utah, Washington State and Wisconsin, including a 29-9 record during the final three seasons of independence from 2020-22.

In recent years, Sitake was named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list in 2020 and 2024 and was also recognized as an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist and George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist in 2020 and 2021.

The Dodd Trophy annually honors a coach whose program had a successful season on the field but also stresses the importance of academic excellence and desire to give back to the community. The nominating committee is made up of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member.

A midseason watch list–adding to or narrowing the field–will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2025 season. The winner of the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Towards the end of the 2025 football season, the committee will identify a group of finalists for the Dodd Trophy who meet the rigorous standards of excellence. The ultimate winner is selected from the list of finalists through a voting process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Board.

In addition, beginning in September, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will honor coaches whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.

Jones-Perry named to USA VNL roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Former BYU women’s volleyball outside hitter Roni Jones-Perry has been named to the week three Volleyball Nations League (VNL) roster.

This is Jones-Perry’s second VNL appearance for the Americans. She has also competed for the U.S. on four NORCECA Pan American Cup teams.

The VNL brings together the world’s top 18 teams for three action-packed weeks of preliminary play, with each team competing in four matches per week. Week three will be played at the UT Arlington College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Week 3 Schedule: Arlington, Texas (all times PDT) Matches will be shown on VBTV, Big Ten Network and/or CBS Sports Network. Please check listings for BTN and CBSN.

July 9 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Thailand July 10 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Dominican Republic July 12 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Canada July 13 at 5:00 p.m. vs. China

The Cougar alumni played at BYU from 2015-18. She was a two-time AVCA All-American for the Cougars, and was both the 2018 WCC and AVCA Pacific South Region Player of the Year.

View the full week three VNL roster at the USA Volleyball website.