“We’d like to welcome Kennard and his family to BYU,” Young said. “He brings a very diverse skill set to our team, and combined with his size, he gives us a lot of optionality on both ends of the floor. Kennard is a very good defender who can guard multiple positions, and he will be one of the best defenders in the Big 12. Offensively, we love his shooting and ability to get to the rim and free throw line. Maybe the most impressive thing about Kennard is how much he’s improved. He will fit right into our player development program. We look forward to helping him take his game to another level.”

The 6-foot-6 guard joins the Cougars after spending the past two years at Southern Illinois, where he appeared in 64 games, including 41 starts. During his time as a Saluki, Davis averaged 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three and 73.8 percent from the free throw line.

As a sophomore in 2024, he earned Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors after averaging a career-best 16.3 points per game, shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three and 76.3 percent from the charity stripe.

Davis scored in double figures 28 times, including 10 games with 20 or more. He scored a career-high 26 points against Murray State on Feb. 19, going 11-of-19 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He also had 10 rebounds against the Racers for one of his four double-doubles on the season.

The St. Louis, Mo. native saw action in 32 games as a true freshman in 2023-24, averaging 21.3 minutes and scored 4.2 points per game. He ranked third on the team in steals with 22 to go along with 96 rebounds, 28 assists and three blocks.

Davis was a four-year letterwinner at Vashon High School in St. Louis, Mo. where he led the Wolverines to four straight state championships. The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 4 Player of the Year was a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. He was rated as the 11th best player in The Show-Me State and 60th best small forward in the country.

Hoekstre qualifies for NCAA Meet in shot put

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Gretchen Hoekstre punched her ticket to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with an eighth-place finish in the shot put Thursday evening at E.B. Cushing Stadium.

The senior from Seaside, Oregon, secured her first-ever NCAA championships qualification in the shot put with a mark of 16.87m/55-4.25 on her third and final attempt. A 2024 NCAA qualifier in the discus, she’ll return to that event Saturday at 12 p.m. MT.

“Coming into today, I knew qualifying was well within my capabilities,” said Hoekstre. “However, this was the hottest and most humid meet I’ve ever competed in, and with my injury, I knew I’d have to compete. I was able to prove to myself my ability to show up when great throws are needed. I’m excited to throw back home and hopefully add another All-American accolade to my record.”

Sami Oblad ran the second-fastest 400m of her career, clocking 50.96 to win her heat and place fifth overall in the opening round. Her performance earned her an automatic berth to Saturday’s quarterfinal.

Four Cougar women advanced to the 1500m quarterfinals. Riley Chamberlain (4:14.06) and Carlee Hansen (4:16.31) claimed automatic qualifying spots by finishing second and third in their heat. Lexi Goff ran a lifetime best of 4:17.68 to qualify on time, while Taylor Rohatinsky will join her in Saturday’s quarterfinal with a 4:20.32 first round performance.

In the 800m, freshman Tessa Buswell was the fastest time qualifier in the field, clocking 2:03.97. Meghan Hunter advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal automatically after winning her heat in 2:05.65.

Senior pole vaulter Maren Garnett tied Rebekah Erikson’s BYU school record with a clearance of 4.32m/14-2 to finish 19th overall. Erikson cleared 4.17m/13-8.25 to place 20th.

Senior Destiny Everett finished 17th in the 10,000m with a time of 34:45.73 as sophomore Vanessa Alder placed 37th in 36:05.13.

Alysa Keller placed 33rd in the javelin with a third-attempt throw of 44.80m/147-0.