“Utah truly is The State of Sport,” Governor Spencer J. Cox said in a news release. “I see it in the excitement our professional sports teams bring and in the eyes of youth who engage in sport for fun and to learn life skills. I’m proud to honor our great athletes at the State of Sport Awards.”

Here’s a rundown of the award-winners.

Collegiate Male: AJ Dybantsa

From earning FIBA gold medals to starring at BYU, AJ Dybantsa has proven himself a true generational talent. The AP First Team All-American averaged 25.5 points per game, leading Division I, while collecting national and Big 12 honors on his path to the 2026 NBA Draft.

Collegiate Female: Ilove’a Brittingham

Brittingham rewrote the BYU softball record book in her first season. The 2025 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, she led the Cougars in 10 offensive categories, set a program record for freshman RBIs (69), and tied the BYU single-season freshman home run record (21).

High School Male: Kihei Akina

As the youngest champion in the 99-year history of the Utah Open, Akina already teed it up on professional golf tours at just 18. Before heading to BYU, he set a state record with a 127 at the 6A championship, the first to capture three individual titles since 1999.

High School Female: Belle Sorensen

Sorensen led Bountiful High to its first girls soccer state title since 2006 before graduating early to play spring ball at UVU. A back-to-back 5A Player of the Year, Sorensen scored 81 goals and 33 assists, including a career-high 25 goals in her senior season.

Team of the Year: Team Utah in Italy

106 athletes. 14 nations. 26 medals. Utah’s Team of the Year made its mark at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Composed of athletes with ties to The State of Sport, Team Utah competed across 20 disciplines and ranked 12th on the Olympic and 6th on the Paralympic medal tables.

Highlight of the Year: Red Bull Soapbox Race Utah

From gravity-defying stunts to all-out wipeouts, the Red Bull Soapbox Race, Utah’s Highlight of the Year, was a full-throttle celebration. With 51 teams racing a one-mile course at up to 30 mph, the event drew 50,000 fans to the Capitol grounds, creating unforgettable moments and unforgettable crashes.

Coach of the Year: Fredrik Landstedt

Across 33 years of collegiate ski coaching, Utah’s Coach of the Year has been part of eight NCAA championship teams. In just eight seasons, Fredrik Landstedt has led the University of Utah to six national titles, including in 2026, while building a program that consistently produces All-Americans, individual champions, and Olympians.

Professional Male: Clayton Keller

This four-time NHL All-Star set a career-high 90 points in 2025, leading the Utah Mammoth in goals, assists, and points, captained Team USA to its first world championship since 1933, and followed it up with a gold-medal debut at Milano Cortina 2026.

Professional Female: Mina Tanaka

Mina Tanaka made an instant impact in her first full season with the Utah Royals, earning team MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and the Golden Boot. She led Japan to its first SheBelieves Cup title with four goals, three assists, and tournament MVP honors.

Olympic Male: Quinn Dehlinger

Dehlinger finished on the podium in every World Championship start in freestyle aerials. In 2025, he earned a back-to-back silver medal in the individual event, while also helping the U.S. make history as the first country to win consecutive mixed team aerials titles.

Olympic Female: Kaysha Love

Track sprinter turned bobsleigh pilot Kaysha Love made her Olympic debut just 16 months after starting her bobsled career. She defeated a two-time defending world champion to become just the fourth American pilot in the last 65 years to claim the title.

Adaptive Male: Brayden Butler

Butler turned 2025 into a breakout season on the wall as a para climber. He reached the podium at every international event, winning his first World Championship in Seoul and adding a World Cup gold and silver.

Adaptive Female: Sophie Post

A two-time Deaflympics champion and World Deaf Football Championship gold medalist, Post has spent nearly a decade representing the U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team. At the 2025 Deaflympics, she delivered a goal and three assists while playing through an injured MCL.