“Kihei was solid from the first tee shot,” BYU Director of Golf Todd Miller said. “He was in control of his mind and his game almost the whole round, which isn’t easy to do when you’re contending for a national championship.”

“I played really solid and smooth besides the two bogeys on the back nine,” Akina said. “I was just a little bit out of position on those two holes, which you can’t do much at this course, but I did a great job the rest of the round.”

Akina turned in a below-par score in each round of the championship. The No. 8 NCAA golfer cruised through his first 14 holes of the day by making three birdies and going bogey-free in that stretch. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year led the 156-player field in par-4 scoring at 3.83 and eagles with two for the tournament. After coming up short with bogeys on six and seven, Akina bounced back to finish his final hole of the season with a birdie to get him to an 8-under-par total score. Akina secured his 11th top-10 finish as a result.

“I am proud of the way I played this season,” Akina said. “This season of college golf has definitely exceeded my expectations.”

“The simplicity with which he plays the game is what impresses me the most,” Miller said. “He didn’t need to do anything flashy to be the best freshman in the field and who I consider the best in the country. I’m excited to watch him build his amateur resume in preparation for the tour.”

The top eight teams moving on to the match play portion of the event, in order, include No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Texas, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Arizona, UCLA and No. 18 Tennessee.

Big 12 standout Preston Stout of Oklahoma State won individual medalist honors with a 14-under-par showing.

BYU women’s volleyball adds UTRGV transfer

BYU women’s volleyball head coach Rob Neilson has announced the signing of transfer outside hitter Dimitra Nanou.

Nanou joins the Cougars with three years of eligibility after her freshman season at the University of Texas-Rio Grand Valley. The six-foot pin was named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and to the All-Southland Conference First Team, averaging 3.6 kills per set on a .312 hitting percentage.

A native of Kozani, Greece, Nanou also added 71 digs, 10 service aces, nine assists and six total blocks in year one with the Vaqueros. She set career highs of 16 digs, 13 kills, three blocks and one ace, posting her first-career double-double against LIU.

Also boasting some international experience, Nanou was a starter for the U17 and U18 Greek national teams. In 2023, she was the MVP of the U17 Balkan Championship and was named the best receiver at the European Championship Qualification.

Nanou will join  Kelli Jo Burgess, Kylie Buttars, Brooke Hardy, Rachel Jepsen and Kaylie Kofe as the sixth member of the Cougars’  2026 signing class this summer.

Cougar gymnastics hires Evans as assistant coach

BYU women’s gymnastics head coach Natalie Broekman announced Friday the hiring of Shannon Evans as an assistant coach.

Evans returns to BYU as one of the most accomplished gymnasts in program history. She competed for the Cougars from 2017-20 and earned second-team All-American honors on bars in 2018 after qualifying individually for NCAA Nationals. Evans became the first BYU gymnast in 14 years to qualify for nationals and earned All-American recognition, finishing seventh in the country on bars.

“I am thrilled to announce that  Shannon Evans  will return to BYU and complete our coaching staff,” Broekman said. “Cougar Nation knows her as a former All-American on bars and one of the most exciting floor performers our sport has ever seen. She is gritty and unafraid of a challenge. Shannon has high expectations for the future of our team and loves BYU to her core.”

Evans remains among BYU’s all-time leaders, holding the program’s fifth-highest all-around score (39.575), along with the third-highest vault and floor scores (9.950) and second-highest bars score (9.950).

During her career, Evans earned MRGC Freshman of the Year honors and was named the MRGC Gymnast, Floor Specialist and Bars Specialist of the Year. She also won the 2018 MRGC all-around title and earned All-MRGC first-team honors on bars and floor in 2018. In 2019, she received first-team all-conference recognition on vault and in the all-around.

Competing in the all-around all four years, Evans was named MRGC Specialist of the Week 35 times during her career.

She also gained national attention for her Super Mario-inspired floor routine, which was featured by Sports Illustrated and Deadspin.

“It was 10 years ago, almost to the day, that I stepped foot on BYU’s campus,” said Evans. “I put my whole heart and soul into the program then and I can’t wait to return to where it all started, this time as a coach. I am so excited to give my heart and soul again to every woman who chooses to be a part of our special mission. I am here to elevate BYU gymnastics and I’m excited to help build strong women in and out of the gym.”

Following her collegiate career, Evans remained involved in gymnastics as a floor choreographer, designing and coaching routines for athletes across the country.

She currently serves as co-head coach at Magic City Gymnastics in Billings, Montana.

Evans graduated from BYU with a degree in exercise and wellness before earning a nursing degree from the University of Utah. She worked as a labor and delivery nurse for two years before transitioning into home health nursing.

A native of American Fork, Utah, Evans will return to BYU with her husband, Ryan, and their two daughters, Lyla and Jasey.

UVU wrestlers place at U23 Freestyle Nationals

GENEVA, Ohio — Utah Valley’s Smokey McClure  and Geronimo Rivera  both notched third-place finishes while Layne Kleimann  took fourth at the U23 Freestyle Nationals on Sunday at the SPIRE Institute.Kleimann and Rivera faced off in a 61kg quarterfinal to start the day, with Kleimann winning in a 10-0 tech fall in just 18 seconds to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, he fell to eventual champion, Northwestern’s Massey Odiotti in a 10-6 decision before securing an 11-10 decision over Illinois wrestler Spencer Moore to advance to the third-place bout against Rivera.Rivera responded to his only loss of the tournament by rolling off four straight wins, including a 4-2 decision over Kleimann in the third-place match. To get there he a trio of tech falls over Davis Motyka (Penn), Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh), and Garrett Rinken (Northern Iowa). He finished 7-1 overall.McClure also opened the day with a quarterfinal, where he faced Oregon State’s Noah Tolentino and suffered his only defeat, a 10-7 decision. Tolentino then went on to win the 65kg bracket. Like Rivera, McClure won four straight to place third. He defeated Tahir Parkins (Rutgers) in a 12-2 tech fall, Eren Sement (Michigan) in a 13-11 decision, and Derrick Cardinal (SDSU) by medical forfeit before the third-place match. McClure secured third with a 5-0 shutout of Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech) and finished 8-1 in the tournament.Also in action Sunday was Kael Bennie  (92kg), who fell 13-12 to Rutgers’ PJ Casale to see his tournament come to an end with a 6-2 record in eight matches.The three place-winners gives the Wolverines six total at U23’s in the Adam Hall  era. Haiden Drury, who just completed his collegiate career at UVU, placed in both 2024 and 2025 taking third and fourth, respectively. Hudson Rogers  also placed sixth in 2025.