Annual Y-Awards celebrate BYU athletes
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- BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier accepts the Male Rookie of the Year award at the Y-Awards on Monday, March 30, 2026.
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- BYU women’s soccer player Ellie Walbruch accepts the Comeback Athlete of the Year at the annual Y-Awards on Monday, March 30, 2026.
BYU Athletics honored 27 student-athletes and coaches during the annual Y-Awards on Monday night at the Marriott Center.
Football was recognized as the men’s team of the year, led by head coach Kalani Sitake, while soccer received the honor as women’s team of the year, led by head coach Jen Rockwood. Men’s volleyball was the SAAC Cup award winner, given to the team that accrued the most points throughout the year for attendance and participation in SAAC events, service projects, etc. Gymnastics was the SAAC Cup runner up. Football offensive line coach and running game coordinator TJ Woods received the award for assistant coach of the year.
A complete list of student-athlete award winners can be found below.
Lu Wallace Outstanding Senior Award
Riley Chamberlain, Women’s Track & Field
Senior female student-athlete who has most clearly demonstrated high athletic and academic performance and sportsmanship.
Ed Stein Outstanding Senior Award
Richie Saunders, Men’s Basketball
Senior male student-athlete who has most clearly demonstrated high athletic and academic performance and sportsmanship.
Leona Holbrook Spirit of Sport
Brielle Kemavor, Women’s Volleyball
Junior or Senior female student-athlete whose participation best exemplifies the true spirit of sport in athletics and life.
Dale R. McCann Spirit of Sport
Keanu Tanuvasa, Football
Junior or Senior male student-athlete whose participation best exemplifies the true spirit of sport in athletics and life.
Kimball Memorial Award
Chloee Hoke, Gymnastics, 4.0 GPA and Jake Orr, Men’s Track & Field, 3.97 GPA
Student-athletes who have the highest cumulative GPA among those who have lettered twice or more and completed 70 or more credit hours.
Floyd Johnson Service Award
Jayda Lee, Women’s Track & Field and Bernardo Adam, Men’s Volleyball
Student-athletes who have demonstrated uncommon commitment to giving back to the community. Their attitude of giving truly exemplifies the university’s motto “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.”
Cougar Club Memorial Award
Carter Cutting, Men’s Track & Field
Outstanding junior male or female student-athlete with high scholarly achievement.
Comeback Athlete of the Year
Ellie Walbruch, Soccer
Male or female student-athlete who has overcome incredible odds to succeed as a Cougar student-athlete.
Crowd Pleaser of the Year
Delaney Gibb, Women’s Basketball and Tre Alexander, Football
Student-athletes whose enthusiasm and outstanding performance have given extra excitement to the crowd.
Tom Holmoe ONE TEAM Award
Aubryn Ordyna, Women’s Swim & Dive and Jackson Fife, Men’s Volleyball
This award is for the unsung hero – someone who may not always receive recognition for their athletic performance but consistently prioritizes the team’s success. They are supportive, maintain a positive attitude and embody the priorities outlined in BYU’s ONE TEAM strategy.
Inspirational Athletes of the Year
Sydney Benally, Women’s Basketball and Ammon Montenegro, Cheer Squad
Student-athletes who have been an inspiration to others, whether through words or example.
Breakout Athletes of the Year
Lucy Kesler, Soccer and Rob Wright, Men’s Basketball
Student-athletes who had an especially breakout seasons or moments and are ones to watch as a future game changers.
Hinckley Award Winners
Maggie Bailey, Cheer Squad, majoring in communications; Chloee Hoke, Gymnastics, majoring in communications and Kylie Olsen, Track & Field, majoring in exercise science
The Edwin S. and Abrelia C. Hinckley Scholarship is a prestigious, privately endowed scholarship honoring junior and senior students for high academic achievement, leadership and service. It is one of the most prestigious scholarships at BYU, and 75 students from across campus are awarded this scholarship each year.
Three BYU student-athletes received the scholarship this year, each having a 4.0 cumulative GPA during their time at BYU.
Athletic Director’s Leadership Award
Hailey Morrow, Softball and Chase Roberts, Football
Awarded to both a female and male student-athlete who are all in on BYU, are great leaders and show exemplify alignment with BYU.
Rookies of the Year
Jane Hedengren , Women’s Track & Field and Bear Bachmeier, Football
Freshmen student-athletes who contribute the most in their true-freshman or red-shirt freshman year.
Athletes of the Year
Jane Hedengren, Women’s Track & Field and AJ Dybantsa, Men’s Basketball
Demonstrating the competitive spirit of desire, dedication and determination, leading them to top competition and serving as an inspiration to both teammates and fans.
