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Construction on the UCCU Soccer Stadium concludes for the day as the sun sets in the distance on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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UVU head coach Todd Phillips directs his team during a game against Western Colorado at the UCCU Center in Orem on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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UVU players and coaches celebrate after securing the conference regular season title after winning the WAC game against Grand Canyon at Clyde Field in Orem on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

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UVU runners race together during the WAC cross country championship at Lakeside Park in Orem on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.

Courtesy UVU Athletics

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UVU freshman Sami Blackett (13) hits the ball during the WAC game against Cal Baptist at Lockhart Arena in Orem on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

Claire Marshall, UVU Marketing

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The UVU women's track and field team poses for a photo after the WAC championships in Orem on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

Natalie Grover, UVU Athletics

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UVU representatives do the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new UCCU Stadium that took place in Orem on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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UVU wrestler Evan Bockman (right) talks to coach Greg Williams during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Lawrence Slater, LBS Photo

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Utah Valley's Daniel Dickinson, left, was named the preseason WAC Co-Player of the Year by the league's coaches for 2024.

Courtesy UVU Athletics

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It’s been a pretty good year to be a Wolverine.

The UVU athletic program — now in its 15th year in Division I — continues to carve out a niche for itself, including improving its facilities as well as succeeding in the various realms of competition.

The Wolverines are looking forward to another great year as the calendar turns to 2025, with big hopes and dreams

But before taking that step, it’s time to pause and look back.

Here are the Top 10 stories for UVU athletics in 2024:

1. University breaks ground on new soccer stadium

When it comes to quality facilities, the Wolverines have worked hard to catch up to other in-state institutions. UVU boasts a nice indoor basketball practice facility, an excellent baseball diamond and solid arenas for volleyball, wrestling and basketball.

But when it officially broke ground on the new UCCU Stadium at Clyde Field in April, it marked a moment when the university was seeking to raise the bar. With a 22,000-square-foot footprint, the facility will feature amenities designed to elevate the collegiate soccer experience.

Highlights include state-of-the-art locker rooms, a team lounge, dedicated spaces for visiting teams and officials, an increased capacity of 3,000 spectators through 400 additional chairback seats and covered plaza seating, an MLS-style press box with broadcast capabilities, a new videoboard, and 10 luxury suites.

It’s an achievement UVU director of athletics Jared Sumsion called “a Christmas miracle” and will provide the Wolverine men’s and women’s soccer teams a unique home to rival that of any other college program in the country.

2. New coaches take over in wrestling and baseball

A part of college athletics is seeing coaches come and go for various reasons. 2024 marked a year of transition for both the UVU wrestling and baseball teams.

Long-time Wolverine wrestling coach Greg Williams announced he would be retiring at the end of the season, which gave UVU a chance to select his replacement. Adam Hall, an experienced assistant coach at North Carolina State, turned out to be the pick which was announced in February. Hall is now in his first season starting in the winter of 2024 and has already seen some nice successes.

The Wolverine baseball program had a different experience when Eddie Smith left in July to take the head coaching job at Washington. UVU didn’t end up going far to get his replacement, however, as Wolverine assistant coach Nate Rasmussen was promoted only a few days after Smith left. Rasmussen will have his first full season at the helm in 2025.

3. Todd Phillips leads UVU men’s basketball to best first-year season ever

The last two UVU head coaches are now in the national spotlight with Mark Pope coaching No. 10-ranked Kentucky (10-2) and Mark Madsen leading Cal (7-5).

Neither of those coaches, however, were able to do what Todd Phillips did in their first years at the helm.

With his 16 wins in regular season play in the 2023-24 season, Phillips became the winningest first-year head coach in UVU’s full status Division I program history.

Phillips breaks the previous wins mark of 12 wins set during the 2015-16 season by Pope. Madsen had 11 wins in his first season in 2019-20.

The first-year head coach also held the best KenPom (164) and NCAA NetRating (165) by a first-year head coach in UVU history.

With that solid start, Phillips now looks to build to bigger things for the Wolverine program moving forward.

4. Kelsi Oldroyd makes Wolverine history at US Olympic Trials

Kelsi Oldroyd is no stranger to track-and-field success, as proven by her status as back-to-back WAC Champion in the javelin as well as being a two-time NCAA West preliminary rounds qualifier.

But the UVU junior took that to another level and made program history in process as she competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in the javelin in June. She became the first Wolverine student-athlete to compete at the trials during their collegiate career at UVU.

“I am so incredibly excited for this experience,” Oldroyd said before the competition. “This is something that has just constantly been on my mind since I qualified. Telling family and seeing their reactions and making them proud is my favorite part. I’m excited to soak it all up and have a good time.”

Oldroyd had a solid showing, finishing 14th overall with a top throw of

51.22-meters (168-00 feet).

5. Heartbreak ends promising seasons for women’s soccer, men’s basketball

Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, as both the UVU women’s soccer and men’s basketball teams were reminded the hard way in their respective WAC tournaments.

The Wolverine women’s soccer teams came in on a high with a 10-match unbeaten streak, going unbeaten in WAC play (6-0-1) and claiming a third consecutive WAC regular-season championship. But in the semifinals, top-seeded UVU saw California Baptist break a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 88th minute to end the season for the Wolverines.

The UVU men’s basketball team had won seven of its last eight games and headed into the WAC first round game as the No. 5 seed. But No. 8-seed Cal Baptist refused to go down, despite the Wolverines forcing overtime with some late foul shots. The Lancers dominated the overtime period to get the 73-63 win and knock UVU out of the tournament.

6. Bockman, Drury highlight Wolverine wrestling successes

UVU junior Evan Bockman was the only Wolverine to make it to the second day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Kansas City, Mo., in March. He battled Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker until the end, but ending up losing 3-2 due to Voelker having the riding time advantage.

UVU sophomore Haiden Drury had the best run at the U23 Freestyle Nationals, finishing fourth. He advanced to the semifinals before suffering a loss to move into the consolation rounds. Drury finished the weekend 5-2 in the tournament.

“I would have liked to finish the weekend with three medalists, but I’m happy for Haiden Drury and his fourth-place finish,” Wolverine head coach Adam Hall said. “He was our star with a win over an All-American.”

7. UVU women’s volleyball returns to the postseason

The Wolverines would’ve loved to get back to the NCAA tournament in 2024 but even though that didn’t happen, UVU accepted an invitation to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

It was the second time UVU competed in the tournament, and it is the first time in the field since 2018, when the Wolverines advanced to the second round.

“It’s awesome that we were able to qualify as one of the 29 teams in the NIVC tournament,” said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. “This is a testament to the hard work these girls have put in this season. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to compete this year. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far.”

The Wolverines swept Washington State to start the tournament before losing a five-set thriller to Wyoming in the second round.

8. Wolverine women’s track wins first WAC title

Utah Valley University’s women captured their first WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, running away with the team title after a record-breaking final day of the meet at Hal Wing Track & Field in Orem.

The Wolverines added four more event championships on Saturday to finish with a total of eight combined between the men and women (the men’s team ended up third).

The track success led to another breakthrough for UVU as a record 14 Wolverines competed in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds.

9. UVU to be a host for NCAA men’s basketball tournament opening rounds

Utah Valley University learned in October that it had been chosen as a host school for the first and second rounds of the 2028 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, which will be held at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

“We are incredibly excited and honored to be named as a host school for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament,” UVU director of athletics Jared Sumsion said. “This opportunity highlights the progress of our athletics program and showcases the confidence the NCAA has in Utah Valley and our ability to stage premier events.”

The games take place at Delta Center, a venue known for its history of hosting NCAA Tournament games and delivering unforgettable moments. UVU will serve as the official host institution, working with Delta Center and Salt Lake City to create a memorable experience for both participants and fans.

10. Guled, Odekirk set pace for Wolverine cross country

Based on their performances at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, Utah Valley University runners Caila Odekirk and Mo Guled were officially recognized as All-Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Guled finished 22nd in the men’s 10k while Odekirk was 24th in the women’s 6k. The top 25 finishers from each region were honored with the recognition.

Guled had a standout fall, winning five races including the Roy Griak, which earned him the USTFCCCA National Men’s Athlete of the Week for Division I. He was also named the WAC Men’s Athlete of the Year in a vote by the league coaches after winning the WAC individual title, marking the fourth time a UVU student-athlete has won the individual men’s race.

Odekirk was third at the WAC Championships to help the women to their second straight team title while also landing a perfect score after having the top six finishers all in Wolverine green. She led the Wolverines to a fifth-place finish at the regional.

Honorable mention: Daniel Dickinson named second-team baseball All-American by Perfect Game, Faith Webber and Omar Yehya have phenomenal soccer seasons, Halle Morris earns All-West Region first team honors for softball, UVU softball coach Cody Thomson coaches at USA softball camp, UVU announces partnership with Nike and BSN Sports, Sumsion honored as the Division I-AAA Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).