As the year draws to a close we remember the good, the bad and the ugly but hopefully mostly the good. With every bad coach there are several good and a few great ones in the state. There are so many great coaches at the prep, college and pro level but we decided to choose four nominees that performed exceptionally well and let the fans vote on our social media. We provide the resumes and YOU cast your votes before the end of the year.
Dani Barton: Utes Volleyball
Dani has been a key player for the Ute Volleyball team and hasn’t slowed down since her freshman season. She was the Gatorade player of the year when she starred at Brighton High School. While her offensive statistics are around the same as last year so far, her defense is much better as she has registered 113 digs, 82 better than her 31 all of last year. She looks to be a special player throughout her college experience at the University of Utah.
Sara Hamson: BYU Volleyball
Being the star of the number one volleyball team in the nation is no tall task for Sara Hamson. The six foot seven sophomore had a spectacular freshman season last year and would have made her #1 ranked team even more elite than they already are this year (if that’s even possible). However, she had an injury. We still put her in as a nominee because she could probably still block your spike at a beach volleyball game even with both feet on the ground.
Cierra Simmons: Utah State Track and Field
Cierra had an impressive All-American sophomore track season as she was on the First team for the women’s 3000 meter steeplechase. She currently ranks first in school history in the 3,000 meter race (9:30.93) and the steeplechase at the same distance (9:49.33). It takes lots of talent and endurance to run almost 8 laps around a track while launching off a high platform into a watery grave several times. Watch out for Cierra. She’s a really talented athlete and great things lie ahead.
Alice McKennis: 2018 Winter Games skier
Alice had some great performances in the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. She finished 16th in the Super G and 5th in the downhill event. She was only a second off of a medal so she is looking for a chance to be great in her next opportunity. She has trained in the Rowmark Ski Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah. We tip our hat to Alice for representing America and the state of Utah in the Olympics.