Former BYU star and returned missionary Kenneth Rooks added to his growing list of achievements by winning his third consecutive national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Aug. 2.
“It feels amazing, it feels like an incredible blessing,” Rooks told reporters after the race, referring to his trio of U.S. titles. “Especially because nothing is given to you in track and field. ... I’m really grateful to come out with the win.”
The Olympic silver medalist was joined by BYU graduate Lexy Halladay-Lowry, who won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase the same day.
“I’m so happy about this,” Halladay-Lowry said after the race. “So much has led up to this point. I’ll always represent BYU in my heart. I am so grateful for all the support.”
Rooks and Halladay-Lowry are two of many athletic members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have made headlines since last April. Here is a look back at some of those notable accomplishments.
Basketball
Branden Carlson, a 7-foot center who served in the England Manchester Mission, ended his rookie season in June by winning an NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Carlson went undrafted last season and ended up signing a two-way contract with the Thunder. He split time between the Thunder and their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, during the 2024-25 campaign.
Former Utah State basketball star Sam Merrill, who served for two years in the Nicaragua Managua South Mission, made NBA history in June when he signed a multiyear contract worth $38 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Merrill was the 60th and final player chosen in the 2020 NBA Draft, and the deal reportedly makes him the highest paid 60th pick in league history, the Deseret News reported.
Merrill, a sharpshooting reserve guard, picked up a championship ring with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2020-21 season. He spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies organization before finding a more secure home with the Cavaliers.
During the 2024-25 NBA season, the 29-year-old Merrill averaged 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.7 minutes per game.
Baseball
After six years in the minors, former BYU baseball player Daniel Schneemann is enjoying success this season with the Cleveland Guardians.
This season, the utility infielder has recorded 118 hits, including 16 home runs, and 60 RBI. He missed three games in August while on paternity leave to welcome a new family member.
Oakland Athletics’ reliever Justin Sterner, a returned missionary who walked on at BYU, is also having a good season.
In the month of August, Sterner posted a 1.98 ERA over 11 appearances, eight of which were scoreless outings. He racked up 17 strikeouts over 13-plus innings with just one walk, allowing just seven hits.
Also in August, 95-year-old Vernon Law, a farm boy from Meridian, Idaho, who became the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to win a Cy Young Award and help lead his team to the 1960 World Series title, was inducted into the organization’s hall of fame.
Football
A lengthy list of Latter-day Saints are playing or coaching for the National Football League and college football teams this fall.
The following players made NFL rosters to begin the 2025 season:
- Zayne Anderson, Green Bay Packers, safety, BYU.
- Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos, OL, University of Utah, served as a missionary in Colorado. Bolles was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2023.
- Brady Christensen, Carolina Panthers, OL, BYU, served in Hamilton, New Zealand.
- Simi Fehoko, Arizona Cardinals, WR, Stanford, served in South Korea.
- Matt Gay, Washington Commanders, K, Utah, served in Houston, Texas.
- Alohi Gilman, Los Angeles Chargers, S, Notre Dame.
- Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles, QB, Stanford, served in the Brazil Curitiba South Mission.
- Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams, WR, BYU.
- Ryan Rehkow, Cincinnati Bengals, P, BYU, served in London, England.
- Karene Reid, Denver Broncos, LB, Utah, served in Madagascar.
- Noah Sewell, Chicago Bears, LB, Oregon.
- Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions, OT, Oregon.
- Kingsley Suamataia, Kansas City Chiefs, OL, BYU.
- Khyiris Tonga, New England Patriots, DL, BYU, served in Wichita, Kansas.
- Sione Vaki, Detroit Lions, RB, Utah, served in the Tonga Nuku’alofa Mission and the Utah Salt Lake City West Mission.
- Kyle Van Noy, Baltimore Ravens, LB, BYU.
- Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints, WR, Utah, served in Samoa.
- Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers, LB, BYU.
- Zach Wilson, Miami Dolphins, QB, BYU.
Signed to the practice squad:
- Britain Covey, Philadelphia Eagles, WR/RS, Utah, served in Rancagua, Chile. Covey, who had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams before rejoining the Eagles, was honored for his faith and community service last May.
- Nephi Sewell, New Orleans Saints, LB.
Players on injured list:
- Tyler Batty, Minnesota Vikings, LB, served in Spain.
- Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints, QB/TE, BYU, served in Sydney, Australia.
Andy Reid is heading into his 13th season as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Another Latter-day Saint, Kellen Moore, is the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
In college football, Ken Niumatalolo, a former stake president and the U.S. Naval Academy’s winningest head coach, is in his second year as head coach at San José State University.
Former BYU, University of Virginia and University of New Mexico head coach Bronco Mendenhall moved to Logan to be the head coach of the Utah State Aggies.
University of Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is in his 21st season with the Utes.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is entering his 10th season with the Cougars. Last year, Sitake and the football team connected with BYU–Pathway Worldwide students through technology to mentor students and foster global connections. Those efforts have continued in 2025.
Golf
PGA Tour golfer and Latter-day Saint Tony Finau has competed in several tournaments and events in recent months. He spoke about his faith in a podcast interview in July, the Deseret News reported.
“The gospel has blessed me in so many different ways, and I feel like the Lord has had His hand in my life in so many different ways,” he said. “Allowing me to see the blessings and know who I am, I think that’s a huge one. I think understanding who I am as a child of God first and foremost. All the other titles that I have, they come after that.”
During the interview, Finau spoke about counseling with the Lord in prayer; his favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 3:19, which teaches about “putting off the natural man”; and how dealing with his mother’s death strengthened his faith and testimony of the gospel.
Hockey
Derek Ryan — the only active Latter-day Saint in the NHL as far as he knows — announced his retirement from professional hockey on Sept. 5.
The 38-year-old, who suited up for the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, appeared in 606 regular-season NHL games and participated in an additional 60 playoff games.
Ryan and the Oilers advanced to the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Final, where they came a goal short of the championship in Game 7.
Ryan, who joined the Church early in his hockey career, was best known for his defensive play, spending significant amounts of time on the penalty kill his entire career.
Marathon
In April, Conner Mantz, a former BYU runner and returned missionary, was the top American finisher in the Boston Marathon.
Mantz ran the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 8 seconds to finish in fourth place — the second-fastest time ever by an American.
He was also one of three BYU alums to finish in the top seven in the race. He was joined by fellow BYU alums Rory Linkletter, who finished in sixth place with 2:07:02, and Clayton Young, who was seventh with a time of 2:07:04.
Mantz and Aubrey Frentheway, another former BYU runner, also both won the men’s and women’s U.S. 20K Championship in Connecticut on Sept. 1.
Soccer
Lynette Hernaez Bryant, BYU women’s soccer star goalkeeper, surprised fans by retiring from the sport just before the beginning of the season in August.
Bryant, who joined the Church as a high school student in Southern California and later served a mission, spent the past two seasons as BYU’s primary goalkeeper, starting in 35 contests with 129 saves and nine shutouts. She earned All-Big 12 Freshman honors in 2023 and was part of the Cougars’ squad that was one of the last four teams standing in the NCAA Tournament. She married Mark Bryant, a thrower on the Cougars’ track and field team, in June.
Bryant said she felt inspired by the Lord to step away and may get into coaching soccer later, the Deseret News reported.
“Soccer led me to all my big life accomplishments,” she said in the article. “It led me to the gospel. It led me to one of the best universities in the country, and it led me to my husband. So at this point in my life, ... soccer has given me everything that I needed, and it has done everything that it possibly could give me.”
Softball
Jocelyn Erickson, a catcher for the University of Florida softball team, finished her junior season batting .303 (53-for-175) with 59 RBI, 55 runs, 15 home runs, two triples and three stolen bases.
Nicknamed “Sister Clutch,” the Latter-day Saint lefty was one of four Gators to start all 65 games and received multiple postseason awards and honors. She helped Florida reach the Women’s College World Series and was one of three Gators selected to compete in this year’s MLB Home Run Derby X competition.
Track and field
One year after making the U.S. Olympic Team, James Corrigan won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA track and field championships in June. Corrigan served in the Arizona Tempe Mission.
For the second year in a row, Meghan Hunter, a recent BYU graduate and middle-distance runner, was named a Big 12 Conference nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year on Aug. 4. She was a finalist for a national award in 2024.
