It's May 30, two hours before the Portland Thorns kick off against the Utah Royals. A mother and her young daughter stand next to the players' entrance outside of Providence Park in Portland. They're among the throng of fans waiting behind a barricade hoping to get an autograph from Portland Thorns players as they arrive at the stadium.
Olivia Moultrie, the 20-year-old garnering NWSL MVP attention this season, walks over to the start of the line to greet the fans.
"That's Olivia," the mother tells her daughter, directing her attention to Moultrie.
Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie greets fans outside of the stadium ahead of a NWSL game against the Utah Royals at Providence Park in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, May 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
She's dressed in a blue long-sleeve Nike shirt and red and blue patchwork-style drawstring shorts. She wears her long brown hair down, with the exception of a headband braid.

#thorns

Olivia Moultrie's competitive drive began at a young age. When she was 7, she had a goal to be the best soccer player in the world.
When she was 15, Moultrie won a legal battle to remove the National Women's Soccer League's age barrier. At the age of 18, she made her debut with the U.S. women's national team.
On this episode of "Deseret Voices," the Portland Thorns midfielder chats with Deseret News reporter Krysyan Edler about her soccer exploits and about the role faith plays in her life.
Subscribe to "Deseret Voices" on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Note: Transcript edited by Steven Watkins.

#deseret #moultrie

Taysom Hill may be done playing football for New Orleans, but his on-the-field performance and his off-the-field persona have earned him Sainthood among the Who Dats for years to come.
"He's the guy that a lot of our guys can look to as an example of growing in the NFL and finding roles and finding opportunities," said Saints coach Kellen Moore after Hill announced his nine-year run in New Orleans was over. "Everyone, for the last few years, has been chasing to find the next Taysom. But there really is just one Taysom."
That "one Taysom" was going to be Jim Harbaugh's Swiss army knife quarterback at Stanford prior to Hill's two-year church mission to Sydney, Australia. When the 49ers lured Harbaugh away, Hill redirected his post-mission plans to Provo.
BYU figured it had someone special, but it wasn't until Sept. 7, 2013, that the Cougars knew for sure. Facing No. 15 Texas and following a two-hour weather delay, Hill produced one of the single greatest performances in program history.
BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (4) runs away from Texas linebacker Steve Edmond (33) Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013, at LaVell Edwards stadium. BYU won 40-21. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

#taysom #texas #finding

South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley just let the world know that she’s a big fan of BYU’s Diljeet Taylor.
Staley appeared on Citius Mag’s Prefontaine Classic show on Saturday and shared her admiration for BYU’s women’s cross-country head coach and ***** ociate director of track and field.
“I’ve seen the way Diljeet coaches her players,” Staley said. “She’s a mentor. She’s mom-like. She is someone that gives the athlete all of her, like she meets the athlete where they are on any given day.”
In 2024, Staley and Taylor were named to Nike’s Athlete Think Tank, the Deseret News previously reported. They were part of the first coaches cohort of the think tank, along with U.S. women’s national soccer team head coach Emma Hayes and former Olympic volleyball coach Jenny Lang Ping.
“You probably have to hold her back because she wants to get on the track and just kind of will her athletes to the finish line, and that’s what it takes,” Staley said.

Adam Sandler gives Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce heartfelt marriage advice originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After Adam Sandler officiated Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding, the comedian is bestowing some wisdom about marriage to the newlyweds.
Swift and Kelce tied the knot on July 3 at Madison Square Garden. They were surrounded by 1,000 friends and family members to celebrate their big day. Following the reception, Kansas City Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid, shared the advice that Sandler gave to Swift and Kelce.
"Adam Sandler conducted the service there and he told them, 'Keep kissing,'" Reid said, per The Deseret News. "So, in its simplest form. That's a good thing."
Sandler has been married since 2003 to his wife Jen. The couple shares two daughters: Sadie Madison (born in 2006) and Sunny Madeline (born in 2008).

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on July 6, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
If you don‘t like the baseball All-Star game, blame a sports writer.
On July 6, 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League 4-2 behind winning pitcher Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees.
A guy named Babe Ruth cracked a home run in the third inning, and the midseason classic became a classic.

Kiss her three times, 'cause she's waited her whole life.
Adam Sandler officiated the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at New York's Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 3, and according to Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, the "Happy Gilmore" star gave the couple some "pretty good" marriage advice during the ceremony.
"He told them to keep kissing," Reid recounted to Deseret News. "So, in its simplest form, that's a good thing. It's hard to argue when you give your wife a kiss, or your wife gives you a kiss. And make sure you do it every day, every minute that you have an opportunity to do it. Knock it out, and you won't have problems."
Reid added that Sandler was "hysterical," and "he did a great job in getting them married with a lot of humor."
While the choice of Sandler to officiate Swift and Kelce's wedding took some fans by surprise, the Kansas City Chiefs star worked with Sandler when he had a role in the comedian's 2025 movie "Happy Gilmore 2." Swift is also good friends with Sandler's daughters Sunny and Sadie, whom he shares with his wife Jackie Sandler.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on June 20, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
It’s interesting to look back at world records in the 100 meters, the sport’s premier event.
But before we get to that, we note that on June 20, 1968, not one, not two, but three American runners became the first in the world to run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. They called it the “Night of Speed.”
On this day, in the U.S. Olympic trials in Sacramento, California, Jim Hines put his name in the record books when he clocked 9.9 seconds.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on June 14, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
Michael Jordan denied the Utah Jazz again.
One year and a day after leading the Chicago Bulls past the Jazz to win the 1997 NBA **** le, he foiled us all again on June 14, as the Bulls clinched their sixth NBA championship in eight seasons in a thrilling 87-86 win at the Delta Center.
Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds — pushing off, of course— and earned his record sixth NBA Finals MVP on June 14, 1998.

Sami Oblad makes BYU history at NCAA track and field championships

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