Finding faith at an NCAA championship

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On Saturday, I took my talents to the NCAA cross-country national championships, and by that I mean I watched the races while holding my reporter’s notebook and trying not to freeze.
I was there to help with the Deseret News’ coverage of the BYU men’s and women’s teams, which each went into the event ranked No. 1 and left with championship trophies.
While my colleague Doug Robinson wrote about what happened on the course, I spoke with BYU fans in attendance, including runners’ loved ones, about what made the school special. We talked about coaching styles, expectations and, of course, faith.
By the time the women’s race ended — and after the BYU runners gathered for a celebratory prayer — I was pretty confident that I would be writing a story about religion and sports. My editors should have predicted as much when they set me loose on the cross-country crowd.
You can hear me on the press conference videos asking BYU coaches and runners about the role religion played in their championship run. I’m a bit embarrassed to think about how my questions sounded to reporters representing running-focused outlets, but also hopeful that the athletes’ answers helped listeners understand the relationship between religion and sports in new ways.
At BYU, runners don’t just pray privately before competitions or give a shoutout to God in their victory speeches. They’re pushed to think regularly and deeply about their relationship with God and their teammates, as coaches work to produce great people — not just great runners.
I left Saturday’s event feeling newly grateful for athletes who are willing to discuss their faith on a big stage and for my editors, who always welcome my faith-related questions.
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