Hosted by the Utah Debate Commission, this debate features candidates for the Utah governor’s seat. It includes candidates Spencer Cox (R), Brian King (D), and J. Robert Latham (L). The debate is held from the Grand Theatre on The Salt Lake Community College Campus.

When: Wednesday, September 11 at 6 p.m.

Moderator: Jason Perry is host of the The Hinckley Report, produced in collaboration with The University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.

Recorded 09/11/2024.

Utah State’s women’s soccer team has done something no Aggie team — regardless of sport — has done in over half a century.

The undefeated Aggies (7-0) made it into the top 10 of the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25, coming in at No. 9 after recent wins over UVU and Pacific.

The No. 9 ranking is the highest ranking by a Utah State team since the men’s basketball team peaked at No. 9 in the AP Poll in 1971.

Utah State received 118 points in the poll, up from 47 the week before. The Aggies are the only Mountain West team that received any votes in the latest poll.

USU has defeated one team still ranked this season — No. 18 Pepperdine, who the Aggies defeated 3-0 on Aug. 15. BYU and Utah Valley, both of whom Utah State has defeated this season, are also receiving votes in the poll.

Utah State has outscored its opponents this year by a combined 25-4, including five shutout victories. The Aggies have dominated competition in the state of Utah, defeating the aforementioned Cougars and Wolverines, as well as the Utah Utes. Utah State plays at Weber State this weekend, with a chance to sweep in-state competition.

Most recently, the Aggies defeated Pacific 9-3, after which head coach Manny Martins said, “In the first half, our mindset just wasn’t right. That’s not what we expect it to be. That’s a part of sports. This is a team that came here trying to get a result, as they should, and maybe we looked at their record and overlooked them a bit, but they challenged us.

“Sometimes you need a game where you’re challenged in a way where it helps you stay grounded and refocus. This is only the second time we’ve given up three goals in a game and the first time we’ve given up three goals in a half since I’ve been here. But the most important thing is how the team responded to it and I thought we responded well and finished the game strong.”

The women’s soccer program has been trending up in recent years, culminating in a Mountain West championship last season. At its current pace, Utah State is on track to potentially host a NCAA tournament game in Logan, something the program has never done before.

LAS VEGAS — Bill Daly said he’s impressed with how quickly the Utah Hockey Club is getting its affairs in order since more than 12,000 fans packed the Delta Center in Salt Lake City for their first in-person look at players and coaches on April 24.

It was a welcome-to-the-NHL moment for the team, which had been established five days earlier, and the community greeted its members with open arms as they walked onto the stage inside the rink to be introduced.

The ensuing 19 weeks have seen a flurry of activity for the new franchise, ranging from participating in its first NHL Draft, to hiring a broadcast team, to preparing a temporary practice facility, to revealing the official team colors and jerseys, to selecting an ice crew.

The citizens of Utah have noticed. And so has the League.

“I think the fan base in and around Salt Lake City is energized to embrace them,” Daly, the NHL’s Deputy Commissioner, said at the NHL North American Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “You saw that a few months ago with the introduction of the team. It’s going to be that times three-fold or four-fold when they actually start play. It’s exciting, exciting for them, exciting for the National Hockey League.

“They guaranteed us they could do this, and they’ve met every promise along the way. They’ve made unbelievable accomplishments this summer, gearing up, getting ready to play …

“It’s very gratifying to see. It’s exciting. I think the players are really excited, and I think the organization is over the top excited.”

They have reason to be.

It was the vision of local businessman Ryan Smith and wife Ashley to bring an NHL team to Utah, and the organization has been on the gas pedal since that goal became reality almost five months ago to make sure things are in order for the start of the 2024-25 season.

During the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28 at Sphere in Las Vegas, Utah made its inaugural pick a memorable one, using the No. 6 selection to take forward Tij Iginla, son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. The 18-year-old was the first of 11 players selected by the team.

Since then, preparations have accelerated.

Final touches are being made on the team’s temporary practice facility at the Utah Olympic Oval, featuring refurbished locker rooms, a new ice sheet and team banners dangling from the walls. The team’s permanent state-of-the-art practice facility is expected to be completed next year.

On Saturday about 60 people tried out for 20 spots on the team’s ice crew. With just four weeks remaining until Utah’s regular-season opener against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 8, it was another box the organization could check off.

To that end, the organization last week unveiled its broadcast team led by play-by-play man Matt McConnell. Former NHLer Dominic Moore and Nick Olczyk, son of former NHLer Ed Olczyk, will serve as color commentators.