What a ride for sports fans in the Beehive State.

In just 12 short months, Utah gained another professional sports team in the Utah Hockey Club, saw the return of pro women’s soccer, and watched the University of Utah join BYU in the Big 12 Conference.

Speaking of the Cougars, several of their sports programs enjoyed exceptional seasons, including football, cross-country, basketball and volleyball, while Utes fans cringed at the results of their football and basketball seasons.

The BYU-Utah football rivalry game returned with the same intensity and passion as in past years, even boiling over at times, so it was heartwarming to see fans of both schools come together to remember two former Utah football players inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, just as at every Utah home game for the past two seasons, the Utes honored fallen teammates Aaron Lowe and Ty Jordan with a “Moment of Loudness,” where fans of both teams stood shoulder-to-shoulder, lit up the stadium with their cellphone flashlights and held up two fingers, symbolizing the No. 22 jerseys worn by both players. Lowe and Jordan were both killed in gun-related incidents within a span of about nine months.

Two weeks later, on Senior Night for the Utes, fans cheered loudly as Quita Jordan, Ty’s stepmother, with tears in her eyes, hugged the framed jersey of the slain Utah football player on what would have been his Senior Night.

The past year also brought about the end of an era as the Salt Lake Bees played their last game at Smith’s Ballpark on the corner of 1300 South and West Temple, where local baseball teams have played since 1928.

As the Utah Jazz, a perennial fan favorite and unifier in the state, continued their rebuild, Utahns remained faithful. They also continued to cheer for the Utah Grizzlies and Real Salt Lake, who deliver on and off the fields of battle.

Another thing that brought fans and communities together were local high school teams, and 2024 didn’t disappoint passionate prep sports fans — from the first contests of the year to the championship contests to cap the season.

We can all admire the commitment, effort and enthusiasm these young athletes pour into their sports year-round and that translates into some really amazing images.

While news of a future Winter Olympics in 2034 gives Utah sports fans something exciting to look forward to, here is a look back at the best sports images of 2024 through the eyes of the Deseret News photojournalists.