Taylor
Lovell

From Gilbert to Provo

Lovell is from Gilbert, Arizona, and ran for Perry High School, where she won the 2022 Arizona state title in the 3200 meters and was part of the state-champion 4x800 relay, by her BYU bio. She also played varsity soccer for three years. Her father, Jon, played extramural soccer at BYU, and her sister Londyn plays soccer at Utah Valley. "When I got to BYU, I was basically a walk-on," she said in July 2026, the Deseret News reported.

Two ninths, then a national title

She finished ninth in the NCAA steeplechase in 2024 and 2025, earning Second Team All-America both times, and was runner-up at the Big 12 Championships both years. In 2026 she won the Big 12 title in 9:40.98 in Tucson, by more than 13 seconds and in a championship and facility record, BYU said. On June 13, 2026, at Hayward Field in Eugene, she ran down Notre Dame's Sophie Novak in the last 200 meters and won the NCAA title in 9:21.03, a personal best, 5.5 seconds clear. BYU said she was the fifth Cougar to win the event. Read the full profile story.

In the classroom

The USTFCCCA named her its outdoor Co-National Scholar Athlete of the Year in July 2026, the first BYU woman to win the award, and she was a CSC First Team Academic All-American as an exercise and wellness major with a 3.60 GPA.

Her 2026 cross country season

She is one of BYU women's cross country's scorers: fourth at the UVU Invitational, ninth at the Cowboy Jamboree, 14th at Pre-Nationals and 15th at the Oct. 31 Big 12 Championships, where she was BYU's fourth scorer in its fourth straight conference title.