BYU made it to Big 12 championship after all — er, at least this one former Cougar did.
Former BYU soccer player Ashley Hatch attended the Big 12 championship game as a member of the conference’s first-ever alumni council.
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is BYU’s other representative on the council.
By joining the council, alumni receive “VIP access to all Big 12 championships and conference events,” the Big 12 said in its council announcement in July.
Hatch wasn’t the only BYU tie at the game.
BYU Special Olympics athlete Jackson Garrick was honored at the game as the 2024-25 Big 12 Conference Special Olympics Male Athlete of the Year, according to Provo United Special Olympics.
Garrick joined the BYU Special Olympics team in 2023 and helped the team win the Utah state basketball championship title. The team placed third at the NIRSA collegiate basketball national championship, and Garrick was named the Team MVP of the Utah State Games.
What Ashley Hatch said about attending the Big 12 championship
Hatch attended the championship festivities in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Jeff Van Buren. The Washington Spirit forward wrote about the experience in her weekly email newsletter, “The Ash Hatch Insider.”
Hatch explained that, over the weekend, she and other alumni representatives discussed “the updates and agendas of the Big 12 and how we can best serve the student-athletes.”
“It was a fun ‘work’ trip that also doubled as a mini vacation for Jeff and I. We got to eat lots of good food, go to the football game and my favorite part was getting a tour of the DCC (Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders) locker room. I loved their Netflix series, so it was so fun to see their locker room in real life,” Hatch said.
Hatch also met Jesse Palmer, the host of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” series and one of Hatch’s “reality TV idols.”
“Thanks to the field access badge I had the opportunity to say hi to him on the field before the game. He was so nice and I was star-struck,” she said.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Hatch.
November was filled with playoff soccer as Hatch’s Washington Spirit battled for their first NWSL championship since 2021. The Spirit ultimately lost to the Orlando Pride in the championship on Nov. 23.
Up next for Hatch is a meet and greet at the Giving Machines in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
She invited her newsletter readers to get an autograph from and photo with her while helping those in need by making a donation at the Giving Machines.