SALT LAKE CITY — We’ll admit it: 2016 hasn’t been a great year for a lot of people.

But for sports, locally and nationally, it’s been an incredible ride.

Here are the top moments of the year as reported by KSL Sports on TV, online and on social media.

Click the appropriate link for top moments of the year from BYU, Utah, Utah Jazz and prep sports.

LaVell Edwards dies at 86

BYU football and the state of Utah lost a legend Dec. 29, 2016 with the passing of a coach who took a mediocre football team and turned it into a dynasty.

Edwards won more than 200 games in 29 seasons with the Cougars, including the 1984 national championship and a 14-1 season in 1996 that included a Cotton Bowl win. But even more important were the relationships he fostered as a coach, as a father and grandfather, and as a mentor of young men.

Jerry Sloan diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia

Another in-state legend revealed he is battling a disease that most know for its attacks on the central nervous system. After he announced his diagnosis, Sloan and his wife Tammy sat down with KSL’s Kathy Aiken to explain the fight they are facing, the support they have received and why it is still important for the Riverton-based couple to attend as many Utah Jazz games as possible.

Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak calls for hiatus of BYU-Utah series

Any listener of Utah sports radio will know well the postponement of the BYU-Utah basketball rivalry after Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak paid $80,000 of his own money to put a one-year halt to the heated series.

Of course, rivalries don’t die easily. In July, the Utes and Cougars, in conjunction with Utah State, Weber State and the Utah Jazz, announced the formation of a four-team annual exhibition held at Vivint Arena that will be known as the Beehive Classic.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake’s inaugural season

It was the first year of the first BYU football coach to have been mentored by Edwards, and Sitake did not disappoint. After a 1-3 start that included a one-point loss at rival Utah, the Cougars finished the season with eight wins in the final nine games and a 24-21 victory over Wyoming in the Poinsettia Bowl to finish 9-4.

Along the way, Jamaal Williams became BYU’s all-time leading rusher, and quarterback Taysom Hill finished his final season of college football with more than 9,000 yards of offense and 75 touchdowns.

Utes’ Joe Williams storms out of retirement

After retiring for medical reasons four games into the 2016 season, Williams unretired a month later (as we learned from every national broadcast the Utes had) and ran for 1,407 yards and 10 touchdowns, including 222 yards and Offensive MVP honors following the Utes’ 26-24 victory over Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl.

Utah Jazz offseason acquisition flurry

The Jazz were active in the offseason, turning a team that just barely missed the playoffs into a contender in the West through the acquisitions of George Hill, Boris Diaw, and Joe Johnson. Alongside the departure of point guard Trey Burke, Utah now sits at fourth in the Western Conference entering the 2017 half of the NBA season.

Duke-bound Frank Jackson’s final year at Lone Peak

If you don’t believe Lone Peak’s Frank Jackson was the best high school basketball player to face the state of Utah in several years, look no further than his McDonald’s All-American nomination.

The senior became the first local recipient of the national award since Brighton’s Gardner Meads in 2000 and won co-MVP honors at the annual exhibition played in Chicago. He’s also earned immediate playing time at Duke and is a trendy pick to potentially leave early for the NBA draft.

SLCC men’s basketball wins 2nd national title in school history

Speaking of national honors, Salt Lake Community College took the NJCAA tournament by storm by winning the national championship as a No. 13 seed and bringing the title trophy to Taylorsville and the KSL SportsBeat studio.

Led by Utah Valley signee and former Lone Peak star Conner Toolson, the Bruins won the second national title in school history and first since 2009 before several players scattered to Division I colleges, including American Fork native Tyler Rawson at Utah.

Utah wins Pac 12 baseball championship

The drought of Utah men’s team sports winning conference titles since joining the Pac 12 ended this spring when Utah baseball went from worst in the league two years ago to the best in one season.

The Utes qualified for their first NCAA tournament and beat regional host Ole Miss before losses to Boston College and Tulane to end a 26-29 season. Bill Kinneberg also won Pac -12 Coach of the Year honors, as well as the Don Reddish Award, given annually to the coach in a non-football, basketball or gymnastics sport deemed to have had the most success in a season.

Draft day decisions

The short list of local players who had the best draft day, in terms of professional success this far, include Jakob Poeltl, Joel Bolomboy, Devontae Booker, Bronson Kaufusi, Miles Killebrew, LeShaun Sims, Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil. Each of those players heard his name called during the NBA and NFL drafts, and each has already begun excelling.

Poeltl joined former Utah teammate Delon Wright with the Toronto Raptors, former Weber State star Bolomboy stayed close to home with the Utah Jazz, Utah’s Booker signed with the Broncos, BYU’s Kaufusi the Ravens, Southern Utah’s Killebrew the Lions and ex-teammate Sims the Titans, Utah State’s Fackrell the Packers, and the Aggies’ Vigil the Bengals.

Honorable Mentions

Davis High put Utah girls soccer sets state wins record, earns national honor

Hunter Woodhall wins 2 Paralympic medals before graduating high school

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