Mountain Crest's Jay Tovey is the UHSAA 4A Wrestling Coach of the Year
To a stranger, 27-year-old Jay Tovey may appear to be a Mountain Crest student. But upon closer inspection, it would be surprising to discover that Coach Tovey is actually a former D1 athlete, teacher, coach, and father of two. Not only that, Coach Tovey is the UHSAA 4A Wrestling Coach of the Year.
An Oregon native, Tovey was inspired by his father who was a teacher and coach. He loved how his dad was able to be invested in his family as well as his work, and Tovey knew that this was something he wanted to do.
After graduating from Oregon State University and serving a mission for his church in California, he and his wife settled in Cache Valley. Tovey is grateful for the opportunity he has to coach in such a great community and feels lucky to be a part of the Mountain Crest family. Not only does he coach wrestling, but Tovey also teaches Beginning Weights, Fitness-Weight Training/Conditioning, and Lifetime Sports.
Coach Tovey finds joy in preparing his students for the future. “I wanted to be a coach so I could help students get to the next aspect of their lives,” Tovey said. “I want kids to reach their full potential in everything they do. It is important that they build good habits now so they set themselves up for the rest of their lives.”
And these good habits are paying off. Coach Tovey led the Mountain Crest wrestling team to win first place in the Utah 4A State Championships early this February. Not only that, but four Mountain Crest wrestlers placed first in their weight class, with three more placing second.
Tovey finds motivation in his desire to improve and reach his potential. His wife inspires him to be better and seeing her hard work makes him want to be the best that he can. This work ethic that he had developed as a competitor is now applied to how he is as a teacher, coach, father, and husband.
“The great part about wrestling is that there is always somebody better than you and you can always do more,” he explained. “I try to do that as much as I can everywhere else in life.”