Kragthorpe: Scenes of 2014, from an ice celebration to a beach brawl

My most memorable moments were triumphant and poignant, sad and scary — and most of them came after the actual competition ended.

That's what strikes me about 2014, how so many scenes that I witnessed illustrated the emotions of sports, with major breakthroughs and sudden endings. Here's a look back at a year that will stick with me:

Noelle Pikus-Pace, February

Olympic athletes who move into first place in a timed event traditionally stand in the finish area, waiting to see if their lead holds up. Pikus-Pace, from Eagle Mountain, was not about to follow such protocol. Upon completing her skeleton run and learning she had clinched second place, she climbed into the stands in Russia and hugged her husband and two children in a celebration that would be voted the "Moment of the Games" in a U.S. Olympic awards program.

Kyle Collinsworth, March

Unlike some other injuries this year, the severity of the BYU point guard's knee problem was not immediately known when he went down under the basket during the West Coast Conference tournament championship game. Collinsworth watched the last few minutes of the game from the end of the bench. His season was over, once the injury was further diagnosed.

There went any chance of the Cougars' winning a 2014 NCAA Tournament game, but Collinsworth has made a remarkable comeback, producing two triple doubles this month.

Damian Lillard, March

Amid everything the former Weber State star has done in two-plus NBA seasons, his arrival in Ogden for the Big Sky Conference tournament title game impressed me the most. His courtside presence drove home the irony of how Lillard never could get the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament, but his former teammates were inspired by his support of their winning effort.

Taysom Hill, October

Nothing could have deflated a football team and its followers as much as the BYU quarterback's breaking his leg against Utah State — unless it was USU's quarterback Chuckie Keeton's knee injury vs. BYU almost exactly a year ago. Adding to BYU's pain, the Cougars were 4-0 and, while trailing USU at the time, were positioned for big things with Hill gaining prominence.

Whoever is playing QB in next November's BYU-USU game in Logan is forewarned. And it could be Keeton vs. Hill, one last time.

Darell Garretson, October

Having taken over for Keeton (who was injured Sept. 13 and declared out 18 days later) for a second straight year, Garretson was hit by two Colorado State rushers after releasing a pass and broke his wrist, ending his season.

Gordon Hayward, November

If any player ever needed a signature shot, it was Hayward, who's being asked -fairly or not — to live up to the $63 million contract offer that the Jazz matched. Everything conspired in Hayward's favor against Cleveland, including the Jazz's losing a 16-point lead. That set him up to break a tie with a buzzer-beating 21-footer. He posed and preened along the sideline, before being mobbed by teammates. "I usually don't show too much emotion," he said, "but I mean, how can you not?"

Kyle Whittingham, November

Utah's football team did a lot of good things this season, but the most resonating moments were plays the Utes wished they could do over. Dres Anderson failed to make a catch that might have beaten Washington State in Utah's Pac-12 opener — and that play is not known as The Drop. Such a label belongs to Kaelin Clay's leaving the ball at the 1-yard line in his eagerness to celebrate a would-be touchdown against Oregon.

Yet even those plays failed to register as much as Whittingham's anger after a loss to Arizona. In the 75 or so postgame news conferences I've covered in his 10 years, I've never seen Whittingham so bitter. It was by far his worst day of a very good season, and that session revealed the demands of his job.

Utah basketball, December

The Utes almost gave away the game to No. 8 Wichita State in regulation, before winning 69-68 in overtime. Utah's reserves rushed onto the court, and I liked watching the Utes celebrate by themselves. If there's some collegiate charm in having students come out of the stands, it's really better and safer when the players and coaches have their own moment.

Utah State football, December

After everything the Aggies went through, with injuries to three quarterbacks and other key players, they pieced together a 10-win season that ended with a New Mexico Bowl victory. It seemed fitting that their last news conference was held in an auxiliary weight room, the only available facility.

BYU football, December

Much remains to be sorted out from the brawl following BYU's double-overtime loss to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl, but it seems clear that the promotional tagline of "Battle at the Beach" will be retired after the inaugural game. And in a related point to my Utah-Wichita State observation, imagine if fans had been caught up in the fight. That's why rushing the field has to stop.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribkurt