BYU women’s tennis player Gracie Levelston was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday.
On an appearance on BYUtv’s "Sports Nation" the day before, Levelston shared her experience at BYU and what led her to this decision.
“When I first came to BYU, I tried to keep my mind as open as possible for about the first two months and not make any judgments and not try to have my own opinion of the church, and talk to members, learn from them, just kind of learn more about who they are as people and what the church means to them,” Levelston said.
“I felt like that was really crucial for me. I continued to go to sacrament meeting, and I loved it. I tried to go to other churches, and I didn’t love it as much. I just felt really at home in sacrament, and I felt like it gave me the perfect renewal for the next week. And just growing closer to the Savior, I felt like the church was the best way to do that. I started the missionary conversations, and now here we are.”
Levelston credited her growth to attending BYU, sharing that the university allowed her to “flourish spiritually.”
As far as attendees, Levelston said, “My mom flew out — she’s super supportive—and just to have that community, it’s everything.”
Despite the Cougars having a match against Arizona earlier in the day, the women’s team later attended to support their teammate in this decision.
Levelston reposted the "Sports Nation" video on her Instagram and captioned the clip, “today is the day. thank you everyone for your support and love it means the world to me.”
For Levelston, the decision marks not just a personal milestone, but a reflection of the faith-centered environment that continues to shape student-athletes at BYU.