Lao American Sports Hall of Fame

06/19/2026

A big congratulations to Tai Phetluangsy on this honor!

06/14/2026

We wanted to congratulate Beckham Phavongsay on his commitment to play college soccer at Pelissippi State in Knoxville, TN. Beckham’s parents put him in a local soccer league at three years old and he never looked back. During his time at Franklin High School outside of Nashville, he was an all-district player, 2X district champion and made two state appearances. He plans to major in architecture. Beckham traces his Lao heritage to Vientiane. Congratulations Beckham!

05/28/2026

We wanted to congratulate Thailynn Xayarath on signing with Indiana University Cheer. Thailynn began competing in competitive cheer about 8 years ago and also spent three years on the team at Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, IN. During her completive career she won two Jam Fest national titles, took 9th at level 6 co-ed worlds, 4th place Level 4 co-ed Summit Cheer Nationals and 3rd place senior level 3 at All Star Worlds. Indiana is coming off an NCAA D1 College football championship season and Thailynn is excited to be part of the cheer squad as the team goes for a repeat. She comes from an athletic family with her sister being a University of Iowa soccer player. Thailynn traces her Lao heritage to Vientiane.

05/26/2026

Tai Sichanh Zaghouani has committed to play NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, where he will pursue a degree in Aeronautical Science–Flight with the goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot.

Born and raised in Spring Hill (Nashville area) and a graduating senior at Summit High School, Tai earned All-District honors during his final high school season. He currently competes for Nashville United Soccer Academy and the Maroon D1 State League Team, helping lead the squad to a State Cup Finalist finish during the 2025–2026 season.

Tai previously played for Tennessee Soccer Club from 2015–2025 and spent four years competing on the ECNL RL team. Over the past 11 years, he has played competitive travel soccer while also participating in the Tennessee Olympic Development Program for six years, earning selection to the South Region ID Event on several occasions.

Tai is proud of his Laotian heritage. His grandparents, Sengpachanh Vilay and Savath Vilay, are from Khong Sedon. From 1969 to 1977, Savath served as a midwife in her community before the family fled to Ubon Ratchathani as refugees. After spending two years at the Ubon refugee camp, the family immigrated to Philadelphia in 1979.

05/12/2026

We wanted to congratulate Colin Khamphone Bouarouy on his commitment to pursue collegiate gymnastics at Simpson College in Iowa. Colina hails from Denver, Pennsylvania, where he trains with Prestige Gymnastics. He is a level 10 gymnast, 3x National Development Team qualifier, 2024 National Vault Champion, National Runner-up on Floor Exercise and Vault, 14th overall (18-year-olds), 11x Pennsylvania State Champion, 7x Regional Champion and Academic All-American. Colin plans on majoring in Health and Exercise Science. He traces his ancestry to Pakse, Laos. Congratulations Colin and good luck at Simpson College !

05/08/2026

We would like to congratulate Matigann Vixayavong. We featured her as a rising star back when she started her NCAA D1 soccer career at the University of Nebraska.. She made an immediate impact for the Corn Huskers playing in all 18 games. Matgann now transfers to her home state to join Minnesota Soccer.

04/21/2026

Rising Star: Today we wanted to recognize Tai Phetluagsy an NCAA D1 baseball player from Amarillo, TX. Tai played at Tascosa High School before starting his college career at Odessa College. He transferred to Panola College before entering West Texas A&M at the NCAA D2 level. Tai capping off his final year of eligibility at the NCAA D1 level with Tarleton State University where he is making a huge impact on the mound. Tai plans on entering the next MLB draft with dreams of playing at the next level. Tai’s father Savath, who is a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was born in Vientiane, Laos. Read all about Tai’s journey on our website.

Tai Phetluangsy is an NCAA D1 baseball player from Amarillo, TX. He played for Tascosa High School before going on to play at Odessa College, Panola College (Carthage), and West Texas A&M. He finished out his college career at Tarleton State University.

04/07/2026

We wanted to congratulate Ian Phrakonkham on his commitment to wrestle at the NCAA D2 University of Minnesota-Moorhead. Ian hails from Bagley, MN, where he was a varsity wrestler at Foston-Bagley High School (FBHS) beginning in 8th grade. During his time at FBHS he qualified for the state tournament four times taking 4th place as a junior and bagging a silver medal as a senior. Ian comes from an athletic family having also played football and baseball. His sister Ava is an NCAA D1 Track & Field athlete at the University of North Dakota while his father, Saysana, who was born in Vientiane, played hockey at Bemidji State University. Ian will be majoring in construction management. Congratulations Ian!

04/06/2026

We would like to congratulate Winston Surivong-Wu on his commitment to wrestle at the NCAA D3 New York University (NYU). Winston hails from Atlanta, GA, where he attended the Wesleyan School. This past February he took 4th at the Georgia 1A state championships at 150 lbs. NYU competes in the UAA Conference and is one of the top ranked D3 programs in the nation. Additionally, the school is known for its outstanding academics. He traces his Lao hertitage to Vientiane. Good luck at the next level !

03/02/2026

Great article on Dr. Davy Phrathep. Davy is a former NCAA D1 baseball player turned sports psychologist. He is a former guest on our podcast and part of the Lao American athlete contingent that participated in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

Davy Phrathep ’19 played for the Division I FIU Panthers before going on to earn a doctorate.