ATHLETICS 2023-24 ANNUAL REPORT
What an incredible year for Gonzaga Athletics. The 2023-24 season featured many successes, a product of so many great people, from our student-athletes to our coaches, staff and faculty, to our gracious benefactors. We are thankful for the contributions of each and every individual that attributed to another amazing year.
We celebrated record-breaking achievements in the classroom. Gonzaga student-athletes boasted a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) at 96 percent and Academic Progress Rate at 993 (out of 1000), the two NCAA metrics for academic success. Our student-athletes combined for over 3,600 community outreach hours. For the sixth straight year, Gonzaga led the way in the West Coast Conference with 285 Zags named to the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
During the spring semester, GU student-athletes combined to post a department 3.51 grade-point average, marking the 17th consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above a 3.30 and ninth above a 3.45. We had 108 student-athletes earn President’s List Honors (3.85 semester GPA or higher), which ranks second all-time, and 100 earn Dean’s List Honors (3.53.84 semester GPA), for a total of 208 honorees. Additionally, 55 Bulldog student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, matching the fall semester departmental record.
We had plenty to cheer for in 2023-24 with our Zag programs. The men’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 for a national-best ninth straight time, in its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament. Women’s basketball won a program-record 32 games, advanced to the Sweet 16, and captured their 19th West Coast Conference regular season title. Rosina Machu made historic strides running to All-American finishes in cross country and track. She was named the WCC Runner of the Year and became the first Zag woman to run in a national final at the NCAA Track Championships. GU men’s cross country and women’s soccer celebrated their first conference titles in their respective programs’ histories. The Zag men’s cross country team capped off their historic season in the national championships, while the Bulldog women’s soccer team won the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game in front of a sellout crowd at Luger Field. Our women’s rowing program won the WCC title for the ninth straight season and ended their year at the NCAA Championships. Those are just a few of many moments that will be remembered from a special year.
For all that we celebrate, we recognize these are changing and uncertain times. The ongoing landmark House v. NCAA court case and pending settlement will have further far-reaching implications as we enter a new era of college athletics with the NCAA modernizing to allow student-athletes to receive direct payments and revenue sharing from universities beginning as early as 2025. As the legal landscape continues to evolve, I want to share that we are engaged and evaluating the potential impacts to Gonzaga Athletics.
There is an everchanging reality right now in collegiate athletics, but this is a time of great opportunity for student-athletes. The model we have all known is changing, but we will stay true to our values in the process. We will continue to develop human beings that value intellectual growth, service to others, and being leaders through sport. It has always been, and will continue to be, an important priority here to learn teamwork, selflessness, and leadership.
We are proponents of student-athletes exploring Name, Image and Likeness opportunities, as it embraces our studentathletes’ individual entrepreneurship. We want to encourage them to develop and cultivate their personal brands. We are in alignment with our NIL partner, the Zags Collective, and the support it provides to our student-athletes.
Beginning August 1, new rules will require all NCAA Division I schools, to provide increased support for student-athletes that participate in a Division I sport. Known as the “Holistic StudentAthlete Model”, the new requirements focus on enhanced student-athlete benefits and services, expanded scholarship protections and enhanced expectations of Division I members.
These policies focus on enhancing student-athlete benefits and services, expanding scholarship protections, and raising expectations for Division I members. Some of the requirements include:
Expanded health care and medical services for athletically related injuries and illnesses.
Scholarship protections for student-athletes receiving athletically related financial aid.
Expanded degree completion funding for qualified studentathletes.
Required staffing of full-time licensed mental health professional.
Enhanced academic services, career counseling, and life skills programming.
While this evolution across the collegiate landscape is happening, the holistic support of students while in school, and guiding them to success in life, are things we have been doing for years. It is who Gonzaga is, and we wholeheartedly support these initiatives. We want to continue to transform lives beyond sport.
As the University’s mission statements begins, ‘Gonzaga is an exemplary learning community that educates students for lives of leadership and service for the common good. In keeping with its Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic heritage and identity, Gonzaga models and expects excellence in academic and professional pursuits and intentionally develops the whole person -- intellectually, spiritually, culturally, physically, and emotionally.’
During these dynamic times, I would like to express my sincere gratitude. I will always look back on 2023-24 with fondness thanks to tremendous student-athletes, coaches, staff, and benefactors. We all have so much to be proud of. This is a demanding time for Gonzaga Athletics and we will need all of you. On behalf of the Bulldog family, thank you for your continued support, and for being a vital part of the success. We look forward to many more great Zag moments.
Go Zags!
In addition to these benefits and services, we are also required to attest to our provision of mental health services, concussion management protocols, academic support services, career counseling, nutrition education and more, as outlined by NCAA rules and best practices.
There may be no greater advantage in sports than home field or court advantage. The Gonzaga women’s soccer and basketball teams capitalized on that advantage after tremendous regular seasons in 2023-24.
“Being able to host both soccer and women’s basketball NCAA events in the same year was a great experience,” GU Associate Athletic Director/Facilities and Event Operations Rob Kavon said. “We were fortunate to be able to administer both events. It is a great honor and great experience to work with the NCAA to host their championships. The athletes and coaches get to stay in their normal home game routines and sleep in their own beds. This has proven to be a big advantage with both the women’s soccer and basketball teams winning the first and second round games that they were able to play on their home field or court.”
Gonzaga women’s soccer hosted their first NCAA Tournament game in program history after winning the West Coast Conference title for the first time.
Appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time, the Bulldogs earned an eight-seed in their quadrant of the 64team field.
“We are able to host soccer postseason in a similar way to our regular season games,” Kavon said. “On the other hand, NCAA women’s basketball post season requires much more time and manpower
to pull off. Our staff put in an average of 50-60 hours the week leading up to hosting. The weekend of the event our staff would work 15-16 hour days hosting games and practices. One of the main differences between the NCAA hosting experience is that for soccer we are only hosting one other team and for basketball we are hosting three other teams in addition to Gonzaga.”
In their first-ever home NCAA Tournament game, the Gonzaga women’s soccer team used a first half goal, and held off Idaho, for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win, 1-0. In front of a record crowd of 1,874 fans at Luger Field, the Zags advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
“It’s huge for us to host a game,” GU goalkeeper Lauren Towne said following the team’s selection into the tournament. “To know that the Gonzaga community
gets to see us in that environment, not just on TV but in person. We perform better when our stands are packed. It’s amazing for the program.”
The Gonzaga women’s basketball team hosted first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, and third time overall.
“It is super rewarding,” GU women’s basketball student-athlete Eliza Hollingsworth said. “We were on the court and were looking around with all the March Madness signs and it’s our home court, but it just feels a bit more surreal. I was looking around being like, we did this, we earned this. This whole season got us to this stage. So that was a super rewarding feeling.
“I think it’s such an advantage for us to be home. Our crowd is phenomenal, one of the best in the nation. We have such a good band, supporters, cheerleaders. It’s such a tough environment for teams to
come in and to compete here. Our home is such an advantage, and I would not want to play anywhere else, and I’m excited for the city.”
The Zags advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history after wins over UC-Irvine and Utah in front of sold out crowds in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
“The short timeframe between selection and the first and second rounds is extremely challenging,” Kavon said. “There are many changes and expectations that the NCAA has for the host schools. There are standards that the NCAA has for each of the hosting institutions from number of media seats to the amount of sponsor signage that is allowable. When we make the choice to submit a bid, we have to try retrofit our arena to accommodate all of their requests. We have to get creative because some things we don’t provide for our regular season games. The NCAA does a good job of laying out their needs for hosting these events.”
The 2023-24 Gonzaga women’s basketball season was one for the record books. Literally. The women’s team broke records across the board, ending with the highest ranked seed in the NCAA Tournament in program history with a No. 4 seed. The seeding gave Gonzaga the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the McCarthey Athletic Center, where they won both of those games to advance to the Sweet 16 for just the fifth time in program history.
But the season started even earlier than usual. In August, the team traveled to Greece and Croatia for a foreign trip that included three basketball games. In the two weeks, the team traveled to Athens, Greece, and then to two cities in Croatia, Dubrovnik and Split.
After making the journey to Athens, the Zags spent the first day exploring the ancient city. The first stop was the Panathenaic Stadium where the team got to see the Olympic stadium, made completely out of marble. The team got to race up and down the stairs along with racing around the historic track.
The next stop was a city tour around Athens, where the team spent time downtown exploring the many shops and restaurants. The day was capped off with a trip to the Parthenon, where the team got to see the amazing landmark that was built between 447 and 438 BC at the highest point of the Acropolis.
After a day of walking around the city, the Zags cruised the Athenian Riviera and local islands. The team got swam off the cruise ship and visited beaches at the islands.
The next day was filled with more historical views with a trip to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon.
The tour included beautiful views of the coast. The team also had its first game of the trip against the Greek All-Stars to conclude the day.
The time in Greece came to a close, but the Bulldogs trip still had just begun. The team loaded up on a short plane ride to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The journey in Croatia started at a small town called Cavtat. The team explored the shops and restaurants there before doing a cable car tour overlooking the beautiful city of Dubrovnik.
prior to their game. The Zags claimed another win on foreign soil by defeating the Croatia All-Stars.
The next day, the Bulldogs left Dubrovnik and drove to Split, Croatia, to explore another city in the country. Split was a bigger city than Dubrovnik, and is the second most populated city in Croatia, only behind the capital city, Zagreb. The team arrived in Split in the late afternoon and went on another Game of Thrones walking tour. The team had to split into two groups for this tour as one focused more on the show than the other. After the tour, the Zags enjoyed dinner on their own in the city before heading to the hotel for the night.
In their second day at Split, Gonzaga took another boat tour of the coast, but this time in a unique fashion. The team got on the water via RIB boats in four separate groups as only 12 people could fit per boat. The boats were the most fast paced boats of the trip as they went up to 35 miles per hour. The team got to explore
The second day in Dubrovnik was another boat cruise around Elafiti Island. The team got to sail around and explore Kolocep and Lopud islands along with time at Sunj Beach.
After another day on the water, the team took a walking tour of the Old Town, which is where Game of Thrones was filmed. The team learned about the history of the walls around the town and saw other historical artifacts of Dubrovnik. After taking the journey around Old Town, the team enjoyed lunch before going back to the hotel to rest
the blue lagoon and four different islands. The group had lunch at the beautiful Shkoy Beach and spent a couple hours beachside. The tour ended with dinner on the island of Trogir.
The final full day of Split involved a trip to the Krka National Park and a game versus Croatia Select. Krka National Park had breathtaking waterfalls that the team enjoyed after a small boat ride to the attraction. After seeing the waterfalls up close, the team took a hike around the park to see different angles of the waterfalls and other natural attractions. The team rested before taking on the Croatia Select team as the Zags won their third game overseas.
The time in Split came to an end for the Bulldogs, but they were able to drive back to beautiful Dubrovnik to enjoy the smaller city before heading back stateside. After the extra time in the Old Town, the team enjoyed a sunset boat cruise and dinner on a pirate ship to close out the trip.
After returning back to the United States, the Zags got to work with a recordbreaking season ahead of them.
The Bulldogs had the toughest nonconference schedule in school history on deck. The Bulldogs started the season with a 7-2 record before taking on No. 3 Stanford at home on Dec. 3. Gonzaga came out hot and didn’t let up any lead as they defeated Stanford, 96-78, for its highest ranked win in program history. After handing Stanford it’s most lopsided loss since 2020, the Zags entered the AP and Coaches Polls at No. 23 and remained in the polls for the rest of the season.
The Zags went on to win 24-straight games – a school record – to claim their 19th West Coast Conference Regular Season Championship. GU went undefeated in the WCC with a 16-0 record and defeated opponents by an astonishing average of 30.7 points, which was not only a school record but was also a WCC record.
Not only were they undefeated in conference, they remained perfect inside the Kennel during the regular season for the second-straight season, resulting in the second-best winning streak at home in the nation – only behind National Champion South Carolina.
During those 24-straight wins, one of those stood out in conference play. On Feb. 3, the Zags hosted Pacific and scored
a record breaking 19 three pointers to defeat the Tigers, 104-39. The 65-point win was the largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent in school history, as seven Bulldogs contributed to the 19 threes made.
Going into March Madness with a 32-3 record, the Zags were poised to be a top16 seed which included hosting rights for the first two rounds. On Selection Sunday, the committee agreed that the Bulldogs deserved to host and selected them as a No. 4 seed.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center, Gonzaga defeated UC Irvine in the first round, 7556. The game marked the largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament for GU and advanced them to the second round to play No. 5 Utah.
Against the Utes, the Bulldogs played in front of the second-straight sold-out crowd in the Kennel and won 77-66 to advance to the Sweet 16 in Portland, Oregon. It was the fifth time Gonzaga has made it to the Sweet 16 and Lisa Fortier’s second time as a head coach.
When the women’s basketball college season was officially over in April, a new era began for two Zags at the WNBA Draft.
Even though the Zags clearly had found success as a team, individual honors also came along for some Bulldogs.
Yvonne Ejim was put on the national map after scoring 27 points against Stanford. Following that game, she was named the ESPN Player of the Week, AP Player of the Week Runner Up, and Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week.
She was a Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Finalist, which was a selection of only five players in the nation. Ejim went on to be named the 2024 Becky Hammon Player of the Year as she scored in double figures in every single game and had 15 double doubles.
With her dominant performances, Ejim was also named the WCC Player of the Year and WCC Defensive Player of the Year. She was also tabbed an AP AllAmerican Honorable Mention and a Second Team Academic All-American –
the first Zag to ever receive the academic honor in women’s basketball history.
And the legacy of Yvonne Ejim doesn’t come to an end in the 2023-24 season, as she has elected to come back for one more year by using her extra year of eligibility at Gonzaga.
Lisa Fortier was also given national recognition for the special Zags team, as she was named the WCC Coach of the Year and the Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year. After clinching the 19th WCC Regular Season Title, ESPN named her the Coach of the Week. She was also a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year, one of 10 coaches given the honor.
Additional individual honors included four Gonzaga players earning All-WCC First Team nods including Ejim, Brynna Maxwell, Kayleigh Truong and Kaylynne Truong. The awards didn’t stop there, as Eliza Hollingsworth also earned All-WCC Second Team and Maud Huijbens won WCC Sixth Woman of the Year.
The success didn’t stop in the postseason either. Maxwell and Kaylynne Truong were selected to participate in the national three-point contest in Phoenix, Arizona. Kayleigh Truong was also picked as a College All-Star, where she competed with the top college players in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Chicago Sky had the first pick of the second round and drafted Brynna Maxwell. She became the ninth Zag drafted by a WNBA team as she was picked 13th overall – the second highest pick in program history only behind Courtney Vandersloot’s overall third pick by the same team as Maxwell in 2011.
Just a few picks later, Kaylynne Truong became the 10th player from Gonzaga drafted to the WNBA as the 22nd pick overall to the Washington Mystics – the thirdhighest pick in program history.
They both join former Zags Courtney Vandersloot, Vivian Frieson, Kayla Standish, Katelan Redmon, Haiden Palmer, and Jill Barta as players who have been drafted into the WNBA.
With the two players drafted, Gonzaga was only one of six schools in the entire country to have multiple players picked in the WNBA.
The Zags clinched their seventh-straight West Coast Conference Tournament appearance.
Justin Feld and Tyler Griggs were named to the WCC All-Tournament team.
Feld, Tommy Eisenstat, Erik Hoffberg, Payton Knowles, and Vincent Temesvary were all selected All-WCC honorable mention.
Hoffberg, Knowles, and Miles Gosztola were all named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.
Tommy Eisenstat was named WCC Player of the Week during the season.
Gosztola and Hoffberg were both named WCC Freshman of the Week during the season.
Liam Paddack and Payton Graham were both named WCC Pitcher of the Week during the season.
The Zags tied a Patterson Baseball Complex record by winning nine-straight home games.
Gonzaga climbed as high as No. 27 in the national rankings.
Rosina Machu became the second female All-American in program history after placing 16th at the NCAA Championships.
Machu and Sadie Tuckwood each earned All-West honors at the NCAA Regional, which was the second straight year that two Zags cracked the Top 25.
Machu was named the West Coast Conference Runner of the Year after winning the WCC individual title.
The Bulldogs placed second as a team at the WCC Championships.
Machu, Tuckwood, and Jessica Frydenlund earned All-WCC First Team honors after each placing in the top five at the conference championships.
Machu broke the program 6K record three different times during the season.
Alicia Anderson, Alexi Fogo, and Tuckwood earned WCC All-Academic First Team honors, while Anna Grabowski and Brittney Hansen were named honorable mention.
Frydenlund became the first female runner in program history to win her debut race after finishing first at the Clash of the Inland Northwest.
The Zags finished with a program record 289.59 season scoring average, and Guillermo Polo Bodart had the program’s lowest season scoring average ever at 71.11.
Gonzaga finished 14th as a team at fiveunder (847) at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic, matching the third-lowest team total in program history. It was the Bulldogs lowest team total ever at the event. GU’s 278 (-6) second round total matches the ninth-lowest round all-time for the program.
Polo Bodart had a program record low 204 54-hole total, finishing nine-under at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic. He carded a final round of 65 (-6), matching the second-lowest round in program history.
Ethan Flynn carded a program record 64 (-6) in the final round of the Vanharte Orange County Collegiate in February. His third round 64 featured seven birdies and 10 pars.
Polo Bodart tied for seventh at the West Coast Conference Championships. Both Polo Bodart and Flynn were Academic All-WCC.
Freshmen Emily Robertson and Ella Nielsen were named WCC Doubles Team of the Week on April 23.
Senior Tiegan Aitken was named to the All-WCC Academic Team for the third-straight season. Kianna Oda and Caroline Wernli were named as honorable mentions.
Freshman Emily Robertson was named to the All-WCC Second Team for singles. She played in the No. 1 position for the year.
Senior Kianna Oda was named honorable mention for All-WCC singles as she competed on court two.
Freshmen Emily Robertson and Ella Nielsen were tabbed with All-WCC honorable mention honors in doubles.
Gonzaga recorded five wins at home against Montana, Eastern Washington, Utah State, Fresno State and Portland.
team: Cam Bain,
Robbie Mora was tabbed to the All-WCC Second team with Sam Dahlin given AllWCC Freshman honors. Mora started in 16 games for GU this season and logged 1,288 minutes. He scored two goals and recorded 18 shots with nine of those being on goal. Dahlin started in every game this year for Gonzaga and played over 1,400 minutes.
Stefano Campisi and Farhan Moustafa were both named to the All-WCC Honorable Mention list. Campisi led the team with five goals and four assists this season to record a team-high 14 points. Moustafa started in all 18 games this year and recorded over 1,500 minutes. As a strong defender for the Zags, Moustafa also recorded a shot on goal against San Diego.
Chris Swider was name to the 2023 CSC Academic All-District Men’s Soccer Team
Had a then-record breaking crowd of 1,700 as the team drew a tie against Washington, 1-1.
Grace Lee took medalist honors at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational. She totaled a 200 (-13) setting a new tournament and program 54-hole record. Lee opened the event with an 18hole record round of 62 (-9). Her opening round 62 was one stroke off the program record set in 2017. Lee set the 54-hole program record, which was previously 209 set in 2019.
Carys Baek had four Top-10 finishes this season, highlighted by medalist honors at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invite in February.
Baek and Lee were named All-West Coast Conference. Lee placed third at the WCC Championships, while Baek tied for seventh.
Gonzaga tied for third as a team at 13over (865) at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational.
Taylor Mularski was tabbed Academic All-Conference following the season.
Gonzaga went undefeated at home in January, February and March.
The Zags defeated No. 48 Pacific, 4-3, at home on April 19.
Senior Sasha Trkulja earned All-WCC Second Team honors.
Seniors Trkulja and Matthew Hollingworth were named All-WCC Second Team for doubles.
Hollingworth became the winningest Zag in Gonzaga men’s tennis history with over 80 singles career wins.
Pablo Gomez Galvan reached 15 wins in both singles and doubles. When he was teamed up with Leon Roider, the duo won 13 matches throughout the dual and tournament seasons.
Hollingworth, Trkulja and Roider were named to the All-WCC Academic Team; Gomez Galvan was honorable mention.
Alicia Anderson, Willow Collins, Jessica Frydenlund, Kristen Garcia, and Rosina Machu all qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Ark.
As a team, Gonzaga set program indoor and outdoor records in 13 different events.
Ellie Armbruster set indoor and outdoor records in five different events throughout the season.
Machu broke the program’s Indoor 5,000-meter record in the seasonopening meet in Boston.
In her outdoor 10,000-meter debut at the Stanford Invitational, Machu broke the year-old program record.
Gonzaga ran 32 program Top Ten times during the indoor season and 13 Top Ten times during the outdoor season.
The Zags swept Washington State to win the Fawley Cup at Silver Lake in the spring home event.
Against WSU, the Varsity 8 boat competed with WSU’s top boat and came out on top with a time of 6:10.78 as the Cougars finished in 6:14.43.
The 2V8 boat had a dominating performance against Washington State as the crew placed first with a time of 6:19.4 in the second race of the day. Gonzaga maintained the lead the whole race as WSU finished in 6:50.3.
Starting the week of April 10, the 1V8 boat was ranked #25 in the IRCA/IRA Men’s Varsity Eight polls.
The 2V8 boat finished first in the Western Sprints with a time of 6:15.610. The 1V8 finished 3rd and 3V8 finished second.
Alisa Kim became the 15th player in Gonzaga history to record 1,000 career digs.
Zoe Thiros was selected All-WCC Honorable Mention for the second straight season.
Nia Damuni was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team, the first Zag since 2017.
Thiros was named WCC All-Academic First Team, while Grace Ehler, Viktoriya Ivanova, Alisa Kim, Autumn Larson, Juliette Russell, and Fallon Thompson were tabbed honorable mention.
Thiros, Russell, and Thompson were also named to the CoSIDA Academic AllDistrict Team.
Bryce Cerkowniak, Cooper Laird, and Wil Smith all qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Ark.
Smith broke the program’s indoor 3000-meter record at the UW Invitational, improving the record he set one season earlier.
Smith ran his second-career sub-fourminute mile at the UW Invitational’s Mile City event.
Carp Mukai recorded the program’s second-fastest indoor 800-meter time at the Riverfront Invite at The Podium.
Collins broke the program record in the indoor 3000 meters at the Husky Classic and the outdoor 5000 meters at the Stanford Invitational.
Machu placed 15th to finish Second team All-American in the women’s 10,000-meter National Final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Anderson, Bailee Carr, Collins, Garcia, and Brittney Hansen earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Both the 2V8 and 3V8 were also ranked in the IRCA/IRA polls this season while the team also was in the Top 25 for IRA Ten Eyck Team Points.
Smith and Cerkowniak recorded the program’s second and third-fastest Outdoor 10,000-meter times at the Stanford Invitational.
Smith placed 12th to finish Second Team All-American in the men’s 5,000-meter National Final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Sean Janecko, Laird, Mukai, Will Thorsett, and Ansel Tucker earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few told media following the season-ending loss to Purdue, “We’re disappointed in how this game turned out, but obviously -- I mean, as a head coach, just very, very, very proud of how these guys battled and fought through all the stuff that this season brought and put us in position to be playing as one the last 12 teams in the country.”
Few continued, “I think the majority of teams in college basketball probably would have folded up there in January based on the expectations that we have in our program and what we were dealing with.
“But these guys, they doubled down, and they showed their real character and competed and then got even closer instead of pulling apart. I think they deserve a lot of credit for that, and I think they showed their true character during those times even though there’s a lot of background noise circling around them.
“And they stayed coachable the whole time, totally coachable the whole time, which is just a joy. So, I thanked them for that.”
With plenty of new faces on the roster, the Zags opened the season ranked 11th in the Associated Press poll. It was a lofty ranking based on the talented roster and expectations the program has given itself.
The young Bulldogs would push No. 2 Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational before falling. GU then picked up wins over Syracuse and UCLA in Honolulu. Following three more victories, including an impressive 89-76 win over USC in Las Vegas, Gonzaga rose to No. 7 in the national rankings. Setbacks at Washington, against No. 5 UConn, and a rare home loss to San Diego State had the Bulldogs entering WCC play at No. 24 in the AP poll.
National media and some fans were not used to four losses by Gonzaga heading
into the month of January, and a 7776 upset loss at Santa Clara on Jan. 11 dropped the Zags out of the national rankings for the first time in 143 straight polls.
But this season’s GU squad blocked out the talk and unified over the doubters. The Bulldogs would close the regular season winning 13 of their last 14 games. One of those victories came outside of conference play at No. 19 Kentucky in front of 20,000 fans at legendary Rupp Arena on Feb. 10. In the hostile environment, Gonzaga led for 33 minutes and put the county on notice of what this group could do.
To themselves in good position for the program’s 26th straight berth into the NCAA Tournament, the Zags needed road wins in San Francisco and at Saint Mary’s to close the regular season. With such high stakes and remaining doubters, GU silenced the skeptics and cruised to an 86-68 victory over USF, and a 70-57 win at No. 17 Saint Mary’s. In the SMC win, the Bulldogs led for over 35 minutes and snapped the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games.
Gonzaga would then defeat San Francisco in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal and advance to the championship game for the 27th straight time.
The Bulldogs were awarded a five-seed for the first time in program history on Selection Sunday, but the critics remained
skeptical and 12th-seeded McNeese State was a trendy upset pick over GU in the first round in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Zags responded with a resounding 86-65 win, leading by as many as 35 points. It was Gonzaga’s 15th straight win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the second-longest active streak in the nation.
The Zags then extended the country’s longest active Sweet 16 appearance streak to nine with an impressive 8968 win over fourth-seeded Kansas. GU opened the second half on a 32-4 run, making 23 of 30 from the field during a stretch, while holding the preseason topranked Jayhawks to 4 of 27 from the field.
Gonzaga finished the year 27-8, extending its NCAA Div. I record to 17 straight seasons of at least 25 wins. The Zags’ 27-straight 20-win seasons ranks second for the longest active run in the country.
Graham Ike was named AP All-American Honorable Mention. Ike and Anton Watson were named NABC All-District. Ike, Watson, and Ryan Nembhard were all First Team All-West Coast Conference selections.
The Bulldogs were No. 15 in the final AP poll. Gonzaga has finished in the Top 15 in each of the last eight final Associated Press polls, the only program in the nation to accomplish that feat. With a solid core of the group coming back in 2024-25, multiple outlets have GU as a Top-10 team in their early rankings for next season.
In his debut in a Gonzaga uniform on Nov. 1, 2019, Anton Watson led Gonzaga with 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting from the field in a 116-61 exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State. He grabbed nine rebounds, had five assists and three steals. Zag fans witnessed a great start to a great career that would span over five years.
The high school state champion from Gonzaga Prep chose to stay at home for college and etched his name in the Gonzaga University record book.
Watson played 151 games at GU, which is third in program history behind Przemek Karnowski (152) and Josh Perkins (153). Watson finished 132-19 (87.4) in his career appearances, and his 132 wins are third all-time at GU behind Josh Perkins (134) and Przemek Karnowski (137).
Watson is the only player in program history to have 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 200 steals in a career.
“He’s had just an awesome career,” Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few said to media following the Sweet 16 game against Purdue. “I told the team in the locker room, it feels like he’s won 300 games at Gonzaga. I mean, that’s what it feels like. I don’t know what his winning percentage is, but the guy’s been in National Championship games and Elite Eights and Sweet 16s and made huge shots and huge plays. He’s been unbelievable. He broke presses and solved zones when we didn’t know what the hell we were doing.
“That’s just what he is, he’s just a complete player. Switches, guards Zach Edey at 7’4” and guards little guys at 5’9”. He’s my problem solver.
“It’s been great. He’s very close, he played with both my kids coming up through the ranks. So, we’ll stay very close with him.”
This past season, Watson was named First Team AllWest Coast Conference. He led the WCC in steals per league game at 1.7 and was second overall at 1.5. He moved to second all-time at GU this season with 215 career steals. He was sixth in the conference averaging 14.5 points per game, and eighth grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. He is 21st all-time in scoring in program history.
“It means a lot,” Watson said when asked what the university means to him and how he would describe the culture of the program. “Especially me growing up in Spokane, around that area, seeing the culture as a young kid and how close-knit everyone is. It’s the reason why people want to come here and play. The coaches, they win. And players, they win here.
“So, yeah, I think it’s just amazing. It’s an amazing school, amazing city, and I love it. Shout out to Spokane. It doesn’t get much love, but that’s my city.”
Gonzaga women’s soccer celebrated unprecedented success in the 2023 season. The program advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time, and first since 2005, winning its first tournament game ever. The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference title for the first time, beating Portland, Pepperdine and Santa Clara all in the same season. GU’s six conference wins were the most in program history, and the Zags’ 14 overall victories were the second-most in program history.
The preseason expectations didn’t point to all that success, at least in the eyes of the WCC coaches. The Bulldogs were slated fourth in the league’s annual preseason poll, with Santa Clara collecting eight of the nine first-place votes from the conference coaches.
Gonzaga’s high-powered offense got out to an impressive start scoring 19 goals through the first three games. The Zags entered the Top 25 on Aug. 29 at No. 23. After an offensive showcase to start the season, the GU defense allowed two goals over the next five games. The Bulldogs held the nation’s top offense, No. 17 Texas, scoreless in a draw in Austin on Sept. 10. Gonzaga climbed to No. 21 for the effort.
In the West Coast Conference seasonopener, Kelsey Oyler set a new single season assist program record and career assist program record in emphatic fashion during a 5-0 win over San Diego. She recorded three assists in the victory, breaking the program records in just the 11th match of the season. She would finish the season with a conference-best 12 assists.
The Zags rolled to a 4-1-0 start to league play, outscoring opponents 15-4. GU hosted No. 15 Santa Clara on Oct. 29 in a battle atop the WCC standings in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU. Spokane native Chelsea Le scored the game-winning goal in the 40th minute on a penalty kick drawn by Katelyn Rigg. The Bulldogs’ defense held off SCU, and Gonzaga beat the Broncos for only the second time in program history. It was GU’s first win over a ranked team in seven years, the seventh-ever victory over a ranked team, and the fourth over a Top-15 ranked foe.
Gonzaga entered the regular season finale at Pepperdine in what would playout as the WCC Championship game for the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead on the road scoring
in the fourth and 19th minutes. After the Waves scored in the 58th minute, Giana Riley completed her historic hat trick with a game-sealing goal in the 73rd minute. Lauren Towne made six crucial saves for the Zags.
On Nov. 11, as the eighth-seed in their quadrant of the bracket, the Bulldogs shutout Idaho 1-0 in front of a record crowd of 1,874 fans at Luger Field, to advance to the second round for the first time in their second ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The 2023 Bulldogs continued to set program firsts scoring their first NCAA Tournament goal from Marissa Garcia in the 16th minute, and then stymied the Vandals who entered the match on a six-game win streak.
The following week, the Zags’ incredible season came to an end with a 2-1 setback to UC-Irvine in Lincoln, Neb.
Gonzaga set new single season scoring (56), assist (44), and point total (156) program records. The Bulldogs had the No. 5 scoring offense in the nation.
Women’s rowing achieved an amazing accomplishment year as the team won its ninth straight West Coast Conference Championship and its 22nd overall. The title gave Gonzaga an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in program history.
“Really proud of this team as people and as racers,” head coach Andrew Derrick said. “Top to bottom they did a great job representing our program. It’s a really fun group and looking forward to taking them to Cincinnati to represent Gonzaga and all the WCC programs.”
“The conference win was a product of the work of our amazing coaching staff and teammates,” Hannah Cooney said. “Our team’s tradition of excellence is built every day as we push each other to be better. I cannot wait to see the team continue to grow over the coming years!”
After the races, the conference handed out conference honors with Hannah Cooney, Amanda Triebensee, Camille Ruhlin-Hicks and Ella Beck being AllWCC. Lula Macey won the coxswain of the year and Hannah Cooney won rower of the year. Andrew Derrick was also tabbed as coach of the year for the second-straight season.
The Zags then went on to compete at the NCAA Championships in Bethel, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. The team championship was composed of 22 teams. Eleven conferences were awarded automatic qualification, and the remaining eleven slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the championship field.
After three days of racing, the Zags finished 17th overall at the NCAA Championships and earned 37 points after every boat advanced to the C Finals for the first time in program history.
“I feel incredibly thankful for this season and these athletes. This is a wonderful, highly competitive team that has been really fun to work with and watch achieve great things this year,” head coach Andrew Derrick said. “The outgoing seniors are
true selfless leaders that showed the rest of us that we could do more than in years past. They led wonderfully all year and are no doubt the catalyst that allowed us to have the success we had throughout the season. I am really, really going to miss them, but they join some other great alumni and we have an amazing squad coming back next year that can continue the upward trend of our program!”
In the first race of the day, the 1V4 boat finished fourth in the C final with a time of 7:26.368, ahead of Indiana and Boston. The crew finished 16th overall, which ties the best finish in program history with the 1V4 boat from the 2013 season.
“Overall we were pretty happy with our team’s performance today,” senior Mollie Monson said. “To finish at your seed is always the goal and to have all three boats do that was a huge win. In the four, being able to get ahead of Indiana who got an at large bid is what we came here to do, to prove that we’re not just here because
we won our conference. I think as a whole, our team took another step in that direction which is really exciting. To finish with the success we had today, will allow for them to build off of that as they start looking towards next year which I’m really excited to watch.”
The 2V8 boat raced next and placed fifth in the heat with a time of 6:51.444, ahead of Boston by over four seconds. The boat took 17th overall, the best finish since the 2016 season.
Rounding out the races was the 1V8 crew that finished fifth in the finals heat in 6:36.761, ahead of Northeastern by over two seconds. The boat also placed 17th overall, the best performance since 2018.
Overall, Gonzaga’s place finish is the best finish since 2016 when the Zags took 16th. The team recorded 37 points total, which is tied for second-best of all time.
Gonzaga men’s cross country concluded yet another historic season last fall, highlighted by their first-ever West Coast Conference title at the conference championship race in Malibu, California. In addition, the Zags made their fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships after earning an automatic bid for the second-straight season.
The season kicked off with their seventh-straight team title at the Clash of the Inland Northwest on Eastern Washington’s campus. Wil Smith, an All-WCC Preseason honoree, led five Zags across the finish line in succession to complete a clean team sweep to shake off some early-season rust.
Three weeks later, Gonzaga made their first-ever appearance at the Roy Griak Invitational, where they placed second in a gritty performance on a tough eight-kilometer course. Smith was the GU leader once again with a second-place individual finish.
They found just that. With their lowest team score (44 points) in program history, the Zags earned the conference crown while placing six runners in the Top 15 to earn All-WCC honors.
Smith placed third for second straight season to earn his third All-WCC First Team nod. Bryce Cerkowniak finished after Smith in fourth place, earning All-WCC First Team for the first time. Drew Kolodge finished 11th, Logan Law finished 12th, Paul Talens finished 14th, and Michael Maiorano finished 15th to notch All-WCC Second Team honors. For Law, the race marked his official collegiate debut for Gonzaga, earning him West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.
The Zags ran into some adversity on a cold and rainy morning at the Nuttycombe Invitational, one of the premier in-season races before the NCAA Championships. Missing a couple of key pointscorers due to injury, Gonzaga looked to some fresh legs to build on their hot start to the season. As a team, the Zags placed 26th after just one Top 100 individual finish. Smith earned another Top Ten finish, placing himself squarely in the talks for a potential national contender.
Shifting focus to the West Coast Conference Championships, the Zag men hoped to correct their course at Malibu Park on Pepperdine’s campus. For three-straight seasons prior to 2023, Gonzaga placed second at the WCC Championships and was still searching for their first-ever team title.
They weren’t finished yet. Gonzaga entered the NCAA West Regional projected to finish fourth, but after Top 60 finishes from all seven individuals and three All-West honors, the Zags placed second to earn their second-straight automatic bid to the NCAA Championships and fourth-consecutive team appearance. Smith placed sixth overall, following up a fourth-place finish last year.
Just eight days after their impressive finish at Regionals, the Gonzaga men placed 28th at the NCAA Championships with 647 team points. Although not the finish they had hoped for, the Zags pointed their focus to the 2024 season and a potential secondstraight WCC title and fifth-straight Nationals appearance.
Rosina Machu capped off a fantastic season last fall by becoming the second female cross country All-American in program history. In just her sophomore season, Machu dominated in nearly every race she ran. Her impressive runs included three consecutive individual race titles, all of which she won by over 20 seconds.
Machu shared the story of her journey to Gonzaga during a feature interview in January. Born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, her family was granted asylum in the United States and moved to Idaho in 2007. She noted her third-grade fitness testing mile, which she completed in just over eight minutes, as the beginning of her stellar running career.
After a very successful four years at Boise High School in cross country and track, Machu chose Gonzaga for the next stage of her career. Her freshman season with the Zags included All-WCC First Team and NCAA All-West Region nods, setting the stage for an even bigger year in 2023.
Machu opened her sophomore season in the 4K race at the Waves Invite. The Zags secured the team title led by Machu’s second-place finish at Malibu Park, the same venue that would play host to the West Coast Conference Championships later in the season.
Next up was the Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, where Machu secured her first
collegiate race win by over 24 seconds while shattering the previous program 6K record. The meet included some of the nation’s top teams and individuals, and a win of that nature placed Machu squarely in national talks looking ahead to the NCAA Championships.
Two weeks later, Machu once again proved she was a serious contender when she won her second consecutive race, this time by a 40-second margin at the Bronco Invite. After breaking the 6K record in Chicago, Machu broke it again at Sunnyvale’s Baylands Regional Park.
With the momentum of two straight first-place finishes and about to face her toughest challenge of the season yet, Machu made her return to Malibu Park with her eyes fixed on the West Coast Conference crown. In what looked to be a tough battle with another national contender in Laura Pellicoro from Portland, Machu accomplished what
no Gonzaga runner had done in eight years. By another 24-second margin, Machu won the WCC title in her thirdconsecutive individual win, leading the Zags to a second-place team finish.
Machu’s next test came at the NCAA Regional meet, where earning a spot at Nationals wouldn’t be easy, especially in a stacked West Region. Rising to the occasion, Machu broke the program 6K record for the third time on her way to finishing fourth and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
Looking to become the first Gonzaga female All-American in 27 years, Machu’s next stop was Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, VA where a competitive 6K championship race awaited her. In the mix with the front of the pack for most of the race, Machu placed 16th to wrap up
her historic season with an All-American nod, joining Cheska Fairbanks, who place 14th at the same championship in 1996.
With the experience of an NCAA Championship race under her belt, Machu and the Zags will be ready to make another historic run in 2024.
Gonzaga Athletics has a history of surrounding student athletes with the people, services and education to support their holistic journey and development as a person. Rooted in the Jesuit principle of “cura personalis” or care of the whole person, Gonzaga Athletics continues to provide excellent support services for student-athletes during their time as a Zag and in preparation for life beyond with athletic training staff, academic coordinators, life skills professionals, strength and conditioning coaches, and campus personnel. The NCAA Division I Transformation Committee recently passed legislation requiring institutions to implement a number of support services emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to student-athlete development including but not limited to expanded health care, scholarship protections, degree completion funds, and enhanced mental health services. Alignment with the Division I Transformation Committee’s work underscores Gonzaga’s commitment to staying at the forefront of best practices in collegiate athletics, but also necessitates a rebranding of Gonzaga’s student-athlete support
services. Zags360 was rolled out in September 2023 as a renewed approach and name for the programming and services Gonzaga provides studentathletes focusing on 8 areas of wellness: physical, mental, community, social, academic, spiritual, career, and financial.
The mission of Zags360 is to ACTIVATE our student-athletes’ learning and growth, ACCOMPANY them in and out of competition, and empower them to
ACHIEVE lifelong wellness. Zags360 encourages student-athletes to thrive in their immediate athletic pursuits and provides a foundation for success that endures beyond their time at Gonzaga. The responsibility for success is shared between Gonzaga’s support systems and the student-athletes, empowering them to take ownership of their present and future wellness. Zags360 is how Gonzaga Athletics seeks to live out the Jesuit mission of the university. The goal is peak athletic, professional, and personal performance and wellness so that student- athletes can make a positive and healthy transition to life after Gonzaga and positively impact those around them.
Gonzaga’s comprehensive and integrated support model addresses the diverse needs of student-athletes across multiple dimensions, Gonzaga fosters an environment conducive to personal growth, academic success, and athletic achievement and contributes to a culture of excellence and resilience.
To learn more, or to contribute to this project, gozags.com/zags360.
involves connecting with, serving, and being a leader in the community, as well as having an interest in and concern for the needs of others, humankind, and the world.
Gonzaga’s culture of giving back and student-athletes’ commitment to being engaged members of the Gonzaga and Spokane communities are displayed in the extensive number of community outreach hours served and percentage of the student-athlete population active in outreach each year.
Community Outreach
Student-athletes volunteered 3,631 hours in the community this year. 97% of student-athletes participated in community outreach events, and 13 teams earned a 100% participation rate. Baseball served 740 hours in the community, averaging over 17 hours per student-athlete. SAAC hosted four Gonzaga community drives at women’s basketball games to help the local community, collecting 3,860 items at the clothing drive, 6,129 items at the toiletries drive, and 7,636 healthy snacks in the final drive.
In August, Dr. Trisha Nash joined the Gonzaga Athletics staff in supporting mental wellness as the Director of Student-Athlete Mental Health Services, a newly-created role. She is a licensed psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant with 10 years of experience working with college-aged students and student athletes. The position was created to provide a direct path for mental health support for student-athletes, which also fulfills the requirement set by the Division I Transformation Committee, almost a year ahead of the time line established by the NCAA. Dr. Nash is responsible for assessing the unique mental health needs of student-athletes and developing innovative services and programming to meet these needs within the Zags360 integrated approach. She has had an immediate impact on Gonzaga student-athlete wellness, providing education to student-athletes and coaches, coordinating student-athlete mental health care with outside licensed providers, managing and assessing crisis cases in conjunction with campus partners, and providing short-term counseling and performance work.
Zags continued their efforts in supporting Gonzaga Family Haven, creating a lasting partnership with the families that live there, consistently serving meals every Wednesday evening and doing arts and crafts.
involves having a network of healthy relationships that provide connection, belonging, and meaningful mutual support.
Building strong relationships and a sense of belonging is vital for student- athletes’ overall well-being. Gonzaga fosters a tight-knit community through teambuilding activities, leadership development programs, and opportunities for connection and engagement.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
SAAC is comprised of representatives from each Gonzaga athletic team whose purpose is to amplify the student-athlete voice and promote student-athlete wellbeing within Gonzaga Athletics, the WCC, and the NCAA. As role models, SAAC also strives to develop leaders through Gonzaga’s long standing Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic traditions by being firmly committed to service, opportunity, and social justice.
SAAC prides itself in bringing together all Zags, making them feel a part of the family by providing community-building events. They hosted three events including a Welcome Back Kickball tournament, Winter Formal, and a Spring Tailgater bean-bag-toss tournament.
For Civic Engagement day, Zags visited Garfield Elementary on Election Day to read “I Voted” and talk about their college experience.
In the fall, 160 student-athletes volunteered and provided nearly 500 pounds of candy to local youth at the annual Trunk-or-Treat event. Over 60 student-athletes volunteered at the SAAC Easter Egg Hunt on campus offering over 2,000 eggs to the local Spokane community.
SAAC Social Justice Series
SAAC Social Justice Series continued in its third year as a subcommittee of SAAC. Student-athletes continued conversations on intersectionality, belonging verses inclusion, and current events.
In celebrating Black History month, student-athletes joined the Spokesman Review-Black Voices Symposium where high school students share poetry, prose, and art to showcase their personal
experiences based on the theme of Black Joy. Student-athletes also attended the Black History Mobile Museum provided by the Office of Inclusive Excellence.
In collaboration with the LGBTQ Lincoln Center, student-athletes attended a panel discussing “How Sport Impacts the Gender Debate”. The SAAC Social Justice Series continues to expand not only through campus partners, but also in the Spokane Community.
The Student-Athlete Leadership Institute is designed to further develop studentathletes’ leadership skills as students, athletes, and leaders on campus and in the community.
This year’s participants included Ava Knap (WXC/T), Anna Grabowski (WXC/T), Rose Hayes (WTEN), Brooke Bittner (WTEN), Lauren Chin (WSOC), Giana Riley (WSOC), Grace Lee (WGOLF), Lula Macey (WROW), Ines Marquez (WROW), Samantha Sabin (WROW), Charlie Martinez (MXC/T), Guillermo Polo Bodar (MGOLF), Cooper Loney (MROW), Toby Finn (MROW), and Eli Bunn (MROW).
involves connection to and grounding in a source of ultimate meaning that brings perspective, balance, purpose, and peace.
Nurturing the spiritual dimension of student-athletes is integral to Gonzaga’s mission as a Jesuit institution. Athletes are encouraged to explore their beliefs, values, and purpose in life.
Gonzaga Athletics, in collaboration with University Ministry and other campus partners, looks to accompany studentathletes in their spiritual growth as they explore and deepen their faith and experience of community. Several student-athletes participated in faith programming across campus, including Gonzaga’s SEARCH retreat, Christian Life Communities (CLC) weekly faith-sharing small groups, and Common Ground, Gonzaga’s weekly ecumenical student-led worship night.
Bulldog Athletic Ministry (BAM) BAM is an opportunity for Gonzaga’s student-athletes to accompany one another along their journey of growth through creating a space for prayer, selfreflection, and connection with friends and teammates across the department, including opportunities to grow in faith, leadership, and service. This year, BAM’s weekly meetings included exploring themes like the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel and various ways a faith life can be lived out in the student-athlete context. A particular highlight was a Valentine’s Daythemed visit from coaches Lisa and Craig Fortier (WBB) and coach Mark Voorhees (MROW) and his wife, Sinead HarrisJones, to discuss relationships through a faith lens.
At the end of this academic year, Gonzaga and BAM said good-bye and thank you to Janeen Steer, who has led BAM and accompanied and mentored studentathletes and countless others on campus over the last twelve years. Modeling a prayerful discernment process, Janeen moves on from GU to serve as a counselor, but will still be nearby and supporting the Zags. Fr. Tim Breen, SJ, joined in ministering with BAM this year, and will continue to accompany the student-
athletes moving forward, joined by two new student-athlete assistants, Alexi Fogo (WXC/T) and Lucy Coyle (WROW).
Sport Chaplaincy
While continuing to be one of the busiest people alive, Fr. Bryan Pham, SJ, has spent another year supporting and accompanying three teams as chaplain: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball. He connects with both current and former student-athletes, as well as their families, providing various types of pastoral care, including oneon-one pastoral counseling and spiritual direction.
involves having the knowledge and skills to search for and cultivate a fulfilling and meaningful career.
The time spent at Gonzaga is just one chapter in a student-athlete’s life. Through career development workshops, internships, and networking opportunities, athletes are prepared for life beyond college, equipping them with the skills and resources needed for successful careers post-graduation.
The Life Skills Program prepares studentathletes for their futures following graduation and life after sport through a variety of career development programs.
Close relationships and collaboration with GU’s Career and Professional Development further support studentathletes with their career planning.
The thirteenth Senior Student-Athlete Resume Book was published, featuring portfolios of the graduating class of 2024. Each of their resumes displays the unique achievements and accolades they earned as a Zag. The goal of the Resume Book is to ensure every senior leaves Gonzaga with a resume they are proud of and assists student-athletes in networking with GU alumni, supporters, and constituents as they pursue their future careers.
The annual Senior Networking Social was held in the fall, an event that helps prepare our senior student-athletes for life after graduation. Forty graduating seniors had the opportunity to practice networking and self-promotion skills with athletic department constituents and invited guests.
involves a sense of control and knowledge about how to manage personal finances.
Understanding the importance of financial literacy, Gonzaga provides resources to help student-athletes make informed financial decisions. Workshops empower athletes to take control of their current and future financial situation.
Life After Sport
In 2023-24 Gonzaga Athletic added a series of “Life After Sport” workshops to its Life Skills curriculum. The development of these workshops was driven by student-athlete input with the aim of providing current and graduating Zags with resources and insight to serve them in their post-collegiate lives including their career pursuits and future finances.
Fall programming was held in collaboration with Gonzaga’s Career and Professional Development office and focused primarily on job search strategies and tactics uniquely well-suited to student-athletes entering the work force. Student-athletes learned how to conduct informational interviews, develop
mentors, leverage technology during the job search, and highlight their studentathlete experience through the interview process. Over 180 students attended the Life After Sport workshops in the fall.
involves the ability to communicate and express both positive and difficult emotions, as well as to cope with emotions in a productive way, with a goal of achieving all-around well-being.
Recognizing the importance of mental health, Gonzaga Athletics offers resources such as mental health education, counseling services, workshops, and personal growth meetings. Student-athletes are empowered to prioritize self-care and seek assistance when needed.
In the spring semester programming shifted to the emotional, physical and personal well-being of student-athletes transitioning out of sport. In February, over 115 student-athletes heard from a panel of Gonzaga Athletics alumni –Tianna Helm (WSOC), Drew Barham (MBB), Ronzai Saurombe (MTEN), Jack Pearce (MXC), Marit Jacobs (VB), Emma Wolfram (WBB) and Kenny Smith (BSB).
The final Life After Sport workshop consisted of a panel of Gonzaga-affiliated health professionals. This panel covered lifelong strategies and tips related to nutrition, women’s health, general health practices, mental health, and strength & conditioning.
One way student-athletes are accompanied and supported, especially in the areas of mental and physical wellness, is the partnership between Gonzaga Athletics and the Extra Mile Institute (EMI).
This year student-athletes were able to connect with other WCC schools to collaborate on health and wellness initiatives to improve Gonzaga’s health and wellness efforts for student-athletes and coaches’ education.
Gonzaga Athletics added a full-time licensed psychologist with Dr. Trisha Nash joining the sports medicine team, and continued overall wellness programming provided by the Extra Mile Institute (EMI).
In addition to providing mental health education throughout the year, new discussion spaces were developed through a collaboration with Dr. Nash, team physician, Dr. Molly Gilbert and the Extra Mile Staff offering “Girl Talk,” a female-focused discussion space, and “We Talk” open for all athletes. Topics this semester included navigating injury and return to sport, body image, recovery, and overall wellness.
EMI is a company that exists to proactively address the well-being of student-athletes. Our mission is focused on empowering teams and individuals to become fulfillment driven. We do this through Personal Growth Meetings (PGMs), a student-athlete course, and student-athlete-driven workshops.
involves the life-long pursuit of learning and actively engaging in current and future academic pursuits, knowledge, and skills, both inside and outside the classroom.
Balancing academics and athletics can be challenging, but Gonzaga is committed to helping student-athletes excel in both areas. Academic coordinators work closely with student-athletes to create personalized academic plans, offer tutoring services, and encourage them to select a major that aligns with their passion.
Gonzaga student-athletes are encouraged, challenged, and supported to pursue all desired majors and career interests, spanning 43 different majors across all of our Colleges/Schools.
student-athletes inspiring growth, independence, and accountability. Academic coordinators strive to increase collaboration and effective communication with our staff and faculty counterparts across campus, benefiting the experience our student-athletes have at Gonzaga.
Gonzaga student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, boasting a Department GPA of 3.52 in Fall 2023 and 3.51 in Spring 2024. Spring 2024 marks the ninth semester above a 3.45. Five teams also set team GPA records in 20232024.
NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data released in December 2023 celebrated our scholarship studentathletes graduating at a rate of 96 percent, including 10 teams that achieved a 100 percent graduation rate. Eleven of GU’s 13 countable programs finished above the national average in their respective sports. Eight of those teams finished at least five percentage points better.
Gonzaga Athletics Academic Services department provides support and resources for student-athletes throughout their time at GU. Resources include academic advising, tutorial support, time management and organizational skills, and monitoring each student-athlete’s NCAA eligibility. Our individualized approach allows our staff to build relationships with
The department inducted 48 studentathletes into our chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the national student-athlete honor society, recognizing those senior studentathletes who earn a 3.40 cumulative GPA or above while earning their varsity letter. These students were honored during a men’s basketball game in January, as well as at our annual Evening of Excellence event, for their hard work and academic achievement.
involves the maintenance of a healthy body, good physical health habits, good nutrition, exercise, and sleep, and obtaining appropriate health care.
Gonzaga understands the physical demands placed on student-athletes and provides comprehensive support to ensure their well-being. This includes access to top-notch training facilities, personalized strength and conditioning programs, sports medicine services, supplemental nutrition, and nutrition education.
Scholar Athlete of the Year
This year we recognized three studentathletes as our Scholar Athletes of the Year. Oliver Andersson from men’s tennis earned the award after graduating in 2023 with his undergraduate degree in Business Administration with multiple concentrations. In 2023-2024 Oliver has been working towards his Master in Business Administration (MBA) and will graduate this summer with his graduate degree from Gonzaga.
Willow Collins, student-athlete on both women’s soccer and women’s track, will graduate in December with a major in Journalism and a History minor.
Alicia Anderson from women’s cross country/track graduated in 2023 with her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and will earn her Master in Business Administration (MBA) this summer from Gonzaga as well.
All three recipients maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA during their undergraduate careers and coursework.
In support of our student-athletes and the greater mission of Gonzaga, the Sports Medicine and Sports Performance teams work daily to fulfill the ZAGS360 mission. Education is the basis for our ACTIVATION of physical wellness. Through individual interactions and team settings we work to encourage them to realize athletic and physical wellness along with injury reduction and recovery. We encourage our studentathletes and ACCOMPANY them through their training, competition, and non-competitive seasons. We aim to empower student-athletes to ACHIEVE lifelong physical wellness. This happens in coordination with our coaches and staff to set student-athletes up to have success during their time here at Gonzaga and to help make lasting impacts on their lives as they make choices for lifelong health, fulfillment and self-advocation.
Gonzaga University baseball expanded the Patterson Baseball Complex this year, with the Scott and Liz Morris Family Indoor Training Facility. The project includes a new locker room, an indoor practice facility, and recruiting gallery.
“Gonzaga has a rich tradition as one of the best baseball programs on the west coast and we are honored to support the program. This facility will continue to help Gonzaga compete on a national basis”, donor Scott Morris said.
The first-class facility provides the student-athletes a space to train and improve at a high level during the winter months in the Inland Northwest.
“This is a realization of Danny’s dream. It is an incredible privilege to provide this to the baseball program, and it is the envy to any baseball program in the nation. The space is a coach’s classroom and gives the student-athletes an area to grow. The generosity and leadership of a very special group of donors brought this facility to reality”, Gonzaga Athletic Director Chris Standiford said.
The new locker room is nearly 4,000 square feet and the training facility has 11,500 square feet of new space. After renovations, the upgraded complex will have over 35,000 square feet of space.
Outdoors, the team now has access to enhanced turf surfaces for training and fielding in addition to turf bullpen areas. The indoor training space includes four batting cages and two pitching mounds.
The recruiting gallery has a visual display of the team’s history and accomplishments in addition to new gear and uniforms.
“The Scott and Liz Morris Family Indoor Training Facility is truly a game changer for our program. The impact it will have on recruiting and development will help push our program to the next level. We are incredibly grateful for this wonderful facility”, GU Head Coach Mark Machtolf said.
In January 2023, artificial turf replaced natural grass on Coach Steve Hertz Field at the Patterson Baseball Complex. Those renovations also added a 12-foot wall in left field – up from 8 feet – and padding to the outfield walls for player safety.
“Everything about the new Scott and Liz Morris Family Indoor Training Facility is first class,” Associate Head Coach Brandon Harmon said. “It checks every box that we were looking for, a great space to develop our current team, it will have a huge impact on recruiting, and also provides a great forum to honor our former players and teams.
“We are incredibly humbled by the people who made this project a reality. The vision of our administration, the donors who believed in that vision, and all the past players and teams who have laid the groundwork to get this program to this spot.”
