2019-20 Gonzaga Athletics Annual Report

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2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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AD REFLECTIONS

APR

While the year ended with a challenge that cut short many of our athletic seasons, the 201920 academic year wasn’t without its great accomplishments.

Despite the uncertain future with the impact that COVID-19 has had and will continue to have on our athletic department, our student-athletes, coaches and staff have remained resilient.

We continue to plan for many different scenarios for the fall sports season ahead, but we want to make sure that we proudly celebrate all of the achievements of the past year.

athletes combined to set a department record with a 3.51 grade-point average for the spring semester, including an alltime best of 3.90 by the men’s tennis team. The semester also included records for the number of University honors received by student-athletes, which included 88 on the President’s List (3.85-4.0) and 120 on the Dean’s List (3.50-3.84) for a record total of 208. The number of students with a perfect 4.0 for the semester came to 33, five more than any other semester in program history.

The pages of this book are filled with stories of what’s been accomplished in competition, but we hope you’ll enjoy the look inside some of what happened outside of competition from women’s tennis player Katie Day’s brave battle against cancer to men’s basketball manager Mac Graff’s steps across the court on senior night to the generosity of our fantastic benefactors who continue to step up in a big way. There are many more great stories in the pages ahead.

Our athletic programs once again ranked in the top five in both Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate as well. These marks, coupled with the GPA accomplishments, show a laser focus by our studentathletes on their education, and we couldn’t be prouder of the resilience they’ve shown in the face of the challenges that were out of their control.

Our student-athletes combined to set numerous academic records for the athletic department in the spring semester despite distance learning for the latter half of the semester. Prior to campus closing due to COVID-19, they had also contributed over 3,100 hours of community service to more than 30 local agencies.

In the classroom, GU student1

Athletically, once again our men’s and women’s basketball teams continued to push the programs to new heights with the men’s team earning a No. 1 ranking and the women’s team cracking the top 10 for the first time ever in the regular season. Both teams were poised to play in Spokane with the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the men hosted at Spokane Arena and the women projected to serve as a host site for their opening rounds.

While we are disappointed

that we didn’t get to see that come to fruition, both programs have positioned themselves consistently among the nation’s best. In addition to hoops, our fall sports teams continue to grow with women’s and men’s soccer having their best seasons in recent history and the women’s golf team winning back-toback tournaments during the fall. Our spring sports were in various stages of their season, most not even halfway through when COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the remaining competitions for the year.

We’ve continued to band together remotely during a challenging time, and we’ll be ready for whatever is thrown our way. For now, we hope you enjoy these stories that you helped create. Without all of you, our benefactors, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We are so thankful for all of our supporters and look forward to continuing to grow together.

GONZAGA SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO PORTLAND PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO LMU SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC BYU

Gonzaga Athletics posted the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the West Coast Conference with a score of 996, according to data released by the NCAA in May 2020.

This set of APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 academic years.

Six Gonzaga programs have posted at least six straight years of perfect 1,000 scores, led by women’s cross country and track with nine straight 1,000s.

Sincerely,

Michael L. Roth Director of Athletics

Women’s tennis and men’s cross country and track have had seven each, while men’s golf and women’s basketball have had six in a row. GU’s volleyball and men’s soccer programs each started a new streak this year with a perfect 1,000 as well.

Teams posting APR scores in the top 10 percent of their sport earn NCAA Public Recognition Awards.

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. For Gonzaga, 10 of its 15 APR-eligible teams were publicly recognized for this achievement, which marks the seventh straight year that GU has had at least 10. Gonzaga ranked fourth nationally with 67 percent of its teams receiving the award, behind only Columbia, Colgate and Northwestern.

“These achievements continue to be attained by hard work from a combination of our studentathletes and the team of support from faculty, staff and coaches,” Director of Athletics Mike Roth said. “We strive for excellence in the classroom and our studentathletes continue to impress us with their dedication, while representing Gonzaga in all the right ways.”

GU’s men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track, men’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s tennis and

996 993 991 989 987 985 982 982 982 979

volleyball received the NCAA Public Recognition Award.

Gonzaga was the only school in the West Coast Conference to have both the men’s and women’s basketball teams honored, and GU had the highest number of teams honored of any school in the league. Santa Clara had nine teams honored, while Pepperdine and San Diego were next with five each. GU also helped contribute to the WCC ranking fourth among all Division I conferences with 33 percent of its teams earning the award, behind only the Ivy League, Patriot League and Big East Conference.

Gonzaga’s overall multi-year average of 996 was nine points above the league average of 987 and 13 points above the NCAA average of 983. Of GU’s 15 APR-eligible teams, nine posted perfect 1,000 scores in the APR’s multi-year average, which is a combined mark of

reported data from each of the past four completed academic years.

The men’s soccer and men’s track teams were in elite company in terms of the number of programs in those respective sports achieving a perfect score.

Men’s soccer was one of only 19 teams nationally to earn a 1,000, while men’s track was one of only 21 teams nationally.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

WCC COMPARISONS INSTITUTIONAL MULTI-YEAR RATE

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WINTER SPORTS WRAP UP

The Bulldog men rose to No. 1 in the national rankings for the fifth time in program history, while the Gonzaga women climbed into the Top-10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time in program history.

The Zag women enjoyed a 21-

game win streak during their 28-win season, while the GU men reeled off 19 consecutive victories amid its 31-win season.

Both Bulldog teams opened West Coast Conference play at 12-0, and GU was just one of five schools in the country to have conference regular season champions on both the women’s and men’s sides.

GU was poised to have success like never before in the NCAA Tournament. The men’s squad seemingly clinched its fourth No. 1 seed in program history, and the women may have earned the right to host the first two rounds as a top-four seed. The Zag women would have been the first non-power five school

to achieve that honor since the tournament changed its hosting policy in 2015.

The GU women opened the season at No. 23 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and started the regular season with a pair of wins at home before pushing No. 3 Stanford to overtime on the road. Despite the six-point loss at Stanford, Gonzaga moved up in the polls and started its lengthy win streak. The Zags defeated Dayton, Middle Tennessee and Purdue en route to the Gulf Coast Showcase tournament title, while forward Jenn Wirth was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

In late January, the Bulldogs

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became the first team in the country to reach 20 wins and were named the NCAA Team of the Week. GU improved to 22-1 and 11-0 in conference play, and climbed to No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the first of two NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee top-16 reveals, which projected Gonzaga to host the First and Second Rounds of the 2020 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

GU went on to claim the outright league title with a victory at Loyola Marymount. Following a win at Pepperdine, GU climbed into the regular season AP Top-10 for the first time in program history on Feb. 25.

Prior to the WCC Tournament, guard Jill Townsend became the second Zag in the last three seasons to earn West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors, and she was among five Zags to earn All-WCC honors.

Six Zags earned Academic All-Conference recognition. GU fell in the WCC semifinals to eventual champion Portland in what turned out to be the final game of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bulldog men opened their season at No. 8 in the Associated Press poll, matching the program’s second-best preseason AP ranking. GU entered the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas with a 6-0 record, including a 79-49 win at Texas A&M. After beating Southern

Mississippi in the opening round, the Zags held off No. 11 Oregon in overtime in the semifinals.

After falling to Michigan in the championship game, Gonzaga won 19 consecutive games.

The non-conference slate includes impressive victories at No. 22 Washington, No. 15 Arizona and No. 23 North Carolina in back-to-back-to-back games. The Zags entered WCC play ranked No. 1 in the nation and took several phenomenal and historic streaks into midFebruary, including the NCAA’s longest win streaks at home and on the road (18). Gonzaga also broke the West Coast Conference records for longest regular-season win streak (40) and WCC road win streak (39).

The Zags also extended their conference regular season title streak to eight straight seasons, the longest active streak in the country. It was the 23rd overall league regular season title in program history. GU closed the season with the longest active home win streak in the nation (39), and third-longest in program history. Filip Petrusev was selected the league’s Player of the Year, and five other Zags

earned All-Conference honors.

Corey Kispert was named Academic All-WCC for the second straight season.

In the West Coast Conference Tournament, the top-seeded Bulldogs used a big secondhalf to beat third-seeded Saint Mary’s, 84-66 for their 18th title. Joel Ayayi was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. That’s where the GU season ended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Petrusev earned additional postseason honors: Wooden All-American Team, second team All-American by the NABC and USA Today, and third team by the Associated Press and USBWA. He was also one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Kispert was named the DI-AAA ADA Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year, and a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.

Killian Tillie was a Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award finalist as well.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

The 2019-20 basketball season could arguably go down as the best in Gonzaga’s school history. The Zag women and men combined for 59 wins, with just five losses. The combined 92.2-win percentage for the basketball programs was not only the best in school history, but the best in the country this season. Both teams were in the Top-15 in the final Associated Press national poll.

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FALL SPORTS WRAP UP Onward and upward is an appropriate catchphrase for the 2019 fall season. Each of Gonzaga’s fall sports continued to build upon the success of the 2018 campaign, and the Zags saw more wins, more all-conference performers and more records broken than a season ago.

for aces in a single season: sophomore Kennedy Croft (41 aces, 2nd all-time) and Sarah Penner (31 aces, T-5th). The Bulldogs closed the season winning five of their final eight matches, including a 3-0 Senior Day sweep over Portland. The Zags graduate two seniors but welcome back 14 studentathletes in addition to four

tying 12 victories—the most wins by the Bulldogs since 2005—and collected a programrecord-tying five WCC wins for the second-straight season.

For GU’s volleyball team, the 2019 season broke records as fourth-year head coach Diane Nelson led a youthful crew to Gonzaga’s best start since 2015. The Bulldogs went 6-3 through the first nine matches and collected two nonconference tournament titles on the way.

signees, a solid foundation for the 2020 campaign.

Gonzaga also emerged as one of the top serving teams in the conference, recording a program-record 175 aces on the year, smashing the previous mark of 153 set back in 2005.

Two Zags climbed the ranks

In his third season as head coach, Chris Watkins continued to reach new heights with the Gonzaga women’s soccer program. The Zags posted their third-straight double-digit win season with a program-record-

the United Soccer Coaches’ West Region Poll. Gonzaga also tied program records for goals (39), shots (314) and goals per game (2.05), while finishing the season ranked 12th nationally in shots on goal per game (8.42). Multiple Bulldogs earned All-WCC and All-Region honors, led by senior

The Zags recorded more goals and had more assists than a season ago while limited opponents to nine fewer goals than in 2018. Gonzaga also collected the most AllWCC honors since the 2016; four Bulldogs were honored as Demitrius Kigeya and Garrett Wilson collected All-WCC Second Team honors while Johan Garibay and Cole Rovegno were named honorable mention. The Bulldogs will return a seasoned core for the upcoming 2020 season.

The Zags also made a splash in the national polls as they received votes for the first time since 2005 in addition to a program-best No. 3 ranking in

Madeline Gotta’s All-WCC First Team and All-West Region First Team honors. Senior India Jencks was selected All-WCC Second Team and All-West Region Third Team, while senior Samantha Heilman was also named All-WCC Second Team.

Freshman Lyza Bosselmann and Erin Healy rounded out the honors with WCC All-Freshman

selections. Gotta led the way off the field as well, being the first-ever Zag to be named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar All-America Team.

In cross country, GU’s success included an NCAA-qualifying performance from James

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Gonzaga’s men’s soccer team doubled its win total in 2019 and collected three wins in West Coast Conference play, the most since 2013. The Bulldogs also collected a 2-1 victory over No. 18 San Diego, their first win over a ranked opponent in the last three seasons.

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Mwaura on the men’s side, finishing the season with AllWCC and All-Region honors.

GU freshman Riley Moore was named the Freshman of the Year on the men’s side, and Claire Manley earned All-WCC honors on the women’s side.

Gonzaga men’s tennis won fall bracket titles at their home tournament, while the doubles team of Sam Feit and Matthew Hollingworth reached a program-best No. 33 national ranking and made the program’s deepest ever run at the ITA Northwest Regionals with a berth in the semifinals.

In women’s tennis, GU freshman Jenna Sloan won the singles title at the Gonzaga Invitational, while the doubles pair of Kate Ketels and Vlada Medvedcova also earned the tournament title.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

2019 saw vast improvement, national rankings and fallen records as each of Gonzaga’s fall sports continue to trend upward. With solid foundations in place, the 2020 campaign is full of possibilities.

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LEEANNE WIRTH Women’s Basketball | JR.

“I was so bummed as I’m sure every other athlete was who had worked the whole season to achieve their team goals. We were all ready to continue into the post season, and it was cut short. The only thing we can do now is to use this as motivation for next season and do what we can to keep getting better to achieve our goals next year.”

CHRIS MOGG Men’s Golf | Sr. “When our season abruptly ended, it was devastating to think that my senior year would end like that. To be given the opportunity to return next year and receive legitimate closure as a Bulldog means everything to me. I could not be more thankful for another year of growth with the Gonzaga family!”

CLAIRE MANLEY Women’s Cross Country & Track | RJr. “I am so grateful to be coming back for a fifth year of full eligibility and the MBA program, and I fully recognize the far greater importance of a public health crisis, but having my senior track season cut short was devastating. In the final track workout I did prior to hearing about the NCAA cancellation of sports, Coach Stewart told me, ‘Claire, that was the best workout you’ve had in your life.’ I knew I was the fittest I’ve ever been. I knew it for many of my teammates too... we had big things coming this track season. But we’re distance runners, and we’re a gritty group of women. We’ve held each other up through this difficult time, and I fully believe that this growth through adversity will translate into our racing whenever we next have the opportunity to toe the line.”

COREY KISPERT Men’s Basketball | Jr.

MATTHEW RUEL Men’s Golf | RJr.

“We should be on a very nice celebration of the season we had right about now, but obviously, things didn’t go the way we wanted. During the quarantine, I got a little stir crazy.

I spent a lot of time at home with my family, which was nice because I usually don’t get to see them as much as I want to.

I found new things to stay busy, doing puzzles and playing video games. I played a lot of outdoor hoops in my backyard. The GU staff did a great job getting us the equipment they could and working with us with the things we had. Things got pretty basic, I was using backpacks filled with rocks and running with weighted vests. The time gave me a chance to restup and all the knicks and bruises I had from the season are gone.”

“When we were in Arizona and our season was cut short I was devastated. Ultimately, I understood it was for the best because our health and safety is most important. Right now, I am doing my best to continue following health procedures while still working on my game. I can’t wait to be back on campus in the fall and get the spring season going.”

COVID-19 PERSONAL ACCOUNTS

JAMES MWAURA Men’s Cross Country & Track | Sr. “Having the season abruptly end was desponding, I was looking forward to outdoor track season after coming off my first indoor season of being fully healthy.

With track season canceled I saw this as my opportunity to really work on some of my weaknesses.”

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GU’s women’s golf team won back-to-back tournament for the first time in school history, taking home the Coeur d’Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational and the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Seattle during a four-tournament fall season.

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A SEASON FOR GIVING McCarthey siblings Phil, Maureen, Tom, and Sarah

“We realized how much the coronavirus was going to affect Gonzaga, and this Athletic department has just meant so much to us,” Tom McCarthey said. “We wanted to do what we could to keep the best coaches, the best student-athletes and scholarships intact. We feel very fortunate to be in a position where we could do that.”

With a history of benefaction to GU through donations to capital projects like the McCarthey Athletic Center, scholarships and much more, the McCartheys are just as special to the University as the University is to them.

“The McCartheys have been game-changers for us over the years with their support, and they continue to step up in a big, big way for us,” Director of Athletics Mike Roth said. “We are so grateful for them, and this gift will make a big impact on our Athletic Department moving forward. We can’t express enough thanks to Sarah, Maureen, Tom and Phil.”

The McCartheys also hope

to show other Gonzaga benefactors the path to helping the institution and Athletics maintain its financial position despite the unknowns of the months ahead.

“Our goal with the gift is to fill the need, you can’t tame all the uncertainties, but we wanted to do what we could do,” Phil McCarthey said. “While Athletics is very important, we wanted to make sure that we were supporting student scholarships as well. I think this gift could really help show other donors that believe in the program, in the school, in the leadership at the school, that they can be involved in this way. Gonzaga is

integrity and continued to support athletes as students and has shown how important a college education is in both the learning that takes place in the classroom, and also setting them up to have productive careers.”

The entire McCarthey Family has followed the success of the men’s and women’s basketball teams over the years, rarely missing NCAA Tournament games and often making the trip to Spokane to take in games in the arena which is their namesake: McCarthey Athletic Center. What’s been even more impactful, especially for Maureen, has been meeting the student-athletes and their families over the years.

McCarthey said. “The athletic department has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, having quality coaches, trainers, academic advisors and support staff. It just keeps getting better and better.”

“Most institutions come into our lives and are quickly forgotten, some leave footprints on your hearts and that’s Gonzaga. a really special family, and I hope others realize that too. I feel so fortunate in this time to be able to help Gonzaga and give a gift to something we believe in.”

While the McCartheys have enjoyed the athletic success over the years as well, the academic achievements have been equally impressive in their eyes. GU has consistently ranked in the top five, or even at the top, nationally in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate, as well as setting department GPA and honors records often.

“College sports are really important to the entire college experience as sports are a way for everybody to rally, and for us, supporting student-athletes is really important,” Sarah McCarthey said. “Gonzaga has maintained its academic

“There is nothing like seeing those student-athletes play in person, and to get to know them and their families and be able to support them is really special,” Maureen McCarthey said. “I wanted to make sure that whatever contributions we do now that it helps both the men’s sports programs and the women’s sports programs.

Seeing the impact it has on these student-athletes lives has really been special for me.”

The impact goes both ways, as the mark that the McCartheys have left on Gonzaga University and especially the Athletic Department continues to be game-changing.

“Most institutions come into our lives and are quickly forgotten, some leave footprints on your hearts and that’s Gonzaga,” Phil

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Gonzaga University wove its way into the hearts of the McCarthey family decades ago as students both on campus and in Florence and continues to hold a special place through generations. They’ve been generous benefactors over the years, making a major difference in the way Gonzaga Athletics is able to operate.

And when the novel coronavirus began to change the landscape of college athletics and ultimately cancel the remainder of athletic competitions for the spring semester, the four McCarthey siblings – Phil, Tom, Sarah and Maureen – got together and decided they wanted to continue their legacy of giving in a time of need, not only making a large gift to the Athletic Department, but donating to the University as well.

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SPRING SPORTS WRAPUP

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Teams looked back on their year fondly together and while most didn’t get to complete more than half of their spring sports season, there were still many accomplishments to be proud of. The men’s tennis team entered the dual-match season with a senior-laden squad and a batch of newcomers ready to help shoulder the load. After a program record 16 wins in 2019, this squad was off to a 10-4 start on the year and were ranked as high as No. 62, the best ranking in program history.

GU won seven matches in a row and had top player Sam Feit earn a No. 118 ranking in singles and pair with freshman Matthew Hollingworth to reach No. 33 in doubles.

The pair made GU’s deepestever run in doubles at the ITA Northwest Regionals in the fall, advancing to the semifinals.

The women’s golf team put together an impressive fall season and appeared to be ready for spring with its young squad. With two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior, the group won the Coeur d’Alene Collegiate Invitational in late September, and then, one week later, took home the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational team title while also getting an individual win with sophomore Quynn Duong taking home medalist honors. On the men’s side, the squad placed ninth as a team for its best fall finish at the Oregon State Invitational, and then posted a fourthplace finish at its lone spring tournament, The Joust. Both squads were prepared for their final three or four tournaments of the spring, including the WCC Championships, when the year was called off.

In women’s tennis, GU won five of its last six matches to move its record to 8-6 on the year before the season was cancelled. In the fall, freshman Jenna Sloan won the singles portion of the Gonzaga Invitational, while the pair of Vlada Medvedcova and Kate Ketels won the doubles.

In women’s rowing, the spring championship season had just started with GU only competing

in a pair of scrimmages as the team prepped to defend its WCC crown and take home its sixth consecutive league championship. The squad was led by returning three-time Coxswain of the Year Alexa Jadallah and 2019 All-WCC performers Zoe Calambokidis and Lauren McCallum.

Men’s rowing was poised for a breakout season with a focus on winning the Western Sprints and advancing to the National Championships. The Bulldogs returned 13 from the previous season’s top two boats, including five from GU’s varsity eight lineup In baseball, the season was less than a month underway,

and while GU had started slow out of the gate against some of the nation’s best in Oregon State, Arkansas and South Alabama, the Zags managed a 10-4 win over the Beavers. GU concluded the season abruptly after dominating Washington State 15-3 for a 6-10 record on the year. Gonzaga was selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorite, while Ernie Yake, Alek Jacob and Brett Harris earned Preseason AllWCC honors.

In track, the indoor season was complete and the outdoor season had yet to start. Indoors, Aimee Piercy had an amazing year, breaking three Gonzaga records at 800 meters, indoor mile, and 3,000 meters. On

the men’s side, senior Peter Hogan broke the school record in the 5,000 meters, and sophomore James Mwaura ran GU’s second-fastest time ever in the mile and the 3,000 meters.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

The springs sports season began with many reasons to believe it would be one of the best in Gonzaga Athletics history. GU’s tennis teams were coming off of some of their best seasons the year before, the women’s golf team had won two tournaments during fall competition, the baseball team was picked to win the West Coast Conference and the women’s rowing team was riding a string of five consecutive WCC titles into the year. But, unexpectedly, all spring sports came to a halt with the onset of a global pandemic due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, which caused the disease COVID-19. So much promise swept away with a 100-yeartype event.

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GRAFF STRONG “That was about as powerful a moment as I’ve seen in this building.”

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Graff, who has spent the last three years as a manager for the Zags’ program that has amassed 96 wins to just 11 losses during his time with the squad, made the most of his moment. On an already emotional night of the final home game for three senior student-athletes, a surprise return from Rui Hachimura, and a possible net-cutting after the game celebrating the program’s sixthstraight West Coast Conference regular season title, it was Graff that stole the show before the matchup between No. 2 Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s even tipped off.

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Flashback to 2014, when Graff was a 17-old senior in Pasco, Wash. He was the starting middle linebacker and quarterback for the Chiawana High School football team. Following a big win on a Friday night, Graff went hunting with his father and friends the next day. He’d been a hunter his entire life, but that afternoon, he lost his balance in a tree stand and fell 12 feet, resulting in a broken back and paralysis from the waist-down.

Graff competed in basketball, football, and baseball in high school, and had played in the first two football games of the season before that accident forever changed his life. But, from the moment of the fall, he never let the injury stop him from doing the things he wanted to do, a source of inspiration for people dealing with similar situations.

his uncle Dan Monson — Gonzaga’s former head men’s basketball coach, who now is head coach of Long Beach State — encouraged him to do so. Graff enjoyed his role, and said it was a blessing to get to know the players and coaches. In practices, he assisted with passing, rebounding, and operating the clock. During home games, he tracked statistics. He watched two Gonzaga Senior Nights on the bench in 2018 and 2019, and began thinking about his walking out moment.

“I started planning this when I saw my buddies graduate last year like Josh Perkins, Jeremy Jones, Geno Crandall, Jack Beach and all those guys,” Graff said. “It meant a lot to them to be celebrated like that in the front of the Spokane community. When I was in Pasco, everyone saw me get hurt and go through therapy. I used to go through therapy three to four times a week. I’d walk a lot then. I did that for Pasco, but Spokane had never seen me do that. The people at GU, the players, they had never seen me upright. I just thought it would be pretty cool to do. Why not? It’s the biggest stage in Spokane.”

The moment arrived. It’s a GU tradition to honor senior managers like Graff, just as they do the players at the final home game of the regular season. Graff ditched his wheelchair for a few minutes, and made his way to center court with the help of a walker and braces.

“I thought it was a really, really special night,” Few said. “It was unbelievable. Mac Graff, I’ve never seen Mac Graff walk in four years.

That was about as powerful a moment as I’ve seen in this building.

Six months after the accident, he competed in track and field for his high school against other paralyzed athletes through the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association — throwing the javelin, discus and shotput from his wheelchair.

The secret remained with a select few before he came out of the tunnel.

Graff became one of seven managers for the Zags in 2017, after

“I didn’t know Mac was going to do his thing until he walked out,” Corey Kispert said. “He and I are really close and we have a good friendship. That got me really emotional. I know how much this place

means to him, how much he loves sports and how much he loves us. He works hard at his physical therapy and getting his body right.

People don’t see that every day.”

“When I saw Mac walking, I was speechless,” Filip Petrusev said.

“But, I was just so happy. Mac is with us every day, going everywhere, doing everything he can to help us. He is an inspiration.”

Even when the moment arrived, Graff knew the risks and had some light-hearted concerns.

“I was very nervous,” Graff said. “Not about walking, but guys trying to give me high-fives or a friendly shove on the back. For me, that could have been disaster in front of 6,000 people.”

After his injury, a statewide effort grew, starting with Graff’s aunt Darci Monson, who added on the rallying cry “Graff Strong.” The term has become a fixture not only in the GU program, but at sporting events and schools around Washington as well on T-shirts with the saying.

Graff, who graduated with a degree in sports management, is not limited, not any more than he allows himself to be. He received Gonzaga’s Joseph C. Metcalfe Memorial Scholarship, still hunts, goes swimming, plays wheelchair basketball, and has a speciallymade cart that allows him to golf.

Following his teary-eyed filled moment on Senior Night, the everpositive Graff said, “I just hope people can take away that tomorrow is not promised, so live today like you would live your last day.”

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

From a coach that has seen countless memorable moments inside the McCarthey Athletic Center, Gonzaga men’s basketball head coach Mark Few summed up Mac Graff’s memorable minutes best.

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JILL TOWNSEND Q&A Jill Townsend returned to her family’s ranch in Okanogan, Wash., earlier than normal this year following the abrupt end of the 201920 basketball season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the rest of the Gonzaga community, Townsend completed her studies virtually and worked to adapt to a new lifestyle and early return to the ranch.

Lisa had told the team [the coaches] were going into a big meeting and said she was going to keep the team updated. I was at a bull sale with my parents when I got the text from Lisa to the entire team that the season was cancelled. When I read the text, my stomach just dropped.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

We all kind of knew it was coming, but to see it officially…I don’t think anyone could have been prepared for that…It was just disbelief, even though I kind of knew [it was heading that way].

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How have you personally adjusted to not having access to GU’s facilities, training, etc?

It’s been different; I don’t have lifting [equipment] for weight training. Mike [Nilson] did send us a TRX band and some bands, and he tailored the workouts to those two things and body weight. Mike has been really good about that, realizing that most of us don’t have facilities for that to happen. It’s fun because I’ll always send Mike pictures from my run because I’m out on a dirt road, dodging cow piles and stuff like that.

That’s the way I’ve been staying in shape, running on dirt roads.

What were some tools or services that were made available to you to help with your virtual education?

I felt like my professors were more lenient, and they were really understanding. We were able to go to them about anything, if something wasn’t working or you couldn’t do something. They had things that were going on in their lives that they were trying to balance too, so I thought that everyone realized the situation and made it easier or they were willing to change things if it wasn’t working for you. That was really good to be able to have that balance.

Kendall [Gallop] our trainer let us know that if we needed to talk to her we could. She also let us know that there were several therapists available if we needed to talk to someone else.

She made it known that we had those options available to us.

It was a super tough transition, and we could talk to someone.

During this time, what are some of the ways you’ve been able to stay in touch and connected with your team?

We have team Zoom meetings three times a week. We have shorter meetings on Mondays to talk about anything. The coaches usually bring something

to the meeting that they’ve read or are reading and talk about it.

Wednesday we will have small group meetings, so each coach will take three or four players and meet for about 20 minutes to talk about whatever is going on in our lives. That’s really nice because it’s a smaller setting.

Friday we usually will have a guest speaker…We’ve had some cool ones, like Lindsay Gottleib, the former Cal women’s basketball coach and current assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and we had Courtney Vandersloot the other day. We’ve had other different women in leadership roles. We’ve been able to hear from some really cool speakers. That’s how we’re keeping in touch basketball-wise and with the team.

What are some of the ways you’ve received support from the coaching staff and your teammates?

The meetings are a way the coaching staff is trying to support us. They are trying to reach out, and Lisa will call on her walks and when she’s out just to check in on us. Jordan [Green] and I are always texting about books, so they are trying to keep connected in that way, which is super nice. They’re always asking for pictures and about what we are doing, things like that. So that’s how they’re

supporting, just trying to be there, realizing that it’s different for everyone.

Everyone is in a different situation in quarantine, and they are just trying to handle it best for every individual. That’s where they are really trying to help.

Have you learned anything new about yourself, or any important lesson during this time?

I don’t know about myself, but I just think this will help everyone appreciate what we had before.

We always took advantage of being able to go to the gym whenever we wanted or just being at college with all your friends and your teammates.

That was just our everyday life, and now we’re stuck at home with no gyms and separated from our families.

For me at least, I know when I go back I’ll just be more appreciative in that way. Maybe this is a wake-up call going into senior year to really appreciate the opportunity I have to be at Gonzaga and play basketball, be surrounded by my friends, my teammates. That’s something that this quarantine is really showing me.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

How did you find out that your season was cancelled due to COVID-19?

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Two simple words, but when combined together they create a phrase that encompasses the true essence of the Spokane basketball community. It’s the pulse, the lifeblood of the 5-0-9. It’s who we are.

It’s what we do. And we’re really good at it. Yet, Zag Nation had some humble beginnings, and the strength the name carries today had to be earned.

The first splash in NCAA Tournament for either program came back in 1995 with a first-round departure. Then came the infamous Elite Eight run in 1999. That year, an enthralled Spokane community soaked up every second of the Zags’ unprecedented advance past national powerhouse programs like Minnesota, Stanford and Florida.

Back then, No. 10-seeded Gonzaga was considered a Cinderella team; it wasn’t likely that a small Jesuit university in Spokane, Wash., would be able to continue that success.

A lot has changed in the 21 years since that 1999 run for both the men’s and women’s programs. Since the 1999 season, Gonzaga’s basketball programs have 32 combined NCAA Tournament appearances, 13 Sweet 16 appearances, four Elite Eights, one Final Four and one National Championship appearance. Now, Gonzaga basketball has earned its title among the basketball elite, a true basketball blue-blood. That’s Zag Nation.

The Spokane community has been steadfastly supporting the Zags in their rise to national prominence, selling out The Kennel years before the McCarthey Athletic Center broke ground. Since the inaugural season inside McCarthey in 2004, the men have sold out every game while

the women closed the 2020 season leading the nation in attendance percent capacity, filling McCarthey an average of 94.87 percent every game. The support is unwavering. That’s Zag Nation.

The 2019-20 season was shaping up to be quite possibly

the best in Gonzaga’s school history. Both programs combined for a 59-5 overall record and a 92.2-win percentage; that mark was better than any other school in the country and set a new school record. The men rose to No. 1 in the national rankings for the fifth time in program history, while the women climbed into

the Top-10 for the first time ever during the regular season. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was poised to be one for the books.

The bid to host the men’s NCAA first and second rounds at the Spokane Arena was accepted back in 2017, and as the 201920 season progressed, it was

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

ZAG NATION

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apparent that Gonzaga’s men would most likely grab the No. 1 seed in the West and begin their journey in Spokane. It would mark the first time in program history the Zags played an NCAA Tournament game in the heart of Zag Nation.

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Zag Nation, we thank you.

If it all played out, it would be the first time ever that both the men and women were competing in the NCAA Tournament together in Spokane. Zag Nation was ready.

The buzz around Spokane was electric; the men’s NCAA Tournament tickets sold out well before March, while the women’s tickets were anticipated to sell out immediately following Selection Monday when the tournament field and host sites were announced. It would have been another historical mark on an already record-breaking season.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 NCAA Tournament and Gonzaga’s predicted runs on both the men’s and women’s side, it will never cancel the spirit

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

The women’s program is no stranger to NCAA Tournament play in Spokane. GU’s Elite Eight run back in 2011 began inside The Kennel and advanced to the Spokane Arena, surrounded by thousands of faithful supporters of Zag Nation. In all, the Zag women have played eight NCAA Tournament games in Spokane in front of an average of nearly 7,500 fans, topping out at 11,646 fans against Stanford back in 2011. This season, Gonzaga was predicted to be a No. 3 seed—the highest in program history—and host the first and second rounds for the first time since the NCAA announced in 2014-15 that only the top 16 seeds are eligible to host.

of Zag Nation. Though we will never know what could have been of the historic 2019-20 season, we are steadfast in our faith in Zag Nation and the Spokane community, and we are eternally grateful for the support.

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FALL 2019 SPRING 2019 TOTAL

2452 684 3136

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

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•

90% of Zags volunteered in the community in 2019-20

•

11 of 14 teams had 100% participation in outreach

•

1,200 hours spent serving Catholic Charities of Spokane

•

258 student-athletes volunteered in support of Catholic Charities programs

•

890 hours spent building homes for Habitat for Humanity

•

135 hours spent serving meals with Blessings Under the Bridge

•

Women’s Tennis averaged 29 hours per studentathlete for a total of 292 hours in the fall semester alone

•

Collected 924 lbs of candy as part of the Trunk or Treat event

•

32 different agencies served

•

The Zags took part in the Catholic Charities Christmas Blessings program, providing gifts to 6 adopted families in addition to over $1,700 in gift cards

DRIVES BENEFITTING CATHOLIC CHARITIES

1800 2100 9500 3100 3500 POUNDS OF FOOD

WARM CLOTHING ITEMS

DIAPERS

ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER

IN CASH DONATIONS

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

LIFE SKILLS

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The Life Skills Program prepares student-athletes for their futures following graduation and life after sport through a variety of career development programs and individual career counseling. Close relationships and collaboration with GU’s Career and Professional Development department and the Gonzaga Alumni Mentoring Program (GAMP) further support student-athletes with their career planning.

STUDENT ATHLETE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

The ninth Senior Student-Athlete Resume Book was published this year. The book features portfolios of the graduating class of 2020. Each of their resumes displays the unique achievements and accolades they earned as a Zag. The goal of the Resume Book is to assist student-athletes in networking with GU alumni, supporters, and constituents as they pursue their future careers.

The Student-Athlete Leadership Institute, in its tenth year, is designed to further develop student-athletes’ leadership skills as students, athletes, and leaders on campus and in the community.

Members were selected to participate in the developmental program to further improve themselves as mentors and leaders on their respective teams and on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The eighth annual Senior Networking Social was held in the fall.

The purpose of this event was to help prepare our senior studentathletes for life after graduation. They had the opportunity to practice networking and self-promotion skills with athletic department constituents and invited guests.

The 2019-20 Student-Athlete Leadership Institute participated in team building exercises, behavior and leadership style assessments, and group discussion sessions. The focus of this year’s Institute was the different aspects of leadership, particularly with regard to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership. This year’s class also spent time outlining an initiative to increase the community and unification of student-athletes.

PARTICIPANTS Ben Larson SO | BASEBALL Sophia Braun SO | WOMEN’S SOCCER Gabriela Maas SO | WOMEN’S SOCCER Mary Cate Babcock SO | WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Rhea Jansen SO | VOLLEYBALL Stephen Lund SO | BASEBALL

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Johan Garibay SO | MEN’S SOCCER Grayson Sterling SO | BASEBALL Anise Potjes JR | WOMEN’S ROWING Jack Rembe SO | MEN’S SOCCER Kaysa Panke SO | WOMEN’S GOLF Emma Flood SO | WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

David Connell SO | MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

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MAJOR & MINOR PANEL Each year, the Student-Athlete Leadership Institute is tasked with providing insight into how Gonzaga might better the student-athlete experience. The 2018-19 cohort focused on mentorship among freshmen particular in academics and as they begin their work toward an undergraduate degree. The group helped organize the first ever Major & Minor Panel within the Freshman New Athlete Orientation Course in the Fall of 2019. The panel consisted of upperclassmen student-athletes across various sports, pursuing a wide range of majors who shared the “why” behind their major choices along with major requirements and their experiences while also being a student-athlete.

STUDENT ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

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S N

PM LO FIC EX O SO D

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

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O AT I R O

In the Summer of 2019 the West Coast Conference introduced the STAR (Student-Athlete Representatives) program into the triannual Executive Council Meetings. The program asks that each institution nominate a student-athlete to take part as a voice for their peers within discussions that include the President, Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator and Faculty Athletics Representative from each university. For 2019-20, the STARs for Gonzaga Athletics were Maddie Cooley (Women’s Soccer), Simón Homedes Dualde (Men’s Tennis) and Jordan Thompson (Women’s Soccer).

FES SIO

WCC EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: STAR PROGRAM

C A C MP O LLUS CA RE ER A &P B RO

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

S.A.A.C. is comprised of representatives from each Gonzaga athletic team whose main purpose is to serve as a student-athlete voice regarding student-athlete welfare within Gonzaga’s Athletic Department, the WCC, and the NCAA. As role models, S.A.A.C. 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.

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PRESIDENT Simón Homedes Dualde

VOLUNTEER CO-CHAIR Jordan Thompson

SR | MEN’S TENNIS

J R | W O M E N ’S S OC C E R

VICE PRESIDENT Maddie Cooley

Matt Perkins JR | MEN’S T ENNIS

In conjunction with the NCAA and the National S.A.A.C., Gonzaga student-athletes took part in a social media campaign, supporting diversity and inclusion within the student-athlete population. The Zags were encouraged to celebrate their differences and identities as a way of fostering an inclusive and accepting environment for all.

S R | W O M E N ’ S S O CC E R

SECRETARY Lauren McCallum JR | WOMEN’S ROWING

STUDENT ATHLETE WELLNESS CO-CHAIR Katie Day S R | W O M E N ’ S TE N N I S

Chris Mogg SR | MEN’S GOLF

MEDIA & PROMOTIONS CHAIR Ally Legard

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

S R | W O M E N ’ S CR O S S C O UN T RY / T R A CK

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EVENT PLANNING CO-CHAIR Gillian Barfield J R | W O M E N ’S B A S KE T BA L L

Maggie Conners J R | W O M E N ’S S OC C E R

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

COMMUNITY BUILDING THROUGH COVID In light of the events surrounding the Spring 2020 semester and the transition for all students to an online format, S.A.A.C. banded together to find ways in which they could continue to support and impact their community from afar. Representatives from nearly all of the varsity athletic teams took part in a choreographed lip sync video focused on providing an upbeat and positive message which was shared across social media platforms. Specifically, the video was an effort in showing solidarity to frontline workers.

A collaboration between the area of Student-Athlete Health & Wellness and the S.A.A.C. Student-Athlete Health & Wellness CoChairs, Chris Mogg (Men’s Golf) and Katie Day (Women’s Tennis), helped to continue an initiative geared toward providing additional wellness resources to student-athletes. Each week, student-athletes could view articles, resources and advice on bettering their everyday wellness routines. Topics included mental health, performance anxiety, sleep, nutrition and overall wellbeing.

This same collaboration led to the introduction of a workshop series for student-athletes known as Optimizing Performance through Mindfulness. The workshops allowed the opportunity for studentathletes to come together to discuss the role of mindfulness in their athletic experience, including tools for both training and competition.

ZAG COMMUNITY BUILDING S.A.A.C. prides itself in bringing together all Zags, making them feel part of the family by providing community building events. To begin the fall, over 200 student-athletes participated in a mixed athletic team kickball tournament. As the fall wound down and the snow fell in Spokane, S.A.A.C. organized a Winter Formal. Paired with Catholic Charities and the adoption of six families for Christmas, the students not only purchased enough gifts to support each family but also contributed over $1,700 in gift cards for additional families.

Nearly all Zags came to enjoy an evening of dancing, food and a photo booth.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

S.A.A.C. OFFICERS

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION WEEK

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At 22-years-old, just before the start of the 2020 spring tennis season, senior women’s tennis player Katie Day was diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma. In an instant, her world changed. Three days later, Day began her first round of chemotherapy and has persevered with strength, grace

and an infectious positivity that has inspired the entire Gonzaga Athletics family.

Long before her cancer diagnosis, Day was an advocate for health and wellness within the Gonzaga community, acting as the Health and Wellness Co-Chair for the Student-Athlete

Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“Health and wellness have been a big part of my life,” Day said back on Aug. 25, 2019 after she was selected as co-chair. “I want to use my experiences to help people in SAAC as well as the community.”

Day continued to be an

advocate for health and wellness following her cancer diagnosis, documenting her personal journey on social media. The Lake Oswego, Ore., native first shared her diagnosis on Instagram on January 10 including what symptoms she had, how she found out, how difficult it was for doctors to

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

KATIE’S DAY

30

DEVELOPMENT

diagnose her and when she would be starting chemotherapy. “…I have decided to make my Instagram public to update everyone and to have people follow along on this journey I’m about to embark on,” Day said via Instagram. “Again, yes, I am scared, but I am a freaking DI athlete, and if I can wake up at 6 a.m. every day and swim in a pool once a week feeling like I’m about to drown, I think I can handle a little bit of cancer inside my body!”

JOHNSON FAMILY BOATHOUSE Silver Lake has become a sort of oasis for the Gonzaga men’s and women’s rowing programs in recent years. Sitting nearly perfectly north-south with little wind and narrow shores, the lake offers still waters with a long, straight route. Most recently the Bulldogs have launched from a local Bible camp without a permanent facility. The Bible was a gracious and welcoming host, but is upgrading its facility.

However, a small plot of land on the opposite shore has become a permanent place the Zags can call home, thanks to the generosity of Athletic Department donors, led by the Zach Johnson Family.

31

Her transparency and honesty have helped spread the word of her battle far beyond the Gonzaga Athletics family. With the creation of the social media movement #KDStrong, Gonzaga student-athletes showed their support by wearing neon green ribbons and wristbands and posting photos on social media with the hashtag. Several local news outlets shared the movement and Day’s story, while her journey was discussed on a nationally televised men’s basketball game on CBS Sports.

Support for Day transcended institutional loyalty, as both the University of Washington and Saint Leo University sports teams sported green ribbons in support.

Despite the untimely end of her on-court competitive career, Day remained dedicated to assisting the entire Gonzaga

student-athlete population with access wellness programs. Once COVID-19 struck, Day organized SAAC resources to produce a video in support of those on the front lines of the fight.

a conference-wide celebration of WCC student-athletes’ competitiveness, character and commitment to “representing” themselves both on and off the playing field.

Day’s strength, bravery and dedication to health and wellness led the West Coast Conference to honor the senior with the #WCCRepresent award, making her the first Bulldog to earn the award in its 12year history. #WCCRepresent is the WCC’s sportsmanship campaign, which encourages the elevation of teams during competition rather than negative behavior. Since its launch in 2009, the #WCCREPRESENT campaign has transformed into

“This award meant so much to me,” Day said. “It was completely unexpected, and I am truly honored to be given such a prestigious award. However, this would not have been accomplished without all of the love and support given by everyone but especially the Gonzaga community. There is honestly no place like Gonzaga University. Especially in a crazy and unknown time like this, my goal throughout all of this was to be as positive as possible and

The project, which was entirely funded by Athletic Department donors, moved forward with the lead gift from the Johnson

Family. Rowing has always been a big part of the Johnson Family; Zach and his wife, Hannah, both rowed competitively in college with Zach going on to row at an elite national level. Zach has continued to make rowing part of his professional career as well, serving as an assistant coach at Yale and head coach at San Diego State and most recently, UC San Diego.

“Our family is honored to help bring this project to reality,” Zach Johnson said. “We are very passionate about collegiate varsity rowing on the West Coast and have always had so much respect for the Gonzaga program and their

continued success. We hope this boathouse helps continue such a winning tradition for years to come.”

The Bulldogs now have a great space to match their success on the water. The Johnson Family Boathouse offers a competitive edge, enticing future studentathletes to join the storied tradition of the programs. The Gonzaga rowing programs are excited for the future and the chance to return to the water in the shadow of their very own boathouse.

lift people up as much as I can.

Thank you, Gonzaga, for the best four (or three-and-a-half) years of my life! Go Zags!”

The future for Day continues to include a dedication to health and wellness. She plans to apply to graduate school for the 2021-22 academic year to pursue a Master’s degree in public health.

“I want to use my experience and be able to help people that are or who will be in my current situation as much as I can,” said Day.

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Publicly, Day has shared every part of her journey and it has continued to be incredibly inspiring to those that know her, including major milestones like shaving her head and her final round of chemotherapy as well as the inconclusive results from her PET scan in May. She has also explained the more detailed aspects of chemotherapy, like what a cycle looks like from start to finish and how she reacts to different drugs.

The Johnson Family Boathouse was officially dedicated on Oct. 12, 2019, effectively catapulting Gonzaga’s men’s and women’s rowing programs into a new era. The new home for Gonzaga rowing is a 12,000-square foot facility on the banks of Silver Lake, complete with locker rooms, coaching rooms, public restrooms, storage for thirty 60-foot boats, heated floors, a concrete workspace and a stretching area, just 15 minutes from Spokane.

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COMPLIANCE It is the shared responsibility of all those associated with Gonzaga Athletics—employees, studentathletes, individuals (“boosters”) and organizations promoting Bulldog athletics interests—to be in full compliance with NCAA, West Coast Conference and institutional rules.

BACK TO BASICS NCAA DEFINITIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team took the trip of a lifetime in August 2019, spending nearly two weeks abroad as part of the first foreign tour in program history thanks to generous Gonzaga Athletics benefactors. The Bulldogs made stops Spain and Italy, playing in four games against international competition while enjoying multi-day stays in Barcelona, Spain, as well as Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy along with exploration days in

Vatican City and Lucca.

“We are extremely blessed to have had this opportunity to travel overseas to play basketball and learn about the history and culture of the area,” senior guard Katie Campbell said.

The trip featured various sightseeing opportunities and city tours including landmark visits to La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Trevi Fountain,

Pantheon and Colosseum in Rome and St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City for an in-depth learning experience.

The team and staff immersed themselves into the culture of each city they visited, diving into the history of famous landmarks and people that have shaped each region. Highlights of the trip included the team’s second day in Rome, where they made a breathtaking walk through the old Roman Forum and stood in

the shadow of the Colosseum.

On the court, GU was able to take a victory in each game to help punctuate the trip, but the basketball games were the sidenote to the cultural experience.

“Experience the culture and doing that together was tremendous,” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “I’ve been telling everyone who’ll listen how amazing it was for our team.”

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

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Providing student-athletes with the tools to be successful is paramount to the vision of Gonzaga Athletics, whether that be coaching, athletic training, strength and conditioning or academic support, among many others. For one generous family, technology was an area that was not only a passion and career, but a way to continue to fill that student-athlete toolbox.

With all that GU student-athletes have packed into their days and weeks, staying more connected to all that they have going on with schedules, classes, practices and a plethora of other information can help them stay on top in and out of the classroom. Not only that, custom cases were created with GU’s

bulldog head logo for a sharp look.

“I don’t think any of us were expecting something as cool and generous as these iPads when we arrived on campus last fall,” men’s tennis player Matthew Perkins said. “It’s been great to have it, I’ve used it every day for my academics, for tennis, it’s just been quite the experience to have it.”

Student-athletes have gained an ability to stay engaged with professors during lectures by having the slides right on their iPads and take notes along with the presentation.

“When my professors are lecturing, I’ll often pull up the

slides so I can go through them at my own pace. I can get everything I need from every lecture,” said women’s rower Lauren McCallum.

It’s a continued priority for Athletics to focus on the academic success and career preparation of its studentathletes.

“We are so blessed to have the whole Academics and Life Skills staff, and to get all of these resources has been fantastic,” men’s soccer player Carter Auth said. “I think my GPA has gone up every semester. From an academic standpoint, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to be at this school. We have it so good, and how much it’s

grown in my four years has been crazy.

In addition to providing another tool for their academic work, student-athletes have used their iPads to take in game and practice film. Coaches can push footage right to the iPads to student-athletes can look at their performances immediately after games or practice sessions.

The support that benefactors have provided to Gonzaga Athletics has been far-reaching and the technology piece is just another area where GU continues to strive to provide the best chance for success by its student-athletes.

Prospect, Recruit, Prospective student-athlete: I s in the ninth through twelfth grades of high school; Has not yet started the ninth grade, but has received financial assistance or other benefits from Gonzaga; Is enrolled at a two-year college; or Is a student-athlete from a four-year college for whom Gonzaga has received permission to contact or notification of transfer.

You are a representative of Gonzaga’s athletics interest (booster) if you have ever:

1. Been a member of any organization promoting Gonzaga’s athletic program (i.e. Zags Athletic Giving).

2. Made financial

contributions to the Gonzaga University Athletic Department.

3. Been a season ticket holder in any sport.

4. Helped to arrange

employment of or provided any benefits to prospective or enrolled studentathletes.

Student-Athlete: A prospective student-athlete becomes a Gonzaga studentathlete once her or she: nrolls in and begins attending E Gonzaga classes during the summer before initial fall enrollment; Participates in practice or competition for Gonzaga that occurs before the beginning of any academic term; Enrolls full-time and begins attending fall or spring classes at Gonzaga; or Attends regular student orientation within 14 days of the first day of the normal academic term

5. Promoted the athletic programs at Gonzaga University.

An extra benefit is any good, service, or discount that is not available to the general public. When a Gonzaga student-athlete or their family receives an extra benefit, no matter how small, he or she becomes immediately ineligible.

For questions, please contact the compliance office at compliance@gonzaga.edu.

A Gonzaga booster may not contact a prospective studentathlete to encourage him/her to attend Gonzaga or provide any benefit to a prospective student-athlete or their family. This includes contact via social media. Please leave the recruiting to our coaches!

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

WBB IN EUROPE

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2019-20 FINANCIAL IMPACT

FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN ATHLETICALLY-RELATED STUDENT AID* 9,000,000

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6,000,000 5,500,000 5,000,000 4,500,000

$7,886,211 USD

$8,766,557 PEP

$9,353,905 LMU

$27,364 PORT

$29,319 PEP

$34,561 USF

$7,634,691 PORT

$7,472,085 PACIFIC

$7,085,199 USF

$6,845,414 SCU

$6,446,644 SMC

4,000,000

AID PER PARTICIPANT* 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000

TOTAL PARTICIPANTS* 600 500 400

2019-20 cost of attendance at Gonzaga was valued at

61,856

300

$

200

* Based on 2018-19 EADA Report

560 BYU

470 USD

383 LMU

373 SCU

372 GONZAGA

327 PACIFIC

299 PEP

100

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

$24,422 LMU

$23,614 SMC

$22,850 PACIFIC

$18,352 SCU

5,000

$16,779 USD

Gonzaga has experienced a reduction in the opportunity to receive revenues that are basebuilding to the athletic budget which will impact the Athletic Department well into the future as well as creating short-term

6,500,000

279 PORT

Gonzaga is committed to providing seniors of Spring sports (Baseball, Golf, Rowing, Tennis, and Track) the opportunity to return to compete for their senior year.

While the NCAA has made this

New NCAA legislation supporting Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) will almost certainly be a reality in 2021.

We anticipate this is going to have an impact on our sponsorship revenue in some form. While the unknowns of the coming playing seasons are a far greater risk to the direct

7,000,000

$6,313,495 BYU

Lost Revenue:

7,500,000

$15,076 GONZAGA

5th Year Scholarships:

We know there will be other challenges that will present themselves as we proceed in the coming months and years.

With your assistance, we can turn these challenges into opportunities and demonstrate the strength and resilience that is reflective of what is means to be a Zag.

The Cost of Attendance at Gonzaga was valued at $61,856 for the 2019-20 school year, leading to a total scholarship expense of over $6 million. This is an ongoing expense that Gonzaga Athletics must fund from its annual budget. Nonetheless, Gonzaga still lags behind the other nine member schools of the West Coast Conference in total athletically-related student aid and aid per participant.

Gonzaga budgeted 119.6 scholarships towards the NCAA maximum of 149.2 scholarships allowed for sports in which Gonzaga competes, which leaves us 29.6 scholarships short of being a fully-funded program.

8,000,000

273 SMC

Summer camps provide an avenue for coaching staffs to supplement, or in some cases fully pay for, the salaries of support staff personnel. The University has greatly benefitted from this system for years. From program volunteers, managers, coordinators, and other staff that support our athletic programs, summer camps are a key component of making our programs successful. Without the ability to compensate these positions through summer camps, Gonzaga is at risk of losing critical infrastructure that has been meticulously built over time.

NCAA Tournament distributions not realized from 2020, which would be distributed over the next 6 years will have a lasting impact. Gonzaga could have received up to $4.3M from a trip to the Final Four. The immediate challenge, however, is the NCAA reduction of distributions.

The NCAA is only able to provide one-third of its normal distribution to conferences and institutions. This results in a significant reduction from past tournament success.

More critically, it impacts the distributions that we receive annually and have long funded the critical programming that directly supports our studentathletes. These distributions support academic services , life skills programming, students in need and much more. This critical funding is expected to be reduced by $275,000 for this fiscal year.

revenue, the legislation of NIL could lead to major changes in the multi-media rights and sponsorship environment.

Our season ticket revenue and related contributions are critical to supporting our basketball teams. With the upcoming season in flux due to the coronavirus, along with the broader economy being greatly impacted, the support we receive on an annual basis is more critical than ever before to maintain business continuity within the basketball programs.

$5,608,382 GONZAGA

There are still a great number of unknowns in the months ahead, and we are seeking support in the form of contingency funds to give us the ability to respond in the moment, but also continue to position Gonzaga Athletics as a nationally competitive program that is unwavering in its commitment to student-athletes, their programs, our fans and the community. Following are a few of the known challenges Gonzaga Athletics is facing that provide examples of ways contingency funds could be used to further set ourselves and our student-athletes up for success:

Summer Camps:

revenue deficiencies. These items include:

$11,274 BYU

legislation permissible, it has put the onus back on institutions to carry the financial burden. This commitment carries expense related to scholarship allocation plus additional costs for travel, meals, team gear, and other direct support provided to our student-athletes.

205 USF

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

8,500,000

The Covid-19 epidemic and the resulting cancellations of the NCAA basketball tournaments and the spring competitive seasons have left a major void for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. While these events are challenging emotionally and fiscally, we are committed to persevering through these challenges.

36

Gonzaga student-athletes are graduating at a rate of 98 percent according to the latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) numbers released by the NCAA on Wednesday, including 10 GU teams that achieved a 100 percent graduation rate.

Overall, GU’s 98 percent

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY / DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

“

37

graduation rate is tied for the seventh-best in the nation.

Harvard is at 100 percent overall and five others are tied at 99 percent, including Columbia, Evansville, Dartmouth, LoyolaChicago and Yale. GU is tied with 10 others, including Notre Dame, Northwestern, Princeton, Holy Cross and others.

“We continue to be impressed by the effort and dedication our student-athletes put forth in earning their degrees,” Director of Athletics Mike Roth said.

“Their level of achievement both in competition and in the classroom, as well as the community, has remained at a nationally elite level. Our faculty,

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE coaches and academic support staff have done a great job of supporting our student-athletes and helping them be successful.”

For comparison, the Federal Graduation Rate is 77 percent and the NCAA GSR average is 89 percent, while the West Coast Conference average is

Their [student-athlete] level of achievement both in competition and in the classroom, as well as the community, has remained at a nationally elite level.” at 91 percent. Gonzaga has the highest GSR in the league, followed by LMU and Portland at 94 percent.

Ten Gonzaga squads achieved perfect 100-percent GSR scores, including women’s basketball for the fourth straight year and men’s basketball for the third straight year. GU women’s cross country and track and field and women’s golf each had a perfect 100-percent GSR for the 15th straight year, while men’s cross country and track and field (12 straight), men’s tennis (11 straight),

men’s soccer (10 straight), women’s soccer (nine straight, 11th time overall), and men’s golf (eight straight) all extended their impressive streaks of 100-percent GSR scores.

Women’s rowing had a perfect 100-percent GSR for the eighth time in program history.

Eleven of GU’s 13 countable programs finished above the national average in their respective sports. Seven of those teams finished at least five percentage points better.

Men’s Basketball achieved a 100 percent GSR score, 20

percentage points higher than the national average of 80 percent for the sport, men’s golf was 14 points higher and women’s golf was 11 points higher than their own respective averages for their sport.

According to the NCAA, the Division I Board of Directors created the GSR in 2002 in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students beyond what the federal graduation rate measures. The federal

rate counts as an academic failure any student who leaves a school, no matter whether he or she enrolls at another school.

Also, the federal rate does not recognize students who enter school as transfer students.

The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes studentathletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere.

This calculation provides a more accurate appraisal of studentathlete success.

Gonzaga student-athletes combined to post a departmentrecord 3.51 grade-point average for the Spring 2020 semester, led by an astonishing teamrecord 3.90 by the 12-member men’s tennis team.

Gonzaga’s department-wide GPA of 3.51 bested the previous high of 3.42 set in the Spring 2017 semester. This semester also included records for the number of University honors received by student-athletes, which included 88 on the President’s List (3.85-4.0) and 120 on the Dean’s List (3.503.84) for a record total of 208.

The number of students with a perfect 4.0 for the semester came to 33, five more than any other semester in program history.

“Our student-athletes took ‘winning in the classroom’ to a whole new level this semester,” Director of Athletics Mike Roth said. “This is truly a great effort by our student-athletes, and I am so proud of how they’ve handled themselves throughout this semester with every challenge that has come their way. A tremendous thanks also goes out to University faculty, staff and coaches for their support of our student-athletes.”

The men’s tennis team’s 3.90 GPA included eight 4.0s, a total of nine on the President’s List and two more on the Dean’s List. The volleyball team posted a GPA of 3.73 and the women’s

golf team combined for a 3.70 GPA. Including men’s tennis, women’s golf and volleyball, five other GU programs set a team record for semester GPA. Women’s basketball combined for a 3.57, women’s rowing and men’s soccer each had a 3.52, and men’s rowing and men’s basketball each posted a 3.39 team GPA. Leading efforts also came from women’s track and cross country, which had 18 President’s List honorees and 14 more on the Dean’s List, while posting a team 3.69 GPA. Women’s rowing had 12 President’s List honorees and 18 Dean’s List honorees.

Women’s tennis posted a 3.69 GPA, while men’s golf had a 3.52 GPA with five President’s List honorees and three Dean’s List honorees among its 10-member team.

Women’s soccer had 22 receive either President’s List or Dean’s List honors with a 3.62 GPA, while men’s rowing and baseball had 16 receive and men’s track and cross country had 15 University honors.

Evening of Excellence Gonzaga Athletics continued its annual tradition of honoring its outgoing seniors and all student-athletes at the Evening of Excellence with this year’s version happening virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gonzaga Athletics used GoZags. com and its social media accounts to honor the five major award winners, outgoing seniors from all 18 sports and the inductees to the Gonzaga Chapter of the Chi Alpha Sigma – the national College Athlete Honor Society.

moral character, and friendship among the high academic achievers in college athletics.

The seniors inducted this year have maintained a minimum 3.4 cumulative GPA while earning varsity letters in their respective sports.

Men’s tennis senior Simon Homedes Dualde took home two major awards as a shining example of a student-athlete.

He earned the Leadership award for his work leading the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and his team, as well as the Co-Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award alongside men’s rower Ian Melder. for their work in the classroom. Womens’ rower Maren Johnson and women’s cross country and track athlete Megan Glenski took home the Female Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Men’s basketball player Killian Tillie and women’s soccer player Madeline Gotta were named the Male and Female Senior Athletes of the Year.

This year, GU also inducted 36 graduating seniors into the Gonzaga Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society.

Chi Alpha Sigma exists to encourage and reward high academic scholarship of college athletes at four-year accredited colleges and universities, to recognize outstanding academic achievement by intercollegiate varsity letter winners and to encourage good citizenship,

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

GRADUATION SUCCESS

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VISION STATEMENT Diversified Greatness Passion For Success

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These are the driving forces behind the pursuit to distinguish ourselves at the highest level of intercollegiate competition.

all programs that define our success. It is the contribution of many individuals to create a deep and varied culture combined for a common goal—a broad-based, nationally-renowned athletic program.

Diversified Greatness

Student Centered Philosophy

As a department, we have a responsibility to be equitable in the opportunities we provide our student-athletes and coaches because we expect greatness on multiple layers—individually, throughout each team, and throughout the department entirely. Isolated successes are not enough. In the absence of greatness at one or more of these layers, we fail in our pursuit. Society embraces a winner, and we believe achievement breeds inspiration—of the self, of peers, and of the community. Our student-athletes— our leaders— must inspire. And so they all must achieve. Without achievement, our student-athletes have less of an opportunity to impact our institution’s mission and have less of an opportunity to extend greatness beyond their sport. Finally, without greatness throughout our department, there is no distinction between “us” and “them.”

The student-athlete is central to our department. Through athletic scholarship, we are affording the opportunity to a uniquely-talented student to be part of a caring, supportive, disciplined environment where they will be formed into a better individual, a better leader, who in turn impacts his or her team, our institution, and the greater community during and after their educational careers. We are educators of young people, and the teachable moments often happen in ways unrelated to the outcome of the game. It is in the process of winning or losing that our student-athletes learn discipline, work ethic, social responsibility, character, and what it means to be a teammate, a citizen, and a role model. It is through these educational experiences that we work to develop the mind, body, and spirit of each student-athlete so they can learn from failures and capitalize on successes. As coaches, as staff, and as a university community, we encourage and expect our student-athletes to reach beyond what seems possible. It is our responsibility to ensure that each student-athlete has the resources and support to rise to that challenge.

Passion For Success Success must not be defined simply by winning or losing games, matches, races, or contests. Instead, we believe there are many components that must coexist for success to truly be achieved.

Strong academics, social consciousness, accountability, leadership, commitment to community, and diversified greatness for all eighteen (18) of our sports comprise the foundation. It is the courage to take risks, to refuse to see limitations, and to sustainably prevail across

2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT

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Student-Centered Philosophy

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2019–20 ANNUAL REPORT