LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL VERSUS PUGET SOUND • FEBRUARY 7, 2025

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WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY

game operations | event staff

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Scott Brosius

EVENT MANAGER

Casey Powell

COMMUNICATIONS

Conner Jensen, Kelly Bird

STATISTICS

Kira Hawaaboo, Emerson Teller

SCOREBOARD

Joaquin Rameriz-Dod

Dakota Westfall, Maya Wright

PUBLIC ADDRESS

Ericson Teller

VIDEO WEBCASTS

Joe Stuart, Eric Albios, Joel Nelson

OFFICIAL SCORER

Halliday Hubbard

EVENT PROGRAM

Kelly Bird, Conner Jensen, Felipe Unker, Kellen Wiggins

WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT

burning desire to succeed

Lessons learned while playing basketball are paying dividends for Josh Ryan as he nears completion of his college degree

Adapting to a new state, a new team and higher competition, Linfield University basketball player Josh Ryan has faced numerous challenges with determination and gratitude.

Ryan’s passion for basketball has centered around a sports culture of excellence and resilience, lessons further reinforced by witnessing the devastation of the Los Angeles fires in his community in January.

Though his family was not directly impacted, the experience taught him to appreciate every opportunity and give his best effort each day, knowing that life’s circumstances can change instantly. In the midst of his final season of college basketball, Ryan is committed to leaving behind a legacy as he prepares for a future that combines a love for the game with aspirations in sports media and public relations.

Ryan is from Rancho Cucamonga, California, a city of 175,000 located about 45 minutes northeast from downtown Los Angeles. Growing up, he played high-level basketball, developing into a competitive and motivated person. Rancho Cucamonga is a place where a priority is placed on youth sports. The area is known as a basketball hotbed.

“Growing up in Rancho meant being surrounded by a culture that celebrates sports excellence, especially basketball,” he says. “I was exposed to some of the best talent in the country early on, which fueled my competitive nature and my desire to constantly improve.”

Rancho Cucamonga is also an area with residents of diverse backgrounds, teaching Ryan the importance of understanding and appreciating differing points of view. His father also had a strong influence in his early life.

“The diversity in Rancho taught me the value of teamwork and understanding people from different backgrounds,” he says. “Additionally, my dad emphasized hard work and resilience. Seeing people around me chase their goals, no matter the challenges, taught me that success requires relentless effort and a strong support system.”

Severe fires hit the Los Angeles area in re cent weeks, including Rancho Cucamonga, signifi cantly affecting the people of California. Residents have tragically watched their dream homes burn to the ground with little advance warning. Though Ry an’s home was not directly affected, he knows families who have lost their homes. All Southern Californians are undergoing an experience he calls “sobering.”

“The LA fires have been a sobering experience for my community and family. While we were fortunate that our home wasn’t directly impacted, the fires brought a lot of uncertainty and hardship to many people I know.”

The experience is one Ryan will never forget. It will forever remind the Communications Arts major of how fragile life can be and to never take anything for granted. Ryan is proud to be a part of such a strong and resilient community as, despite the hardships, the community has come together to uplift each other.

“Seeing neighbors and friends come together to support those who lost everything was a reminder of the power of community and resilience. It also put things into perspective for me. Life is fragile, and you never know when circumstances might change drastically.”

Transferring to Linfield from Victor Valley College brought new challenges to Ryan’s life. The move to McMinnville was a new experience not just in basketball terms but also in life. Ryan’s hard work and resilience enabled him to gracefully navigate through the growing pains.

“Transferring from VVC to Linfield was definitely a challenging experience, being that I lived at home for the past two years. Moving to another state to live on my own for the first time was a different look,” he says. “I had to get used to the university schedule and meeting a whole new group of guys to play with, which at first was challenging because my role changed as a player coming from VVC.”

Now a regular starter in his second season at Linfield, Ryan understands he is expected to contribute at both ends of the court. And he is aware of the need for him to serve as a leader to his teammates. Coming from a strong background, Ryan takes pride in his leadership role.

“I’m expected to set an example for my teammates. Leadership is about consistency, effort and supporting those around me. I approach this responsibility by trying to stay focused, being vocal at all times and maintaining a high level of play every game.”

Once he graduates from Linfield, Ryan plans to pursue a career in sports media, which could include being a broadcaster or an influencer.

“I’ve always admired how media professionals can break down the game for fans, share behindthe-scenes insights and highlight the human side of athletes.”

If a career in broadcasting does not work out, Ryan is also interested in public relations where he wants to help build brands through positive engagement. No matter which direction he goes, his ability to lead and work with others should take him far.

OUTLAST OUTLIVE

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WOMEN’S COACH CASEY BUNN-WILSON

Casey Bunn-Wilson is in her 10th season as women’s basketball coach at Linfield. In her first year with the Wildcats, she helped guide the women to the program’s first winning record in five seasons (13-12) and a share of sixth place in the Northwest Conference, one of the premier women’s basketball leagues in NCAA Division III. In 2018-19, the Wildcats reached the NWC Tournament despite a competing with an injury depleted roster.

Bunn-Wilson spent three seasons as girls basketball coach at Tualatin High School, compiling a 39-32 win-loss record while leading the Timberwolves to three straight OSAA Class 6A state playoff appearances.

At Oregon State, Bunn-Wilson led the Pac-10 in scoring as a senior in 2007, averaging 20.0 points per game. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Promotion and Education.

A star athlete at Stayton High School, Bunn-Wilson lettered in basketball, volleyball, softball and track. On the basketball court, she was a four-time all-state, all-region and all-conference honoree. The Capital Conference Player of the Year for three straight seasons, BunnWilson led Stayton to the league title her freshman and junior seasons. She set career records for points (1,831), rebounds (783), assists (342) and steals (306) and played in the Oregon Class 3A All-Star game.

Bunn-Wilson played professionally in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Australia. While competing overseas, she earned all-league honors on the Portuguese All-Star team.

At Linfield, Bunn-Wilson also directs the athletic department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

She and her husband, Mitch, live in McMinnville with their two sons, Dawson and Rylan.

PROUD PARTNER OF LINFIELD ATHLETICS

MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN

Back row (l to r): Laurel Quinn, Miki Vermeulen, Jadyn Harrell, Gillyan Landis, Tana Hoekema, Natalie Rosetti, Madison Barter, Jordan Roberts. Front row: Eve Burke, Allie Mead, Ella Koebelin, Manager Halliday Hubbard, Head Coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, Assistant Coach Jeremy Vandenboer, Amelia Solt, Jayden Ray, Lauren Buchanan.

LINFIELD VERSUS PUGET SOUND

Safely

game PREVIEW

THE RECORDS

Having won five of its last six contests, Linfield (16-3, 7-3 NWC) sits alone in second place of the NWC standings. With two big wins last weekend over George Fox and Pacific, the Wildcats control their fate in the conference standings and look to make a late season push. Puget Sound (13-13, 9-7 NWC) sits in fourth place in the NWC and is battling for a spot in the conference tournament. The Loggers can make up ground this weekend with wins over Linfield and Pacific.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

At 16 wins, the Wildcats are approaching their most wins in a season in program history. Sixteen wins is the most since the 1999-2000 season and 20 would surpass the record of 20 set in the 1979-80 season. Gillyan Landis ranks inside the top 10 in the NWC in scoring, averaging 12 points and recently eclipsed 1,000 career points. Along with Eve Burke, Amelia Solt, Miki Vermeulen and Allie Mead, Landis is one of five Linfield players to average double digits in scoring. Vermeulen remains as the Wildcats’ top rebounder at 6.7 per game and Mead is approaching 80 assists on the season, a feat not accomplished by a Linfield player since 2019.

PUGET SOUND AT A GLANCE

The Loggers pride themselves on a tenacious defense that forces 16.5 turnovers and grabs 7.9 steals per game. The offense scores 62.4 points and makes 41.2% of its field goals while opponents are shooting just 38.8% from the field. Carmen Cruz is the lone Logger in double figures offensively at 10.6 points while Addison Reardon and Paige Oh add 9.2 and 8.1 points respectively. Anchoring the paint, Autumn Hill grabs 5.9 rebounds and blocks 1.4 shots. Reardon is the sharpshooter for UPS, netting 39.2% of her attempts from threepoint range. Oh is the facilitator of the offense, putting up 1.7 assists per game in 19 games this season at the point guard position.

SERIES HISTORY

Linfield trails the all-time series against Puget Sound 44-11. The Wildcats have lost eight straight to the Loggers and look for their first home win since 2019.

32 gillyan landis

LINFIELD WOMEN

PUGET SOUND WOMEN

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

women’s basketball STANDINGS

MEN’S COACH LEVI SIEG

Levi Sieg is in his second year as head men’s basketball coach at Linfield.

Sieg came to Linfield from Southern California, where he spent 15 years as a member of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps coaching staff, rising from assistant coach to associate head coach during his tenure.

While at Claremont, he helped lead the Stags to seven Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, the most recent one coming in 2018.

A native of Monmouth, Oregon, Sieg returns to the Willamette Valley after residing in Southern California for nearly 30 years.

Seig attended Claremont McKenna College and played four seasons of basketball, graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Following graduation, Sieg worked with Pacific Finance Group for 2½ years before enrolling in the Claremont Graduate University and earning a master’s degree in education and a California teaching credential. He completed a second master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University in Irvine in 2011.

Prior to his arrival at Linfield, Sieg taught economics and government at Claremont High School for 20 years. During the 2003-04 school year, he served as assistant boys basketball coach at CHS before being promoted to head coach in 2004. He led the Wolfpack to the CIF Southern Section Playoffs each year. Sieg joined the CMS coaching staff in time for the 2007-08 academic year.

Levi and his wife Natalie are raising three sons: Mason, Clayton and Nash.

MEET THE LINFIELD MEN

Back row (l to r): Head Coach Levi Sieg, Max Jahala, Jake Downing, Cayden Lowenbach, Garrett Callsen, Logan Morrill, Gavin Perdue, Jack Treasure, Percy Whittaker III, Assistant Coach Bo Pinkerton. Front row: Lucca Hart, Dayton Magana, Josh Ryan, Jack Greenwood, Chase Bennett, Breyan Kelly, Cade Collins, Zach Luz.

MEET THE LINFIELD MEN

A Heritage of Confident Service

Macy & Son is in the business of helping people and meeting the individual needs of McMinnville area families for five generations.

jake downing | 0
6-4 | Senior | Guard Seattle, Washington
jack greenwood | 2
5-11 | Senior | Guard San Rafael, California
josh ryan | 4
6-2 | Senior | Guard Rancho Cucamonga, California
chase bennett | 1
5-10 | Junior | Guard Moraga, California
Donovan Johnson | 5
6-0 | Junior | Guard Antelope, California
Max Juhala| 15
6-5 | Freshman | Guard West Linn, Oregon
lucca hart | 11
6-2 | Sophomore | Guard Nipomo, California
jack treasure| 23
6-3 | Freshman | Guard Scottsdale, Arizona
zach luz | 12
6-1 | Freshman | Guard Des Moines, Washington
cayden lowenbach | 24
6-6 | Senior | Forward Prineville, Oregon
garrett callsen | 50
6-6 | Sophomore | Guard Stayton, Oregon
Todd Moore Assistant Coach Second Year
dayton Magana | 3
5-7 | Junior | Guard Modesto, California
percy whittaker iii| 14
6-3 | Freshman | Guard Chula Vista, California
Gavin perdue | 21
6-6 | Forward | Guard Vancouver, Washington
logan morrill | 44 6-9 | Junior | Forward Astoria, Oregon
Bo Pinkerton Assistant Coach First Year
cade collins| 30
6-0 | Sophomore | Guard Beaverton, Oregon

LINFIELD MEN

PUGET SOUND MEN

LINFIELD VERSUS PUGET SOUND

14 percy whittaker iii

Linfield (7-12, 4-6 NWC) still controls its own destiny with six games remaining. Puget Sound (9-10, 4-6 NWC) sits in a three-way tie with the Wildcats for sixth place and makes the trip to McMinnville.

The Wildcats have seen steady improvements on offense throughout the season and have worked their way up to third place in the conference in field goal percentage at 45.8% and average 76.1 points per game. With 15.1 assists per contest, Linfield excels at sharing the ball and senior Josh Ryan leads the way with 2.1 assists. Cade Collins continues his ascendance as a premier player in the NWC at 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Over the past five games, sophomore Garrett Callsen is averaging 15.6 points.

The Loggers have won three of the last four games and are coming off their biggest win of the season against Whitman. At 76.8 points per game, Puget Sound looks to get its offense rolling this weekend to make a push in the NWC standings as the end of the season nears. Taj Phillips captains the Loggers’ offense, ranking fourth in the NWC with 15.4 points while Liam Ruttledge adds 12.3. Hugo Rutherfurd stands tall in the paint, blocking 1.6 shots per game and pulling down 5.7 boards. Zane Miller has been a deadeye for Puget Sound this season, hitting 50.8% of his three point attempts and averages 1.8 makes per game. Puget Sound makes its visit to Ted

Puget Sound leads Linfield in the all-time series 36-22 and the Wildcats have lost five straight to the Loggers. Linfield’s last win

Banking at Embold gets to the punt.

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

men’s basketball STANDINGS

THE TOPCAT CLUB

The Linfield University TopCat Club serves as a support organization to the 21 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams and the more than 500 students who participate in athletics each year. Each year, support from the TopCat Club is essential to maintaining and expanding each of these programs.

The mission of the TopCat Club is to provide students with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the overall Linfield athletics program.

At Linfield, we continually strive to improve programs and facilities so that our teams may compete at the highest level. Roughly 75 percent of the athletic department’s annual operating budget comes from the university’s general fund. The remainder is generated through a wide variety of external sources, including annual gifts to the Linfield TopCat Club.

To learn more about giving opportunities, please visit the TopCat Club website at www.linfieldtopcat.com.

LINFIELD DANCE

alyssa catalani
kleary brown sophia bennett
kaley cloutier sophie buhler
mattie dodge
kayley dombrigues yesenia esquivel
bella hollamon
isebelle henry-sullivan
cynthia gonzales-rubio
ava hoffman
sophie cornwall kalysa dombrigues
abby labuhn grace lian
Audri Rouse
mallory hollandcharlotte ingalls
zaira ramirez merecias
Olivia Welsh
sophia kanso
hannah johnston
coach gina regalado
Ryan Wahlstrom
Savannah Smith
mack the wildcat
jada utberg

LINFIELD CHEER

shaylee dukes
grace chrstiansen
Rylee Black
miki dunham
taylor douthit
mary ebenezer
Taetum Lynn Kalani
madi hardy
lizzy olivan savannah michaelson gabby louis
shaelynn silva ang serna-andradae
ashley dunn
deiana gutwig
mia perez
daylett vazques-oseguera
ava vallencourt
marissa valdivieso
hannah wilken
elizabeth vasquez
jess wright georgia white-house
coach kristen regalado

LINFIELD SPORTS NETWORK

follow the ’cats home and away via live stream

The Linfield Sports Network again brings fans live action of all home Linfield basketball games during 2024-25. Fans can enjoy live video webcasts with play-by-play commentary on their computer, tablet, mobile device or smart TV. Live coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each game. Broadcasts include a complete postgame wrap-up with analysis and statistical breakdown. Linfield will also provide live audio-only webcasts of all of the Wildcats’ Northwest Conference road contests.

McMinnville native Joe Stuart begins his sixth season as the play-byplay voice of the basketball Wildcats. The 2020 Linfield graduate is the Athletics Broadcast Operations Coordinator, managing all aspects of Linfield’s webcasting outreach and handling lead play-by-play duties on Linfield football, baseball and softball webcasts in addition to basketball. Stuart also assists with other external sports communications and social media needs.

All LSN broadcasts, both live and on demand, can be accessed at golinfieldwildcats.com/watch or in the Linfield Athletics app on mobile, tablet or smart TVs.

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

The Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame is regarded as one of the most impressive athletic showcases in NCAA Division III

The Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame, sponsored by Pacific Office Automation, was established in 1998 as an means to honor former outstanding athletes, coaches, staff and contributors and to preserve the memory of their past achievements.

A new class of inductees is honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet each fall. Inductees are chosen from a list of submitted nominations and voted upon by the Hall of Fame Executive and Selection Committees. The 20-member panel is made up of current and former staff members, past inductees, a member of the media, and a former athlete representing each of the preceding six decades.

Nominations may be submitted by any interested person but must be submitted in writing using an official nomination form. Hall of Fame nominations are considered in any one of six categories: Athlete, Coach, Team, Athletics Staff, and Meritorious Service. Nominations must be accompanied by appropriate background information. Nominations are now accepted online. The deadline to submit nominations each year is March 1.

Athletes, through athletic achievement, must have brought distinction and honor to themselves, to Linfield University and to its intercollegiate program. Athletes are eligible for induction 10 years following their graduation class. Coaches, athletic administrators, or athletic staff members must have served on the staff for at least 10 years. At the time of induction, they must no longer be active in that position. Individual non-athletes, who in some manner have made extraordinary contributions to the success of the intercollegiate athletic program, may be considered for a meritorious service award. Eligibility of teams is based upon exceptional accomplishment at and above the conference level, with the team ranking among the nation’s elite.

Housed within the Paul Durham Lobby and Foyer, the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Champions is regarded as one of the most impressive athletic showcases of any NCAA Division III program in the country. Matching 55-inch touch-screen monitors chronicle the expansive array of Hall of Fame inductees. Visitors to the Hall of Fame can read details about each inductee as well as search by name, sport, classification and year of induction. The electronic displays provide access to summaries of every national champion, both team and individual, plus listings of major award winners.

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