April 2019
IN THIS ISSUE From the Athletic Director’s Desk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Morganne Flores is back where she belongs . . . . . . . . . . 4 10 Questions With ... softball's Sis Bates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Chris Petersen's new pups have plenty of bite . . . . . . . 12 Slugger Joe Wainhouse's winding road to UW. . . . . . . . 20 Germany comes to Montlake for the Windermere Cup. . 26 The Shot ... Pac-12 Champs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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GOHUSKIES VOLUME 12 / ISSUE 6 / APRIL 2019
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EDITOR Brian Beaky
FROM THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S DESK
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s the weather begins to warm and the days grow longer, Husky Athletics transitions from winter to spring competitions. The success of our winter seasons, coupled with last year’s historic performances for our baseball and softball programs, translates into an all-time high of momentum here on Montlake. Coach Mike Hopkins and our men’s basketball team continues to blow me away! I love how he has embraced this campus and this community. If you made it inside the warm confines of Alaska Airlines Arena this winter, you saw an electric environment and how we are certainly Tougher Together! Our women’s basketball team continues to grow and improve under the direction of second-year head coach Jody Wynn. Our GymDawgs have put together a strong campaign and shattered the home attendance record during the UCLA meet, while indoor track and field sent 12 student-athletes to indoor nationals to cap off a great indoor run. It’s now time for softball, outdoor track and field, tennis, golf, crew, beach volleyball and baseball to step up to the plate. Spring is our busiest time of the year from the standpoint of how many events we host, providing you ample opportunities to get out and cheer on the Purple and Gold!
Jennifer Cohen
As always, thank you for your continued support and passion as we continue to get better every day. Each of you are why the University of Washington is such a unique place for our student-athletes to learn, compete and grow. I hope to see you out enjoying the many events on Montlake this spring! GO DAWGS!
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BACK TO MORGANNE
FLORES
used a year sidelined by injury to gain new perspective on the game — and has come back
STRONGER THAN EVER
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BY MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GO HUSKIES THE MAGAZINE
n a manner of speaking, she’s home again. That’s because she’s behind home again. For Morganne Flores, it’s kind of the same thing. “It felt good to feel like I could contribute to my team and support my team, not just physically, but also, it just felt good to be back around my teammates,” the University of Washington star catcher says in recounting her recovery from the January 2018 knee injury that kept her sidelined for all of last season. “I’m back to normal.” From the time she arrived at Montlake in the fall of 2015, “normal” for the Cypress, Calif., native has been using her cool, calm demeanor to help keep Husky pitchers in a groove. “Normal” has been using her bat to give them some runs with which to work. “Normal” has been helping the team rack up win after win and make deep runs into the NCAA postseason bracket. In short, “normal” has been Morganne Flores behind home plate. “We’re glad to have her back,” head coach Heather Tarr says. “She’s working through just getting that rhythm back into her game." Until she was hurt, Flores – who also can play some first base – never seemed to be out of rhythm. In 2016, she made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and was a thirdteam All-Region selection. The following season, Flores started all 64 games at catcher, led the conference with 74 RBI, and was a second-team All-Region pick. Then came that day in January 2018 when her life went from nor-
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mal to nightmare. “It was kind of a freak accident,” the 22-year-old Flores says of what happened during a practice session about two weeks before the season opener. “I went to turn and pivot to throw the ball, and (my knee) just kind of slipped out from under me. I heard it pop – I’ve never felt anything like that in my knee before. “It was excruciating pain. I knew something was wrong.” What was wrong was a torn anterior cruciate ligament. That meant surgery to fix it, and nearly a year of patience and persistence to rehabilitate it. “I really looked toward my teammates and my trainer to help me through it,” Flores says. “I’d never been through an injury like this. I’m forever grateful to them and my coaches and my parents who helped me along.” Tarr could relate, having been through one of those herself. “Hers was probably less severe than others I’ve seen,” Tarr says. “When you tear an ACL, you can’t do much but get 12 months under your belt. They are what they are.” Right from the get-go, Flores kept an upbeat mindset. “I hadn’t played any games, so I could still redshirt,” she says. “I got to take my time (on the rehab) — I didn’t have to speed anything up. It was perfect timing.”
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BACK TO
NORMAL Flores started all 64 games at catcher in 2017 — pitcher Taran Alvelo, who has known Flores since the eighth grade, says having her longtime friend behind the plate helps her relax.
Although Flores couldn’t be on the field for a season that would end with UW’s 13th trip to the Women’s College World Series, she was never far from it. As do many athletes who are facing lengthy rehabilitation periods, Flores used her forced down time to gain some new perspectives on the sport that has been the sun around which her athletic life has orbited since about age seven. “I worked a lot with the director of operations behind the scenes – a lot of film, and a lot of scouting on the teams we were going to play,” says Flores, now a redshirt junior. “It kept me engaged, and allowed me to work with my teammates with what their approach should be toward a pitcher. I got to contribute more on the mental side, which I hadn’t had a chance to do before.” In Flores’ absence, the Huskies had two other catchers who came through in a big way. Freshman Emma Helm started 50 games, drove in 19 runs, and drew 28 walks. Junior Rachel Ogasawara made 17 starts and, on the first day of the season, had her first multi-RBI game. “Emma and Rachel were soldiers,” Tarr says. “They knew what the team needed. All things considered, those two, specifically, are the
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Flores led the Huskies to the WCWS in 2017, hitting 13 home runs and earning All-Region second-team honors.
reason we succeeded last year, because they were able to step in, and our team was able to keep things in perspective.” Flores was able to return to action just as the Huskies were preparing for their December trip to Australia – the first foreign tour in program history. While there, they had the opportunity to play in the stadium where the 2000 Olympics softball competition took place. Upon their return, it was time to get busy with the final few weeks of preparation before the early February start of the 2019 season. Senior pitcher Taran Alvelo was especially delighted to see Flores back on the field. “Throwing to Morganne is the most relaxed and calmest I’ve ever felt pitching,” Alvelo says. “Having known her since I was in eighth grade has helped us make a connection where we don’t really need to talk to each other. We’re always on the same page.” Through the first 15 games – of which the UW won 14 – Flores had a two-run double in the season opener, a 3-for-5 effort with a home run in the third game, and a four-game RBI streak. There’s plenty of season still to go, including a full 24-game schedule in the always-rugged Pac-12. But Flores — a senior academically who will complete her environmental studies degree by the end of winter quarter, then start pursuit of her master’s — is ready, able, and, more than ever, willing to take on all of it. “It really put in perspective how much I really love the game,” she says. “It’s not that I took it for granted. But, I’d never had it taken from me for a whole year.” GoHUSKIES
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10 QUESTIONS WITH... SOFTBALL’S SIS BATES
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is Bates knows what it feels like to win a National Championship. She’s already won one, in 2016, with her Premier Junior Fastpitch Team, Firecrackers-Rico. Bates was an unstoppable hitter for the Firecrackers, a role she has continued to play at UW, leading the Pac-12 Conference in triples as a freshman and racking up a .389 batting average and 1.051 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) her sophomore year en route to NFCA First-Team All-American honors. She also helped bring the rest of her teammates within two wins of a national championship of their own, reaching the Women's College World Series championship series before being ousted in two games by champions Florida State. This year, Bates is committed to getting her squad back to the title series — and this time, she plans to walk away a winner.
If you were meeting someone for the first time, what are five things about yourself they wouldn’t know? “My mom and I make candles for fun. I’m allergic to cats. I love big dogs. I broke my nose in my second-to-last basketball game and had to wear the UGLIEST mask for my senior night. And, my older brother is a graduate assistant with our program.”
Why did you choose to come to UW? “I chose to come to UW because I absolutely fell in love with every aspect of it.”
What does it feel like to compete at Husky Softball Stadium? “It is the best feeling in the world to compete at Husky Softball Stadium. It is the best atmosphere in college softball.”
Can you talk about some of the experiences that have been opened up to you through your sport and how they have changed your life? “Traveling, playing for USA, meeting new (amazing) people.”
What is something important any coach has taught you away from competition? “Keep it simple, and don’t overcomplicate things.”
Who or what is your biggest inspiration? “My brother, Jimmy. My whole life I have looked up to him. Everything and anything he did, I wanted to follow suit. I’m so thankful for him.”
What is it like to compete in the Pac-12 Conference? “It is awesome playing against girls you have grown up playing with and against.”
Who were your favorite softball players growing up? “Jenn Salling. I grew up watching Jenn and I still to this day have a signed picture of her on my fridge at home.”
Describe your experience at UW thus far? What has been the most exciting or challenging thing to happen to you? “It has been a dream come true being at UW. I love my teammates to death and would do anything for them.”
What do you dream/imagine for yourself? “I dream of playing in the Olympics.”
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Tuitele Bandes Paama Ngalu Heimuli Latu Calvert Trice Tupitala Ah You Turner Davis Fabiculanan McDuffie Williams Nacua Morris Buelow Fautanu Kalepo Luciano Horn PAGE 12
TOP
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“OKG”
Get To Know The Newest s Joining The Husky Football Team In 2019
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hen Chris Petersen first arrived from Boise State, there was little question about his coaching record, and his history of success. At Boise, though, Petersen had cobbled together elite teams from two- and three-star recruits that other programs had passed over. Would that same system fly in the Pac-12, or would Petersen be able to make the jump to the next level and attract top-tier talent to Montlake? The answer, it seems, is, “Both.” Not only has Petersen continued to turn up gems among the lower recruiting tiers — safety Taylor Rapp could very well become the 16th two- or three-star recruit that Petersen has molded into a first- or second-round NFL draft pick in his college coaching career (no other Pac-12 coach has more than nine) — but he has proven his ability to knock elbows with the most high-profile programs in the game and convince America’s top prep players to continue their personal and athletic growth at Washington. Of course, it’s the latter stat — what a player actually accomplished in their careers at UW — that Petersen cares the most about, not what the prep recruiting services said about them at the time they signed with UW. “Recruiting is very subjective,” said Petersen at the Huskies’ Signing Day press conference. “[Recruiting rankings are] preseason rankings, and you know how I feel about preseason rankings — they mean nothing. It doesn’t matter what someone says about [a player]; we do our own homework, and if we think a guy is a good player that fits us, then that’s what we do. Because when you recruit the right guys, you
GoHUSKIES
BY BRIAN BEAKY EDITOR
can really develop them.” This year’s Husky football recruiting class is Petersen’s most acclaimed to date, including an all-time high 14 players rated four stars or higher by the major recruiting services, a total bettered by just seven other schools in the country. In fact, Petersen could practically start an entire defense of four-star 2019 recruits, nine of whom signed letters of intent this year, including three defensive linemen, three linebackers and three defensive backs. “It’s a good day,” Petersen said. “Our coaches did a really awesome job throughout the whole thing. We feel really strongly about this class in general. You go down the list and can make a case for why we’re so excited for each one of these guys.” Everything for Petersen’s teams starts on the line — from Danny Shelton, to Elijah Qualls, to Vita Vea, Greg Gaines and beyond — and the list of this year’s signees suggests that won’t change soon. Among the 23 recruits who signed letters of intent to attend Washington this fall are four defensive linemen, including two of the most coveted defensive tackles on the West Coast in Honolulu native Fa’atui Tuitele and Pittsburg, Calif., native Jacob Bandes. At 6-foot-3, 304 pounds and 6-foot-2, 315-pounds, respectively, it’s not hard to imagine Tuitele and Bandes anchoring the middle of the UW line in a similar fashion to Vea and Gaines in 2017, shutting down inside runs and creating pressure on the quarterback. Both were ranked among the nation’s top-50 recruits by ESPN. And to think — they’re the little guys. At least compared to Waipahu, Hawaii’s Sama Paama, who at 6-foot-4 and 336 pounds, and with a pedigree that includes the award given
to Hawaii’s best overall lineman (named, coincidentally, for former Husky offensive lineman Olin Kreutz), will have a formidable physical presence on the UW line. Add in impressive d-lineman Noa Ngalu of East Palo Alto, and it certainly seems like opposing blockers are going to have their hands full for the foreseeable future. Which is going to give this incoming class of linebackers all the time they need to wreak havoc in opponent’s backfields. Fully one-fourth of Washington’s 2019 signees are identified as linebackers in the team’s official Signing Day press release, players who will look to follow in the footsteps of Mason Foster, Shaq Thompson, Corey Littleton and other Husky linebackers who currently ply their trade on Sundays. Headlining the group is four-star inside linebacker Daniel Heimuli, a teammate of d-line signee Noa Ngalu at East Palo Alto’s Menlo-Atherton HS. One of the top-10 inside linebacker recruits in the nation and the two-time conference defensive player of the year, Heimuli will look to continue Washington’s tradition of terrorizing inside linebackers. “Daniel was one that we liked a ton as a junior, and his senior year, you could just see him getting better every game,” Petersen says. “So, we were even more excited then.” He’ll line up alongside fellow Northern Californian Laiatu Latu of Sacramento, himself a four-star prospect who ranked among the nation’s top 150 recruits as a defensive lineman, but with his speed and athleticism will likely play the hybrid outside linebacker/ rush end role on the Husky defense. Also,
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OKGs TOP
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CLASS watch out for two-way star Josh Calvert, who accounted for nearly 1,700 yards and 22 touchdowns as a quarterback at Oak Park, Calif.’s Oaks Christian last year, then racked up 70 tackles on defense en route to Los Angeles Daily News Area Player of the Year honors. Of course, if Petersen’s history has taught us anything, it’s that the three-star recruits are the ones to keep an eye on — with Bralen Trice (Phoenix, Ariz.), Alphonzo Tupitala (Federal Way) and Miki Ah You (Laie, Hawaii) joining the three above, Washington’s linebacker room will be loaded for bear this fall. The astute follower of Husky football might be asking at this point — Sure, it sounds like we have a lot of great linemen and linebackers. But, given that 1-2 Husky defensive backs are going in the first and second rounds of the NFL Draft on a seemingly annual basis, how can we possibly keep up? Defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake would no doubt tell you that it’s a good problem to have — not only because he’s happy for the success his players are having on the NFL level, but because every batted pass, interception and highlight-reel play made by Huskies like Budda Baker, Sidney Jones, Kevin PAGE 14
King, Marcus Peters and Desmond Trufant (and, soon, Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp) is like free advertising on the living room televisions of recruits nationwide. This year’s class includes three safeties and one cornerback, including three four-star prospects. Asa Turner of Carlsbad, Calif., is one of the class’ most talked-about players, earning bids to the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl for his efforts on defense and ranking among the nation’s top-200 high school players in 2018. He’ll line up at safety next to Camarillo, Calif., native Kamren Fabiculanan, another four-star prospect who played primarily cornerback in high school but was listed as a safety on Washington’s official Signing Day roster. That leaves Westminster, Calif.’s Trent McDuffie the job of locking down outside receivers at cornerback, a position where he excelled in 2018, earning a No. 3 national ranking from USA Today and No. 13 from ESPN. Bakersfield’s Cameron Williams, himself a PrepStar All-American, rounds out the Huskies’ new defensive back quartet. “The secondary was certainly an area of need, with all the guys that we graduated back there,” Petersen said. “Asa is a big, ath-
In just five years at Washington, head coach Chris Petersen has sent 16 Huskies to the NFL, including 10 first- or second-round draft picks. In his coaching career, he has turned 15 two- or three-star recruits into first- or second-rounders, nearly double that of any other Pac-12 coach.
letic, rangy guy, the kind we like back there who can come down and tackle in space. Not only Asa, but all of those guys coming in are going to have a really good chance to compete for significant time.” The defensive side of the ball accounts for 14 of Washington’s 23 recruits, but that’s not to say there isn’t plenty to be excited about on offense. The Huskies hoped to find a dominant receiver in this class and may have gotten one in Puka Nacua, who won just about all of Utah’s various state player of the year honors in 2018, including Gatorade, USA Today, Deseret News and more. Nacua comes to Washington as Utah’s all-time leading prep receiver in receptions (260), yards (5,226) and receiving touchdowns (58), with nearly half of those totals achieved in his senior season alone. The MVP of the Polynesian Bowl (where he played alongside and against many of his new Husky teammates), Nacua — along with fellow incoming wideout Taj Davis of Chino, Calif. — has a chance to make an immediate impact at UW.
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SPIRIT IN THE STANDS SUPPORT ACROSS THE STATE When Boeing supports what our employees are passionate about, it builds strong partnerships and stronger ties throughout our communities. That’s why we’re proud to be the title sponsor of the 2019 Boeing Apple Cup Series and celebrate two historic Washington universities.
Washington’s Pac-12 Championship in 2018 was its second in the last three years, and earned the Huskies a spot in their third-consecutive New Year’s Six bowl, a fact not lost on recruits nationwide.
It’s always important to sign a quarterback in every class, and Petersen got his man in Puyallup’s Dylan Morris, who threw for 9,815 yards over his four-year career to rank seventh all-time in Washington state — one spot ahead of his new UW teammate, Jacob Eason. An Elite 11 QB, Morris was considered the state’s top recruit and his presence will make for stiff competition in the Huskies’ quarterback room this fall. From Chris Polk, to Bishop Sankey to Myles Gaskin, Washington is also on an impressive run at tailback, one that California native Cameron Davis will hope to continue. A four-star prospect with 3,328 yards and 42 touchdowns over the last three years at Upland HS — where he lined up alongside fellow UW signee Taj Davis (no relation) — Davis was ranked among the nation’s top-25 prep running backs by nearly every major recruiting service. Davis and Morris won’t be able to do much, though, without the big guys in front of them — so, Washington made sure to sign four of those as well, including three more four-star prospects. At six-foot-eight and 331 pounds, it’ll be hard to miss Julius Buelow — which is exactly the point, of course. Buelow was ranked among the top-five prospects in his home state of Hawaii — indeed, Washington signed three of the consensus top-five in Hawaii this year, firmly re-establishing what has been an important pipeline for the Huskies over the years. “The state of Hawaii and the University of Washington have always had a great relationship,” Petersen said. “What I appreciate about [Hawaii] is that it’s a football place. That’s what always jumps out to me — the families are passionate about it, and that’s what we’re trying to find, are players who are passionate.” Both Nevada’s Troy Fautanu and Rainier Beach alum Nate Kalepo — the latter another physical presence at 6-foot-6 and 341 pounds — were among their state’s most coveted recruits as well, each earning all-state honors from multiple publications and attracting offers from numerous Division-I schools. Washington will also add a sophomore transfer in Corey Luciano of California’s Diablo Valley College — a coveted tackle in the class of 2017, Luciano played one season in two years at DVC, and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
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OKGs Add it up, and that’s 22 players — but, we said Washington signed 23. That’s because we haven’t accounted for what might be one of the players fans will become familiar with the soonest. Honolulu’s Tim Horn will enter Washington with a chance to become the team’s opening-day kicker if he can impress this fall. He certainly did over his last three years, earning an invite to the Polynesian Bowl and a ranking among the top-three prep kickers in the country. Considering what Petersen has done for the two- and three-star recruits in his tenure — that impressive number of first- and secondround picks at the top of this story doesn’t even include players like all-time leading rusher Myles Gaskin or Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Ben Burr-Kirven, both three-star recruits as well — it’s no wonder Husky fans are excited to see how high this incoming group loaded with top-tier talent can soar. For Petersen, of course, it’s never about the stars — it’s about finding “Our Kinda Guys,” or OKGs, players who will buy into the
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When the Huskies return to action this spring, they will have eight of their Class of 2019 teammates alongside them, including quarterback Dylan Morris, defensive tackle Jacob Bandes, linebacker Josh Calvert and titanic offensive tackle Julius Buelow.
Washington system and commit themselves to becoming the best players — and best people — they can be. Once the pads are on and the first practice begins, it’s the play on the field that will determine who takes on a starring role — not the stars in their bio. “When you come into this locker room, we
are all the same,” Petersen said. “Walk-on, scholarship, it doesn’t matter — the guys that produce, they play.” For Husky fans, though, who haven’t broken down hours of tape, the stars are a decent guide as to what to be excited about in the coming year — and in 2019, it would seem, the answer is ... just about everything.
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COMING
HOME Joe Wainhouse slugged the Huskies to the College World Series in 2018 — but he didn't do it alone
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BY MASON KELLEY
hen Joe Wainhouse described his first collegiate baseball season, he said it was like he was there, but “not really there.” During that first year at Ole Miss, he quickly realized he wasn’t quite ready for Division-I baseball. “I did what I could, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be that year,” says Wainhouse, now a senior at Washington. After that first season, he transferred to Bellevue College. “I had a good time with that team,” he says, looking back. But, after one season, he was on the move again, this time traveling to the other side of Lake Washington to play for the Huskies. It took three years and his third program, but he finally found a home. In 2018, Wainhouse played for the same team for a second season for the first time in his collegiate career. At Washington, he found his college baseball family.
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JOE
WAINHOUSE “It was interesting really getting to be with the same guys for two years, to understand everyone,” he says. “It’s nice to be able to play with a group of guys you understand, to not have to relearn everything about everybody you’re involved with.” That family atmosphere encapsulated the Huskies’ run to the College World Series. Before the Huskies take the field, they gather in close and, when they break, they all shout “family.” Alex Hardy started it last season and, “over the course of the year we really started to understand what that meant.” Wainhouse understood it as well as anyone, because he had been on a cross-country odyssey to find that camaraderie. And, while Wainhouse found his home, Washington discovered that winning feeling. “We still do it this year to try and create that culture, keep that family mentality going,” he says. “It’s something that helps us.” The idea that the bonds of brotherhood are a pivotal part of a team’s success is so important to Wainhouse, that he steers interview questions about individual accomplishments back to the group’s success. “Being on a team like that does a lot for you, because it gives you a purpose outside of playing for yourself, playing for numbers or the PAGE 22
draft, outside of even winning,” he says. “It gives you something to play for every day, because you care so much about the guys in the dugout. You want to play well for those guys.” But, Wainhouse didn’t always understand the idea of team chemistry lifting each athlete toward something greater. In the past, Wainhouse had heard coaches talk about those rare teams that weren’t the most physically gifted but, over the course of a season, found the chemistry that led to unprecedented success. “I never believed it,” he says. “A team like that had to be good. That team had to be loaded with talent.” Wainhouse had to experience the confluence of chemistry and success to understand it. “Last year, that’s kind of what happened to us,” he says. “Now, I understand what coaches mean when they say that. Being a part of a team like that really makes you play better.” As a junior last season, Wainhouse slugged a team-leading 19 home runs and 61 RBI over 57 starts at designated hitter. Dating back to last season – excluding the two games in the College World Series – the senior had homered in 12 straight series through March 1 for the Huskies. But, he was so caught up in being a part
of last year’s team, he didn’t take the time to look at his individual accolades. Even after the season ended, he only briefly stopped to reflect on personal achievements. “A little bit, as much as anyone would,” he says, when asked about taking time to enjoy his accomplishments. “You kind of look back on the year, but I tried to move on pretty quick.” When the season concluded and Wainhouse wasn’t selected in the draft, it didn’t take him long to decide to return for a third season with the Huskies. “Once I didn’t get drafted, I was pretty sure I would be back again,” he says. “Obviously, there were options. I could have signed. I could have grad transferred. I could have just stopped. But, I wasn’t going to do any of those things. “It was a great decision," he continues. "It’s been really fun seeing the change in the preseason, the change in the feel around the program, just seeing how everything is evolving with what’s been going on. It’s been really exciting to see.” It took years to find his family. Wainhouse wanted another chance to see if the Huskies can rekindle the magic for a second season. “Last year was awesome, and we have to
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HOME Wainhouse hit 19 home runs in 2018; through March 1, he had homered in 12 consecutive series, including the postseason.
keep in mind what we did last year, but at the end of the day, this is this year,” he says. “We’ve been trying to move on just a little bit, focus on this group, this team, because this is a new group and it’s going to do different things than last year’s team. But, at the end of the day, you can have the same family culture and the same mentality as a team.” Still early in the current season, Wainhouse believes the Huskies are farther ahead of last year’s group in terms of chemistry. “It’s been different coming in here with more expectations for ourselves,” he says. “The last few years you always have that goal, but it was more of a goal and now it’s an expectation. “That’s been good for us. It gives us more drive to win these games, because last year it almost didn’t happen,” he continues. “We didn’t play well at the start of the year, but were able to get the last spot in the tournament and made the most of it.” When asked specifically about his performance to start the season, Wainhouse said he isn’t where he wants to be right now, but he isn’t worried. “I didn’t start great the first few weeks of this year, but I didn’t start great last year either, so I’m just going to stick with my process, stick with my plan and I’ll get to the point where I want to be when all is said and done,” he says. By sticking with the plan and standing by his baseball family, Wainhouse is enjoying his final season with the Huskies too much to think about the future. “You can control what you can control,” he says. “At the end of the day, I’ll play. I’ll do what I can for the team and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year. The draft will take care of itself. You can’t do anything about that at this point. You’ve just got to play for the team and that will make you play better. That’s where my mindset is.” Regardless of what happens the rest of this year, one day Wainhouse will look back on his college career and think about his time with the Huskies. Last season will always be something that stands out. “It’s obviously something everyone on that team will remember,” he said. “The wins are wins and, obviously, going to the College World Series is something I will always remember, but it’s really the group that will stick with us the most.” And, just as he doesn’t take credit for individual success, he chooses to share Washington’s 2018 success with everyone who was a part of getting the program to that point. “It’s exciting we’re some of the guys who helped start that,” he says. “But, the process started way before us. Last year was really the culmination of what went on years before that.” Wainhouse arrived at Washington three years ago and found his baseball family. Now, as the Huskies work to remain in the spotlight, he wants to share the team’s success with the program’s past while building on the present so that the future will remain bright for years to come. “It is just awesome to see the path this program is on,” he says. PAGE 24
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Boys In The Boat, PART II In a matchup 83 years in the making, the German National Team makes its first-ever appearance in Seattle this May
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BY BRIAN BEAKY EDITOR
he Germans are coming. Only this time, it’s not just the boys in the boat who will have the opportunity to take them down. The 33rd Annual Windermere Cup — taking place this year on Sat., May 4 — will feature both the German men's and women’s national teams, along with the Boston University men and UCLA women in its featured varsity-eight races, plus dozens of other crews from throughout the Northwest. The morning of racing in the historic Montlake Cut signals the official opening of boating season in the Seattle area, as thousands of boaters from throughout the region line the log boom to watch the races and participate in the Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day boat parade. “With thousands of competitors and spectators coming together at such a spectacular venue, it’s a celebration unlike anything else,” said O.B. Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate, which has served as the event’s title sponsor since its inception in 1987. Indeed, in addition to the boaters floating on the log boom and bobbing past the finish line in Portage Bay, thousands of spectators pack onto the Montlake Bridge and line the shores of the Montlake Cut to witness the spectacle. The brainchild of Seattle Times columnist Blaine Newnham, Windermere Real Estate founder John Jacobi, and then-UW rowing coaches Dick Erickson and Bob Ernst, the regatta has become one of the most celebrated competitive rowing events in the world. World-champion crews from the Soviet Union helped launch the inaugural event; in the three decades since, crews from 15 different countries and many of the top universities in the world — including Cambridge, Oxford, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell, Brown, Princeton and many others — have sent their finest rowers to compete against the Husky crews. This year’s regatta, though, will have a particular air of excitement, as it marks the first-ever appearance in Seattle by the German National Teams. Of course, Washington’s history with the Germans has been well-chronicled, dating back to the 1936 Olympics, when a Husky crew wearing the red, white and blue of Team USA traveled to Berlin and upset the heavily favored Germans on their home course, a tale PAGE 26
chronicled by Daniel James Brown in his 2013 No. 1 bestseller, The Boys In The Boat. This particular German men’s team is one of the world’s finest, the 2016 Olympic silver medalists and two-time defending World Champions in the men’s eight, with the world’s fastest time to their credit. Washington rowers most recently competed against Germany at the 2018 Under-23 World Championships, when a U.S. eight including six Huskies took the gold medal, while Germany placed fourth. Germany’s women will be an equally challenging foe for the host Husky eight, having rowed in the “A” final at each of the last three Under-23 World Championships, and won the quadruple sculls at the 2018 Worlds. Interestingly, both Washington crews boast rowers who have competed on German National Teams in the past. Calina Schanze and Tabea Schendekehl helped Germany’s women’s four to bronze at the 2017 Under-23 World Championships, while three UW men have donned their country’s colors in World Championship competition as well. “Germany is, without a doubt, among those at the top of the international scene right now,” says UW men’s head coach Michael Callahan, whose UW men have won seven of the last 11 varsity eight national titles, and 11 of the last 12 Ten Eyck trophies (awarded to the team with the most total points across all races at the national championships). “It’s going to be a terrific challenge for our program and it should be a great race.” Washington will also be challenged by both collegiate crews in the field — the Boston University men finished eighth in the Ten Eyck Trophy standings last year, while the UCLA women have competed in four of the past nine NCAA Championship regattas. “Every year, the Windermere Cup offers out team a chance to square off against great competition in the best setting in college rowing,” says Husky women’s coach Yasmin Farooq, who coached her squad to a sweep of the 2017 NCAA Championship titles, and a second-place finish in 2018. “We’re really looking forward to it.” For more information, including race schedules, lists of associated activities and more, visit www.windermerecup.com. GoHUSKIES
Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES
PAC-12 CHAMPS
Matisse Thybulle slams home two of his 17 points in UW’s win over Colorado on Feb. 23 to clinch a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title in front of a sold-out Alaska Airlines Arena.
To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
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