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MAY 2022
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of Coach Heather Tarr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Men’s Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Women’s Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Women’s Tennis Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Men’s Tennis Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 10 Questions with Lindsay Meggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Men’s Golf Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Women’s Golf Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rowing Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The Shot: Roundtripper! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
GoHUSKIES
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FROM THE DESK OF COACH HEATHER TARR VOLUME 15 / ISSUE 5 / MAY 2022
For Information on Advertising, Please Call Brandon Forbis at (206) 695-2562. GoHuskies Magazine is published five times a year by Huskies Sports Properties, in conjunction with the University of Washington Athletic Department.
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H
uskies, It is a privilege and honor to be a Washington Husky. This is my 18th season as the head coach and I’m thankful for every experience. Huskies are fighters. We are gritty and progressfocused. We see each moment as a chance to improve. We don’t take shortcuts. We put in the work and we get better every day. For this, I’m humbled to be a Husky and work with this group of student-athletes. Our team is as close a team as I’ve ever coached. Our more experienced players lead with passion and charisma. It attracts and brings everyone together. The younger players have stepped in, learned and battled like champions. Not only that, but they are a joy to be around. This game is fun, and the team loves to play. As we move forward, we will bring all of this together and showcase what it means to be a Husky. We have the greatest fans in the country. You show up every game, ready to cheer us on and cel-
Heather Tarr
ebrate with us. When we need a boost, we can rely on you to lift us up. Our stadium is always packed and we feel your energy every game. You make a difference and we will forever remember playing in front of you. Thank you. Go Dawgs!
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GoHUSKIES
BURNING UP THE
TRACK Senior Brian Fay PAGE 4
GoHUSKIES
BRIAN FAY
Irishman and Husky men’s track team draw national attention this year — again MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
T
he competition is having a hard time keeping up with Brian Fay on the track. The University of Washington record book is having a hard keeping up with him, too. Fay, a senior from Dublin, Ireland, has had his feet in not one, not two, but four school records from mid-February through late April. Two of those happened on indoor ovals. The other two have been set at outdoor venues — with the meaty part of the outdoor schedule still to come. While working on his master’s degree in history, Fay has been a master of the distance races for the Huskies during the winter and spring. Already with multiple significant accomplishments back home before he came to the UW, Fay gave Husky fans a preview of what was to come during last fall’s cross country season. In leading Washington to a 13th-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, Fay placed 38th individually, thereby earning AllAmerican honors. Leading up to his race on that national stage in Tallahassee, Fla., Fay was the first Husky across the finish line at the Pacific-12 Conference meet (ninth overall) and was sixth overall (No.2 for UW) at the West Regionals. But it has been on the track where Fay really has taken off. Continued on page 6 GoHUSKIES
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Sophomore Jonathan Birchman
Freshman Matthew Wilkinson
Racing the 5,000 meters at the Husky Classic on the Dempsey Indoor oval, Fay completed his 16plus laps in 13 minutes, 24 seconds flat. That was the first of his aforementioned four school records. The following week at the Arkansas Qualifier, Fay teamed with Luke Houser, Anthony Smith, and Cass Elliott for a time of 9 minutes, 21.10 seconds in the 4,000-meter distance medley relay, with Fay running the 1,600-meter anchor leg. Not only did that smash the school standard of 9:27.19, it was the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history and the fifth-fastest time ever in the world. Following a sixth-place finish in the 5,000 at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Fay immediately got into record-setting mode on outdoor surfaces. At the Raleigh Relays on March 25 in North Carolina, he ran a faster 10,000 meters than any Husky ever had, stopping the watch in 28 minutes, 22.31 seconds. That was nine seconds speedier than the previous record 28:31.59 set just last April by current UW teammate Tibebu Proctor. But Fay had some very fast company in that same 10K with teammate Kieran Lumb. While he couldn’t beat Fay, he was able to beat Proctor’s previous standard as well, coming across in 28:25.93. Setting a record — or two or three — is one thing. Setting a record in dramatic fashion is something else altogether, and that’s precisely what Fay did in the 5,000 on April 14, under the lights at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. Trailing Morgan Beadlescomb of Michigan State by at least 30 meters on the last lap, Fay stormed from behind, passed Beadlescomb down the homestretch and won in 13:16.52 — No. 1 on the Washington all-time list, No. 6 in NCAA history, and No. 5 in Ireland athletics history. Just as Fay and Lumb had recorded the top two 10K times ever in Raleigh, they did the same for the 5K in Azusa, as Lumb clocked 13:23.26. And that wasn’t the only new distance record for the Huskies at the Bryan Clay, as Houser set one in the 1,500 with his 3:37.51.
Throwing A Record-Setting Punch
Junior Cass Elliott
What Brian Fay has going in the distance races, Jayden White has been doing in the throws. The sophomore from nearby Everett broke his own school indoor weight throw record twice this winter. The first time was in the Husky Classic with a toss of 73 feet, 11 ¾ inches, giving him the win. That beat his previous UW record of 71-8 ¼ at the 2021 Classic. Just two weeks later, spinning around the same throwing ring inside Dempsey at the Pac-12 Invitational, White flung the 35-pound steel ball beyond the 74-foot mark for the first time, as it landed at 74-1. He went on to take fourth at NCAA indoors with a mark of 73-6 ¾, thereby becoming the first Husky since 1986 to score in that event at nationals. White hasn’t slowed down this spring. Specializing in the hammer for the outdoor schedule, he started out with a 213-6 at the Raleigh Relays. Now, he’s up to 227-6 — the second-longest in program history — at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California on April 15.
Continued on page 8 PAGE 6
GoHUSKIES
GO HUSKIES. GO COUGARS. GO FURTHER TOGETHER. Boeing is proud to bring together students, fans and families for the annual Boeing Apple Cup Series. As a key employer in Washington, what matters to our community and employees matters to us. That’s why we’re thrilled to celebrate the historic match-ups and timeless traditions with all of you—because we go further together.
boeing.com/washington GoHUSKIES
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Pushing Toward The Postseason
Junior Cass Elliott
Senior Brian Fay
Freshman Anthony Smith
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By the end of April, most of the big invitationals were finished. Those meets deservedly have a certain amount of prestige for the top-caliber competition that they attract. But one thing they don’t have is the special intensity of the annual dual meet against Washington State. This time, it was in Pullman, and the Huskies hit the century mark, defeating the Cougars, 100-63. That was thanks in large part to winning 13 of the 19 events, with 1-2-3 sweeps of the 800 meters, 3,000 meters, and javelin. Anthony Smith wasn’t in any of those events, but still factored into three victories, taking the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and anchoring the 4-by-100 relay. While that nice round triple-digit figure was more than enough to help outscore WSU, Washington is hoping to achieve another triple-digit total in early May when it heads to Hayward Field in Eugene for the Pacific-12 Championships. Last year, the Huskies snared third place in the standings with 114 points — the second-highest total in school history. (The school record is 122 points in 2016.) UW was in the lead after Day 1 and Day 2, only to see Oregon come up big on Day 3 and finish with 185 points. Southern California wound up second with 137. Athletes who accounted for 70-plus of those 114 points are back. That group includes two-time discus champion Elijah Mason, who won it last spring with a throw of 189 feet, 1 inch. Other top-three awards podium finishers looking to meet or beat their 2021 performances are Ollie Thorner (second in the decathlon, placing fourth or higher in nine of the 10 events), Joe Waskom (second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:35.71 that ranks No. 3 in Husky history), Jonah Wilson (third in the shot put), and Zach Annanie (third in the javelin). A Washington newcomer poised to make an impact is Canadian senior Roan Allen, who joined the program just this year after not having competed since 2019 at the University of British Columbia. On April 9, he threw the javelin 246 feet, 2 inches the Triton Invitational in San Diego, immediately putting himself into the No. 3 spot on the UW’s all-time list. Luke Houser, a sophomore set the school 1,500 meter with a 3:37.51 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 15. GoHUSKIES
MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
he runs. She hurdles. She jumps. She throws. But long before she discovered her hankering for the heptathlon, Ida Eikeng was already a multi-event athlete. She played handball. Played soccer. Played ice hockey. Did cross country skiing. Tried gymnastics. All while growing up in Norway, where she was born in Porsgrunn. Then, once she found track, she initially gravitated toward the sprints and the hurdles, and eventually grew to love the javelin. “I would do a bunch of events just for fun,” the University of Washington sophomore standout said. “It was too hard to give up events because I found all of them so fun. So, I just stuck with them. It was when I was 16 or 17 that I really started to do the heptathlon.” Now, she has become the highest-scoring heptathlete in school history with her total of 5,920 points at last year’s NCAA Championships, giving her fifth place in the meet and an All-American award. Continued on page 13 PAGE 10
GoHUSKIES
Husky heptathlete
Ida Eikeng
from Norway leads UW women’s track team into the Pac-12s and NCAAs
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A
lready with a score of 5,916 this year, tallied in April at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., Eikeng is setting her sights on the Pacific-12 Conference title that slipped away from her last year, as well as on a return to the NCAAs. “I felt pretty good about Mt. Sac,” said the 22-year-old Eikeng. “It was good to be able to score that (high) as early as April. So, I just feel really excited for the rest of the season — and nationals, especially.” Eikeng’s journey to reach this point was unusually long — and not just because it’s 4,575 miles from Porsgrunn to the Pacific Northwest. In fact, Seattle wasn’t even her first stop. Instead, it was Lexington and the University of Kentucky, as a freshman in 2018. But while there, Eikeng took part in just one meet — an indoor contest in which she did the shot put and nothing else. She joined the UW program in the spring of 2019 and redshirted but did compete unattached in two meets (one of which was a heptathlon). She redshirted again for the 2020 indoor season, doing three meets unattached. Then, just as she was ready to get going officially as a Husky during the 2020 outdoor season, the pandemic hit. Sports shut down, and Eikeng returned to Norway. “It was rough. I thought I was so well prepared for that season coming up when Covid shut it down,” she said. “I had to go home when that happened. But I’m just so happy that it let me have more time to work and stay prepared,” added Eikeng, who is majoring in psychology. “I felt I got do a lot of work. I feel good now, but it was definitely not fun in the moment.” That work had Eikeng on the cusp of the Pac12 heptathlon title last year in Los Angeles. Atop the standings by 146 points ahead of second-place teammate Lyndsey Lopes, Eikeng finished last among the 13 in the race and wound up third overall while Lopes snared the crown. Lopes graduated. But Eikeng is back and ready for another try at it. “I was definitely disappointed by last year, but that made me motivated for the rest of the season and to try to redeem myself a little bit from my performance (at Pac-12s),” said Eikeng, adding that she wasn’t fully recovered from a hamstring injury at that time, but knew she needed to complete the hep to qualify for nationals. I’m very motivated to do better than last year.”
Senior Olivia Ribera
Senior Sophia Cantine
Sophomore Naomi Smith
Sophomore MaKala Kelby
Continued on page 14 GoHUSKIES
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Junior Aaliyah Wilson
Sophomore Ida Eikeng
Eikeng has become the
highest-scoring heptathlete in school history with her total of 5,920 points at last year’s NCAA Championships, giving her fifth place in the meet and an All-American award.
Junior Anna Gibson PAGE 14
Going Long or Throwing Long — Still A Record Haley Herzberg and MaKayla Kelby typically don’t cross paths during a meet. Herberg is busy running around ovals, and Kelby is spinning around circles. But junior distance star Herberg and sophomore thrower Kelby are crossing paths when it comes to the Husky record book. Herberg put her name into it on Feb. 11 at the Husky Classic on the Dempsey Indoor track when she clocked 15 minutes, 39.19 seconds in the 5,000 meters. Kelby joined her a couple weeks later at the Pac-12 Invitational, also at Dempsey Indoor, when she broke her own record in the shot put. She had a toss of 55 feet, 3½ inches, well beyond her old mark of 53-7¾ which she set last year. With big postseason meets still to come this spring, she’s well within reach of the school outdoor record of 55-7, which has stood since 1988. Kelby set an outdoor personal best of 54-5½ in the UW-Washington State dual meet in Pullman in April 22. Speaking of the throws, Beatrice Asomaning is having quite a spring for herself. On the third and final day of the Raleigh Relays in March, she shattered her previous personal best in the hammer with a mark of 178 feet even — 14 feet farther than she’d ever thrown. She wasn’t even in the UW’s all-time top 10 prior to that, and immediately jumped into the No. 6 spot. Then at the Husky-Cougar dual, she flung the discus exactly 180 feet. That made her just the third Washington woman to reach 180.
It’s Time For The Pac-12s With the regular season now in the books, Washington turns its attention to the Pacific-12 Championships, set for May 13-15 at Hayward Field in Eugene. The Huskies are coming off their highest-ever placing in the conference meet, taking third last year with 77 points. They had five previous fourth-place finishes, but never higher than that. Athletes who factored into more than 50 of those points (counting both individual events and relays) are returning. Makenna Barton, a junior from nearby Woodinville, chipped in 10 of those points last spring by winning the pole vault — and she did so in dramatic fashion. She cleared 13 feet, 5¼ inches on her third and final attempt, thereby staying alive. Then it was back-to-back personal-best marks of 13-7¼, and finally 13-9¼ to win it. Herberg also made the award podium last season for her third-place finish in the 10,000 meters, going 32 minutes, 51.96 seconds for the second-fastest time in Husky history. While Ida Eikeng will compete for the heptathlon title, Hannah Rusnak will be setting her sights on it, as well. She won it in 2019 and was in contention last spring before three fouls in the long jump knocked her down the standings. Eikeng also could be a javelin title contender. Her mark of 182-3 at the Raleigh Relays in late March was still atop the conference list in late April. She was fourth last year at Pac-12s with a throw of 167-0. Among the UW competitors to keep a close eye on is distance runner Anna Gibson, a junior. She placed ninth in the 1500 finals last year, but late this spring was atop the conference rankings in both the 800 and 1,500. She set a UW-WSU dual meet record in the 800 with a 2:04.89.
GoHUSKIES
FRESHMAN
Kelly Leung
WOMEN’S TENNIS RECAP
SENIOR
Nika Zupancic
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GoHUSKIES
SENIOR
Vanessa Wong
UW men’s and women’s tennis teams make their marks on the court in 2022 MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
T
his was not going to be an ordinary season for the University of Washington women’s tennis team. That much was clear back on Jan. 29 when the Huskies lifted their expectations with an upset victory over No. 4-ranked UCLA, the seven-time national champion that had an all-time 29-2 record against UW. The UW women ventured into the Los Angeles Tennis Center during ITA Kick-Off Weekend and pulled out a 4-3 decision, their first-ever road victory against the Bruins. Washington was hoping for yet another contest against UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Pacific-12 Tournament. But the Huskies were stopped by Washington State in the first round, 4-2. Following a trip to the prestigious 16-team ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February, Washington went on a stretch of eight wins in nine matches. That included a road sweep of the Arizona schools for the first time since 2004. Top singles player Vanessa Wong had much to do with UW’s success. On April 17, she notched her 111th career victory. That tied her with Husky Hall of Famer Kristina Kraszewski, who racked up that many wins from 1998-2001. An eight-match winning streak to start the winter. An early-season No. 16 national ranking. And then a three-match run through the Pacific-12 Conference Tournament that brought them all the way to the finals for the very first time.
SENIOR
Zoey Weil
Continued on page 18 GoHUSKIES
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SENIOR
Jack Davis
MEN’S TENNIS RECAP
FRESHMAN
Cesar Bouchelaghem PAGE 18
GoHUSKIES
FRESHMAN
Nedim Suko
T
he Washington men have made their mark – and then some – on the tennis court in 2022. Bolstered by that impressive start, during which they won 39 of a possible 42 team points, the Huskies kept themselves in the conversation for a spot in the 64-team NCAA Tournament throughout the season. They gave those prospects a huge boost in late April at the Pac-12s. Washington needed a play-in victory against Oregon just to get the final spot in the quarterfinals against top-seeded Arizona. The Huskies got that win against the Ducks by a 4-2 score on April 20 in Ojai, Calif. The next day, UW won the doubles point, then took three singles matches, on the way to a 4-2 upset of the Wildcats. Washington knocked off UCLA in the semifinals, 4-3, as freshman Cesar Bouchelaghem roared back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set of No. 5 singles to defeat Stefan Lustian for the decisive point, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4. That was the Huskies’ second team win of the season against the Bruins, whom they had defeated just twice in 42 previous matches. The thrilling tournament run ended in the finals against Southern California, as the Trojans prevailed, 4-1. Selections for the NCAAs are to be announced in early May.
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NAME IMAGE LIKENESS
NIL
is the new normal and UW leadership has invested heavily to aid their student athletes in realizing their marketability and potential
BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
W
hen the NCAA passed its longdebated NIL legislation last July, opening the door for student-athletes to receive compensation, the University of Washington quickly welcomed the opportunity to assist its athletes and, perhaps inadvertently, its athletics. NIL stands for ‘Name, Image, and Likeness.’ The NCAA passed the legislation after years of pressure from students-athlete advocates who believed that colleges had unfairly exploited them. The legislation, made official on July 1, 2021, gave studentathletes the opportunity to be financially rewarded, previously disallowed under NCAA rules. University officials across the U.S. have reacted with varying degrees of commitment. Some readily accepted the change and have attempted to engage and connect student-athletes with beneficial programs while some have had a slow embrace while voicing concerns. Some leading influential college coaches have shared that NIL is not a sustainable model and could lead to buying players. UW Athletic Director Jen Cohen responded rapidly to the NCAA move, saying at the time, “our university community has been strategic and col-
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laborative so that Husky student-athletes will be able to hit the ground running when it comes to NIL. Our department’s core purpose of providing holistic development opportunities for our students has always been why we exist, and this commitment is why the UW is a perfect environment for students to thrive in the NIL era.” Since no federal laws or regulations were in place to safeguard the NCAA legislation, it was up to the member institutions to fill in the blanks as they built their NIL programs. In Washington state, there are no laws pertinent to the NIL regulations. The NCAA’s primary directive was that all studentathletes must disclose any NIL activities to the university overseers for approval. “What we did is put together our own policy, working with campus, working with general counsel, providing guardrails to make sure they are set up for success,” said Jamaal Walton, UW’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Administration & Strategic Initiatives. “The biggest thing is education.”
Continued on page 23 GoHUSKIES
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to transform the lives of student-athletes. Support Husky student-athletes by making a gift at uwtyeeclub.org.
NIL Walton worked with Jay Hilbrands, Senior Associate AD for External Relations, to establish programs that inform and educate UW’s studentathletes. Three women with expertise in social media are an integral part of UW’s NIL program. Karen Ramming, formerly the social media director for the Golden State Warriors, is Director of Digital Strategy and NIL. Amber Bunch, who has a sports law background, is the Assistant Director of NIL Education. She works with Ramming and Erica Cenci, Assistant Athletic Director for StudentAthlete Education, to guide the students and help develop their leadership skills. UW has incorporated a multitude of programs, both within the school’s curriculum as well as the business community. Its touchstone program is Boundless Futures, started in 2018, before NIL. The program is a “comprehensive personal, professional and leadership development program designed to provide student-athletes with tools, training and education needed to build leaders in life and in the workplace.” The program has adapted to provide additional programs to help student-athletes pursue new avenues created by NIL legislation. “Every student-athlete has the opportunity to have a foundational walkthrough,” Walton said. “We offer specialized topics such as establishing your brand, entering contracts and utilizing social networks.” Boundless Futures has partnered with the university’s Foster School of Business (and the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship) for a four-credit course focusing on NIL issues. The course, as UW outlines, “explores the intersection of athletics and business, covering key NIL topics such as personal brand development and strategy, business and entrepreneurship, and opportunity evaluation.”
GoHUSKIES
UW alumni also found a way to support the school’s athletes through Montlake Futures, promoted by former Head Football Coach Chris Petersen, a Fritzky Chair in Leadership at the Foster School of Business.
More than 40 students took the class last fall, taught by Betsy Sperry, who developed the One Degree Brand Chemistry. One restriction placed on member institutions by the NCAA is that university personnel are not allowed to negotiate deals between students and potential sponsors. Students are essentially their own entrepreneurs and sales force. But universities can facilitate the process by involving private companies that specialize in NIL assistance such as Opendorse, a national outfit that claims to service more than 70,000 student-athletes. “It provides the student-athletes with creative content to build their personal brands,” Walton said. “It gives them access to personalized graphics, videos and game photos.” Another outside NIL program available to students is Altius Sports Partners, a national NIL educational consulting firm. It offers the students advice, counsel and demonstrates ways to maximize their brands. UW alumni also found a way to support the school’s athletes through Montlake Futures, promoted by former Head Football Coach Chris Petersen, a Fritzky Chair in Leadership at the Foster School of Business. The program, not affiliated with the university, serves as a virtual NIL matchmaker.
Its mission statement is “it supports deals that create value for UW student-athletes, businesses, nonprofits, and our communities. . .we take no cut from the deals. We support and exist solely to benefit NIL at the University of Washington.” Ramming said that she and her staff have taken numerous calls from other university representatives “looking to us for answers on how we do this. That’s a pretty good signal. I think we’re doing it the right way and we were early doing it the right way.” Walton added, “You don’t find a lot of schools, maybe we’re the only school in the country, to have that investment in staff.” Walton added that student-athletes are making ‘decent’ money from deals. He estimates the national average is between $900 to $1000. “Some student-athletes are above that average,” he said, “with multiple ones doing some unique things.” Some athletes are not necessarily striking deals for themselves but raising funds and interest to benefit communities, local charities, and nonprofits. Ramming said it’s gratifying to see students enjoying success. “Something they are quickly learning is that the more you put into it, the
Continued on page 24 PAGE 23
more you get out of it,” she said. With so much help from within and so many resources and programs outside the university in the Greater Seattle business community, there is also the unintended benefit to the UW athletic department, and its various sports programs. Prospective recruits and parents can just look around to see where the University of Washington is located. This is the 15th largest metro area in the U.S., the No. 11 economic market and the second largest tech hub. Some of the top Fortune 500 companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, T-Mobile, Eddie Bauer, Facebook, Google, Nintendo are headquartered or have major stakes in the region. “Our coaches use it when NIL comes up in conversations,” Ramming said. Walton called it “our home field advantage.” It’s a formidable lineup that makes it more difficult for other universities to compare and compete. It's not even a year old but it's thriving among students. As NIL continues to gain traction, the student-athletes' focus will be on where the opportunities are to help them not just on the playing field and in the classroom but the boardroom. “They will see in their time at the UW where they’ve grown personally and professionally and become leaders in their own communities,” Walton added. “We don’t want to help our student-athletes just for the next four years but the next 40.”
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UW BASEBALL COACH
LINDSAY MEGGS BY BOB SHERWIN FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
I
t took 11 innings — and 12-plus years — but on March 27 Lindsay Meggs captured his 300th victory as the longtime University of Washington baseball coach. The Huskies scored two runs in the top of the 11th to beat Arizona State, 6-4, and give Meggs his milestone achievement. Meggs, who previously coached at Chico State, Indiana State and began his UW tenure in 2010, has surpassed 900 career wins as a head Division I coach. He also won two NCAA Division II national championships at Chico. Under Meggs, the Huskies have advanced to the NCAA postseason three times, including 2018 when UW had its first and only appearance in the College World Series in Omaha. In 2014, the Huskies had its best record under Meggs, 41-17-1 (21-9 in Pac-12 play), just the fifth time the school reached at least 40 victories. Meggs also has had more than 40 players drafted by Major League Baseball — including a school record eight in 2014. Among the players who played for him were his two sons, Joe and Jack. Currently, Joe is the director of UW baseball operations. His daughter Kelly played basketball at UC-Irvine and one year of softball at Washington. His UW teams also have had success in the classroom, as the 2016 team posted a 3.29 GPA in fall quarter, the highest for a baseball team in school history. The program had a stretch, starting in 2012, in which the team’s student-athletes maintained a 3.00 GPA or higher in 21 of 23 quarters.
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300
The legendary skipper shares his history and magical moments during his 300 wins in purple and gold and over 900 as an NCAA coach
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Your UW teams helped you win 300-plus games now, one-third of your career wins. What does that say about your success and consistency? “I’ve had some great players over the years here, and some great teams. But the rewarding thing for me when you talk about wins is the fact that it’s a total team effort any time you win a game. And to be able to experience that here more than 300 times has been really rewarding.’’ Was your 2018 College World Series team your greatest accomplishment in the game? Where does that rank? “Getting to Omaha was a great accomplishment and a well-deserved reward for everyone who supports our program. Because so many people on and off the field played a part in reaching that goal, it is one of the greatest moments I’ve had in coaching.’’ What are the strongest memories you have from that 2018 season? “We overcame a lot during the 2018 season. We suffered some key injuries early and really did not get healthy until the last five weeks of the season. So, my memories of 2018 are more about how we just continued to hang in there and fight until we got everyone back. And once we did, we just took off.’’ Who, or what, has been your biggest help or inspiration as you advanced through your coaching career? “As a coach who has asked his family to make many sacrifices over the years, without a doubt my wife Teresa and my three kids have been my inspiration. The coaching profession can be tough on a family if everyone is not committed to making that lifestyle work, and my family has never blinked. They have always been my inspiration and they continue to be.’’ To be a successful coach, what are the most important traits that you feel a coach must have to be a leader of men? “I think honesty and tough love have been the backbone of my approach as a coach from day one. We love our players, but it is tough love. We want our players to be prepared for life after baseball, so we demand excellence and accountability from them both on and off the field. And because our success is built on our relationships, we are going to be honest with our players to a fault. I think our guy’s respect and appreciate that.’’
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What was your biggest thrill, as a player, in this game? “My biggest thrill as a player was hearing my name called as a collegiate player during the MLB draft. I experienced that twice and I will never forget it.’’ When did you know that you had the aptitude to become a college coach? “I was lucky as a player to be around some hall of fame coaches. When you’re around people like that and you’re paying attention, you can’t help but start to think like a coach. Before you know it, you’re directing traffic on the field like a coach, and by the time you’re playing career ends you feel like you can make a difference. And once it gets in your blood, well then you become a lifer.’’ What is the most difficult task, for a college coach, in assembling a successful baseball program? “The most difficult thing for me as a coach when working to assemble a championship program is to be patient. You need balance, both between the lines and off the field. You want your program to be built to last so you have to make smart choices. You have to be willing to develop young players and coaches in order to sustain a championship level mindset year in and year out. Long term, this is about building a championship culture, and that takes time and a consistent approach.’’ Can the Washington baseball program win the NCAA title and achieve sustained success with teams composed primarily of Northwest talent? “There is a lot of baseball talent in the Northwest, and we realize our best chance to be successful is to recruit the heck out of the state of Washington and the entire Northwest and then to build around that core from outside the area. That’s our goal every year and we think it gives us the best chance to win.’’ How cool is it to have your family members being such a vital part of your coaching career? “I am truly blessed to have been able to coach both of my sons and then watch them play professional baseball. Those are memories I will never forget. And then to watch them work their way into the coaching profession, I could not be prouder. We are truly blessed.’’
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ON THE
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HUSKY GOLF SEASON UPDATE
Washington & Woolsey WIN! Husky men battle the best in Pac-12 and pull out a win for the ages taking the team and individual titles at Aldarra CC BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
F
ALL CITY, Wash. — As Washington’s Noah Woolsey dueled down the back nine with Stanford’s Barclay Brown at the Pac-12 Championship on April 27, the weight of the individual title as well as the team title grew heavier with each hole. Brown made four birdies in a row, on Aldarra Country Club’s holes 12 through 15, while Woolsey double bogeyed the short par 4 17th. His lead had shrunk to just one stroke heading to the 438-yard par 4 18th, one of the toughest finishing holes in the state. But Woolsey, the Husky senior from Pleasanton, Calif., hit a dynamic approach shot to within 10 feet of the hole on 18. It was a golden shot that solidified both titles. Woolsey, who shot a 3-under 68 for a three-round total of 276, parred the hole, as did Brown, to win by one. He finished two
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CHAMPIONS ahead of Oregon’s Yuki Moriyama. The 8thranked Huskies took the team title by three shots over 17th-ranked Stanford while 4thranked Arizona State finished third, eight strokes behind. It marked the third title (first outright) for Woolsey this season to go with five seconds, two thirds and two fourth places. The other
Huskies who can now call themselves Pac-12 champions were: Chaun Tai-Lin (T10, 2-over 286), Petr Hruby (T22, 5-over 289), Bo Peng (T22, 5-over 289), Taehoon Song (T24, 6-over 290) and R.J. Manke (T28, 8-over 292). This is the seventh team title for the Huskies, the first since 2010. “We made the shots we needed to make,” Huskies sixth-year coach Alan Murray said. For Woolsey, winning the conference crown is no small feat. Some of the more prominent past winners are: Cal’s Collin Morikawa (2019, two-time major champion and former world No. 2), ASU’s Jon Rahm (2016, former world No. 1), Stanford’s Tiger Woods (1996, 15-time major champion, etc.) and ASU’s Phil Mickelson (1990, six-time major champion). Continued on page 30
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Noah Woolsey
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Petr Hrub
Teddy Lin
RJ Manke
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Woolsey also joins four Huskies who have won the individual title since 1958. They include Clint Names (1961), O.D. Vincent (1988), Erik Olson (2005) and Darren Wallace (2009). Woolsey, enjoying a three-shot lead after Brown bogeyed 16, drove behind a tree on 17. His line-drive approach to the green rolled off the back. It took him four shots, two chips and two putts, for a six and suddenly turned it into a dramatic final hole. Even the team title was not assured. “It happened so quickly,” Woolsey said. Woolsey’s drive on 18 sailed into the right rough, in a gully below the fairway, just inches from much thicker grass. “I’m pretty comfortable off that tee. I played it like 200 times over the past five years,” Woolsey said. Aldarra has been the Huskies home course during his time at Montlake. Murray saw no tension in Woolsey after the drive. “He came walking down the fairway, big smile on his face. He was enjoying it,” he said. “He made a super second shot. Really spectacular second shot. It was not an easy shot by any means. He deserves that. He really deserves that.” “I had 168 yards and tried to play it at 150, in the middle of the green,” Woolsey said. "I hit a nine-iron. Pushed it a little. It came out perfect.” Brown, whose approach came up well shot, 45 feet from the hole, missed his birdie putt by three feet. Woolsey rimmed the hole on his first putt then made a two-footer for championship, as his teammates rushed the green to leap on the Husky pacesetter. The Huskies led all three days of the tournament, by four over ASU on the two 18-hole rounds Monday. On Tuesday, three Huskies, Woolsey, Peng and Lin, each birdied both 17 and 18 to lift the Huskies to a seven-stroke lead entering Wednesday’s final 18 holes. Woolsey, who has already qualified for the Canadian Tour this summer, trailed Brown by one shot entering Wednesday’s finale. On the par-4 eighth hole, Brown lost his drive – and the lead – into the left rough. He couldn’t find his ball within the required three minutes so he had to re-tee and would make a bogey. Woolsey made a 10-foot par on the hole to take the lead he would not relinquish. The NCAA announces the field for the NCAA Tournament May 4. The Regionals will be played at six different sites May 15-18. GoHUSKIES
6.125 × 9.25 SPINE: 1
FLAPS: 3.5
FEAR NO MAN
DON JAMES, THE ’91 HUSKIES, AND THE SEVEN-YEAR QUEST FOR A NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
MIKE GASTINEAU
FOREWORD BY NICK SABAN The inside sTory of one of The mosT elecTrifying college fooTball Teams of all Time augusT 2021 $29.95 HC
“Fans oF the Don James era and anyone who loves college football are in for a gourmet feast. In meticulous yet breezy detail, Mike Gastineau recounts n 1984 the University of Washington the greatest team in Washington HusHuskies won every game but one, rankkies football history. Never-before-told ing second in national polls. For most storiescoaches, about the indomitable Steve Emtsuch a season would be a career man, the irrepressible Joesecond Hobert, pinnacle. But for DonBilly James place and the savviness coordinators motivated him of to set aside what heJim knew about football and Gilbertson rethink the game. Lambright and Keith lightJames up made radical changes to his coaching phithe drama of James’s pinnacle achievelosophy, from recruitment to becoming one ment.”—Art Thiel, Sportspress Northwest of the first college teams willing to blitz
I
on any down and in any situation. His new
“the passage oF time approach initially failed,has yet made it finally culminated inofone the most explosive teams the greatness theof1991 Washington in college football mystical, history. Huskies seem almost and it In Fear No Man, Mike Gastineau takes incredible effort to humanize them recounts the riveting story of Don James while also appreciating their team criminally and the national champion he built. underrated significance college footUndefeated, the 1991 to Huskies outscored opponents by an average of 31 points ball. Mike Gastineau accomplishes thisper game on their way to winning the Rose difficult task and then some in a definiBowl and a national championship. The tive account of these national champions. team included twenty-five future NFL playThis book frames properlygripping all the account dimeners, and in Gastineau’s sions of Don James’s masterpiece of aand they come alive with all the swagger joy they brought to the game. A brilliant team.”—Jerry Brewer, Washington Post examination of one of college football’s coaches and teams, Fear No Man “mikegreatest gastineau pulls back the is the inspirational story of an improbable purplejourney curtain and gives the reader an that led to one classic and unforunvarnished, up-close, and surprising gettable season.
view of what was happening behind the scenes. If you care about University of Washington football, this is a must-read.” —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times “as someone who has been Fortunate to grow up around the University of Washington, I can recall firsthand how special the ’91 season was. A team and staff led by Don James, an individual who had an incredible impact on me, put together one of the most notable seasons in Husky history that will be forever remembered on Montlake. This book tells that story.”—Jen Cohen, University of Washington Director of Athletics
AvAilAble At bookstores And online · uwApress.uw.edu
ON THE
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HUSKY GOLF SEASON UPDATE
UW women battle with young team at Pac-12 Championship BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
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ashington Huskies women’s golf team, in contention after the first two days of the Pac-12 Championship at the Eugene (Ore.) Country Club in mid-April, might have fallen victim to its youth movement on the final day, finishing eighth. The Huskies, with five freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and just one senior — one of the youngest teams ever to tee up at UW — had been sitting in third place, just one stroke behind Arizona and Oregon after two days. But they tumbled to a combined 312 over par on day three to finish 29-over par at 893 for the three-day event, played in rainy, cold and windy conditions. UW sophomore Stefanie Deng had the highest finish for the Huskies, in a tie for ninth. Host Oregon won the championship as Duck Hsin-Yu Lu won individual honors at 6-under par. “I was super proud of the team this week,” said Mary Lou Mulfur, in her 38th season as the UW head coach. “Even though we had a rough (third day), our team got better this week. They have started to embrace the way we do things, and I am proud of the progress we made this week.” That’s a welcoming sign as the Huskies, with some strong performances this season (second at the Chambers Bay Invitational; second at the Gunrock Invitational; third at the Juli Inkster Invitational) may be selected to play in the NCAAs. The Regionals begin May 9 with the NCAA Championship May 20-25 in Scottsdale. Mulfur’s teams have qualified for the Regional in 27 of the past 29 years. Some Huskies also have an eye on qualifying for the USGA Women’s Amateur Aug. 8-14 at Chambers Bay. It features the top 144 women in the world.
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Stefanie Deng
Mary Lou Mulflur
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Men’s And Women’s Rowing Teams Cruising Through 2022 En Route to Windermere Cup MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
Men’s Rowing RECAP
T
he heart of the men’s rowing season is at hand for the Washington Huskies. But they’ve already been plenty busy – and plenty successful, too, starting last fall when they finished second at the Head of the Housatonic in Shelton, Conn.; won the Head of the Charles in Boston, then won the Head of the Lake in Seattle. Through the early spring, the Huskies swept all races against Washington State in a dual match-up on March 26 through the Montlake Cut. They went on to sweep a double-dual against Stanford and Oregon State in Seattle, then won every race on both days of a two-regatta trip to Northern California April 9-10: the Ky Ebright Invitational in Oakland and the Pac-12 Invitational in Redwood City. As always, the circle-the-calendar day for the regular season is the dual against Cal. This time, it was in Redwood Shores on April 23. Washington won the freshman eights, while the Bears came out on top in the other races. The season begins in earnest on May 7, with the Windermere Cup on Montlake Cut, this will be the first Windermere since 2019, with the last two canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Netherlands national eight will be in Seattle for that race, their first appearance here since 1994. It’s noteworthy that Washington’s first-line varsity eight has two Dutch rowers, Gert-Jan van Doorn and Simon van Dorp. The eight also includes international rowers from New Zealand, Canada, and Germany. A week later, on May 15, the Pacific-12 Championships begin at Dexter Lake just south of Eugene. Washington’s varsity eight has won the race 41 times since the team’s first victory in 1962. That will be followed by the IRA Championships Regatta in West Windsor, N.J., from June 3-5. Last year, UW swept all four grand finals at the IRA. Overall, the Huskies have won 19 IRA national championships.
Continued on page 36 PAGE 34
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Women’s Rowing RECAP
A
s they again look toward the challenge of being the best in the Pacific-12 and in the country, the University of Washington women’s rowers will take on a team that is consistently among the best in the world. Great Britain, traditionally one of the strongest eights anywhere, will come to Seattle and to the Montlake Cut on May 7 to compete in the Windermere Cup for the fourth time. The British eight won the 1998 Windermere race against a Huskies boat that went on to capture the NCAA title. They also competed in the 2002 and 2014 races, finishing third and second, respectively. Great Britain’s eight was seventh in the 2020 Olympics (contested in 2021 because of the pandemic). The British also won gold in the women's four at the 2021 World Rowing Under-23 Championships, with a crew that included current UW rower Holly Dunford. Angharad Broughton of Wales rowed in the first varsity eight at Cal, and Abby Adebiyi of England was in the second eight. The Huskies posted some solid results throughout the spring, capped by winning all four of the eights in the annual showdown against Cal, this time at Redwood Shores in California. Washington also won the eights on both days of the Las Vegas Invitational and placed third at the San Diego Crew Classic. Washington, ranked as high as third in the nation this season, closes the schedule with the Pac-12 Championships May 15 on Dexter Lake just south of Eugene. UW has won the event 18 times since 1987. It’s then on to the NCAA Championships, set for May 27-29 in Sarasota, Fla. The Huskies are the defending national champions.
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Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES
ROUNDTRIPPER!
Infielder Michael Snyder celebrates hitting his second homerun in the first game of the series against UCLA. The Huskies won the game 7-1, and went on to sweep the series.
To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
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