GoHuskies June 2024

Windermere Cup Win: Thousands lined Montlake Cut May 4, including six actors from the movie “The Boys in the Boat”, to watch UW beat Wisconsin and the Italian National Team.

he Washington men’s rowing team won their 41st league title on May 19 at the 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.

The Huskies won the varsity eight, second varsity eight, third varsity eight and the varsity four finals to regain the crown for the first time since 2021.

The UW wins in those four races were essentially a repeat of their performance in the UW-Cal Dual in April, when Washington won four out of five — all but the freshman eights race, which the Bears also won in Gold River.

Washington finished with 72 team points,

ahead of Cal's 65. Oregon State was third with 47 points while Stanford (42) finished in fourth place.

“I think across the board, we improved,” said UW Men’s Head Coach Michael Callahan. “We took on a new challenge from the Cal Dual, and we answered that.”

The Washington women’s rowing team’s long and successful run as a member of the Pac-12 Conference ended in Gold River, as the Huskies finished an excruciatingly close third in their final Pac-12 Championship Regatta bid.

With 35.5 total points, Washington finished just one-half point back of second-place California (36).

Defending NCAA champ Stanford earned its third straight conference title, with 45.5 total points. In the 37 years since the Pac-12 (Pac-10) first sponsored a women's rowing championship in 1987, Washington won the team championship a record 18 times.

“The racing was excellent across the board,” said UW head coach Yasmin Farooq. “We’ve made significant progress since the start of the season in all lineups.”

For news on the Men’s 2024 IRA National Championships in New Jersey and Women’s NCAA Championships in Ohio — both which took place May 31-June 2 — visit GoHuskies.com.

VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 4 / JUNE 2024

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FROM THE DESK OF UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS PAT CHUN

Thank you, Husky Nation, for the incredibly gracious welcome that you have provided me and my family. We are thrilled to join the University of Washington and immerse ourselves into the UW and Seattle communities.

It is clear that the University is a special place. The passion Husky fans have for each of our athletic programs is evident, as are the pride and joy that UW Athletics brings to our community. We are grateful for your support that directly benefits our student-athletes.

As you may well be aware, intercollegiate athletics is in a period of great uncertainty and, in the next few years, we will likely see transformational change. However, there are exciting days ahead for the Huskies, especially our formal entry into the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 2, which will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans with some of the premier matchups in all of college sports. That includes a rematch of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game with Michigan at Husky Stadium this fall.

The opportunities directly in front of us are vast and it is our responsibility to take advantage of them to usher in the next great era of UW Athletics.

We will be unrelenting in our daily pursuit of excellence and will ensure that our student-athletes are well-positioned to compete at the highest levels of college athletics and are prepared for life after UW.

We thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the University of Washington and look forward to seeing you on Montlake very soon.

Go Dawgs!

Pat Chun, Director of

Athletics

Lamentations about the old days set aside, there’s a new reality in intercollegiate athletics today. Judicial rulings and legislative actions give student-athletes the right to earn money for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). And those NIL opportunities now drive recruiting and retention.

“The University of Washington benefits from student-athletes’ hard work and extraordinary performances, in the Athletic Department and as an institution. NIL gives student-athletes a wonderful opportunity to be involved with organizations they care about,” explains Shannon Kelly, Deputy Athletic Director for Revenue Generation. Their packed schedules make it impossible for student-athletes to work part-time like other students to pay for expenses not covered by their scholarships. Shannon says NIL allows them “to use their platforms to serve their communities, make some money, build their brands, and learn real world skills to help launch their lives after college.”

Enter Montlake Futures, a nonprofit organization established by community leaders to ensure that NIL operates in the best interests of studentathletes. By partnering with other charitable insti-

tutions such as Seattle Children’s, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Seattle Humane Society, Montlake Futures matches causes student-athletes care about with paid service opportunities.

For example, student-athletes led more than 500 kids in drills as part of a Boys and Girls Clubs field day at Husky Stadium. Make a Wish raised $20,000 by auctioning off a personal appearance by UW football players.

Men’s basketball players helped the American Heart Foundation promote the importance of healthy eating. It’s a win-win-win for the charities, the student-athletes, and the community. In addition to earning money, student-athletes learn how to analyze and negotiate contracts, how to pay taxes, and how to be accountable in what might be their first job-like experiences.

Funding for NIL comes from tax-deductible donations from Husky fans who understand the importance of NIL to recruiting top scholar athletes. “Do you like to win? That’s the question I ask when I talk to people about donating to Montlake Futures,” says Executive Director Andrew Minear. “We’ve made great strides in building our NIL collective. But with

the move to the Big Ten, we need more community investment to compete against schools that have elevated NIL to their top priority. Success in the Big Ten demands that we adapt to this new landscape.”

PAT CHUN

Former WSU AD Pat Chun takes the reins as the UW’s 17th Director of Athletics

BY GOHUSKIES.COM

T

he University of Washington has appointed Pat Chun to serve as its 17th Director of Athletics, UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced March 26. Chun has served in the same role at Washington State University since 2018, during which time he was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year. During Chun’s directorship, 10 different WSU sports programs made NCAA tournament appearances and the school won six Pac-12 Championships.

Chun began his duties at the UW on March 27 and was warmly introduced at a news conference later that week.

“Pat has a track record of success and a wealth of experience — from 15 years in the Big Ten and service on national groups guiding the future of college sports, to securing community support and a commitment to the well-being of student-athletes. He knows our state, is highly respected in national athletics circles and has an eye for talent. I'm so happy he'll be joining us to lead UW Athletics into the future,” said President Cauce.

“It is truly an honor for my family and I to join the University of Washington family, and I look forward to doing my part to help elevate the athletics program and the University,” said Chun. “I am grateful to President Cauce for the opportunity and will work closely with our campus partners, our coaches and our staff to help our student-athletes have an incredible experience at UW. Our transition to the Big Ten is a critical step in our journey and great things lie ahead for the Huskies!”

Earlier this year, Chun was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and also serves on the NCAA Division I Council. He previously served on the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee and is a co-founder of the Asian American & Pacific Islander Athletics Alliance. Pat is currently the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and co-chairs the Pac-12 ImPACt Leadership Council, which focuses on college sports as a vehicle for positive social change. At Washington State, Chun oversaw successes

in competition and the classroom, and secured record levels of donor support during this time. His appointment at WSU made him the first Asian-American athletics director to lead a Power Five program.

Chun began his career in a series of roles at The Ohio State University lasting from 1997 to 2012, ultimately serving as Executive Associate Athletics Director. During his time at OSU overseeing external relations, he led three consecutive record fundraising years and led negotiations of what was at the time the largest multimedia rights deal in intercollegiate athletics history.

After OSU, Chun led the Florida Atlantic University athletics program for five-and-a-half years, during which time the Owls won multiple individual and team championships, many national and conference awards, and raised the department-wide GPA to a new high.

“I am excited about forming an elite partnership and special relationship with Pat Chun. It was critical for us to hire an extraordinary leader who is all about the W. Pat is about work, winning and the state of Washington. He is someone who is extremely knowledgeable and on the cutting edge of the new frontier of college football. Most of all, he is a proven winner. He knows what it takes to compete and win consistently at the highest levels. And he brings intimate knowledge of the Big Ten from his time at Ohio State. I look forward to sharing ideas together, to learning together, to winning

together and to bringing multiple championship trophies to Montlake together,” said UW Head Football Coach Jedd Fisch.

“I’m excited to have Pat Chun as our new Director of Athletics. He truly centers student-athletes’ well-being, academic and athletic pursuits. From his engagement on the D1 Transformation Committee to chairing the Pac-12 ImPACt Leadership Council, he has shown his thoughtfulness for the future of college sports. He is a perfect fit for our UW culture and values and will move us forward into the Big Ten,” said Dr. Alexes Harris, UW Faculty Regent and Faculty Athletics Representative.

“Pat is an outstanding leader and administrator who possesses exceptional knowledge of the turbulent landscape of college athletics. He is an excellent team builder who has a keen eye for recognizing and hiring top-notch coaches and administrators. Not only does Pat have extensive knowledge and experience in the Big Ten, but he also has deep ties to the Pacific Northwest and Seattle. With so many changes occurring, Pat is the perfect person to help navigate and take UW to new heights as we enter the Big Ten this fall,” said Chris Petersen, former UW head football coach.

Chun grew up in Strongsville, Ohio, and earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio State and a master's degree from Duquesne University. His wife, Natalie, is also an Ohio State alumnus and they have three daughters — Vanna, Kennedy and Gretta.

Pictured from left to right: Pat, daughters Kennedy, Vanna, Gretta and wife, Natalie

DANNY SPRINKLE

Former Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year becomes 20th UW men’s head coach

BY GOHUSKIES.COM

Danny Sprinkle was named the 20th Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Washington, Interim Director of Athletics Erin O'Connell announced on March 25.

Sprinkle was recently named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the 2023-24 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year after leading Utah State to a MWC regular season championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

“Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner,” said O'Connell. “He won as a high school player, as a collegiate student-athlete, as an assistant coach, and then at both stops as a head coach, including the recent regular season conference championship at Utah State. But beyond his coaching acumen is his ability to connect with student-athletes, develop them into outstanding young men and basketball players and embrace the community around him. Coach is exactly what our program needs at this moment in time, and we are thrilled to have him take the reins of our men's basketball program.”

Sprinkle has coached a team in the last three NCAA Tournaments, guiding 20th-ranked Utah State to a first-round win this season after clinching consecutive berths at Montana State.

In his one season in Logan, Sprinkle led the Aggies to an impressive 28-7 record, including 14-4 in conference play, winning the regular season championship. Utah State received an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament and won its first tournament game since 2001, defeating TCU. During his time at Utah State, Sprinkle helped develop Great Osobor into the Mountain West Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Josh Uduje into the Co-Sixth Man of the Year and Ian Martinez into an Honorable Mention AllConference player.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Cauce and the athletic department leadership for entrusting me to lead the men’s basketball program at this world-class institution,” said Sprinkle. “It was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it. The university means a great deal to our family, and I am excited to return to my home state. With a strong commitment to excellence and incredible fan support, we will recruit exceptional young men who will take pride in wearing the purple and gold, who will win championships and who will leave UW with an impressive degree. I am excited to get started and to be a part of such a special place.”

Prior to his tenure at Utah State, Sprinkle served as the head coach at Montana State for four seasons, accumulating an 81-43 record and leading the Bobcats to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2022 and 2023. Montana State won the Big Sky regular season championship in 2022 and won the postseason conference tournament in both 2022 and 2023. The consecutive 25-win seasons had not been achieved at Montana State since 1927-29.

For his success at Montana State, Sprinkle was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2022, as well as a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in the country.

“We’re very excited to welcome Danny Sprinkle to the University of Washington. He’s someone who brings a great track record as a head coach and from our conversations I know he’s committed to our Huskies succeeding on and off the court. He’s a great fit for the culture we have at the UW, plus he comes from a Husky family, and I can’t wait to see him on the sidelines in Alaska Airlines Arena,” said President Ana Mari Cauce.

Before taking the helm at Montana State, Sprinkle served as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge (twice) and at Montana State. He was part of NCAA Tournament teams at Fullerton (2018) and at Cal State Northridge (2001 and 2009), with CSUN winning conference championships in both of those seasons.

Born in Pullman, Wash., Sprinkle earned allstate honors twice in basketball as a student at Helena (Montana) High School, while also competing in football and track and field.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and human development from Montana State in 2000.

Sprinkle is the son of former UW football defensive back, Bill Sprinkle, who played for the Huskies from 1965-68.

“Simply put, Coach Sprinkle is a winner,” said Erin O'Connell.

“He won as a high school player, as a collegiate student-athlete, as an assistant coach, and then at both stops as a head coach, including the recent regular season conference championship at Utah State.”

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE

Husky fans will enjoy cheering on their Dawgs as some of the biggest brands in college basketball roll into Alaska Airlines Arena in Washington's inaugural season in the Big Ten.

New season ticket deposits are available now for just $100 per seat. Reserve a spot in line with a down payment for the best seats next year. Season ticket holders receive exclusive year-round events and benefits, special discounts, pre-sales, seat upgrade opportunities, and much more. Depositplacers will receive priority to select seats after the renewal period for returning season ticket holders — 2024-25 Season Ticket Renewals will launch later this spring.

To learn more about ticket options and be the first to know about pre-sales and ticket offers, complete an interest form online and a personal ticketing representative will reach out to assist you.

Follow @UW_MBB on X/Twitter and Instagram for the latest on Coach Sprinkle and the Huskies.

Coach Sprinkle and sister, Erin

QUESTIONS

BY MARK MOSCHETTI

FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

For most college freshmen (in any sport), qualifying for an NCAA championship in their first year of collegiate competition means being happy just to be there, getting a feel for it, and learning how to deal with pressure of performing on the national stage.

Typically, it doesn’t mean expecting to win it all.

But Hana Moll isn’t most college freshmen. Sure, the first-year University of Washington pole vaulter was happy to be in Boston at the NCAA nationals on the second weekend of March. She got to experience first-hand how the feel and the pressure of an NCAA meet is different from the many other big stages on which she already had performed.

Yes, Moll did expect to have a legitimate chance of winning it all — and she did so with room to spare.

There seemingly isn’t any height — or any achievement — which seems out of reach for Moll. She is both the American U-20 and high school record holder in the outdoor pole vault, won the world U-20 title in 2022, and was on Team USA for last year’s World Outdoor Championships. And, she's the Pac12 Champion having won the conference meet with sister Amanda taking runner-up honors.

She could have taken her talents anywhere, but chose Washington, just 60 or so miles north of her home in Olympia. Her twin sister Amanda, who owns her own impressive resume of pole vaulting credentials, is joining her on Montlake. Their father, Eric Moll, is a former Husky rower.

In this issue’s 10 Questions, Moll talks about winning the NCAA indoor crown, how she got into pole vaulting, and how she drives herself to new heights.

Soaring!

UW world-class pole vaulter Hana Moll — co-starring with her twin Amanda — flies higher and higher on her own and as part of the most amazing sister act in American athletics today

You’ve enjoyed a lot of success on very big pole vaulting stages. How does winning the NCAA title compare to all of those?

“Compared to my previous successes, winning the NCAA title felt less of an individual success and more of a team success. Experiencing my first win as a part of a college team filled me with pride and accomplishment for more than myself. I am proud to represent the University of Washington, so getting a title for the school was very exciting.”

You came into the NCAAs believing that you absolutely could win it. Every athlete has their own way of dealing with that kind of pressure, whether from within or from outside. How do you deal with it?

“I deal with pressure for competitions by acknowledging the fears of failure and pushing past it. I focus on the enjoyment of the sport and technical cues that will help me succeed. For NCAAs, I knew I really wanted to win, so my competitive edge helped me overcome the pressure.”

After you won, you said that your jumps “are a lot different than last year, but for the better.” What is different and better about the way you’re jumping now?

“The main difference between last year and now is that I am much stronger. College training is much more intense than high school training so I am able to move faster down the runway and plant bigger poles that will ultimately help me jump higher. Additionally, I have been making technical improvements in the latter part of my jump, focusing on turning earlier so I can get more energy coming off the pole.”

A track runner will often say that there’s a certain part of the race that’s a key part for them. For a vaulter, is there a certain part of the competition that’s key for you? In other words, is there any point — maybe clearing a certain height — when you can say to yourself, “OK, this is going to be a good day.”

“I think that once I clear the opening height, I can relax my mind and start focusing on jumping high that day. For most pole vaulters, the opening height can be one of the most stressful parts of the competition because if you don’t clear it, then it is considered a no-height.”

As you have gone higher and higher, is there a milestone bar that you still look back on with fond memories? Maybe your first 12, 14 or 15-footer?

“The biggest milestone bar for me was 14 feet. In high school, clearing 14 feet is a big accomplishment and mental barrier. The first time I cleared 14 feet was at a competition in California where my sister, my teammate, and I cleared that height, so I have very fond memories looking back at that

height. Technically, 14 feet is a big barrier for a female pole vaulter because it requires you to have better technique and bigger poles to clear it. So, after clearing that height, it made me realize the potential I had to jump even higher.”

Everyone knows about you as a pole vaulter, but what a lot of people don’t know is that in high school, you were also a state champion hurdler and a relay runner. What was it about those events that you liked, and did you ever consider focusing on anything other than pole vaulting?

“Before I even started pole vault, I was training to be a heptathlete. So going into my freshman year of high school, I was still deciding what events I wanted to focus on because I knew I couldn’t succeed in both heptathlon and pole vault. I ultimately chose pole vault, but I decided to compete in both the hurdles and the relays partly for my high school team, but also because it was good speed cross-training for pole vault. I liked the true adrenaline rush I got right before I competed in those races, and also liked the team aspect of the relay. I never really considered focusing on those events instead of pole vault, though, because I really love the sport and its community.”

How old were you when you first tried vaulting, and what got you to give it a try?

“I first tried pole vault at the end of seventh grade. At the time, I had stopped pursuing gymnastics after seven years and wanted to start exploring other sports. During the period I was competing in gymnastics, I had also started doing track on the side. Once I stopped competing, my mom (who wanted to pole vault in high school but was told girls couldn’t pole vault) introduced my sister and I to it through a camp taught by Tim Reilly, one of my coaches here at Washington, and I fell in love with it. I have always enjoyed very adrenaline-rich sports (gymnastics, rock climbing, mountain biking) so pole vault was perfect for me.”

What ultimately factored into your decision to attend and compete for Washington?

“The quality of both academics and athletics was the biggest factor in my decision to attend the University of Washington. I am from the state of Washington, so being close to home was a big plus. Another big factor is that the vault squad at UW is the best in the country. The combination of my coaches, Toby Stevenson and Tim Reilly, and my teammates are what make this place such a great environment for success.”

What has it been like having Amanda alongside you through this journey, and how do the two of you push and encourage each other to get better every day?

“Having my sister alongside me throughout this

journey has been crucial in my success in this sport. Having a great training partner that will push you every step of the way has kept me on an unparalleled path of improvement. She has pushed me both mentally and physically and I cannot ask for a better training partner or sister.”

What is your ultimate goal height, and what will it take to get there?

“My ultimate goal is to break the world record (currently 16 feet, 7¼ inches / 5.06 meters). It will take lots of physical and technical improvement before I get there, but I think it is possible.”

SISTER

ACT: MEET Amanda Moll

Sometimes, talent comes in twosomes, and sometimes it even comes in twin twosomes.

Meet Amanda Moll, Hana’s twin sister and UW teammate. The 2022 U.S. U-20 Juniors National Champion, Amanda also has competed in the 2022 World U-20 Championships and the 2023 Milrose Games. She is the American U-20 indoor and the U.S. high school indoor record holder.

Her college debut was indoors at the Spokane Invitational last Dec. 9, where she cleared 12 feet, 3 ½ inches. By February, when she was part of the Husky squad that traveled to Lincoln, Neb., for the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational — one of the top indoor meets in the country annually — she recorded her first collegiate 14-footer, going 14-0.

Just one week later, back inside Dempsey Indoor, Amanda went 14-4 to win the Husky Classic, the highlight of her winter season. She made her outdoor debut on the final weekend of March at the Texas Relays in Austin, going 13-7¼.

In early May, Amanda was No. 7 among Pac-12 vaulters on the strength of that mark in Texas. At the Conference Championship in Boulder, Colo., she was the runner-up behind Hana, catapulting her even higher.

Back-to-Back Pac-12 Champs!

Conference Championship meet closes out in amazing fashion for men’s and women’s teams

OBY GOHUSKIES.COM

nce was historic. Twice was euphoric. The Washington men's track and field team never won the Pac-12 title in the first 63 years of the conference, but UW broke through to win in 2023, and in 2024 they completed their title defense, riding off into the Pac-12 sunset as back-to-back champions.

In the first Pac-12 Championships held at altitude, at Colorado’s Potts Field in Boulder, the Dawgs stayed kings of the mountain on the men's side, finishing off a 150-point performance from its 28-man crew to hold off second-place USC (141 points) and third-place California (95 points). The storied conference will go its separate ways next season, with Washington off to the Big Ten.

The Husky women's team placed fifth in its final Pac-12 appearance, marking five consecutive top-five finishes under Maurica Powell. The women scored 69 points, highlighted by an enormous 28-points in the pole vault (as UW finished 1-2-3-5 in that event)

and a 1,500 meters title from Chloe Foerster, the first Husky to win that event since 2009.

Washington's second-straight team title only further cements the historic rise up through the conference ranks during Head Coach Andy Powell's tenure. The men were eighth at this meet prior to Powell taking over, then went to fourth in year one, up to third in 2021, then second in 2022 and to the top spot in 2023. With nowhere to go but down, the Dawgs instead chose to stay on top.

“It was just a great team effort,” said Andy Powell. “It wasn’t necessarily the guys that won (titles) that won this championship, it was all the second, third, fourth, fifth-place finishers.”

To Powell’s point, last year the Huskies took the title behind a program record seven individual victories, scoring 151 points. This year the Huskies scored 150, but with only three titles (Chandler Ault, Javelin; Prestin Artis, Long Jump; and Joe Waskom, Steeplechase). The depth got it done for the Dawgs.

UW Men's Track Team repeat as Pac-12 Champions.

Distances

The first big highlight on the track came from Foerster in the women's 1,500 meter final. In an incredibly deep field, Foerster positioned herself well in third place midway through, and then up into second at the bell lap. The sophomore from Portland made her move into the lead past Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz with about 200 meters to go. Ayyildiz made a last push to try and regain the lead, but Foerster showed her strength and determination and only pulled farther away to win by nearly a second in a time of 4:16.33 to the 4:17.15 of Ayyildiz.

In the men’s 1,500 meters, the Huskies had four finalists of their own: Nathan Green, Luke Houser, Joe Waskom, and Ronan McMahon-Staggs. They ultimately maneuvered their way into a 2-34-5 finish, just missing the individual title but still piling up a huge 23 team points in the event. Green was the runner-up, Houser took third, Waskom fourth, and McMahon-Staggs fifth.

In the 800 meters, the women had another trio of finalists while the men had two more in the mix.

Wilma Nielsen challenged for the lead late and took fourth place in a quick 2:03.53. Samantha Friborg was sixth in 2:05.83, and Marlena Preigh was seventh in 2:07.15, as the three combined for 10 team points.

In the men’s 800 meter final, Green took fourth in 1:49.97 and Houser was fifth in 1:50.20, which meant another nine points for the men.

The last distance race was the 5,000-meters, with just the 4 x 400 meter relay to follow. At that point, the Husky men's team still needed three points to officially clinch the team title over USC.

Leo Daschbach delivered, who had scored in the 10K on Friday in seventh and fought his way up to fifth place in the 5K in 14:20.30 and earned the needed four points to clinch. Evan Jenkins, the 10K runner-up, also tacked on one more point in eighth in 14:27.90.

In the women’s 5K, Haley Herberg earned one final point for her Husky Pac-12 career, as she was eighth in 16:49.21.

Jumps

The women’s pole vault crew put on a show for the ages, though it was not seen by many as the inclement weather forced the vault and men's high jump to be held indoors, a mile from Potts Field, at the football indoor practice facility.

Nevertheless, the Huskies were clinical in sweeping the podium for the second time in program history, the last time coming in 2015. Twin sisters Hana and Amanda Moll went 1-2, and 2023 Pac-12 Co-Champion Nastassja Campbell took third, while the other Co-Champ, Sara Borton, was fifth. All told, that was an enormous 28-point haul for the No. 1-ranked women's vault group.

Amanda Moll, Campbell and Borton all jumped outdoor season-bests, and Hana Moll was over 15feet once again to get the victory. Hana Moll's winning height was 15-0 ½, and her sister made 14-10 ¼, the highest that Amanda has flown so far in her freshman season. Campbell cleared 14-4 ½ for third, and Borton cleared 14-0 ½, giving the Dawgs an amazing four 14-foot vaulters in the same meet.

Yet another crucial event to the men’s team title was the triple jump, where freshman Trevontay Smith and senior Kunle Akinlosotu came up big with a 3-4 finish to post 11 points. The two finished within less than an inch of each other, as Smith had a best of 50-0 ¾ and Akinlosotu jumped 500. Roman Hutchinson was ninth overall at 47-0 ¼.

In the women’s triple jump, Lauren Heggen continued her career-best season as she scored for the first time in her career, earning a fifth-place finish at 41-3 ¼.

Leland Lieberg came up just one bar shy of scoring in the men’s high jump, as he finished ninth overall with a make of 6-6.

Sprints

First came the 110 meter hurdles final, which freshman Johnathan Frazier was not slated to reach to begin with, but he got the eighth and final qualifying spot. Picking up one point for eighth would have been fine for all the Husky faithful, but Frazier went out and took fifth overall with a PR of 14.42 seconds despite a -1.8 headwind.

In the 400 meter hurdles final, Birchman and Frazier each dug in and started to close the gap down the homestretch. Frazier had a big last gap surge and he nearly caught WSU’s Jared McAlvey, who collapsed across the finish line. McAlvey won in 49.84 with Frazier barely second in 49.87, and Birchman right behind in third place in 50.00.

Both times were huge PRs for Frazier and Birchman, and Frazier also shattered the UW Freshman Record set in 2019 by 2022 and 2023 Pac-12 Champion Cass Elliott. Frazier now ranks No. 5 in UW history and Birchman goes to No. 6, as he broke his 50.40 career best. It was another big 14 points for the team score.

The meet wrapped up with the 4 x 400 meter relays. The women ran a solid time of 3:39.08 for 10th-place as Danielle Hunter, Anna Terrell, Marlena Preigh, and Kapiolani Coleman clocked a time that ranks No. 6 in school history. The men sent out all four of their 400-meter hurdlers (Boden Hanley, Matthew Wilkinson, Birchman and Frazier) taking ninth in a time of 3:11.88

Throws

The women’s discus was the first throwing event of the day. Kaia Tupu-South, after taking fourth in the shot put on Saturday, started things off by easily leading the first flight with a toss of 171-6. That would finish 10th overall after flight two was done, just missing the final by one spot. Senior Beatrice Asomaning got into that final out of the second flight, and she finished eighth with a best throw of 174-5, netting one point for the squad.

In the men’s discus, Nolan Such placed 14th overall, getting one fair throw of 155-0 along with a couple of fouls.

Wilma Nielsen

Beatrice Asomaning

Samantha Friborg

HUSKIES High Mileage

Three UW men push each other to go the distance on and off the track — Washington women poised for postseason

Luke Houser Senior • Distances

BY MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

O

ne of them has raced nearly 180 miles in a University of Washington track uniform. Another has gone more than 160. Still another has more than 50 miles of competition in purple and gold.

The 180-miler has a pair of NCAA championships. The 160-miler and 50-miler each have a pair of Pac-12 Conference crowns, and an NCAA title. Each of those first-place finishes on the sport’s biggest stages ultimately were achieved through individual and team efforts.

But to hear Luke Houser, Joe Waskom (160), and Nathan Green (50) tell it, those achievements are the result of their combined teamwork, along with that of a dozen or so other high-mileage teammates who have helped make Washington the place to be for distance-running dominance.

“They welcomed me and invited me and pushed me to heights I would not have achieved anywhere else in the country, or in the world, I believe,” said Green. After all, he is now a junior, and a Pac-12 and NCAA champ in the 1,500 meters. “I won it as a sophomore, and that’s unheard of.

“But it’s not because the stars were aligned and everything was perfect,” added Green, who through the end of April had raced 44 times as a Husky between cross country, indoor and outdoor track. “Luke and Joe were there to encourage me the entire year. Joe was the defending national champion, and he was telling me that I was going to win, that I had just as good a chance as anybody.

“You wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”

Continued on page 16

Nastassja Campbell Senior • Pole Vaulting

Jami Schlueter Sophomore • Decathlon

Chloe Foerster

Sophomore • 1,500

Houser, a senior with 77 UW races — and those 180 miles under his shoes through April 30 — just finished his final indoor track season by winning his second consecutive NCAA mile championship.

“For most guys who are at the top in high school, you’re the best guy on the team by quite a bit,” he said. “You come to Washington and there are 15 guys who can do every workout with you and pull you along. It was quite a change for me hanging out with all the guys, but I think it was a great change. I feel like I was able to buy into the program and jump in with everyone, and that was a huge improvement.”

At Washington, buying into the program means buying into coach Andy Powell’s program, and the results speak for themselves.

Under Powell’s direction, Washington has won national distance titles for three straight years: Waskom’s 2022 outdoor 1,500, Green’s 2023 outdoor 1,500, and Houser’s 2023 and 2024 indoor mile. Those three were part of a group of eight Huskies who all ran a sub-four-minute mile in the same race at the 2023 UW Invitational indoor meet.

Joe Waskom Senior • Distances

“I knew this was a capability when Andy first moved here. It was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Waskom, the 2022 Pac-12 and NCAA 1,500-meter winner who, like fellow senior Houser, had competed 77 times and 160 miles in Washington colors as the calendar turned to May. “This was always the goal: to have multiple national champions and guys who win Pac-12 titles and who have continued success and have the best distance and middle-distance program in the country.”

“We all want the best for ourselves, but we also equally want the best for each other,” Waskom added. “Every day, Andy talks about how you should do not only what’s best for you, but you should also do what’s best for everyone around you. As long as everyone is lifting each other up, you have 14 guys lifting you up.”

A Busy To-Do List, But First Things First

While the vast majority of their success has been at Washington, there have been accomplishments outside of Montlake. Waskom was a silver medalist in the 1,500 at last year’s U.S. Outdoor Championships and was a Team USA member at last year’s Worlds. Green was the U.S. junior 1,500-meter champion in 2022.

It’s no surprise that all three have this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene circled on their calendars for June 21-24, but that’s far enough in the future that none of them are even close to thinking about it just yet.

There's more pressing business at hand now, such as leveraging the UW's recent team title at the Pac-12 Championships in Boulder. That momentum will carry them into the NCAA West Regionals May 23-25 in Fayetteville, Ark., and then the NCAA Championships June 6-8 at Hayward.

Waskom said, “One of the nice things about being at UW is we really live in the moment. I know we’ve all thought about summer plans. But the best thing about having Andy and (distance coach) Chris (Kwiatkowski) as coaches is they really just help us keep perspective on what’s in front of us.”

Last spring, the Huskies swept every men’s distance title from 800 to 10,000 meters. Along with Green’s win in the 1,500, Brian Fay took both the 5,000 and the 10,000, Sam Ellis won the 800, and Ed Trippas finished first in the 3,000 steeplechase. Fay, Ellis, and Trippas have moved on from college. Green will be the favorite to repeat in the 1,500, as his 3:34.79 was atop the conference rankings (and No. 2 nationally) heading into May. Other Huskies setting the Pac-12 pace with the championship portion of the season coming up were freshman Evan Jenkins in the 10,000 (No. 4 nationally), senior Sam Affolder in the steeplechase, senior Chandler Ault in the javelin (No. 7 nationally), and

Continued on page 18

“Every day, Andy talks about how you should do not only what’s best for you, but you should also do what’s best for everyone around you.

As long as everyone is lifting each other up, you have 14 guys lifting you up.”

— Joe Waskom

Haley Herberg Senior • 10,000

Nathan Green Junior • Distances

Sam Affolder

Senior • Steeplechase

Amanda Moll

Freshman • Pole Vaulting

Chandler Ault

Senior • Javelin

Sara Borton

Junior • Pole Vaulting

sophomore Jami Schlueter in the decathlon.

“Of course, everyone wants to go back-toback,” Green said. “Like Luke said, we asked for it. If there’s a team that can defend the title, it’s our team. There’s a lot of depth in a lot of different areas. It’s really hard to come by a group that’s so well-rounded.”

While the Husky men made history last year with their conference championship — and repeated as champions in 2024 — the women made some history of their own by finishing in sole possession of third place in 2023 and fifth in 2024. They went into this year’s Pac-12s with a trio of conference leaders.

One of those is freshman pole vaulter Hana Moll. After winning the NCAA indoor title in March with a clearance of 15-1, she is the conference’s only 15-footer so far this spring, going that same height on April 17 at the Mt. SAC Relays.

In fact, Washington is the dominant force in Pac12 women’s pole vault. Senior Nastassja Campbell and junior Sara Borton tied for last year’s Pac-12 crown, then Campbell went on to finish second (and Borton sixth) at NCAAs. Moll’s twin sister Amanda is also drawing lots of attention. Hana and Amanda went 1-2 at the 2024 Pac-12 Championship in Boulder.

Senior Haley Herberg leads the conference in the 10,000. She missed the 2023 outdoor season with an injury but finished fourth in the 10,000 and sixth in the 5,000 at Pac-12s in 2022. Sophomore Chloe Foerster has been at the top of the Pac-12’s list in the 1,500.

husky baseball It Out Baseball

Slugging

UW’s baseball and softball teams make their marks up and down the West Coast in their final Pac-12 campaigns

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

The University of Washington’s baseball team, despite some stellar individual achievements, has not had the team success it had hoped entering the final phase of the season as well as the 65-year-old Pac-12 Conference.

The Huskies (10-20 in the Pac-12, 19-29-1 overall) did not have much sustained performance in 2024 – just a pair of three-game win streaks. The UW concluded their regular season with a trio of duels at Cal. The Huskies finished with a 12-10 winning record at home, but were 6-18-1 on the road.

Sophomore second baseman Aiva Arquette, from Kailua, Hawaii, at one point had at least one hit in 37 of the Huskies’ 42 games, including a 17-game hitting streak. He led the Huskies in average (.352), was second in home runs (11) and second in runs batted in (34) heading into the regular season’s final seven games.

Aiva arquette

Cam Clayton

Dawgs DIAMOND 2024

Right-handed relief pitcher Grant Cunningham, a homegrown sophomore from Seattle Prep, had a stretch in which he appeared in 11 games, covering 29.2 innings, and gave only one earned run to drop his ERA to 1.36. Overall this season, he struck out 47 batters in 41.1 innings.

Cam Clayton, a junior infielder from Lake Oswego, Ore., had a 10-game streak in which he had multiple hits in seven of them, raising his batting average by 85 points to .289. He also put together a 14-game hit streak that ended May 4.

Junior AJ Guerrero, from Fife, Wash., had a pair of home runs in back-to-back games, May 4-5, against Arizona State. He led the team in home runs (13) and RBI (42) toward the end of the season. He also has entered the school’s top 10 all-time home run list with 30 in his three seasons.

Sophomore first baseman Jeter Ybarra, from San Jose, Calif., brought his average up over .300 (.304) by May 7. He also had 34 RBI.

The five-day Pac-12 Conference tournament, which began in 1916, took place May 21 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Huskies have won the tournament — or the North Division champion — 15 times. The last UW championship was 1998. Last season, the Huskies lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Oregon.

Visit GoHuskies.com to read about the team’s final push through the postseason and follow all the stats, results, news and on-site coverage.

Jeter Ybarra Grant Cunningham

Softball

husky softball

Washington, perennially one of the most respected softball programs in the country, finished third in the powerful Pac-12 Conference regular season and was ranked 15th in the nation at the time of this reporting. UW made their 30th consecutive appearance at the NCAA Regionals in May.

The Huskies entered post-season play needing to recapture the momentum that helped propel them to the NCAA Division I tournament 36 times, including 14 times to the Women’s College World Series — and one national title (2009).

The Huskies (13-10 in the Pac-12, 32-15 overall) closed the regular season with five losses in their final six games.

It’s like this every season for the Huskies as they have to battle mightily in conference play. The Huskies have won the Pac-12 title just four times since 1987, the last time was 2019, a co-championship with UCLA.

This season the conference was loaded again with five teams ranked in the Top 25 after NCAA Regionals: (6) UCLA, (8) Stanford, (15) Washington, (19) Arizona, and (22) Oregon.

All those West Coast softball powers gathered May 8-11 at Stanford to the final Pac-12 Conference tournament.

Continued on page 24

Dawgs DIAMOND

2024 SEASON

Alana Johnson

Brooke Nelson

The Huskies finished their season ranked third in Pac-12 team batting average (.318, behind Arizona and UCLA) despite no individual in the league’s top 10 hitters. Through 47 games, junior shortstop Rylee Holtorf, junior infielder Kinsey Fiedler and sophomore utility player Alana Johnson all led the Huskies with a .336 average.

Johnson also led the team in home runs (13) and RBI (40). Grad student first base/pitcher Brooke Nelson slugged 12 home runs. Senior Lindsay Lopez led Husky pitchers with a 10-3 record while freshman Sidne Peters was 8-1. Sophomore Ruby Meylan had 139 strikeouts in 123.2 innings, both team bests.

GoHuskies.com has all the postseason softball news and coverage.

Lindsay Lopez

Jillian Celis

Ruby Meylan

Rylee holtorf

THROUGH Golf

Hruby

PLAYING

Men’s and women’s golf teams both card solid results as they rolled into postseason

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

University of Washington men’s golfers will be among the last Huskies to carry the purple and gold colors into the school’s final Pac-12 Conference competition. Ever.

With all the school’s athletic teams set to compete in the Big Ten next season, the Pac-12 will be on the brink of disappearing — after 65 years of existence.

It’ll be the golfers who will close out the season and the conference. The Huskies earned their fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid as the No. 2 seed to the Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) 54-hole Regional at The Farms Golf Club, played May 13-15. Visit GoHuskies.com for news and results of this tournament.

It is one of six regionals across the country. Five teams from each of the regionals will then advance to the 30-team NCAA Championship, also taking place at The Farms on May 24-29.

The 10th-ranked Huskies featured four seniors this season: Petr Hruby from Pilsen, Czech Republic; Taehoon Song from Osan, South Korea; Teddy Lin from New Taipei City, Taiwan; and Bo Peng from Nanjing, China. Hruby earned his first Pac-12 first-team selection, Song was named to the second team and Lin was honorable mention. Also, Finn Koelle was named to the All-Freshman team, giving the Huskies four Pac-12 honorees, tying for most in UW history.

Taehoon

Bo Peng

Hruby, a Haskins Award and Ben Hogan Award nominee, had seven top 10 finishes this season with 14 rounds in the 60s. Song won the Husky In vitational — shooting a season-low 63 in the first round — while Lin placed among the top 20 golfers in eight of 11 competitions.

Two years ago, Hruby, Peng, Song and Lin all had a hand in Washington’s conference title at Aldarra GC in Sammamish.

While the school will bid goodbye to those players from far-away places, next year’s roster will feature two players from Ireland, one each from China, Germany, South Africa, and The Netherlands, as well as two from Washington and one from California.

“That’s reflective of Washington in general. It’s an international university and that makes for an easy transition for the guys,” seventh-year coach Alan Murray said. “It’s like having a little community here from their home countries.”

As for the UW women, Camille Boyd was a force throughout the season. The Pac-12 first-team selection earned the season highlight on March 5, when she took medalist honors at the Juli Inkster Invitational in Fairfax, Calif. It was her second victory at the event in three years.

The senior from Yorba Linda, Calif., also had two other top finishes. She was second, out of 95 players, at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Lihue, Hawaii, in mid-March, shooting three rounds in the 60s. The Huskies had their best showing of the year, tied for second behind Arizona State. Washington’s team score of 847, which was 17-under-par, was the third lowest to par in program history.

Boyd also was fifth, out of 50 players, at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. In eight tournaments this season, Boyd led her team or was tied six times.

Continued on page 28

Boyd

Camille

Lu

Vivian

Hsieh

Deng

Stefanie

Jamie

Boyd finished 23rd at the Pac-12 Championship, played at Palouse Ridge in April. Her teammates, Jamie Hsieh, Vivian Lu and Stefanie Deng, each shot 3-under 69 in the final round to move Washington from eighth to fifth on the final day.

The Huskies then made their 29th appearance in the NCAA Championships the second week in May. Washington was the host team for the 12-team regional competition at Tumble Creek GC in Cle Elum. Boyd, Lu, Deng, Hsieh and Carmen Lim represented the Huskies and Mads Smith served as substitute.

The UW finished in seventh place at the Cle Elum Regional, two spots out from advancing to the National Championships in Carlsbad, Calif., May 17-22. Visit GoHuskies.com for the final results and season stats.

SPRING FOOTBALL EXCITEMENT

Washington football runs through purple smoke and flames to take the field for the 2024 Dawgs After Dark Spring Game at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.