PAGE 3Go HUSKIES IN THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Coach DeBoer 4 50 years of Title IX 6 2022 Football Preview Offense 10 2022 Football Preview Defense 16 10 Questions with Maurica Powell 22 2022 Men’s & Women’s Soccer Preview 24 The Shot: Women's Volleyball in Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
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Football & Men’s Basketball Flagship Radio Station: 950 AM KJR Seattle Sports Radio uskies, Washington is a special place, and we are thankful for the op portunity in front of us. Since we’ve arrived, my family and I have been welcomed with open arms and our staff has also felt your support. Thank you. This place is truly different! Success begins with strong relationships. Throughout history, it is clear that the greatest teams are those with the strongest bonds. In these environments, players, coaches and staff members commit to each other and sacrifice them selves for the good of the group. With tight knit connections, there are no limits to what we can achieve. We are hard at work building relationships within our team, around the UW campus and throughout Seattle. Our future is bright. Washington Football has a history of greatness, and we will honor and re spect the past every time we step on the field. This is an exciting time to be a Husky and we can’t wait to see you at Husky Stadium this fall! Go Dawgs! COACH KALEN time to kick off the 2022 season thank you to the Husky Nation Dick Stephens Bob Sherwin, Mark Moschetti UW Athletics Brandon Forbis (206) 695-2562 — brandon forbis@HuskiesSportsProperties : Robert Becker
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PAGE 4 Go HUSKIES 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 GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE Huskies Sports Properties, 2825 Eastlake Ave E Suite 320,Seattle, WA 98102 All material produced in this publication is the property of Huskies Sports Properties and shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from Huskies Sports Properties and the University of Washington Athletic Department Please send all address changes to the attention of Tyee Club at University of Washington; Box 354070; 202 Graves Building; Seattle, WA 98195-4070 or by email at huskies@uw edu VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 / SEPTEMBER 2022
com ART DIRECTOR
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G MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
Keegan Cook shares those feelings of gratitude. Since he took charge of the perennially powerful Washington volleyball program in 2015, the Huskies have won three Pacific-12 titles, advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight four times and reached the Final Four once. “There isn’t an aspect of my life that would have existed with out Title IX,” Cook said. “Especially these last few months, I’ve taken some moments to reflect on the idea that Title IX has af fected my life long before I knew what it was. It was a significant aspect for so many members of my family who were collegiate athletes themselves, and it would eventually lead to my vocation and my career.”
A golden celebration heralding female athletics at Washington
PAGE 6 Go HUSKIESGo HUSKIES rowing up in San Francisco, Erin O’Connell en gaged in all kinds of athletic pursuits. She played softball, which, for a time, was her favorite. But there was also basketball. Volleyball. Soccer. And rowing, which ultimately became her favorite. The doors to each of those sports were wide open to her — and to any girl who wanted to take part. For all of them, including O’Connell, a former University of Washington women’s rowing coxswain and became assistant rowing coach, and now the school’s Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, it was because of Title IX. And though O’Connell didn’t know either one of them at the time, it also was because of a couple of legendary Huskies — tennis star Trish Bostrom and rowing coach Jan Harville — who helped pave the pathway to passing the landmark legislation. “Because I was never faced with a situation where I was told, ‘No, you can’t participate in this because you are female,’ that foundation was laid by all these women who went through that — the Trish’s and Jan’s of the world,” O’Connell said. “They went through that — they paved the way, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
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But while championships are the ultimate goal, the year-long recognition also is about the still-ongoing journey that is Title IX. “I’m excited to think about what the next chapter of Title IX can be to continue expanding and enhancing opportunities for girls and women,” O’Connell said.
Continued
— But Included Athletics
Danielle Lawrie Sis Bates Aretha Thurmond (Hill)
Exemplifying that, Husky Softball Stadium and Husky Ballpark are both considered among the finest stadiums in the country for those sports. Base ball has the Wayne Gittinger Team Building, complete with coaches’ offices, a learning center, and a players lounge. Last fall, the Softball Performance Center came online with its own hitting tunnels and nets that can be adjusted to allow for infield drills. on page
On that now historic day, Washington did not officially sponsor any wom en’s varsity sports, although several highly talented women athletes still car ried the Husky banner high. Bostrom won the Pacific-8 Conference women’s singles tennis title in 1972. Lynn Coella, who trained and swam unofficially with the UW men’s team, won a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. School sponsorship began in 1974-75, with basketball, golf, gymnastics, and track. Today, the Huskies offer 11 sports for women, the latest of which is beach volleyball, which joined the lineup in 2014. But the path toward equity goes beyond just sponsoring a particular sport. It encompasses everything from facilities to gear to athletic training to aca demic support. “I think it has been more about ensuring along the way that everything is equitable,” O’Connell said. “Or when coming across a situation between men and women in the college environment, whether it’s sports or something else, if it isn’t equitable, working on a plan to do that.”
It Didn’t Specify Athletics
Throughout the upcoming academic year, UW athletics will salute Title IX monthly, celebrating all of Husky women’s sports. Certainly, there’s plenty to celebrate, not the least of which are national titles won over the years in cross country, golf, rowing, softball, and volleyball.
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Danielle Lawrie When Title IX became law on June 23, 1972, it didn’t specifically say any thing about athletics. It does say that no one shall, “on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal finan cial assistance.” Athletics are covered by the law because they are considered an integral part of an institution’s education program.
CourtneyPlum
Washington’s upcoming year-long tribute to Title IX will be guided by a com mittee of prominent Husky alums. Along with Bostrom and former rowing coach Harville, some others in the distinguished group of 25 are basketball player Kelsey Plum, volleyball player Courtney Thompson, track and field thrower Aretha Thur mond (Hill), golfer Paige McKenzie, and softballers Sis Bates and Danielle Lawrie.
“I have family members who were collegiate student athletes, who had scholarships and were able to participate and have their education paid for. My wife (Sarah Ammerman, an All-American volleyball player at Texas A&M) was a student-athlete. I’ve seen the profound impact it has had on the devel opment of their character and many of their virtues. It’s just a huge part of the formative years of their life.” That’s important to O’Connell, as well. In looking ahead to how UW will celebrate Title IX throughout the upcoming year, she told of plans to have a panel, which will be a community-oriented event, with speakers not just from the world of athletics, but also from business, entertainment, and other pro fessions. “Title IX is not specific to education and sports, but all spaces that women have excelled in,” she said. “Mighty Are The Women”
In addition, a “Mighty Are the Women Title IX Fund” has been established with the stated goal of providing additional support and funding for female student-athletes and the women’s sports programs.
All of it serves as a reminder that even with so much progress in the past 50 years, there’s more progress to be made. “One thing that I thought of is young women need to see themselves in incredible positions in order to have that dream,” Cook said. “There has to be some spark for a young person, and when you can see yourself in somebody who is striving and succeeding, it usu ally is the catalyst for that person to start their own journey.”
“When softball became a sport in (1993) here, they got a better stadium than baseball had for a while. Then baseball built a fantastic facility that had their own hitting facility,” O’Connell said. “Our new softball facility is twopronged. We wanted to enhance the experience and create more competi tive opportunities for all women, but we were also looking to balance that out (withWashingtonbaseball).”has a rolling cycle of five-year self-assessments to make sure Husky athletics is keeping up with the intent and the spirit of Title IX. “Gender equity means a lot of things these days,” O’Connell added. “It takes constant vigilance and being open to and finding the resources to make the adjustments when necessary.” Life Outside The Arena As Cook sees it, offering an equitable chance at learning how to go through life away from athletics is just as important as programs, facilities, and gear.
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That journey, in Cook’s view, doesn’t necessarily have a finish line. “The greatest expression of gratitude is continued growth,” he said. “My hope for all those who are celebrating Title IX and the good it has done is that it galvanizes them to pursue future growth. That’s how I’m trying to live it.”
Kelsey
ThompsonPaigeMcKenzie
PAGE 10 Go HUSKIES OFFENSE2022FOOTBALLPREVIEWRichardNewton
DeBoer has used that same portal to add depth and bring in players for positions of need. But again, he won’t know how well they will fit in and per form for the Huskies until the season opener Sept. 3 against Kent State.
READY
Continued on page BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE t’s difficult to imagine any first-year college football coach with more challenges than University of Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. He didn’t come through the system, so the former Fresno State head coach takes over a roster in which he hasn’t seen even one player perform in a game-day Husky uniform.
His entire coaching staff — with the lone exception of sixth-year UW offensive line coach Scott Huff — has not seen any player perform in real time. Graduation and the NFL draft have taken some talent away, so has the NCAA transfer portal, a form of free agency that started in October 2017 to facilitate movement of players to different programs around the country.
TO ROLL I
A fresh air and ground game has Husky Nation excited for DEBOER ERA
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We know where DeBoer started when he took the job on Nov. 29, 2021 — after second-year head coach Jimmy Lake was fired. His top priority has been the program’s running game. UW has had a grand tradition of running backs, from the recently deceased Hugh McElhenny to Napoleon Kaufman to Corey Dillon to Chris Polk.
Dylan
OFFENSEMorris
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But last season the running game collapsed with just 1,181 yards gained (compared to 2,323 for Washington’s opponents). Departed Sean McGrew was the leading rusher with just 451 yards. “Running back was probably the biggest ques tion,” DeBoer said. “I don’t know if it’s a concern or not yet, honestly.”
“Then there’s NIL,” DeBoer said. Yeah, that. Every coach and athletic director across America is still trying to measure the impact of NIL (name, image, likeness). As of July 1 last year, the NCAA allowed all athletes in all sports to monetize their name through NIL and share in the $19 billion industry. Student-athletes already have generated four- and five-figure incomes (or more) from NIL and some continue the search, through the portal, for better deals. It puts every program’s personnel sta bility in question every year. Then wham. On July 1 this year there was a seismic shift that will mean the end of the 63-yearold Pac-12 Conference as we know it. Longtime West Coast powers USC and UCLA announced they were leaving for the Big 10 in 2024. The conference will be losing its biggest TV market, leaving 10 schools to figure it out. If schools such as Washington and Oregon, the two remain ing most powerful programs, stay status quo, what would that mean for revenue, prestige, and com petitiveness? No doubt, a change for all. The Hus kies athletic powers are trying to position them selves for the future while DeBoer and his coaches need to assure their recruits they will be playing at the highest level possible. Life is full of uncertainties and DeBoer seems to have more every time he turns around. “Every job, in and out of athletics, has things that you can’t control.” DeBoer said. “All you can do is focus on what you can control every single day, bringing your best attitude and effort and surround yourself with great people is where it starts.”
Henry Bainivalu Aaron Dumas
OK, we’ve buried the lede as long as we can. What everyone wants to know is who will be handing off and throwing to these fellows. Starting quarterback for the Huskies will be one of three players: redshirt freshman Sam Huard, son of former UW standout QB Damon Huard; sophomore Dylan Morris who played 11 games for the Huskies last season; and junior Michael Penix, Jr., a transfer from Indiana, where he played under then-Hoosier assistant coach DeBoer. on page 14
Running back was such a concern that DeBoer held one scholarship desig nated for the wide receiver corps so he could add another runner. The wide re ceiver corps is thin, but he added, "I’m excited with what we have.”
Continued
Jaxson Kirkland Sam Huard
“Every job, in and out of athletics, has things that you can’t control.” DeBoer said. “All you can do is focus on what you can control every single day, bringing your best attitude and effort and surround yourself with great people is where it starts.”
2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
know because just one RB, Aaron Dumas, a transfer from New Mexico, was the only one of seven running back candidates healthy and active during spring practice. Three returning UW backs — Richard Newton, Cameron Davis and Sam Adams — had holdover injuries to prevent participation. Two transfers, Wayne Taulapapa, a team captain at Virginia, and Will Nixon from Nebraska, were not in the program until the fall. Another scholarship back, freshman Jay’Veon Sunday, has an uphill fight for playing time on an enhanced depth chart.
The three primary receivers are sophomore Jalen McMillan, sophomore Rome Odurze and redshirt freshman Ja’Lynn Polk, a former transfer from Texas Tech who missed most of UW’s season a year ago because of an injury. Odurze and McMillan ranked 1-2 among Husky receivers last season, combining for 80 catches for 885 yards and seven touchdowns. In DeBoer’s wide-open style of play, the forward pass will be going to any one open. And the bulk of the attempts might be toward 6-foot-4, 244-pound junior tight end Devin Culp. He hopes to fill the shoes of former Husky tight end Cade Otton, who has his own challenge in the pros trying to replace retired stellar Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski. Culp collected 20 catches last season for 220 yards. “We have different styles of (tight ends),” DeBoer said. “Culp and (junior) Jack Westover are veterans and we have other guys to bring us depth.”
Matteo Mele Nate Kalepo
Michael Penix, Jr.
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He said even true freshman Ryan Otton, Cade’s younger brother, is a viable player in the tight end rotation. “I think so,” DeBoer said. “He has to be ready. Hopefully, he can come along quickly and give us some help there.”
“I feel really good about the possibilities that position could be,” DeBoer said, “even though it has the most questions in my mind.” The one who emerges likely will be the one most versatile — able to also receive and block well — that DeBoer’s spread offense requires.
Corey RichardLucianoNewton
“You have two guys who have taken a lot of col lege football snaps,” DeBoer said. “Then you have Sam, who should be the one and is the one tak ing the most steps each day. What’s his ceiling and how quickly will he get to that ceiling? I’m very ex cited about all three.
Among the other big men filling it up across the line are senior Corey Luciano, 6-4, 291, juniors Victor Curne, 6-4, 320, Matteo Mele, 6-6, 295, Julius Bue low, 6-8, 319, and sophomores Troy Fantanu, 6-4, 307 and Nate Kalepo, 6-6, 330.
The problem is all these linemen were part of last season’s 4-8 team. The O-line was projected to be the team’s strength yet underperformed. Now a new head coach — many of the players’ third in three seasons — has a new set of eyes on them. As he does on everyone else. Odunze
PAGE 14 Go HUSKIES Morris and Penix are experienced. Morris threw for 2,458 yards and 14 touchdowns. In four years at Indiana, Penix threw for 4,197 yards and 29 touch downs. He was a team captain the past two sea sons. Penix appears to have the experience edge.
“They all have respect for each other,” he add ed. “They understand the nature of the competi tion, but we’re still team first.” DeBoer expects the leading candidate should emerge within the first two weeks of fall camp and will then load him up with all the schemes in prepa ration for Kent State. When DeBoer was hired last fall, he talked about how he wanted his offense to be “Explosive. Big chunks of yardage at a time. … It’s hard to put a lot of points on the board when you are picking up just five yards at a time.” An average of a first down every other play, apparently, is not sufficient for the Huskies head coach. This is where the offensive line, an experi enced bunch, holds the key, providing enough pro tection for plays to develop, opening holes and ex ecuting pancake blocks. If there’s one position a coaching staff wants the most experience, it might be the O-line. The Huskies have that, led by Jaxson Kirkland, 6-7, 310-pounds, who declared for the NFL draft but came back for a sixth season. His longtime line an chor is Henry Bainivalu, a 6-7, 330-pound senior.
Julius Buelow Jalen
VictorMcMillanCurne
OFFENSE2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Troy Fautanu Rome
“We’re 10 guys deep right now. They’re chomp ing at the bit to get started,” DeBoer said.
PAGE 16 Go HUSKIES DEFENSE2022FOOTBALLPREVIEWEdefuanUlofoshio
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s the season opened for the University of Washington football team a year ago it was apparent, a defensive flaw was ex posed by Montana and the Huskies could do little to hide it, disguise it or fix it. The Huskies couldn’t stop the run as the Grizzlies shocked Washington, 13-7, the Griz’ first victory over UW in a century. Next came Michigan at the Big House and Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh saw that flaw on the game film. Harbaugh’s most effective offensive play was the handoff. The Wolverines rushed a season-high 56 times for 343 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-10 victory. At a school that produced prolific passers Tom Brady, Brian Griese and Harbaugh, the Wolverines passed a season-low seven times for just 44 yards.
HUSKY DEFENSE is writing a 2022 chapter with fresh faces and new leadership on the line and behind the headset
BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
Continued on page 18
AARMOR
DeBoer, if he can help it, will have none of that this year. When DeBoer took the job in November, after Jimmy Lake was fired in his second year at Montlake, his highest priority was to eliminate that defensive deficiency. He’s building back his run defense by lining up plenty of hefty bodies to fill the gaps.
Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona State also followed that formula, rush ing at least 50 times each in their victories during UW’s 4-8 season. Opponents on the season rushed 489 times and gained 2,323 yards with 21 touchdowns (as opposed to 1,720 passing yards and just six TDs).
As a stopgap, the staff searched the Transfer Portal and brought in two linebackers. One is Cam Bright from Pittsburgh, where he was a team cap tain. He worked with the Huskies defense all spring and should be ready for the Kent State opener. The other is graduate senior Kristopher Moll from Alabama-Birmingham.Still,thereisplenty of linebacker talent, with junior Carson Bruener, the Huskies second leading tackler last season, and sophomore Alphonzo Tuputa la, drilled extensively during spring practice. "I'm excited about that position,” DeBoer said. "I think it’s going to be a big area of growth for our team. They’re going to do the things they need to do to stop the run.”
Two other players in the middle, junior Tuli Letuligasenoa (6-1, 313) and redshirt freshman Kuao Peihopa (6-3, 304), should be as difficult for opponents to handle as opponent broadcasters to pronounce. Letuligasenoa won Pac-12 honorable mention last season. Injuries played a role in the disappointing rushing stats a year ago, with ZTF missing seven games overall but also linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio miss ing six. The two played just one game together. Ulofoshio, a junior in his fifth season, started the first five games but then was injured against UCLA and missed the rest of the season. He then suffered a knee injury this winter and is not expected back until mid-October. Ulofoshio was a 2021 preseason AllAmerican and on the Bednarik Watch List.
DEFENSEBralenTriceUlumoo Ale Alphonzo Tuputala
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If the Huskies are looking for the critical 'the-back-stops-here' guy, it just might be junior Ulumoo (MJ) Ale, 6-foot-6, 344 pounds in the middle of the defensive line. Over the winter, DeBoer switched his position, from offensive line to the defense. “We asked him to get a little bit quicker, we asked him to learn the tech niques, and he had an amazing spring,” DeBoer said. “He is such a big, big, big physical human being. It’s hard to move him. And he lost a lot of weight, down to around 330 pounds.”
“Stopping the run, obviously, is something we have to prove we can do, whether it’s with our personnel or schemes,” said UW first-year Head Coach Kalen DeBoer, whose schemes and defensive coaches are all new. “It takes a mindset; it takes a good understanding and trust within the players that the schemes are being executed.”
Junior edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui (ZTF) will be the featured player on the line. His 2021 season was a virtual wipeout, missing the first five games because of injury and he never did recover the All-America form he displayed his sophomore season. “ZTF coming back healthy now and hopefully getting back to what he was before he got hurt, that’s a big deal,” DeBoer said. “The other two defensive ends (sophomore) Bralen Trice and (senior) Jeremiah Martin are phenomenal football players. That edge presence is really where its starts, tackles for loss in the backfield, attacking the passer, just causing a lot of chaos.”
HUSKIESInthe secondary, the Huskies can measure what they lost by the 2022 NFL draft. Cornerback Trent McDuffie was taken in the first round with the 21st pick by the Kansas City Chiefs while his teammate Kyler Gordon was the 39th overall pick by the Chicago Bears. Two mighty pairs of cleats for the Huskies to fill. The staff is hoping one corner will be manned by a Portal transfer (UC Davis), senior Jordan Per ryman. “Pound for pound, he is one of the better players in our program,” DeBoer said. “He’s strong, fast and left an impression on our staff just how good an athlete he is.”
FetuiCarson Bruener
The other corner is expected to be sophomore Mishael Powell, who played in all 12 games last season, starting three. “Mish did a good job play ing behind and learning from Trent and Kyler last year,” DeBoer added. “Now it’s his turn to really show what he can do.” The safeties are senior Alex Cook and junior Asa Turner. They are experienced and should provide secondary stability.
Continued on page 20 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
ZionTurnerTupuola-
Junior Dominique Hampton has been moved to the Husky Position or nickel, sort of a hybrid between outside linebacker and DB. “He’s a just a great combination of size, speed and physicality,” DeBoer said. “He’s like an extension to the line backer position but also gives us flexibility because he can blitz, and he can cover.” That flexibility is no match for DeBoer, who for the past 10 months has had to fill holes and gaps, restore and recruit, embrace and release, tear down and restructure, fire up and put out fires. While through it all, always projecting and planning with his coaches how to maximize his given personnel. “I feel good about where we’re at, across the board both offense and defense, who we can put on the field right away,” he said. “Now it’s a matter of building that depth.”
“I feel good about where we’re at, across the board both offense and defense, who we can put on the field right away,” he said. “Now it’s a matter of building that depth.”
Tuli Letuligasenoa Asa
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DominiqueMartinHampton
“I’ve seen what 1-11 looks like and I’ve seen what 14-0 looks like,” DeBoer said last fall. “What matters are the little details and how we get there.”
PREVIEWJeremiah
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What might be a rare break for UW’s incoming football staff is that their early season working conditions are beneficial. They begin the season with four straight home games, allowing the staff to sort out the personnel, set up the schemes and build momentum. The first two games, Kent State and Portland State, should be manageable, if the Huskies learn from their Montana experience. Those will be followed by tougher competition, Michigan State and conference-opening Stanford.
Jordan Perryman
With all the changes within just one year, to the staff, to the roster, to the program, and to the conference, it might take a bit of extra time before we all discover who they are.
But DeBoer does have a track record. In each of the five schools he was an assistant or head coach, that school’s record turned favorably around within one year. Fresno, for example, was 3-3 his first COVIDaltered season then went 10-3 last season.
Late in the season, however, the Huskies play on the road against their two biggest rivals, Oregon and Washington State. “Some games early we have to make sure are not taken for granted,” DeBoer said. “That hope fully gets us off to a fast start. Then there’s the big one before the conference against Michigan State. But we can’t worry about them. The coach in me is only thinking about Kent State. But it is favorable, the (first) four games at home. We need to have Husky Stadium rocking,” he added. “We have to do our part by generating some excitement by the way we play and who we are.”
DeBoer, with an .898-win percentage in his two head coaching college stints (Sioux Falls and Fres no), makes promises to no one this season, not his players for playing time nor the fans/administration for promising results. Even if he could, the afore mentioned uncertainties cloud any projectability.
GOING DISTANCETHE PAGE 22 aurica Powell and her husband Andy took charge of the UW cross country and track programs in 2018 — Maurica as program director, and Andy as the head coach. Along with overseeing all aspects of the program, Maurica coaches the Husky women’s distance run ners for cross and track. Since her arrival, Maurica has guided Wash ington to top-25 finishes at the last three NCAA outdoor national track meets. The women’s cross country team has made it to the NCAA Champion ships all four years that Powell has been here. In this issue’s ‘10 Questions,’ Maurica talks about the program, how she constantly strives to improve as a coach, and reflects on the 50th an niversary of Title IX. M A CONVERSATION WITH MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE MAURICAPOWELL UW WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK COACH
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UW women’s cross country and track coach Maurica Powell brings poise, power and balance to her athletes and life
Is there any athlete whom your coaching instincts are telling you just might be ready for a breakout kind of season this fall?
Coaching has given you the opportunity to visit many different places. Is there one place that ranks high on your list of favorites?
“I have a good network of colleagues across the NCAA and professional track and field with whom I regularly discuss all sorts of coaching topics, from training philosophy to communication strategies. The summer months provide a little more time for a deep dive, for sure. I like to read journal articles and books about the physical preparation of endurance athletes, but also more broadly about leadership and relationship building.’’
This is the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and it has done so many posi tive things for female athletes and women’s sports. What would you say Title IX’s biggest impact has been for cross country and track? “The opportunity to earn athletic scholarships for cross country and track and field provides accessibility to undergraduate and graduate education to a broad and diverse group of women, both here in the U.S. and across the globe. Access to a world-class education, such as that which our women receive here at the UW, is life-changing for most.’’
While athletes stay in shape during the summer with running and other kinds of training, how do you stay in “coaching shape” — is it clinics? Seminars or conferences? Camps? Or something else?
While everyone enjoys track, there’s just something special and unique about cross country season — there’s nothing quite like it. For you, what’s the most special part about cross? “Cross country season is really special for a number of reasons, and I can’t choose just one! I love that the races are chaotic and unpredictable, and as such it’s a test of both physical ability as well as resilience and adaptability. The score is entirely dependent upon a complete team effort, and I love watch ing our runners gain momentum from one another during the race as it unfolds.’’
What are one or two experiences that have opened up to you because of coaching, and how have those experiences impacted your life?
People such as you who coach distance runners are competing every month of the school year — cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, outdoor track in the spring. What’s one thing you do as a coach to stay sharp and fresh and focused through all of that? “Refocusing after each season and dialing into the next one is absolutely a challenge, and it requires a quick and thorough analysis of what went well, what needs improvement, and how we can best move forward. Honestly, I think it’s a blessing to always have another championship a couple of months away. I’m forced to stay present and turn the page quickly and neither rest on laurels nor lament defeat for very long.’’
You’re heading into your fifth season at UW, and the program has made some big strides. Is there one area in which you feel really good about how things have gone through the first four years?
After the shutdowns and changes brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, last year was a move back toward normal, begin ning with cross country in the fall. What was that like for you as a coach to have that sense of normalcy again? “We were really fortunate here at the UW that our administration found a way for our fall sports teams to live and train on campus during autumn quar ter 2020, and the nature of track and field and cross country was conducive to socially distanced practices and small-scale competitions during the winter of 2021. As a result, when normalcy prevailed in 2021-22, our student-athletes had grinded and trained for a long stretch and were ready to get back into frequent and regular competitions. As a coach, it was rewarding to see how grateful and excited our teams were to test themselves again and represent each other and their university.’’
“People and relationships are everything to me. Coaching has brought ex traordinary people into my life, including student-athletes, other coaches, and my bosses, all of whom have taught me more than I could ever hope to impart. I’ve met my closest friends through coaching track and field, and I’m a better person, a better parent, and a better wife because of their impact.’’
“Above all else, we aim to deliver to our student-athletes an athletic expe rience that is challenging, meaningful, and enjoyable, and that will also pro vide skills and perspectives that will help these young people navigate life after they’ve moved on from collegiate track and field. We preach the impor tance of controlling attitude and effort over outcomes, embracing the process of improvement, and of each person striving to be the best version of him or herself. We’ve been fortunate to see our performances reflect a commitment to these principles, and I’m proud that we’re building a sustainable model for continued success.’’
“My family lives on Mercer Island, Washington, and we’re convinced it’s the best place on earth.’’
“Anna Gibson went on a tear at the end of the track season over 1,500 me ters and 800 meters, and I suspect she’s ready to translate both her fitness and what she’s learned about herself to the cross country course.’’
Of course, there is still more that needs to happen to reach equality and equity in athletics. Is there one area where you think the next emphasis should be with regards to Title IX? “We’ve got to find a way to keep more women coaching women, and es pecially in leadership roles. Anecdotally, I’d say that women are coming out of college with an interest in the profession, but they often can’t see a clear pathway to the other side if they want to start a family. I’ve been fortunate to be the beneficiary of strong mentorship from my own college coach, Dena Ev ans, and to be part of a campus community at the UW that includes a woman as President of the university and a woman as Director of Athletics. I fully sup port all the initiatives the NCAA and USTFCCCA are taking to formalize men torship and target retention of young women coaches. The statistics aren’t good, though, nationwide.’’
Jamie Clark Nicole Van Dyke
MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
T
hey’re coming off a dream year that went all the way to the NCAA College Cup championship match. And while several members of that University of Washington men’s soccer team have moved on to the next phase of their careers, Head Coach Jamie Clark hasn’t stopped dreaming of more success still to come. “As a coach or as a player, it’s always nice to look back fondly upon a season. But what you like to do is play games and you want to move forward — and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing,” Clark said.
UW women’s coach Nicole Van Dyke feels exactly the same way about moving forward. Coming off a 6-8-4 cam paign when not everything broke their way, her Huskies got started on 2022 almost from the moment 2021 ended. “We grew a lot in the winter and spring, and our best moments come from that consistency of everyone contrib uting to the big picture,” she said. “When you see those kinds of magical moments, you want to keep creating them and making sure every single woman on our team is contributing and making an impact every single day.”
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Millsaps McKenzie Weinert Kalani Kossa-Rienzi 2022 SOCCER PREVIEW
Vanessa
Go HUSKIES PAGE 25 Head Coaches Jamie Clark and Nicole Van Dyke are ready to rally Husky soccer teams for battle on the Pac-12 pitch
Two such players are junior defender Khai Brisco (17 games in 2021) and sophomore defender Nate Jones (12). Other candidates are sophomore midfielder Gabe Thredgold (17 games) and forward / midfielder Chris Meyers (15).
On their way to an 18-2-2 ledger last fall and their first-ever trip to the College Cup, the Huskies caught people’s attention, as a team, and individually.
Lucas Meek Khai Brisco
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Opportunities Abound
So, while that closed the doors on their Husky careers (except for Meek, who is returning for his redshirt senior season after recovering from knee surgery), it opened the doors for those who return. “We have opportunities for guys to take, and we believe that they are good enough to take them on and do great in those positions,'' Clark said. “I think like any good team, you always feel like you’re developing guys underneath. Those guys have been patient and waiting, and they’re going to get their chance.”
For all the differences at the front and the back, the midfield figures to have a familiar look with sophomore Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, junior Christian Soto, Lucas Meek, and junior Nick Scardina. Kossa-Rienzi and Scardina both played all 22 games with 21 starts; Soto started all 20 games he played. The Huskies went 4-0-2 on a trip to Scotland in July, and, looking beyond the results, Clark liked what he saw. “It showed we’re a little further along than I thought, playing against those teams,” he said. “This group is going to be very flexible in how we can play. To play different ways is going to be big.”
Looking to help the Huskies finish some of that business is a group of eight returners who accounted for 13 of Washington’s 25 goals and 12 of the 20 assists in last fall. That starts with fifth-year forward Summer Yates, whose five goals and five assists led the Huskies in both departments. Her 15 total points made her the only Husky in double-digits, and Van Dyke said Yates is capable of even bigger numbers.
Continued on page 28
Christian Soto
Gio Migletti
Nate Jones
Nick Scardina Sam Fowler
Senior forward Gio Miglietti, a familiar name up front (six goals last season, tied for second-most on the team) could be seeing time in the back at central defender.
Chris Meyers
In January, five UW players – all defenders – were selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft: Ryan Sailor by Inter Miami (No. 9 overall), Kendall Burks by Chicago (No. 11), Charlie Ostrom, also by Chicago (No. 33), Lucas Meek also by Miami (No. 37), and Achille Robin by the Seattle Sounders (No. 43). In addition, leading goal scorer Dylan Teves (12 goals-8 assists-32 points) signed a homegrown contract with the Sounders.
Goalkeeper Sam Fowler returns for his junior season. He played 21 of 22 games last fall with a scant 0.74 goals-against average. With Miglietti moving to the back, that creates an opening at center forward, and sophomore Ilijah Paul could be someone who fills it. He played in 20 of last season’s 22 games, primarily as a reserve. “He’ll cause a lot of teams a lot of problems,” Clark said. “He wasn’t totally fit or healthy last year, but I think he’ll be a guy who will turn a lot of heads.”
“These guys are no slouches – they’ve been patiently waiting,” Clark said. “A lot of them have been on the field individually, but they haven’t been together for those (decisive) moments yet. They’ll have to earn those, and like every good team, you think they will.”
If 2021 seemed like one very long season for the Washington women … that’s because it was. With Covid 19 having shut down the traditional fall season in 2020, the Huskies played 18 games between February and May of 2021, reaching the NCAA Sweet 16. Just three-and-a-half months later, they were back in that traditional fall season – and another 18 games. “Last year was a bit of an anomaly. We were coming off that extended season in the spring, and injuries that kind of carried through to the fall,” head coach Nicole Van Dyke said. “We know our players really worked their tails off last winter and this spring, and I think it’s back to basics. Let’s deeply root ourselves in development on the field, off the field, and just kind of dive into the process and be present in those moments. We have some unfinished business for us right now.”
Other returning multiple-goal scorers are grad student forward McKenzie Weinert (three), senior Unfinished Business
2022 HUSKY MEN
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balls out of the net is grad student Olivia Sekany, entering her third year with the Huskies. She played all but 14 of the 1,715 minutes the team logged last season, posting three shutouts and a 1.48 goals-against average.
McKenzie Weinert
Kyla Ferry Summer Yates forward Kyla Ferry, and grad student midfielder Vanessa Millsaps (two each).
Olivia Sekany
Weinert spent her first three seasons (2019-21) at Oregon State, then joined the Huskies last year, playing all 18 games with 10 starts. Millsaps, who missed her 2018 true freshman year and the 2021 extended spring season with an injury, played 14 games in the fall with three starts. Ferry appeared in 16 of the 18 matches, starting the last six. “McKenzie Weinert proved last year that she is among some of the best in the conference,” Van Dyke said. "Vanessa was a little bit on the injured side at moments last fall, but she proved that she can score. I think her consistency in the lineup will aid in the attack.”
I think we missed a year ago (because of the extended schedule) is they love to train, and they love to train hard,” Van Dyke said. “That’s something we were able to really push and challenge them and stretch them on in the winter and spring. As a coach, one thing I get really excited about is the opportunity for them to perform and go out there and showcase (themselves) when they’ve really worked hard at something.”
Among those vying for time in the back are grad student defender Shae Holmes, who is back after missing last year with an injury, and senior Shaye Seyffart, a transfer from Florida. Along with the tangibles of talent, experience, and depth, Van Dyke also sees one very significant intangible that also is back in play with the return to a normal“Theschedule.onething
The freshmen include the Washington and Arizona Gatorade State Players of the Year: forward Hayden Crowley from Richland, and forward Tatum Thomason fromKeepingPeoria.
PAGE 30 Go HUSKIES Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES PAGE 30 UWGLOBETROTTERSVolleyball cruising the canals of Venice. The Huskies played against Italian and Slovenian national teams during a foreign tour. To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
