The Dawgs enter their second season in the Big Ten Conference with a fall calendar dotted with recent national champions and road games at storied venues. And sophomore Demond Williams Jr., under center is all the rage on Montlake — featured on this month’s cover.
Circled in bold marker on the Huskies’ seven-game home schedule is the Sept. 27 visit by 2025 national champion Ohio State in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Buckeyes will play in Husky Stadium for the first time since 2007.
The Huskies will travel to Ann Arbor for a 2024 national championship game rematch on Oct. 18 at Michigan Stadium, known as The Big House for its 107,601seat capacity, which is largest in the nation.
UW’s home slate includes conference games against Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue and Northwest rival Oregon.
On the road, the Huskies take on Washington State in the Apple Cup Sept. 20 and play November conference games at two famous stadiums: vs. Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium and UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
Follow team news and get tickets at GoHuskies.com.
VOLUME 18 / ISSUE 4 / JUNE 2025
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FROM THE DESK OF WOMEN’S ROWING HEAD COACH YASMIN FAROOQ
Washington’s long history of success in the sport of rowing has been built on the strength of hard-working, loyal and dedicated men and women who have, for more than a century, made the University community proud.
But what has truly set Washington Rowing apart and made Seattle into “Row Town USA”, is the support of the community — in times of celebration, and in times of need.
No community in the world — especially none so large, diverse and vibrant as Seattle — has embraced rowing in the same way. This supportive community shows up every day on the lakes and waterways around Seattle, where people of all ages “pull on oars” every morning.
It’s turned the Windermere Cup and Opening Day Regatta into one of the world’s most well-attended and prestigious rowing events. Elite rowers from around the world say year after year that there is no comparison to racing down the cut anywhere in the world.
This community is the secret ingredient that has kept UW Rowing atop the sport for decades, helping us win 36 national championships, and sending more rowers and coxswains to the Olympics than any other university in America.
To remain competitive at the pinnacle of our sport, Washington Rowing needs its community now to help us overcome monumental changes in the NCAA. The new world of college athletics — with money that athletic departments will now give directly to student-athletes as revenue sharing — will be a huge challenge for most sports other than football and basketball.
While all Olympic sports will find themselves in similar positions, rowing has the added disadvantage of large rosters. At UW, this includes several homegrown and walk-on athletes. Most will not be able to take advantage of Name, Image and Likeness opportunities.
Our fans, alumni and supporters have been the cornerstone of Washington Rowing for more than 120 years, helping us find a way to persevere — and lead — in times of struggle and change.
In 1936, it was this very community that came together to send the “Boys in the Boat” to the Olympics. That inspirational against the odds story would have never been written if it wasn’t for this very community that cherishes and understands the value of our sport and the citizens it produces. Thank you!
With your continued support, UW will remain “Rowing U” and Seattle will keep the well-deserved title of “Row Town USA” for decades to come.
Go Dawgs!
Yasmin
Farooq, Women’s Rowing Head Coach
Yasmin Farooq, Women’s Rowing Head Coach
Mulflur retires after storied career with UW women’s golf
BY GO HUSKIES STAFF
Mary Lou Mulflur, who has been a part of the Washington women's golf team for nearly five decades, completed her 42nd and final season as the program's head coach in 2025.
Mulflur, who was among the first golfers ever to earn a scholarship at Washington and who earned four letters as a Husky, took over the program in 1983, two years after the retirement of her coach and mentor Edean Ihlenfeldt, who founded the program in 1974.
"Mary Lou is synonymous with Washington women's golf and has been a key member of this athletic department for decades," said Pat Chun, UW Director of Athletics. "Her contributions to UW Athletics will long be remembered. On behalf of everyone in the department, we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement, and congratulate and thank her for everything she's done for the Huskies."
In her lengthy résumé as a golfer and coach, the Huskies' 2016 NCAA Championship stands out as the highlight of Mulflur's long tenure at Washington. That year, after finishing fourth in stroke play, Washington beat Virginia, UCLA and Stanford to earn the program's first national title.
"I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983,” Mulflur said.
"But this day is not about me,” she continued. "It is about this amazing institution and more importantly, the incredible student-athletes that represent Washington every day. The young women that I have had the privilege of being around during my career have given me so much more than I could ever give them. Yes, winning the 2016 National Championship is certainly the highlight of my career. However, the relationships that I have established, and still maintain, over all this time is what I will treasure the most. Watching those student-athletes grow into women with families and children is so incredibly gratifying and I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything. Go Dawgs!"
In her 42 seasons at UW, Mulflur's teams have earned an NCAA Tournament berth all but twice and have advanced to the finals 14 times. She was named National Coach of the Year in both 2015 and 2016 and earned Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.
Mulflur, who was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame in 2013, grew up in Portland, Ore., where her father was the sports editor of a newspaper. After leading Grant High School to the state title — twice earning the state's individual medalist honors — she came to UW for college. She's also been inducted to both the Grant High School and the Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.
Continued on page 8
“I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and
to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983,” Mulflur said.
At Washington, she won three individual tournament championships and continued to play in both pro and amateur events long after her college career ended. Mulflur earned the NCGA Founders Award for her service to the sport, in 2010, and has played a number of roles in the WGCA and the NCAA. She was also on the advisory board for the longtime local LPGA event in Seattle, the Safeco Classic.
Mulflur was the UW athletic department's longest-tenured employee at the time of her retirement. Her coaching career concluded with sophomore Vivian Lu competing in NCAA Regionals.
Tennis Anyone?
THE HUSKIES THE WORLD IS WATCHING
as their focus and international flair pays off with a stellar top-20 season
DBY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
uring her 11 seasons as the University of Washington women’s tennis coach, Robin Stephenson has built her success at the school guided by one simple concept: Tennis is a team sport.
Stephenson understands the mindset of a recruit. She knows "they have considered tennis as an individual sport all their lives and may come into (a program) more concerned about their results.’’ Those kinds of players, even with a world of talent, may not be the fit she looks for in a future Husky. She tends to gravitate more toward the selfless than the selfish.
“One of the cool things about college tennis is it’s one of the only places where tennis becomes a team sport,’’ she added. “It just brings the best out of some people and certainly the girls on our team this year, it’s brought out the best in them. That’s due to their relationships on and off the court. They’re willing to work, push themselves and show up every day for each other.’’
The Husky women were at their best this season, finishing the regular season with a 21-5 dual match record (11-2 in the inaugural Big Ten season). It was the sixth time since the UW introduced the women’s program in 1975 (joining the NCAA in 1983) that the Huskies have had at least 20 victories. The five losses (tied for fewest non-Covid losses since '03) is an impressive result.
Continued on page 12
SOPHOMORE
Alexia
Jacobs
FRESHMAN
Carina Syrtveit
SOPHOMORE
Catherine Gagnon
Stephenson
SOPHOMORE
Zehra Suko
Their stellar season earned the 16th ranked Huskies the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Montlake in early May. It was the 19th time UW advanced to the NCAAs and the sixth appearance under Stephenson, who has a 173-94 dual match record since she was named the Huskies coach before the 2015 season.
Stephenson said the critical element for the Huskies success is how well they support and pull for each other. And this is a team she has had to pull together from the far reaches of the globe.
It’s just an eight-player team from five different and disparate points on the compass. Junior Erika Matsuda grew up in Japan, 6,000 miles away from senior teammate Sophie Luescher in Switzerland. Carina Syrtveit is from Norway, which touches the Arctic Circle — land of the Midnight Sun. Senior McKenna Koenig is from Scottsdale, the Valley of the Sun on the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert.
There are three Canadians on the squad, each from vastly separated provinces. Straight north, junior Reece Carter grew up in Victoria, B.C., sophomore Alexia Jacobs is from Calgary, Alberta, and Catherine Gagnon was raised in Montreal, Quebec.
Sophomore Zehra Suko is the lone homegrown talent, coming from across the lake from campus in Kirkland, Wash.
They’ve come from different cultures and climates, speaking various languages, Japanese, Norwegian and French, but all connected by English and ground strokes.
“It’s cool to see so many people from so many countries and cultures getting along so well and are united based on a common goal,” Stephenson said. “They find so many similarities in each other.’’
The coaching staff also meshes into the mix from far and wide. Assistants Daniella Melendez is from Portugal and Jennifer Kerr is from Carlsbad, Calif. Stephenson is a native of Kitchener, Ontario, and played collegiately at Alabama, where she earned All-American honors.
Continued on page 14
Sophie Luescher
JUNIOR
Erika
Matsuda
JUNIOR
Reece
Carter
SENIOR
With Stephenson’s Canadian connection, the Huskies have had at least one Canadian on the roster every season. It started with Stacey Fung (201619), from Vancouver, B.C., who won 92 singles matches in her Husky career and was a 2018 All-American.
Carter headlines the Canadian contingent this season, a transfer to UW after two seasons at Arizona. She and Erika Matsuda took turns playing either No. 1 or No. 2 singles all season.
“It’s kind of like fire and ice,’’ Stephenson said of the pair. “Reece brings the fire, the passion. Her competition spirit is among the best I’ve seen. She cares so much about this team and its success. She wants to win badly.’’
Carter was 12-6 in dual matches, 5-4 in the No. 1 single spot and 7-2 in No. 2.
“She’s the sweetest girl off the court, always smiling. But get her on the court and she wants to win for the team so much she just turns it on,’’ Stephenson added. “It’s someone every team needs but doesn’t always have.’’
Matsuda, from Yokohama, is in her third year with the Huskies, the longest serving player on the roster. “She is consistent, reliable and does it with a smile on her face,’’ Stephenson said. “She brings a calmness to the team. That takes a lot of pressure off the girls with that attitude.’’
Matsuda, who was named to the Big Ten second team, had a 12-5 dual match regular season record and was 3-3 as the No. 1 singles player and 9-2 at No. 2.
“Don’t be fooled by the smiles on the court. She’s an absolute warrior,’’ Stephenson added. “There was one match on the line against Nebraska, tied at 3-all, when she unlocked another version of herself. She looked over at her teammates and let out a huge ‘Go Dawgs’ roar. I don’t think she lost another point after that.’’
And points matter. Collegiate tennis scoring is a bit different from Tour tennis, contributing to the team concept. A dual match begins with three double sets, no ad scoring. The team that wins two of the three doubles sets gets one point.
“You can’t take a point off because each game is basically four points,’’ Stephenson said. “You definitely have to be locked in. You see a lot of changes in momentum in college tennis.’’
Once the doubles matches are completed, there are six singles matches, each worth one point. No ad scoring again, so it’s quick and intense. The first team to four points wins.
That’s why teamwork is so important, especially down the line. At the No. 3 singles spot, Canadian sophomore Alexia Jacobs finished with a 11-7 record. Stephenson said Jacobs, “has one of the biggest serves I’ve ever seen or coached,’’ but just needs a little refinement and consistency over her final two seasons.
McKenna Koenig, a transfer from USC, had the best record for the Huskies this season at 13-2 in the No. 4 singles spot. When she arrived on Montlake, she told Stephenson she was going to give it everything she had this senior season “and she completely followed through with that. She’s been a massive difference for us.’’
Like Koenig, Sophie Luescher is a senior transfer from Oregon, which Stephenson said “is an interesting choice, from a rival school. We’ve competed against her many times. We’re lucky to have her.’’ Luescher was 14-4 at the No. 5 singles spot.
Freshman Carina Syrtveit had the most overall wins from the No. 6 singles position at 17-4.
“She’s a really mature freshman,’’ Stephenson added. “This year was good for her. There’s a lot of upside to her game. She’s a big match player.’’
One of the best tests to measure the level of success for the Husky program is how well the women do against UCLA and the sunshiny California schools. This season the Huskies lost to UCLA in January, 4-0, then beat the Bruins 4-1 in March. They fell to USC 3-4 in March then beat the Trojans 4-1 in April in the Big Ten Tournament.
“It’s cool to see over the years how that has changed, going from losing pretty badly to those teams, to losing closer matches, to finally winning some,’’ Stephenson said. “We’ve established ourselves now. Our team has the confidence and the belief that we are one of those teams. For years, we had that underdog mentality, but I think now we’ve had the target on our backs a little more. The mindset has shifted.”
SENIOR McKenna Koenig
SOPHOMORE
Catherine Gagnon
SENIOR
Sophie Luescher
JUNIOR
Erika Matsuda
SOPHOMORE
Alexia
Jacobs
RUN LOGAN’S
Olympic Oarsman AND Kiwi
Logan Ullrich wins silver medal and helps push Huskies to a national championship
TBY MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
he toughest decision. And the easiest decision – all at the same time. That was the choice in front of Logan Ullrich.
The University of Washington rower, part of the Varsity 8+ that won the silver medal at both the Pac-12 Championships and the IRA Championships in 2023, was presented with a chance to compete for a spot representing his native New Zealand at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
For any athlete in any sport, that’s the ultimate opportunity – and Ullrich was thrilled to have it. However, it would mean stepping away from the national-powerhouse Huskies for the 2024 season while he was back home training for a shot at the gold.
Tough decision. Easy decision. All at the same time.
“It was a dream to go to the Olympics – you don’t know when those opportunities come up in your life,” the 24-year-old Ullrich said. “It was easy in that regard to take the opportunity when I had it, but hard to miss out on competing here with this awesome program.”
Continued on page 18
He clearly made the right choice. Ullrich wound up as part of the New Zealand men’s four that won the silver medal, with him rowing in the No. 2 seat. Along with that tangible takeaway from Paris, he got to be part of the entire Olympics experience.
“It feels like any other race except there’s a little more noise around it,” he said. “We were prepared for that moment and did a lot of mental fitness training and mental skills. We knew what to expect and I think we handled it very well.
“There was a little bit of excitement, but we kept that under control and kept calm under pressure.”
Now, Ullrich is back in the boat at Washington, hoping to help the Huskies replicate what coach Michael Callahan fondly called the “fairy tale” season of 2024 when they literally won everything on the schedule, including The Cal Dual, the Windermere Cup, the final Pac-12 title, and the IRA national championship.
“It’s a 10-week season pretty much and we had a pretty good first four weeks,” Ullrich said. “The challenges just get bigger from here (the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on May 17-18 and the IRAs from May 30-June 1). We’re really excited to tackle those challenges and see what results we can produce.”
So far, so good. Heading into the most crucial stretch on the calendar, Ullrich and UW already had defeated Harvard twice to win the Bolles Cup (March 28) and Benderson Cup (March 29) in Sarasota, Fla., then beat Stanford on April 5 in Redwood City, Calif. On April 26, the Huskies won the annual showdown dual against Cal on April 26, this time on the Montlake Cut in Seattle.
On May 3, the men and women won the Windermere Cup, beating, among others, Team New Zealand.
Ullrich has been in the varsity 8+ boat in all of those, primarily in the No. 4 seat – and is thrilled to be back.
“I love this place. I’ve really done a lot of learning here and it was really good to come back for one more year and have fun with my best friends,” he said.
The animated Logan Ullrich with his signature sunglasses.
Purple and Gold influence half a world away
When he headed back home, Ullrich brought along some of his Husky training – and his Husky mindset.
“The skill development and competitive nature that I learned here really took me to that next level to be up to try out for the Olympics,” he said. “Without this, I couldn’t have made the Olympic team, let alone compete here.”
Though he is a native New Zealander, Ullrich spent his teenage years in Australia. That’s where he took up rowing at age 12. By his own acknowledgement, he didn’t take to it right away.
“I had great friends who kept me in the sport. Then after a while, I realized I quite enjoyed pushing myself through this,” said Ullrich, whose father and uncle also were rowers. “When I was 15 or 16, I was like, ‘OK, I love this; I want to see how fast I can be and how far I can push myself.’”
He ultimately chose Washington for rowing, for education (he already has his degree in Food Systems, Nutrition and Health, and is working on a minor in business) and for the fact that he felt it was feasible to be successful both athletically and academically.
“Here, you get such good support as a student-athlete in college and you’re rowing at one of the highest levels possible for this age level,” he said. “As for exactly why I came here, it seemed like it was the perfect fit for me, and I’m very glad I made that decision.”
As happy as Ullrich is to be back in Seattle, UW coach Callahan is just as happy to have him back.
“His leadership – that was noticed immediately when he got back on campus,” Callahan said. “Not only is he someone who excels himself, but he raises the bar for people around him. He has done a really nice job of doing that this year and making everyone better.”
Callahan says Ullrich is more of a lead-by-example guy. But given his accomplishments, he commands attention when he does speak.
“He has a nice way of communicating in a way that brings people along and is supportive,” he said. “I think people also realize that he’s at a worldclass level. So, if you want to be at that level – maybe you’re not there at this moment, but you’d like to be – you have to be on that same path, that work ethic, that mindset, and that focus on what you’re doing day to day.”
Continued on page 20
For men and women, here come the big ones
Having leapfrogged Cal into a unanimous No. 1 ranking in the IRCA / IRA men’s poll on April 30 after beating the Bears in Seattle, the next stop for the Huskies will be Lake Natoma, Calif. That’s the site of the MPSF Championships on May 17-18. Then come the IRAs on the Cooper River in New Jersey on May 30-June 1. See results on GoHuskies.com.
“Every season, it’s a new story to tell. We just try to focus on being one percent better,” Callahan said. “It doesn’t sound like much, but it is at this level. We work every day to be one percent better at everything we’re doing. That’s the mindset this year is to be one percent better at everything and hopefully, those gains will add up.”
The UW women brought a No. 3 national ranking into the Windermere Cup on May 3 after winning their own dual against Cal by taking the Varsity 8+, the second Varsity 8+, and the Varsity 4+. The fours also won the San Diego Crew Classic on March 30 and the Big Ten Invitational on April 19, while the eights and second eights were second in both of those regattas.
Coach Yasmin Farooq’s team will compete in their first-ever Big Ten Championships on May 17-18 in Indianapolis, followed by a trip to Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J, for the NCAAs on May 30-June 1. The Huskies will be looking to move up from last year’s nationals when the fours and eights finished sixth in their respective grand finals, and the second eight were fourth in their grand finals, all in Bethel, Ohio. Washington was fifth in the overall team standings.
Visit GoHuskies.com for all the postseason results and news.
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
QUESTIONS
BY BART POTTER • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
During the 2024-25 gymnastics season, Mary McDonough stepped up for her Washington Husky teammates. At the end of the season, she stepped up big for herself.
The sophomore from Franklin, Tenn., competed in all-around (balance beam, floor exercise, vault and bars) for the first time in college this season when she filled in for injured teammates in the meet lineup.
At the NCAA Washington Regionals in early April, McDonough earned her spot at nationals by posting the highest all-around score among gymnasts from non-advancing teams.
At the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, she opened with a 9.600 score on balance beam, then earned a 9.025 on floor, stuck her landing in the vault for a 9.8125, and finished her NCAA debut with her best score, a 9.8375 on bars.
The biology major and aspiring medical doctor came to Seattle after a stellar high school gymnastics career, which earned her recognition as Tennessee’s 2023 Gymnast of the Year.
In this edition of 10 Questions, McDonough talks about competing on the big stage, being compared at a young age to an “elegant” superstar gymnast, her goals for her final two years as a Husky and evolving away from eating a blueberry muffin as a pre-meet ritual.
Rising Star Mary McDonough peaks at the right time to earn a spot at nationals
How was your experience at Fort Worth? Pretty amazing?
“It was a very high-pressure atmosphere, so I wanted to go in with a very calm spirit. I wanted to compete freely, but I definitely did feel the pressure of that setting, knowing the individuals and schools I was competing against. It was an intimidating experience, but it was super cool.”
Was there any one of the all-around events you felt especially good about? Especially not-so-good about?
“So, I guess, to start on the lower note, I did have a pretty significant mistake on floor (exercise), which I was a little sad about, but I definitely want to use the offseason to grow my confidence and just continue to experience competing under pressure and using that pressure instead of holding back. In my routines, it's definitely something I'm trying to focus on this summer leading into next season. Something I did feel good about was my vault. I had a little bit of an iffy warmup, but then I stuck it in competition and that feeling was just so incredible, especially to stick a vault on that stage. I think I blacked out a little bit when I landed. I was so excited.”
How did you feel about the NCAAs in terms of your overall growth as a gymnast and competitor?
“I feel like getting there, especially my first season doing all-around, I really did prove to myself that I could potentially get there again. And I think the whole experience was so rewarding. I definitely did miss having my team with me, but it was very cool to just be down there competing and having a good time and kind of, I don't know, just reaping the rewards of a really gritty season. I know that this year kind of proved to me that the score potential is there. I know I can score high enough now to make nationals. Now it's just a matter of making sure my mental game is in shape and building confidence and consistency in the offseason.”
What competitive goals do you have going forward?
“I think a big goal is to remain in the all-around. This season I definitely was filling some gaps in our lineups due to injury. Over the offseason, I want to improve consistency and improve how I feel under pressure so that moving into next season, I’m still in every lineup. I definitely had some inconsistencies
on floor and beam this season. (They were) two new events for me this season. So, moving forward, I think that just builds experience and confidence. And then over the next two years that I have here, it would be amazing to go back to nationals now that I've had that competitive experience in that atmosphere.”
What non-competitive goals do you have, at UW and beyond?
“I'm a biology major. I want to go to med school, hopefully. So, my goals the next couple years are just to try and really focus in on school as well as gymnastics and get myself into a good place, resume-wise, as far as applying to medical programs after undergrad.”
Why gymnastics? What attracted you to gymnastics at a young age?
“I think my story is pretty similar to a lot of gymnasts, but I think my mom just started me when I was super little. I just kind of took a liking to it, I guess. I started competing when I was 6. Growing up, it was very cool to kind of be able to do things that other people couldn't. So, it was super fun when I was little getting to learn new tricks and practice them all the time and just be really invested in the sport. There's really no feeling like hitting a routine. It doesn't get old.”
Did you have other pursuits (dance, etc.) or compete in other sports growing up?
“I never stuck with another sport for very long. I definitely had my youth soccer days. I was part of club soccer with my siblings. When I quit gymnastics in, I guess third or fourth grade, I did dance for a while there instead and I just didn't like it as much. But some ballet training and dance training definitely does help in the sport of gymnastics.”
You grew up in an interesting time for gymnastics at the national and international level. Are there any gymnasts you particularly respect and admire?
“When I was really young, I got compared to Nastia Liukin all the time because I just had these super long legs. And so, it was really kind of cool to see her do this beautiful, elegant gymnastics and then be compared to her and know that I could maybe do that, too. That was super inspiring when I was little.”
Why did you choose UW for your college gymnastics?
“I was really interested in the academic side of UW before I took a visit. I was really attracted to the pre-medical program out here and then the potential to go to medical school in Seattle, as well. Once I got out here and visited, the team chemistry was kind of the thing that really drew me to the school. Getting to watch practice and see all the girls interact with each other was just a very attractive part of the program. We have had some coaching changes. We got almost an entirely new staff this season. I was really thankful to our old coaches for bringing me out to Seattle. But I’m also extremely thankful for this current staff for the support and the belief that they've instilled in me all season. Honestly, I'm just so grateful for this program and my team.”
Your bio says you like to eat a blueberry muffin before you compete. What’s your favorite blueberry muffin place?
“(laughing) It was definitely a little bit of a superstition in club, just a great way to start a meet. But now that I'm in college, we've kind of moved on to a more fuel-focused meal. We also do more evening meets now than I ever did in club, so it's much more of like, okay, I'll have a late lunch or an early dinner before. So that (muffin) tradition has not fully made its way into my college life.”
THEIR MARKS MAKING
UW represent at Penn Relays, new NCAA record etched, Diamond Dawgs news and Huskies on the hardcourt
FBY MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE
or the first time in the history of the University of Washington men’s track and field program, the Huskies got to play “big wheel” at the prestigious Penn Relays.
More to the point, they got to bring a couple of them all the way back to Seattle.
The Huskies won the 4,000-meter distance medley relay Championship of America on the first day (April 25) and the four-by-mile relay Championship of America on the second day. That gave them not one, but two of the coveted Wheel trophies, which are emblematic of victory in the world-famous meet that has been around for 131 years.
The DMR featured the same quartet that set a world record at Dempsey Indoor on Valentine’s night during the Husky Classic. And they ran in the same order, with Ronan McMahon-Staggs on the 1,200-meter leadoff leg, Bodi Ligons the 400, Kyle Reinheimer on the 800 and Nathan Green on the 1,600 anchor leg.
Their time at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field was 9 minutes, 25.22 seconds – just fast enough to edge Oregon’s 9:26.38 at the finish line.
It wasn’t as quick as that world record mark of 9:14.10. But this one came with one of the most coveted trophies in the track world.
The next day, McMahon-Staggs was back on the leadoff leg and Green once again was on the anchor for the 4-by-mile. In between them this time were Martin Barco and Rhys Hammond. The Huskies clocked 16 minutes, 24.61 seconds as Green brought UW from behind on the final lap (as he also did in the DMR). The Huskies finished .31 in front of Villanova, .58 ahead of North Carolina and .79 faster than Virginia.
These were the second and third Wheels in Husky history. The first one came from the women’s 4-by-800 relay last April. (A different squad of Huskies was third this time.)
Two weeks prior to Penn, Reinheimer rewrote the school outdoor record in the 800 meters, finishing two laps in 1:46.09 to win the race at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17 in Azusa, Calif. The next day, Green turned the tables on Georgetown’s Abel Teffra by winning the 1,500 at the Clay in 3:35.52. At the NCAA indoor mile in March, it was the same two guys, but in the opposite order as Teffra won.
Winning an event at the top-flight Stanford Invitational is a significant accomplishment. Chloe Foerster doubled up on that, capturing the 1,500 meters on April 4 in 4:07.32, nearly seven seconds in front of her nearest challenger. The next day, she won the 800 in 2:00.52, a three-second margin of victory.
Just two weeks later on April 18, Foerster won the Bryan Clay 1,500 in a meet-record 4:05.75, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history.
Continued on page 26
Track
BODI LIGONS
RHYS HAMMOND
KYLE REINHEIMER
MARTIN BARCO
NATHAN GREEN
RONAN MCMAHON-STAGGS
Track Track
National pole vault title, national honors for Amanda Moll
Amanda and Hana Moll delivered a 1-2 pole vaulting punch at the NCAA indoor nationals on March 14 in Virginia Beach — and in record-setting fashion, too.
The sophomore twins both cleared 15 feet, 5 inches. Amanda got over on her first attempt; Hana needed a second try to clear. Both bettered the previous record of 15-3½ that had been on the books since 2018. Neither was able to clear 15-9, so the title went to Amanda on the basis of needing one less attempt at 15-5. Hana won in 2024.
Those top two places accounted for 18 team points. The next day, Amina Maatoug and Foerster went 5-6 in the mile for another seven points. Maatoug added five points for a fourth-place finish in the 3,000, and the Washington DMR tacked on an eighth-place point.
It all added up to program-record 31 points and a share of the fourth-place trophy — the first-ever indoor team hardware for the Husky women.
But Amanda’s still going higher
On May 3 at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Ariz., Moll broke the NCAA outdoor pole vault record by getting over at 15-7¼ meters. That was a quarter inch higher than the old record of 15-7 by Brynn King of Division II Roberts Wesleyan on March 26. She now owns both the indoor and outdoor NCAA records.
NCAA s on the docket
The Moll sisters are the talk of the BIG TEN and NCAA.
The conference is new, but the venue isn’t. Washington competed in its firstever Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 16-18 at Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, which previously served as host of the Pac-12 meet.
A trip to Texas A&M in College Station and the NCAA West preliminaries is on the calendar for May 28-31. Those Huskies who advance from there will return to Hayward Field on June 11-14 for the NCAA Championships.
AMANDA MOLL
HANA MOLL
Softball
Softball
Softball enjoys 31st NCAA Tourney berth in a row and Big Ten honors
The Huskies received an at-large bid to their 31st consecutive NCAA Tournament (every season since 1994 — the second year of the program), a streak that is tied for the longest active streak in the nation with Oklahoma.
The UW offense was led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis DeBoer, who was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team after hitting .369 with 20 home runs and 54 RBI.
Jadyn Glab earned Big Ten all-defensive honors and was effective all around the plate, ranking second on the team with a .316 batting average, 14 home runs and 40 RBI.
The Husky pitching, a top-five staff in the Big Ten, was led by ace and Cal Poly transfer Sophia Ramuno. Stevie Hansen, who transferred from Oregon before the season, threw the ninth perfect game in UW history earlier this season against Montana, which came after she already had a no-hitter under her belt.
Baseball
Diamond Dawg AJ Guerrero is all-time Husky hit king
Led by first-year head coach, Eddie Smith, the Diamond Dawgs marched towards Big Ten Tournament play with nearly 30 wins. In the team’s first season in the Big Ten Conference, the Huskies took two of three games against then-first-place Iowa in an April series at Husky Ballpark.
With his 265th career hit, AJ Guerrero became the UW’s all-time hits leader on May 15th during a win over USC. Home grown from Fife, Wash., Guerrero also ranks second in Husky history in home runs with 41.
Sam DeCarlo, from Signal Hill, Calif., shares the team lead with eight home runs on the season and leads the team with 42 runs.
Senior Max Banks has been the most reliable starting pitcher, while Seattle native Isaac Yeager has been the closer, racking up seven saves.
The Huskies earned the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament which starts with group play before a single elimination bracket May 20-25.
Continued on page 28
MAX BANKS
ALEXIS DEBOER
JADYN GLAB
SOPHIA RAMUNO
Huskies to NCAA Team Nationals Tennis
For the first time since 2022, the Huskies returned to the biggest stage in college tennis by earning a bid to the NCAA team tournament. A late-season five-match winning streak and a victory against No. 5 seed Nebraska in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament put Washington in position to extend its postseason. But that run ended in the first round of the NCAAs as No. 21-ranked Harvard prevailed, 4-0.
The Huskies went 8-5 in their inaugural season of Big Ten play. That gave them a first-round bye straight into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Tied at 3-3 against Nebraska, Soham Purohit secured the clinching fourth point by defeating Lars Johann in No. 3 singles, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
For latest results and news on all these teams, visit GoHuskies.com.
SOHAM PUROHIT
NEDIM SUKO
IVAN SODAN
BRETT PEARSON
DZIANIS ZHARYN
New hardwood home for Husky hoops
The new home for Husky Basketball takes shape behind Alaska Airlines Arena. The high-perfor mance basketball center will enhance training and development opportunities for basketball student-athletes by creating equitable spaces for each program. Visit GoHuskies.com and dig in to the 2025 news and views there.
To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
