Western Washington University’s year-long celebration of its 13 national championship teams, dubbed the “Year of the Viking,” finished Saturday, April 12 where it all began: with the 1998 softball squad.
The ’98 team won the first national title in school history, capturing an NAIA National Championship against Simon Fraser.
“It is so fitting that it is a team induction because I don’t think it was one person who won it,” former catcher Cathy Johnson Evans said. “Our 1998 team embodied what it meant to be a team. We were talking about how we all had different gifts, and we were willing to put it all in the middle and bring the best of what we got.”
The 1998 squad reunited at Viking Field nearly 30 years later on Saturday as the 2025 Vikings’ team was facing Montana State Billings in a regular-season doubleheader.
Gallery: 1998 Western softball team gets inducted into Hall of Fame
“Walking down and seeing the field was very emotional for me,” former outfielder Jennifer Brandolini said. “We left our hearts on this field. It’s emotional in a sense that this field is here because of us. All the hard work we put in for several years, we were able to leave a bit of a legacy for us.”
Compared to most of the other national championship teams, the 1998 title run was a Cinderella story. The Vikings snuck into the national tournament with one of the final at-large bids after losing to Simon Fraser in the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference finals. Heading into the tournament, Western lost two pitchers due to injuries, and head coach Art Phinney spent most of the tournament hospitalized with intestinal problems.
“We had a chip on our shoulder because we knew we belonged there and other teams didn’t respect us,” Johnson Evans said. “Other teams would walk up and show up 30 minutes before the game and dance, while we were there two hours before the game to warm up. We got there early to watch the other games and take notes on the other hitters.”
Western came from behind in two of their games, including twice where it came down to the final at-bat. However, Western swept through the tournament with a 5-0 record, defeating Southern California College, 6-5; William Woods, 4-1; Oklahoma City University, 4-3; and Simon Fraser, 5-2 and 5-1.
“When we knew we were going to play Simon Fraser, we looked at each other and screamed ‘Yes!’” Johnson Evans said. “We were excited and confident. We believed in each other in accomplishing our dreams.”
Although the Vikings have yet to win another title in softball, the 1998 team is optimistic that the current squad can add to a rich history. The Vikings were the national runners-up last season.
“I appreciate Sheryl (Gilmore) because she makes sure we still recognize how you got to where you are and how it got built,” former pitcher Allison Richards said. “I like that we can watch all the games now on our computers. It was awesome to follow them through last year.”
The nine rowing teams (2005–11, 2017 and 2024), 2012 men’s basketball, 2016 women’s soccer and 2022 women’s soccer were inducted earlier this academic year.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
