With teams taking a holiday breather for a few days, here’s what we’d like to see in 2025:
A reversal of fortune for women’s hoops. Are all those injuries plain bad luck, or is someone sticking pins in a team of Viking voodoo dolls? Four players (Aspen Garrison, Ellie Croco, Libby Stump, possibly Jaylyn Arosemena) are out for the season. Team third-leading scorer and silky-smooth sophomore guard Demi Dykstra (11.6 points per game), is the latest to go down, hopefully just temporarily. The former Lynden Christian star is out following a knee injury during the 66-62 win over Hawaii Hilo Friday, Dec. 20. The Vikings (6-5 overall, 1-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) suited up only eight players in a late-game 74-68 loss to Quincy Saturday, Dec. 21. They resume conference play Thursday, Jan. 2 at Western Oregon.
Men’s hoops to catch fire. The sparks are there, the latest a come-from-behind 70-68 win over St. Mary’s (Texas) Dec. 20 after a slow first half to end their nonconference schedule at 8-4 (0-2 GNAC). Promising 6-7 freshman post Trevor White made his first start, along with junior guard Garrett Levesque. White made a team-high seven rebounds, along with six points. The team returns to Carver Gym and conference play against Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 2.
Track and field’s outdoor season. Only one meet in and Western’s indoor team is already rewriting the school record books. We won’t get to see the team compete locally in person until spring’s outdoor season, and there’s reason to want to. One-time Australian national team competitor Bec Bennett, a Western newcomer, ran the conference’s second-fastest time in history in the 400-meter race and helped the 4X400 relay to another school record. Kora Cook high-jumped to an indoor and outdoor school record as a sophomore. Then there are the family connections: Shot-putter Jessica Polkinghorn and 400-meter runner twins Isaac and Evin Ford are all new school record holders as freshmen, along with Jessica’s older sister Hannah. The women and men can rack up consecutive conference titles No. 11 and 12 this winter, and possibly more when outdoor season opens in a few months.
Softball picking up where it left off. As in last season’s thrilling run, complete with crazy comebacks and an unheralded lineup that went all the way to a history-making national runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II World Series. Most of the team returns. Home opener is March 1 against Simon Fraser. Buckle, and bundle, up.
Both soccer teams playing the postseason. The women’s team made it to the NCAA Division II tournament in 2024 as an at-large team, winning one game, but their two national championships (2016, 2022) left supporters wanting more — a GNAC tournament title and a deep run. As for the men, the graduation of a core group of seven forwards and midfielders will make it an uphill climb. But with the addition of a GNAC tournament, the top three GNAC teams will have another path to make the postseason and a possible NCAA berth. The last time both teams made the NCAA tournament was 2019, when the women were national title runners-up and the men made it to the second round.
Return of the spectator shuttle. I say let’s resume the popular spectator shuttle bus from the 12G lot to Carver Gym. I enjoy the walk and get that current parking is closer, but it’s still quite a hoof for older folks in the rain and darkness of January and February. An unofficial poll of spectators at a recent Viking hoops game was resoundingly in favor of the fan- (and driver-) friendly shuttle’s return.
Carmen Countdown Clock
With its win in Hawaii, the women’s basketball team is three wins from celebrating coach Carmen Dolfo’s career 700th victory (697-266). That’s a .723 winning percentage. Dolfo, in her 34th season, is the winningest coach in any sport at Western and would become the 17th active women’s basketball coach (all divisions) to win 700 career games. Not that we’re calculating this, but … sweep their first three games back, and that would mean No. 700 would come at home Jan. 9 against Northwest Nazarene.
BEST BETS
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2 – Men’s basketball vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Bellingham. GNAC schedule resumes with Western (8-4 overall, 0-2 conference) looking for its first conference victory against Alaska Fairbanks (5-6, 1-1), picked to finish last in the GNAC.
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4 – Men’s basketball vs. Alaska Anchorage, Bellingham. Preseason No. 6 Western hosts Alaska Anchorage (8-7, 1-1), predicted to finish tied for fourth in the conference.
Tickets. See wwuvikings.com/Tickets or in person one hour prior to game time.
Parking. Free for sports. For basketball, lot 19G for general audience; 9G for season ticket holders. See the map at wwu.edu/parking.
Can’t make it? Stream it
All home games and most road contests are streamed via a live and free YouTube webcast. Find links online at cascadiadaily.com.
If you have a smart TV, search for “WWU Athletics” on YouTube.
We want to hear from you
Got a WWU sports-related news tip or interesting item for this notebook, or a good story idea? We’re all ears. Send to newstips@cascadiadaily.com, subject line: WWU sports notebook.
Meri-Jo Borzilleri is a freelance journalist and former 20-year sports reporter.
