By Julia Berkman
The autumn comes, the leaves change, and for the sport buffs, the fall season begins! This year’s fall sports include soccer, volleyball, golf and cross country. As a Division II school, Western has won a few NCAA titles, most of them being swept up by the indomitable women’s rowing team. Coached by John Fuchs, these athletes have won the NCAA Division II Championships five years in a row. This impressive feat sets the record for most consecutive wins within the Women’s NCAA Rowing Championship. As rowing is a spring sport, however, you’ll have to wait a while to see what these brilliant seafarers will do next. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a few thrilling games you can catch in Bellingham! In the meantime, sports fans can enjoy the fall lineup.
SOCCER
Fall quarter sports kick off this year in early September. The soccer teams have regular home and away games throughout this month. The women’s team has an upcoming game against Bridgeport that you can see on ESPN-3. Out of their six latest games, the Vikings have won three and tied one, with two losses they look to avenge. Look out Bridgeport, these Vikings want vengeance!
The men’s soccer team is looking ahead to their game against Seattle Pacific on September 24. Their past season record is impressive, given their youthful roster; 5 wins, 10 losses and 3 ties, leading to a seventh place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. With only one veteran athlete on the twenty-nine player team, their five wins were hard fought and triumphantly won. If you’d like to check out this skilled team, the game will be at home at 7:00 pm, as well as streaming on wwuvikings.com.
BASKETBALL
Western’s men’s basketball team also recently won a NCAA title. With just over twenty wins per season, this talented team is sure to keep you on your toes at their first home game. Tune in on November 1 for their exhibition game against Capilano.
Along the same vein, the women’s basketball team boasts a whopping 21 win average their past season. These players are a powerhouse team coached by Carmen Dolfo. With their recent star, Kayla Bernsen, having graduated and gone overseas, these Vikings must be jostling to fill the shoes of their senior. You can see their first game of the season against Quest University on Sunday, October 30. Be sure to check out both of these strong teams as they battle their way towards another NCAA championship.
VOLLEYBALL
Western’s volleyball giants are back at it again this season, trying to up the ante from their 27 wins the previous season. Last year’s team was part of the NCAA Division II final four. They finished second overall in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. These impressive accomplishments were well-deserved. We’re keeping our eyes on Abby Phelps for the coming year, who was recently named GNAC All-Star and Freshman of the Year! You can watch the team play Alaska on September 24. It’s sure to be a knockout match.
CROSS COUNTRY
Coached by the insurmountable Pee Wee Halsell, the men’s cross country, team is starting their season with a bang. Their next meet in St. Paul, Minnesota should prove to be one of their hardest yet. However, with their third place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference last year, we aren’t too worried. Each year the cross country team hosts an event, inviting schools from all over to participate in races hosted at East Padden Lake park. This get together is taking place on October 8, for those who follow the team. Also participating in the Invitational meet is the Women’s Cross Country team. Coached by Halsell as well, the team is hoping for an equally successful season. Last year they finished second at GNAC Championships and sixth at the national NCAA division II championships. We’ll see how they do in St. Paul!
GOLF
Both the Men and Women’s golf teams are starting their seasons strongly. With the women’s coach Bo Stephan starting his eleventh year fresh off his most recent win of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, the women’s team can pick back up and try to go for their sixth consecutive GNAC win. They’ll be at home on September 26, where they square up against their rivals for the 45th annual WWU Invitational. The Men’s team, coached by rookie Luke Bennet, a WWU alumni, is also participating. The golfer to watch this season seems to be Chris Hatch, who was named a GNAC all star in 2015. The whole team will be out on the green on September 26 if you want to catch their game.
Fall sports have a whole lot to offer this season! Be sure to check out some of the upcoming home games and root for your Vikings!