This Saturday, the Huskies will face the Penn State Nittany Lions at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, capping an exciting, 10-2 season for our football team. I’m proud of the team, and proud of all the UW’s student-athletes, who demonstrate again and again how sportsmanship, athleticism, teamwork and drive contribute to their inspiring and outstanding Husky experiences.
From our NCAA champion women’s rowing team and Pac-12 champion men’s rowing team, to Kelsey Plum, ’17, breaking the NCAA all-time women’s basketball scoring record, to football player Dante Pettis being named to the All-America first team, to our GymDawgs making it to the NCAA gymnastics championship for the first time since 1998, the UW is home to many champions and in 2017 their performances have been exceptional. But what makes those wins and records even more special is the people behind them — the students who find ways to give back, even while juggling classes and coursework, practices and games, and the coaching staff and mentors who support them throughout their journeys.
Husky Football Head Coach Chris Petersen is one of those mentors, and he recently described what it means to him to coach this incredible team: “[T]his university is why I came here. I think it’s second to none. So what else are we talking about? I think it’s the same for the coaches as it is the kids. You’re at an elite academic institution. You’re going to play the best football in the country. You have a chance to compete on a national scale. And then we have a unique philosophy in terms of what we’re trying to do with these kids even outside of football. For the right guys, this is a rare and unique place.”
Part of that philosophy is
that public service is a core value, and our student-athletes demonstrate their commitment to that value in many ways. This spring, a group of them traveled to Matambu, an indigenous community in Costa Rica. They were there to work with Courts for Kids, a non-profit that builds playgrounds that can withstand the region’s rainy season. Students from our football, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis and track and field teams traded practices and workouts for hauling cinder blocks and pouring concrete alongside local residents.
That same strength of character shows up everywhere — in volleyball player and senior Tia Scambray, who played 467 sets over her UW career, breaking the UW’s all-time record. It shows up in the 13 student-athletes who are participating in the inaugural Husky Leadership Academy to develop their personal leadership skills. It’s evident in the achievements of soccer player Havana McElvaine, ’17, who was inspired to pursue social justice work by her coaches and professors and who became the first student-athlete to earn a Bonderman Travel Fellowship. And it’s demonstrated in the stellar GPAs that our student-athletes maintain while meeting the demands of their sports and giving back to communities near and far. This quarter, our football team earned an average GPA of 3.12, and 20 of our 22 teams earned a 3.0 GPA or higher — an all-time record.
Watching incredible feats on the field, court, water and more brings our community to its feet like nothing else. We cheer together and celebrate wins together. But what we should all be most proud of is that the people behind those wins keep making the world a better place long after the final whistle blows.