Archive March 2012
Inside 2010: Defending a national title wasn’t all that easy
The UW coaches like using a mountain as an analogy for climbing up the ladder of success. Football coach Steve Sarkisian referenced it numerous times this past season, and as volleyball coach Jim McLaughlin takes a break from analyzing video inside his dimly-lit third floor office at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, he does, too. The 11th-year [...]
Thriving, for 21 years and counting: The enduring greatness of Husky softball
It’s a chilly November evening after practice, and Kylee Lahners is channeling her inner Jesus Christ in front of the entire Washington softball team. A few minutes later, the freshman with long, brown hair – yes, just like Jesus – finishes up and takes a seat. Next up is a hilarious and equally ridiculous [...]
Thrive? After a 29-1 start, Huskies seek the ultimate prize as Pac-12 play begins
I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise To fly, to fly The song is called “Fly.” For the 2012 Washington softball team, it is more than just pretty words over a good beat. Head coach Heather Tarr and her Huskies have adopted [...]
Heather Tarr: More than a head coach to the Huskies
When asked for the best advice Washington softball coach Heather Tarr had given Kimi Pohlman, the senior outfielder exhaled loudly, as if it would take a while to think about her response. But her answer came out just as quickly as the breath of air. “Be the best you can be, in all aspects of [...]
The road to Oklahoma City: A step-by-step look at how the Huskies try to reach their goals
A sweltering summer evening in Oklahoma City isn’t the ideal destination for everyone, but for the Washington softball team, it’s the only place to be come June. The lights at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium engulf sold-out crowds who come from all parts of the country to see the best in college softball battle [...]
Fiercely competitive, Kaitlin Inglesby refuses to be denied
Heather Tarr’s eyes lit up and a smile cracked her lips. “Oh Kaitlin,” she sighs, trailing off, the Washington softball coach’s normally quick-paced, self-assured delivery slowed by the simplest of questions. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds. Silence. “She’s just, like, goofy,” Tarr finally offers about Kaitlin Inglesby, her sophomore pitcher. [...]
Niki Williams’ college development extends beyond the softball field
In softball, there are hundreds of different colors on the field. The neon green of the ball, the white lines of chalk, but what caught Niki Williams’ eye was metallic shiny, and purple. A jacket wrapped around the shoulders of another player. “One of my friends played (softball) and she made the all-star team,” Williams [...]
Kimi Pohlman grows from jack of all trades to master of softball
Kimi Pohlman had to stop and think when her teammates asked where she keeps her 2009 national championship ring. The Huskies were watching the Super Bowl together in February, and the event prompted a discussion of the seniors’ national-title rings. Pohlman tried to remember where it was and when she last wore it. During a [...]
Taylor Smith: The teammate who will sacrifice it all
She came in rocking her hot pink Vans lace-ups, hair pulled back into a blond ponytail, genuine yet bashful smile spread across her face. Senior outfielder Taylor Smith is coming into this season after being out since last April because of a back injury that required surgery. If you didn’t know her, you would have [...]
The living legend of 2009: What happens after a team reaches the summit?
Washington softball coach Heather Tarr is used to talking about the 2009 national championship team. All the exposure, all the expectations and all the questions — they come with the trophy. But what happens after a team accomplishes softball’s ultimate goal? After winning a championship, expectations for the future of the softball team were high, [...]
Freshman Courtney Gano looks to make her presence felt
From the way she smears eye black onto her tanned cheeks to how she wears her crisp, white Washington uniform, Courtney Gano’s presence cannot be denied. Physical. Imposing. Talented. Gano’s eyes tell the story. Focused and fiercely competitive, they glisten with an unwavering confidence. Upon arriving on campus last summer, she refused to accept the [...]
Shawna Wright provides steady presence for Huskies’ pitchers
Shawna Wright is in the midst of her childhood dream. Today, the ambitious softball-star is a junior hungry to win a national championship. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for Shawna. The chance to play the sport she loves and receive an education at a division one school has been Wright’s dream for many [...]
Hooch Fagaly turns injury into opportunity to grow as a leader
Getting an injury isn’t the ideal way to find your voice. In this case, that’s what happened to Hooch Fagaly, though. She received the dreaded diagnosis a year ago: Out for the season. But maybe that was just what she needed to be the leader she is today. Hooch has quite a unique name. Melanie [...]
Laid-back nature of Kylee Lahners belies her intensity on the field
Kylee Lahners was part of the Washington softball team long before she pulled on the uniform. Every year, the UW team would visit Palm Springs for the Cathedral City Classic Tournament, and Lahners would watch the girls play. “I remember always going with my dad for, like, five years to go up and watch Washington [...]
Kimberlee Souza handles great expectations with quiet grace
Not one of many words, Husky freshman shortstop Kimberlee Souza lets her character speak for her. When asked a question, Kimberlee Souza, freshman shortstop for the Washington softball team, doesn’t have a long answer. She sits in the UW dugout, quietly stares into the empty field, and briefly thinks about what to say. You can [...]
Jerrin Faasua is a multi-positional force for Huskies
Jerrin Faasua stands behind home plate on the plush green Washington field. Her black hair is tied in a long braid that slightly covers the golden No. 9 on her purple uniform. She calmly stares at the end of her bat and imagines the word “trust” is written along it. When batting, she knows she [...]
Canadian connections help Victoria Hayward pursue greatness
She was a part of the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team last season, but she wants to be part of something bigger. Victoria Hayward isn’t thinking about a personal goal, unless it involves her helping the team claim the title of national champions. “Winning a national championship is basically the only thing on my mind. Just to [...]
Bryana Walker rebounds from taxing 2011 season
There are tough players, those who deal with bouts of injury or mental fatigue throughout a season. And then there is Bryana Walker. A sophomore pitcher for the Washington softball team, Walker not only faces stiff mental competition every time she enters the circle for the purple and gold, but the physical and emotional challenges [...]
Utility player Jenna Clifton helps Huskies stay together
Jenna Clifton, a senior utility player on the Washington softball team, has been around long enough to know what works. When getting ready for a game, she puts her left sock on before her right, her left shoe on first, and so on. During away games, if the team wins, Clifton makes sure to eat [...]
Versatile Marki Creger-Zier: The Huskies’ “Swiss army knife”
She’s been called a hummingbird, a Swiss army knife and a piece of a chess game, just to name a few. She’s sophomore utility player Marki Creger-Zier, and head University of Washington softball coach Heather Tarr feels she can put her anywhere on the field. “She is a big presence,” Tarr said. “When she’s physically [...]
Freshman pitcher Kasey Stanchek is a hit, even though she doesn’t hit
Heather Tarr won’t spin a web of lies. She’s not going to try and trick you. The fact of the matter is, she just didn’t know. As funny as it sounds in today’s age of instant stats, social media, and the plethora of game film, the Washington softball coach didn’t know Kasey Stanchek couldn’t hit [...]
Creative freshman Tara Bellusci is learning the art of softball
Tara Bellusci is just as comfortable with a softball glove in one hand as she is with a paintbrush in the other. The freshman outfielder dedicates any extra time off the field to enhancing her creative hobbies. “I’m really into art,” she said, twirling a spiral blonde curl around her finger. “I do commissioned artwork [...]
Whitney Jones is on a tireless pursuit of improvement
Days off are usually periods of time in which you are not required to work. For Washington sophomore Whitney Jones, her days off are spent working even harder this season. Disappointed that the Huskies didn’t advance to the Women’s College World Series last season, Jones has followed the team’s positive yet persistent vibe this season [...]
Walk-on Kelli Suguro brings limitless energy and upbeat personality to the field
The determination and dedication required to excel in collegiate sports is astounding. There’s an animal-like tenacity in athletes to become the best at what they do, no matter what stands in their way. So when you look at sophomore Kelli Suguro, whose personality seems to ooze sunshine, bubbles and rainbows, it’s hard to imagine such [...]
No joke: Lindsay Monk receives surprise opportunity to play for Huskies
Lindsay Monk thought it was a joke, and she just wanted her coach to stop. After all, this was her future, and it wasn’t time to mess around. Monk had just finished her second season at Riverside Community College in Southern California, and her head coach was calling to tell her that a Division I [...]
Assistant coach J.T. D’Amico translates baseball to softball
Development never ends. The process. Improve. J.T. D’Amico repeats these three phrases over and over again, so much that it’s the six words branded in your mind when you walk away from a conversation with him about coaching Washington softball. These words seem to define his general attitude toward the sport. It describes how he [...]
Assistant coach Lance Glasoe finds a second family at Washington
With a smile on his face, Lance Glasoe talks about his family and the Huskies. They are two different things that have become very similar and important in his life. Glasoe, a Washington assistant coach, loves being a part of the Husky softball program. The former high school coach is now a Division I coach [...]
Her name is Cindy Ball, but you can call her Coach Bear
When assistant coach Cindy Ball talks about the Washington softball team, you can see the passion and excitement in her eyes. Maybe it’s because she’s working with a special group of players who have the potential to win it all. Maybe it’s because she’s working with her former coach and longtime friend, Heather Tarr. Or [...]
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