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Willamette cheer at a Bearcat Basketball game on Nov. 23, 2024. Photo by Keenan Yoshizawa. In the fall of 2023, the Willamette cheer team disaffiliated from varsity sports, in part due to the university being unable to pay the insurance to be able to do certain stunts, said cheer cocaptain Brooke Busby (’27). Despite the challenges that came with disaffiliation, club leaders say the team has since found a new identity as a club by being able to do more stunts and recruit more

Skiing and snowboarding in the spring 2025 class. Art by Basil Allen. For the past 12 years, psychology professor Mark Stewart has been leading a skiing and snowboarding class open to Willamette students of all levels, run through the local resort Mount Hood Meadows . But this year and last year, the course has been canceled due to low registration numbers. Stewart said the class initially saw 23 students register, higher than last year, but by the start of classes that numbe

WU triathlon athlete breaks through the finish line. Art by Adrian Axtell. Since its foundation in 2021, Willamette University's triathlon program has turned an emerging NCAA sport into one of the school’s most impressive competitive success stories. In just a few seasons, the Bearcats have earned podium finishes at multiple regional qualifiers, consistently ranking among the top DIII programs in the country, and most recently competed at NCAA Nationals, taking No. 4 for the