Fast Break: The Bearcats bully the state of Washington

A duck in a Willamette jersey about to score a goal on the soccer field while the crowd cheers behind them. Art by Wes Mowry-Silverman.

Welcome back, Bearcat Fan! As the academic year begins to wind down, our beloved spring sports roar into the middle of conference play, hoping to snag elusive playoff berths and bring Willamette University to glory. Let’s see how they fared this week!

Women’s tennis won their second conference matchup of the season against Puget Sound on Saturday in resounding fashion, besting the Loggers 5-2 in team points.

Men’s tennis were barely defeated by the Loggers 3-4, with a doubles matchup loss serving as the tiebreaker.

Softball went 1-3 against the Whitworth Pirates at home over the weekend in four tight games, winning the first of the series 4-2 at home.

Baseball endured a 4-14 loss against the Pirates on Friday, but then won both doubleheader games the following day, with a three-run homer from catcher Jason Smith (’26) extending their lead in the latter game. 

Lacrosse snapped their losing streak by destroying the Lutes and the Loggers at home 20-1 and 18-2, respectively, with midfielder Alex Warfel (’28) totaling nine goals over the weekend. The Bearcats lost earlier in the week in a heartbreaker to Lewis & Clark 11-12, with the River Otters delivering the final blow with 16 seconds left in the game.

Women’s track and field competed in the Jenn Boyman Memorial meet at Linfield on Saturday, with Anastasiia Lemesh (’26) taking No. 1 in the 3000-meter steeplechase and the 4x100 team also securing gold. 

Men’s track and field excelled in field events, with Austin Snodgrass (’28) taking No. 1 in discus with a throw of over 49 meters.

Women’s golf competed in the NWC Spring Classic, with Saida Seelig (’26) taking No. 27 in individual rankings.

Men’s golf also competed in the NWC Spring Classic, placing No. 4 in team standings, with AJ Papajohn (’27) tying for No. 2 in individual rankings.

In the wider world of sport: UCLA won its first-ever national championship in the women’s March Madness finals on Sunday, trouncing the Gamecocks 79-51. The WNBA conducted its expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, the two new teams that begin play in the 2026 season. The NBA begins its final week of the regular season, and the Trail Blazers have clinched a play-in berth at the No. 9 spot. Surely that playoff game will go well.

In the coming weeks: Lacrosse faces the evil empire of NWC sports, better known as the George Fox Bruins, away on Sunday, and looks to defeat them for the first time in program history. Track and field head to Monmouth on Friday and Saturday to compete at the John Knight Twilight meet, while tennis faces the dominant Blues on Sunday. Baseball competes against Warner Pacific on Wednesday, then Whitman over the weekend, while softball heads north to Tacoma to face off against the Lutes. Golf looks to find victory over the weekend at the Wildcat Invitational in McMinnville on Sunday.