Fast Break: Wildcats, Bearcats, Banana Slugs, oh my!

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.

Hello, Bearcat Fan! Woah, what day is it? I thought it was October this morning, but next week is in fact Thanksgiving. It was not a good weekend for our ’Cats, but such is life. And such is Bearcat sports. I don’t know if we’re very good this year. There’s a lot to write about. Loyal readers, all five of you, bear with me. Let’s find out how dire things are, shall we?

Women’s basketball suffered a close loss to Bushnell on Saturday, falling 49-51 at home. They endured a less close loss at DI Portland State on Tuesday, Nov. 11, dropping the game 52-89.

Men’s basketball, on the other hand, won 90-84 at home against Walla Walla University, or, “the other school in Walla Walla”. Deacon Perry (’28) registered a double-double with an impressive 21 points and 12 rebounds, along with four steals to lead the ’Cats.

Both men’s and women’s swimming lost at both Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound on Friday and Saturday, but not all is lost for our ’Cats thanks to some solid individual performances. Several swimmers earned No. 1 finishes over the weekend, including Jillian Price (’28) and Leah Howell (’27) on the women’s side, and Trai Xiong (’29), Ka’olapa Masuko (’27) and Kevin Olmedo (’26) for the men’s, so don’t panic yet, amphibians! There is hope on the horizon!

The same cannot be said for football, who finished their season against the devil incarnate, better known as the Linfield Wildcats. God, I can hardly type their name without gagging. Our beloved Bearcats lost 19-65, which is less than last year, so that’s good… I guess.

Volleyball lost to the No. 1 Whitworth Pirates at Spokane on Friday in the NWC Tournament, capping off a solid season for our ’Cats.

Cross-country went down to sunny California for the DIII Regional Competition, with the men placing No. 13 overall and Anna Bikle (’26) placing No. 59, the top finisher for the women’s side.

In the wider world of sport: The Oregon Ducks slaughtered the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, moving us up to No. 7 in the AP Poll. The Buckeyes are still No. 1, maybe just as God’s gift to Ohio, because what else is there to do there? I was too hasty by far about the Blazers, as we are now back to our standard mediocre form. The Thorns lost to the Washington Spirit in D.C. 0-2 in the NWSL semifinals on Saturday, ending a stellar season for Portland. 

In the coming weeks: Basketball continues their preseason romp against a bizarre assortment of teams, including Western Oregon on Friday and Walla Walla on Sunday for the women’s side, and the men’s side travels to California to take on Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and UC Santa Cruz on Friday, Saturday and Monday. Swim continues to take on the NWC, facing George Fox away on Friday, and with football’s loss on Friday, all fall sports have officially wrapped. Congrats, Bearcats!