By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With the month of October winding down things are starting to heat up for WWU Athletics.
A full slate of home games is on tap for the Vikings with the nationally ranked Women's Soccer (#12) and Volleyball (#17) hosting a pair of home games each in Bellingham. The first-place men's soccer team is on the road in GNAC play and the men's and women's basketball teams open the 2025-26 campaign crossing the border to play three games each in the D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic in Langley, B.C.
The week is also highlighted by the men's and women's cross country teams coming off GNAC winning performances at the conference championships last Saturday in Billings, Montana and the women's golf team closed out the fall portion of the schedule placing fourth out of 15 teams at the East Bay Fall Invitational in Hayward, California.
The volleyball, women's soccer and men's soccer team are listed atop the GNAC standings heading into competition this week.
All event information, including ticket prices and live game coverage, can be found online at WWUVikings.com. For the third consecutive year, all current WWU students receive free admission to home regular-season games. Here are some handy links to follow the Vikings:
Click on the link below to read the great story in Cascadia Daily News on the WWU Men's Soccer international player connection, with seniors Joar Tidbom, Albin Jonsson, Sebastiano Silvetti and freshman Fillip Karlsson sharing their story on being student-athletes at Western. The article as written by Nick Zeller-Singh and great photograph by Andy Bronson:
The Vikings return to Carver Gym after playing three consecutive matches on the road, hosting Saint Martin's on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday in 7 pm matches on WECU Court. WWU is ranked No. 17 in the nation with an overall 15-3 record and in a three-way tie for first place in the GNAC at 9-2. Of the Vikings remaining seven matches during the regular season, five will be played in Carver Gym. In addition to the top 20 national ranking, WWU is listed fifth in the West Region according to the InkBlotSports.com RPI ranking. Western is coming off a pair of wins last week defeating Seattle Pacific 3-1 and Montana State Billings 3-0. Senior Devyn Oestreich leads the Vikings and the GNAC averaging 4.09 kills per set while tallying a double-double in 13 of 18 matches.
- Overall Record: 15-3
- GNAC: 9-2 (T-1st place)
- National Ranking: #17
Thursday, October 30:
Saint Martin's – 7 pm (Bellingham, WA – Carver Gym)
GNAC Network | Live Stats
Free Parking in C Lots
Saturday, November 1:
Western Oregon – 7 pm (Bellingham, WA – Carver Gym)
GNAC Network | Live Stats
Free Parking in C Lots
About the Viks:
- GNAC Standings – Tied for 1st place in the GNAC with Alaska Fairbanks and Simon Fraser with 9-2 record in conference games.
- In Carver Gym – Owns 6-1 record in home matches this season and overall 327-93 (.779) in Carver Gym.
- Devyn's Big Stats – Senior Devyn Oestreich leads the GNAC and ranks 19th in NCAA II averaging 4.09 kills per set…also amongst GNAC leaders in aces (0.42/set, 3rd), digs (3.78/set, 8th) and hitting pct. (.310, 5th)…tallied 13 double-doubles…reached the 800-kill milestone for her career ranking 25th in program history…24 digs short of 1,000 career digs (currently 976).
- Killer D – Junior Delaney Speer is averaging 3.63 kills and 3.28 digs per set starting all 18 matches.
- Like a Voss – Junior middle Emily Vossenkuhl is 4th in the conference in hitting percentage (.330) and 6th in blocks per set (1.11).
- True Freshmen – Three true freshman – Maren Stuber, Brooke Berglund, Dani Turcinec – have played for the Vikings this season.
Open four-game homestand at Harrington Field this week to close out the regular season schedule. The Vikings host rival Seattle Pacific on Thursday at 7 pm and Montana State Billings on Saturday at 1 pm. WWU has already qualified for the four-team GNAC Championships tournament that will be held November 13-15 in Burnaby, B.C. Following a 1-0-1 week defeating Saint Martin's 2-0 and playing Western Oregon to a scoreless draw, the Vikings are 10-1-4 overall and in first place in the conference standings at 8-0-2 (26 points). WWU is ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll and listed No. 3 in the West Region via the Performance Index at InkBlotSports.com. The Vikings are undefeated over their last 12 games (10-0-2) and are 10-1-4 overall heading into the penultimate week of the 2025 regular season. Senior Morgan Manalili leads the GNAC and tied for 6th in the nation with 12 goals.
- Overall Record: 10-1-4
- GNAC: 8-0-2 (1st place)
- Trend: 12-game unbeaten streak (10-0-2)
- National Ranking: #12
Thursday, October 30:
Seattle Pacific – 7 pm (Bellingham, WA – Harrington Field)
GNAC Network | Live Stats
Free Parking in C Lots
Saturday, November 1:
Montana State Billings – 1 pm (Bellingham, WA – Harrington Field)
GNAC Network | Live Stats
Free Parking in C Lots
About the Viks:
- Offensive Surge – Ranks 21st nationally and leads the GNAC averaging 2.47 goals per game…scored at least three goals in eight of 15 games.
- Ticket Punched – Earned one of four spots for the GNAC Championships that will be held November 13-15 in Burnaby, B.C. WWU has qualified for all 13 GNAC Championship tournaments.
- Undefeated Stretch – Over last 23 games Vikings are undefeated at 10-0-2…last loss was a 3-2 setback against then No. 1 Colorado School of Mines on September 10 in Golden, Colorado.
- GNAC Streak – Over last 25 conference games dating back to 2023, the Vikings are undefeated in conference games going 20-0-5.
- Manalili's Goals – Senior Morgan Manalili leads the GNAC and is tied for 6th in NCAA II with 12 goals...also has 7 assists for 31 points to tie for 2nd nationally in total points.
- In WWU history 10th in career goals (30), 7th in assists (23), 7th in points (83), 3rd in game-winning goals (16) and tied for 19th in games played (84).
- Hardin's Minutes – Senior Asia Hardin is WWU's all-time leader in minutes played with 7,440…in 83 career games (all starts) Hardin has missed 30 minutes in games she has suited up.
- National Champions – WWU is the 2016 and 2022 NCAA II National Champions…advanced to the NCAA Championships in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
- Harrington Field – 5-0-0 in games at Harrington Field this season and 97-7-9 all-time at its home pitch…will play final four games of regular season at home.
The Vikings open the 2025-26 season this weekend with three games in the D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. WWU faces St. Edward's, Cal State San Bernardino and Central Oklahoma in the three-day tournament. The Vikings enter the 2025-26 season picked No. 4 (tie) in the Preseason GNAC Coaches Poll. Senior Garrett Levesque and sophomores Trevor White and Aidan Rice were named to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference team.
D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic
Friday – St. Edward's, 3:30 pm
Saturday – Cal State San Bernardino, 11:00 am
Sunday – Central Oklahoma, 11:45 am
Webcast | Live Stats
The Vikings open the 2025-26 season this weekend with three games in the D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic with games against Colorado Mesa, Minot State and Parkside at the Langley Events Centre. WWU prepared for the season with closed-door scrimmages against Division I programs Idaho and Portland. The Vikings earned the top spot in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll highlighted by preseason all-conference selections Libby Stump, Demi Dykstra and Aspen Garrison. The early-season schedule in Canada includes opening against No. 21 Colorado Mesa.
D2 Canadian Tip-Off Classic
Friday – #21 Colorado Mesa, 11:00 am
Saturday – Minot State, 11:00 am
Sunday – Parkside, 11:45 am
Webcast | Live Stats
The Vikings are in first place in the GNAC at 5-1-1 with three regular season games remaining, all on the road. The Viking had an eight-game unbeaten streak snapped falling to Seattle Pacific on Senior Night, marking the team's first loss since September 20. WWU is aiming to clinch one of three spots in the inaugural GNAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament, held November 13-15 in Burnaby, BC. After starting the year 0-4-2 in the first six games, the Vikings have turned their season around with a current overall mark of 7-5-3 in 15 games.
- Overall Record: 7-5-3
- GNAC: 5-1-1 (1st place)
- Trend: Won 7 of last 9 games (7-1-1)
Saturday, November 1:
at Simon Fraser – 2 pm (Burnaby, B.C.)
GNAC Network | Live Stats
About the Viks:
- GNAC Standings – In first place in the GNAC table with 16 points going 5-1-1 in seven conference games.
- What Remains – Three road games remain in the regular season for the Vikings traveling to play at Simon Fraser Saturday and Saint Martin's and Western Oregon during the final week.
- The Turnaround – After starting the season 0-4-2, the Vikings have gone 7-1-1 in their last 9 games…in first six games the team combined to score four goals, and in last seven have 21 goals.
- Joar in the GNAC – Senior Joar Tidblom leads the team and is 2nd in the GNAC with 8 goals.
- Academic All-Stars – Had 11 players earn GNAC All-Academic honors.
- Reiley's Assists – Sophomore Reiley Buri-Brown leads the GNAC with 7 assists.
The WWU women's golf team had a great three-tournament fall season, capped by placing fourth in the 15-team East Bay Invitational at the TPC at Stonebrae in Hayward, California. The Vikings finished runner-up at the Grisham Memorial Shootout, 12th out of 21 teams at the tough Regional Preview and the top five finish at the final tournament. Western is ranked No. 39 in the national Scoreboard rankings powered by Clippd and No. 11 in the West Region. Senior Lauren Lee continues to etch her name in the program record book completing the fall with a GNAC-best scoring average of 72.2 and is listed 10th in the NCAA II Scoreboard player ranking. Lee earned a pair of top-five finishes during the fall, including tying for first place at the East Bay Fall Invitational. Dating back to the West Regional championship in the spring, Lee has recorded a round of par or better in eight of her last 12 rounds. Freshman Carly Ikei placed in the top 20 in all three fall tournaments to open her collegiate career. WWU opens the spring schedule February 2-3 at the LA Spring Kickoff.
Coming off a fourth consecutive sweep of the team titles at the 2025 GNAC Cross Country Championships, the Vikings are now in preparation mode for the NCAA West Regional Championships held November 8 in Monmouth, Oregon. The Viking men and women both scored 37.0 points to earn decisive victories in Billings, Montana. The Viking men were led by a runner-up finish from sophomore Sten Brakstad, leading four top-10 finishers, and the women were paced by three All-GNAC performers (top 10) with senior Alexis Parker finishing 2nd for her finest performance as a Viking. WWU enters the regional championships ranked regionally (Men: 2nd; Women: 4th) and nationally (Men: 13; Women: 20).
- Men Ranking: #13 (National), #2 (West Region)
- Women Ranking: #20 (National), #4 (West Region)
Saturday, November 8:
NCAA II West Regional Championships (Monmouth, OR – Ash Creek Preserve)
About the Viks:
- FOUR-peat – The Vikings continued their distance running dominance sweeping the team titles at the fourth consecutive GNAC Championships, with both teams scoring 37.0 points…both teams have won five of the last six GNAC XC titles.
- Runner-Up – Sophomore Sten Brakstad and senior Alexis Parker both placed 2nd at the GNAC Championships over the weekend in Billings.
- GNAC Dominance – WWU has claimed the last 16 team titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field dating back to the 2023 outdoor championships.
Completed the fall portion of the schedule with four solid tournament finishes. Turned in a winning performance at the Otter Invitational in the final fall tournament, tied for first place at the SMU Bishop Invitational and earned third-place finishes as the WWU Invitational and the Chico State Wildcat Classic. Recorded a team average scoring round of 284.4 (-4 to par) with junior Conrad Brown leading the GNAC with a scoring average of 70.3 (-2 to par) turning in 11 of 12 rounds at par or better. WWU's next tournament is scheduled for February 9-10, 2026 at the Fujikura Invitational hosted by Cal State San Marcos. Holds the top West Region ranking and listed No. 18 in the nation according to the Scoreboard Rankings by Clippd.
