By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Basketball, Track & Field, Golf and Softball are all in action this week for WWU Athletics, creating another busy event schedule for the Vikings.
The WWU men's basketball team highlights the home schedule with conference games against the Alaska schools on Thursday (7 pm) and Saturday (5 pm) on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The Vikings open the second half of the GNAC slate one game out of a playoff spot with an overall 9-11 record and 3-6 in GNAC play. Sophomore Aidan Rice (18.9) and junior Nehemiah Pollard (16.4) are among the conference scoring leaders.
The women's basketball team is back on the road traveling to play Saint Martin's on Thursday (5:15 pm) and Western Oregon on Saturday (2:00 pm) in GNAC games. WWU heads into the second half of the conference slate in second place in the standings with a 15-5 overall record and 7-2 in GNAC contests. Senior forward Olivia Hodges is among the national leaders with 13 double-doubles and averaging 12.1 rebounds per game (to go with 17.1 rebounds/game). Junior guard Libby Stump(14.4) and Demi Dykstra (11.1) are also averaging double-digits scoring per game.
The No. 3 nationally-ranked Western softball team opens the 2026 season with an 11-game road trip to Southern California, beginning with five games over the weekend at the CUI Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California. WWU is coming off back-to-back D2 World Series appearances and is the preseason favorite to win the GNAC. Senior shortstop Hailey Rath and junior third baseman Maleah Andrews lead the offensive returners, while newcomers Alanna Wirtala and Mac Ferguson will be depended on in the circle.
WWU's Track & Field program continues the indoor schedule at the UW Invite on Friday and Mile City on Saturday with both meets at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle. Through the first four indoor meets of the season, WWU student-athletes have set three school records and made 41 new entries into the program top 10 record book. The men's 4x400 relay team of Jackson Moffitt, Evin Ford, Maurice Woodring and Isaac Ford set the program and GNAC record in the event in 3:11.92, currently the No. 7 time in the nation.
The women's golf team opens the spring portion of the schedule February 2-3 at the LA Spring Kickoff hosted by Cal State LA at Rio Hondo Golf Club in Downey, California. The Vikings had a successful three-tournament fall season to head into the spring ranked No. 39 in the NCAA Division II Clippd rankings and No. 11 in the West Region. Coming off an All-American season in 2024-25, senior Lauren Lee leads the GNAC with a scoring average of 72.7 to rank No. 13 in the Clippd individual D2 player rankings.
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:
5 PM SATURDAY BASKETBALL GAMES
Please note that nearly all Saturday home basketball games the remainder of the season feature a 5 pm tip-off. We hope this allows for more families and community members to come out and support our teams in GNAC games in home games in Carver Gym.
GNAC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WWU will serve as the host for the 2026 GNAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships held March 5-7 in Carver Gym. The top six teams in the standings for both men's and women's basketball at the end of the regular season will converge on Bellingham for the three-day tournament on WECU Court. More information on the GNAC Championships can be found at GNACSports.com with tickets on sale in mid-February.
FIVE TO BE INDUCTED INTO ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Five former student-athletes make up the Western Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2026. All of them achieved success at the national level during their time at WWU, with three having notable international backgrounds after their years as Vikings. The induction ceremony, a private event, will be held on Saturday, February 28, at the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame Room in Sam Carver Gymnasium. Later that day, the inductees will be presented during halftime of the women's basketball game, which starts at 5 p.m.
The class features two of the greatest basketball post-players in school history, a two-time Summer Olympic race walker, a football placekicker whose career matches the four best consecutive seasons in WWU history, and a sprinter who set a school record that still stands after 32 years. Highlighting the honor's exclusivity, the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 raises the total individual memberships to 168 in Western's 124-year athletic history.
2026 Hall of Fame Inductees:
Here are some upcoming events to circle on your calendar:
VIKING NIGHT SAVE THE DATE
Make sure to circle Thursday, May 7 on your calendars for Viking Night 2026! Registration and event specifics will be available in the coming days, but we want to make sure everyone is ready to Paint the Town Blue to support WWU Athletics scholarships and program success of nearly 300 student-athletes.
