This page is dedicated to Logger student athletes.

Collegiate sports can be immensely powerful experiences of transformation as well as necessary for the daily regulation of mental and bodily health for its athletes. Many of us at the University of Puget Sound have lost our competitive seasons due to the coronavirus outbreak, leading to an additional host of challenges on top of quarantine. For the seniors, it is particularly heartbreaking, as many competed in their last sporting event without knowing it and have lost the opportunities that they have been working towards for the past three and a half years. 

This is a place where Logger athletes reflect on their time playing and racing for the Loggers, share their thoughts on all things college athletics, as well as share some of their current problem-solving strategies and how they are navigating daily life and their identities without their sports. 

Third week’s Op-Ed: Club Sports Suffer From Budget Bureaucracy: The COVID toll on Student-Governed Athletics

By Emma Piorier | Click above to read article

This example highlights a larger question of structure; should student government be in-charge of managing a huge sector of student athletics? To me, the answer is clear. Club sports need the University to develop an independent governing system to reduce the toll on ASUPS and on club sports and alleviate the unfair representation that both student athletes and other non-athletic club participants face from being lumped into the overarching title of “club”.

Second Week’s Op-Ed: Regard the Mountain: Remembering Logger Crew

By Monica Schweitz | Click above to read article

The coronavirus outbreak has caused sports, professional and collegiate alike, to postpone or cancel their seasons. For seniors in college, classes and even graduation are going digital, but there is no way to continue their sports. This means an early and unexpected end to their student athlete experience and identity, which, for many, is a confusing and painful transition. Nevertheless, if sports teach us anything, it’s that you need to rely on your team and have faith in yourself during times of adversity. This article is a student athlete’s reflections on her time as a rower at the University of Puget Sound.

1st Week’s Op-Ed:

Slim Pickings: Why Student Athletes Need Priority Registration

By George Jackson IV | Click above to read the article

Student athletes are required to commit a significant amount of time preparing for and participating in University sponsored athletic events. Practice schedules both during the competition season and the off-season pose significant scheduling and time-management challenges for student-athletes. Priority registration would permit student athletes greater flexibility in scheduling courses as well as making it easier to schedule some courses during their non-competition semesters.

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Student-Athlete Spotlights

Mara Henderson

Year: Senior / Class 2020

Sport: Basketball

Position (if applicable): ​Guard/Small Forward

How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

D3 Basketball was well into the NCAA tournament by the time social distancing was implemented. So unfortunately or fortunately (depends on how you want to look at it) my team’s season had already come to an end. However, the post season activities that my team had planned have all been cancelled or moved to a virtual space.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

​I go on at least one walk a day. Some days I’ll run, I’ve played tennis at a park a few times, and most days I do free yoga on youtube.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

I was already mentally preparing to not have basketball during my final months of college but this isn’t exactly what I had been imagining. I think knowing that no one is really playing basketball right now has made me forget that my career is over. So I feel relatively sane at the moment but I think I’ll go through some type of a grieving process when other people start hooping again. And I will say, I do miss being able to watch basketball games and really missed the excitement of march madness. 

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

​Our team will be doing our banquet virtually. Typically at our banquet there are awards given, and some competitions, so it’ll be fun to see the coaches get creative for alternative competitions. 

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Capriana Jiang

Year:Freshman

Sport:Lacrosse

Position (if applicable): Midfield 

How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

Due to Covid-19, my team was only able to play 3 games. I was so bummed when our season got cancelled because we were just at the point where everyone was becoming close and starting to play really well together as a team. We still keep in touch with weekly zoom meetings and are excited to get back out there next season!

How are you staying active during quarantine?

I exercise 3 times a week by using the workouts Brent gives us. I do have a small home gym but it’s nothing like the fieldhouse gym so I have to get creative. Being in California, the weather is so warm that I can workout outside without freezing too much which is nice! 

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

I am trying to keep up other hobbies such as baking and gardening. I’m pushing myself to try new things like making a sourdough starter and trying to be sustainable by regrowing things from cuttings/food waste such as celery and green onion! My brother plays lacrosse also so I get outside and pass a ball with him which helps me keep up my skills.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

We have weekly zoom meetings as a team to check in with each other which are fun and a nice way to see everyone’s faces. We are also always sending things in the groupchat to brighten each other’s day. We have been recently doing Instagram takeovers on the Puget Sound women’s lacrosse Instagram which is so fun because I get to see what my teammates are up to at home!

Lia Van Steeter

Year: Junior

Sport: Women’s Tennis

Position (if applicable): N/A

How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

We no longer have practice, lifting, or competition for the rest of the school year. Our season was cut short by about 8 weeks.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

I am doing modified lifting that our strength and conditioning coach has created for us. I am really fortunate to live close to a lot of open, undeveloped space, so I have been going for runs, hikes, and walks most days. I’ve also been biking with my dad, doing a lot of yoga, and trying to keep up with physical therapy exercises.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

All of the hiking, biking, walks, and lifting has been filling some of the gap left by not being able to play tennis. Having the structure of classes stay constant has also been a really big help in providing some certainty and routine to my days. I’ve also been working hard to take time to read, journal, and spend time with my family and dogs.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

We have been having a few team meetings on Zoom and Google Meet, both with and without our coach, and I’ve also been texting and calling teammates one on one. It’s been nice to share photos with one another of memories of the team, and to talk about next year’s goals.

Kalina Cordero

Year: Sophomore

Sport: Women’s Soccer

Position: Outside Back

How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

First, I want to acknowledge my peers playing spring sports, as they had to lose an entire season due to this pandemic. I cannot imagine the pain they must’ve felt hearing the news that all spring sports seasons were cancelled, as well as those participating in national championships for winter sports. This time has affected all athletes, but especially them–and I hope they know the entire athletic community is rooting for them as they prepare for their upcoming seasons.

Since women’s soccer is a fall sport, I did not have to lose an entire season of competition. However, our “spring” season schedule included 16 practices and a scrimmage against the University of Portland. I am grateful for the one practice we had before everything was cancelled; it was the first time we were all back together for an organized practice, and it brought back the rush of being in season. For my teammates and me, soccer is our escape from the complexities of being a student. We step on the field, knowing we have to put all other thoughts to rest to play the sport we love. Hearing the news that we could not come together for our remaining 15 practices, or test ourselves against a DI college, stopped us in our tracks. How were we supposed to be ready for the fall if we could not improve during the spring? How are we going to stay sane without seeing our teammates on a daily basis? These questions surfaced immediately, and left us with many uncertainties. 

How are you staying active during quarantine?

Soccer may be a fall sport, but we work year-round. We are responsible for staying fit; endurance and strength training are a large part of our regimen. I live on a hill, so hill sprints have replaced running up and down the field during practice. I follow social distancing rules when going on runs around my neighborhood or along the water at Alki Beach in West Seattle. Some of my friends and I social-distance lift to stay on a strength-training routine that we otherwise would have had with Brent, our amazing strength and conditioning coach. Kim Calkins, our coach, also partnered our team with an app for technique drills such as dribbling, juggling, and passing. We may not be able to compete with other teams or each other during practice, but we are able to compete with ourselves in preparation for next season.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

During this time, everyone is finding it difficult to feel motivated or purposeful. To stay sane, I have to feel like I have a purpose. Every day, I practice adjusting my mindset to view responsibilities as part of overarching goals. Making checklists has helped with this. I set aside a reasonable amount of assignments to complete each day, and break up longer-term projects into short increments. I also follow a structured workout schedule, and practice soccer drills for at least 15 minutes a day. It is satisfying to chip away at these responsibilities, checking off each one as I go. I see school obligations as getting closer and closer to next semester when I will be done with core requirements and able to focus on my majors. I see soccer obligations as steadily progressing through each workout and technique session in preparation for the first practice and game of next season. And of course, downtime is needed. I love playing Monopoly and other board games with my family and listening to music as pastimes, or talking with my friends on Zoom.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

Our coach had the brilliant idea of holding Zoom classes called “UPS School of Soccer.” Every Thursday, we meet as a team to talk about our week, discuss soccer concepts, and also have some great laughs. Every Tuesday, we meet with our designated small group to focus more on individual experiences and how we can hold each other accountable to achieve our goals. Even without coming together for practice, our coach has made it possible to feel like we have our community. With this, we do not feel like we are alone. We are all dedicated soccer players who wish we could play the game right now, but are nonetheless supporting one another so we can each bring something new to the table next season

Donovan Wilson

Year: ​Sophomore

Sport: ​Men’s Basketball

Position: ​Point Guard

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How has COVID-19 impacted your sport?

​My official season had ended by the time we got sent home and ordered into quarantine. However, the National Basketball Tournament was still in process. Meaning that the teams who were still competing had to cut their seasons short. Our team was supposed to start team lifts the week that everything got shut down, so unfortunately we did not get to participate in spring lifting as a team this year.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

​I have been working out daily, sometimes twice a day. The gyms are not open so I can only do bodyweight workouts and I have a couple of weights at home that I am able to use. In addition, my county has closed all the parks so all of the rims have been taken off the backboards of the hoops. Although I cannot do full basketball workouts, I am still able to do some ball handling workouts and other workouts that do not involve a hoop. I also have been running a lot more than usual.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

​ I am still able to run and do other workouts although it is not fully the same. However, I have embraced the current situation and decided to focus on things that do not necessarily involve a hoop or weights. Such as running sprints, running for distance, and doing cardio workouts to improve my conditioning and stamina.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

​I talk to a few of my teammates daily via Snapchat. I also text my teammates every now and then via individual texts and group chats. In addition, we have gotten on Zoom, Facetime, or Skype to communicate with one another as a group.

Elena Staver

Year: Senior

Sport: Crew

Position: The one with the oar

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How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

Our season has been profoundly impacted by Covid-19. We have lost most of our racing opportunities, time for team bonding has been significantly limited, many aspects of our daily routines have disappeared overnight. And yet, we are reminded of why we love our team and this sport, we’ve been challenged to creatively pass along the legacy of healthy, fun and intense competition, and we are asked to explore community and relationships in a new way.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

As a senior, I am trying to play with morning and movement routines to explore what feels good for me and my body outside of an organized sport to enable myself as my life shifts directions. This wasn’t something that I was expecting to think about for a while and has involved reflecting on the way I value my body outside of a competitive context. So far, I’ve been doing a combination of running, walking, body-weight movement, yoga, and stretching – In the sun whenever possible!

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

I’ve been trying to stay connected in socially distanced ways with friends still in Tacoma, cooking delicious food, getting creative with tea and coffee, finding routines with classes and physical movement, and playing D&D with teammates and our coach’s sons! 

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

We’ve been staying connected through weekly whole team leadership conversations, outdoor walks, smaller women’s team processing groups, facetime calls and social media!

Monica Schweitz

Year: Senior

Sport: Women’s crew

Position: Rower 

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How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

Our spring season was cut in half. We lost most of our racing opportunities, all of our traveling, and the ability to contend for Nationals. We have a disproportionately large number of seniors on the women’s squad who have been together since day one, so it really felt like the end of an era for the team. Pretty heartbreaking.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

Personally, I’ve been lifting free weights, kickboxing in the basement, and doing yoga. The UPS strength and conditioning coach also provided us with an off-season workout plan using bodyweight and weights made from things you have around the house which my teammates and I are going to start doing together via zoom.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

It’s tough. You can’t just stop working out and expect to feel the same way without that structure and all those endorphins. For me, it’s really a matter of intentionally moving my body every day. Also, prioritizing healthy eating and getting sun. But learning how to deal with hard emotions by doing productive things is still something I’m working on.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

We have a whole team zoom meeting every week to discuss topics from the book, The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual. It’s a way of staying in touch with each other and also thinking about the mental aspects of our sport that we carry with us into the “real world.” My team captains have also developed an Instagram account specifically for working out while in quarantine (@its_corowna_time) where we share videos of what we are doing and hold each other accountable for staying active. It’s important to stay connected to your team because they’re the only ones who know exactly what you are going through.

George Jackson IV

Year: Senior

Sport: Track and Field

Events: Sprints

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How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

We only got to have one outdoor track meet. It is just an unfortunate situation for everyone. For me personally, this season was my first and more than likely my last season running track. It’s a bummer that I was not able to finish the season in the way I would have liked. 

How are you staying active during quarantine?

This is the hardest part of quarantine for me because I can’t go to a gym and workout.  I am continuing to run and go on walks whenever possible. I recently started mountain biking. Whatever I can do to stay as active as possible, I am doing.

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

It is definitely tough because I am used to being in a routine when it comes to class, practice and working out during my down time. With online class it frees up more of my day to partake in other activities, however not being in a routine has been a difficult adjustment. A couple of my housemates and I bought Fifa 2020 for the Xbox so we have been playing that pretty regularly. The game has been a good way to get the feeling of competition without having organized sports. 

Emma Piorier

Year: Junior  

Sport: Ultimate Frisbee 

Position Cutter & Captain

How has covid-19 impacted your sport? 

COVID-19 ended our season. Prior to the suspension of sporting events, our team, University of Puget Sound ClearCut, was going into regionals ranked #1 in the nation. This was the highest ranking we’ve had  pre-series in the history of our program. The weekend before indefinite suspensions, we won a local tournament, pushing us to the top of the country and prepared to win the region and hopefully, the nation in the next two months. It was heartbreaking, it is heartbreaking, to work so hard and not have the opportunity to defend our ranking on the national stage. Clearcut is an extremely successful sports program at UPS, a triumph that often feels overlooked because Ultimate operates outside of the NCAA, not allowing us to be varsity athletes. This season felt like a breakthrough; we were an unstoppable team of hardworking gritty players, winning games and with the chance to win a national title and assert, without a doubt, our presence as athletes on this campus. Captaining Clearcut the last two years has challenged, rewarded and taught me about myself, my body, teamwork, determination and community. Right now, it feels like there is unfinished business. 

How are you staying active during quarantine? 

When I’m not a student or an athlete I am a strength and conditioning coach at a local gym and community center (shameless plug @ Ascent Fitness in HIlltop). I teach yoga, natural movement and powerlifting classes. Right now, I’m enjoying playing with a variety of disciplines, exploring and letting my curiosity and intuition guide my movement decisions. I’m also teaching virtual fitness classes, an introductory weight lifting series and a community class on Zoom, a surprisingly fun and successful challenge. Because of quarantine I have time to begin my day with a yoga practice. I love going on long runs, doing kettlebell workouts outside, and playing spikeball with my roommates. 

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine? 

Breathing, sunshine, reading, yoga, lots of movement. I am affirming myself a lot; being intentional about finding security in my sense of self outside of being an athlete. Working to feel passionate and happy in other aspects of my life. It’s difficult, I miss my team.

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine?

We have done virtual workouts, virtual chalk talks and virtual team meetings. Right now we are prioritizing preparation for our next season and are building recruitment committees to be proactive about the future. 

Henry Loran

Year: Junior

Sport: Baseball

Position:Pitcher

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How has covid-19 impacted your sport?

We were shut down mid-season. 16 out of 39 scheduled games played.

How are you staying active during quarantine?

Running and throwing at Wilson High School, using resistance bands and textbook-loaded backpacks for weight training

How are you staying mentally sane without your sport during quarantine?

Burying myself in my work!

How are you staying connected with your teammates during quarantine? ​

Our coach has the pitching staff meet via zoom weekly; catchers, infielders, and outfielders all have group zooms weekly in their position groups as well.