athletes
Wazzu keeps athletes in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Cougs test the legs against the nation's best in Wisconsin”, “Kirby Moore and the Cougs Talk Fresno State After the Final Whistle”, and “Kirby Moore on Duquesne prep and what it means to be a Coug”. There's a certain kind of fun in finding out how far you can push yourself, and the Cougs are about to get a full lesson in that this weekend. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every athletes story on Wazzu, newest first.
Cougs test the legs against the nation's best in Wisconsin
There's a certain kind of fun in finding out how far you can push yourself, and the Cougs are about to get a full lesson in that this weekend. Washington State heads to Wisconsin to test the legs against the nation's best, and it's exactly the kind of challenge that tells you what a team is made of before the season really settles in. Nobody is pretending this will be easy. The Badgers have a reputation for turning their home pool into a grind, and the Cougs are walking in with eyes open. But that's the point. You don't learn much from swimming against folks you already know you can beat. You learn when the water gets rough and the competition doesn't let up. This is a chance to see who steps up when the spotlight is brightest, and for a squad still finding its rhythm, that's valuable no matter what the scoreboard says. We've already seen flashes of what this group can do. The early work in the Head of the Snake opener set a solid tone, and the home pool slate started with a clean sweep against Seattle U, with Whitaker leading the way. Those results matter, but they were warm-ups. This is different. This is a measuring stick, and the Cougs aren't shying away from it. Win or lose, we'll know more about this team after this one. That's the fun part. Go Cougs.
Kirby Moore and the Cougs Talk Fresno State After the Final Whistle
Kirby Moore didn't walk off the field in Fresno looking for style points. He walked off with a win, and that's the part that matters most to a Coug. Moore and the team sat down after the final whistle to talk about what went right, what went wrong, and what nobody saw coming. The conversation was direct. No coach-speak. No dancing around the fact that Fresno State made them earn it. Moore pointed to the moments where the Cougs kept their heads when the noise got loud. That's not nothing. On the road, in a stadium that doesn't love you, staying steady is half the battle. If you want the full breakdown on how the Cougs cleaned up the little things and left with a W, we've got you covered there too. That piece digs into the details Moore touched on in the presser, the execution stuff that doesn't show up on a highlight reel but wins games in September. What sticks from this conversation is the tone. Moore sounds like a guy who knows his team is still cooking. Not done. Not perfect. But headed somewhere. That's the kind of coach you want on the bus home. Go Cougs.
Kirby Moore on Duquesne prep and what it means to be a Coug
Kirby Moore didn't just take a job. He took a role that comes with a handshake, a history, and a whole lot of expectations. The Cougs' offensive coordinator sat down this week to talk Duquesne prep, and he kept it real about what it means to wear the flag. No fluff. No coachspeak. Just a guy who knows Pullman isn't for everyone, and that's exactly the point. Moore gets it. Being a Coug means showing up when nobody else does. It means grinding through a Tuesday in November when the wind is howling and the stands are half-full. It means the work matters more than the spotlight. That's not a line from a brochure. That's the truth. Duquesne is next. A non-conference game that doesn't get the hype, but Moore made it clear: respect the opponent, respect the process. The Cougs can't look past anyone. Not if they want to be the team they think they are. If you liked that kind of straight talk, check out our piece on Korey Schroeder and the Cougar volleyball team. Same energy. Different sport. Same standard. Moore is building something. It won't happen overnight. But listening to him, you get the feeling he's in the right place. Pullman has a way of sorting that out. Go Cougs.