award
3 stories filed under award on Wazzu. The newest of them: “Barbora Mileisyte snags Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors”, “Another Cougar on a national watchlist, Alex Covill makes the cut”, and “Naomi White's Week Was a Problem for Pac-12 Offenses, and the Conference Noticed”. Barbora Mileisyte, a senior on the Washington State women's swim team, just picked up Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors. Alex Covill is on another national watchlist, and at this point, it's starting to feel like a habit we don't mind getting used to. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every award story on Wazzu, newest first.
Barbora Mileisyte snags Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors
Barbora Mileisyte, a senior on the Washington State women's swim team, just picked up Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week honors. That is a big deal for a program that has been grinding through a tough fall. Mileisyte earned the nod after a weekend that included a win in the 200-yard backstroke and a second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. She also anchored a relay. The conference recognized her for that kind of workload, which is exactly the kind of recognition you want to see for a Coug putting in the yards. It has not been an easy season for WSU women's sports. The football team has taken its lumps, and the women's basketball squad opened cold in Berkeley with an 80-58 loss to Cal, as we covered in "Cougs open season cold in Berkeley." That one stung. So when a swimmer grabs a weekly conference award, it is a reminder that good things are still happening in the water. Mileisyte is not just showing up. She is winning. That is worth a text to a friend. Go Cougs.
Another Cougar on a national watchlist, Alex Covill makes the cut
Alex Covill is on another national watchlist, and at this point, it's starting to feel like a habit we don't mind getting used to. The Cougar women's basketball guard has made the cut, and while we don't have the full list of names in front of us, seeing a Coug's name on a national radar is always worth a second look. Covill has been building a reputation, and the recognition is catching up to the work. This isn't her first nod of the preseason. We wrote earlier about her and Villa landing on the Pac-12 impact list, and that kind of company says something about the direction Kamie Ethridge's roster is heading. The program is coming off a tough year, but the talent is stacking up. Covill is a big part of why the Cougs might bury that 9-25 season sooner than people expect. We don't stretch stories here, but we do notice patterns. A player who shows up on multiple lists, with national eyes starting to look, is a player worth watching. Covill isn't just filling a spot on the floor. She's earning her name in the conversation. Go Cougs.
Naomi White's Week Was a Problem for Pac-12 Offenses, and the Conference Noticed
Naomi White spent a week making Pac-12 pitchers look like they were throwing beach balls in a windstorm, and the rest of the conference had to notice. When a hitter gets that locked in, it stops being about one game or one series. It becomes a message, and the message was loud and clear: figure this out or go home. White's production wasn't just a stat line; it was a statement, and it's the kind of week that turns a good season into a special one. You don't pitch around a player like that without paying for it, and you don't pitch to her without watching the ball leave the yard. Either way, the Cougs were the ones smiling. What makes this run even better is that it didn't happen in a vacuum. The team is clicking, and you can feel the momentum building across the athletic department. If you want to see that same energy carry over to the course, check out our piece on Cougar Women's Golf packing the clubs and heading to Wisconsin. It's a different kind of competition, but the focus and grit are the same. For White, the pressure is on now. Pac-12 pitchers are going to adjust, and they're going to come at her with their best stuff. But that's the fun part. She just proved she can handle it, and honestly, we're here for the encore. Go Cougs.