Summer 2025
As I transition from my role as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the privilege of serving our Bearcat Athletics community since 2012.
After 13 years in athletics and eight as the Director, I’m proud of how much our department has achieved, both on the field and in academic excellence.
Together, we celebrated some outstanding accomplishments by our students and staff:
- The addition of Women’s Lacrosse (2018) and Women’s Triathlon (2021) as varsity sports, bringing our total number of sports to twenty.
- The first-ever conference championship in Men’s Soccer (2018), Women’s Basketball’s first Northwest Conference championship in nearly 30 years (2024), and Baseball reaching the NCAA Tournament twice (2018 and 2024) after a 17-year absence.
- Starting the Bearcat Awards, an annual ESPY-style award show that highlights the year in athletics across all sports and class years, while also honoring our seniors and impactful members of the Willamette community.
- There are too many team and individual academic and athletic honors to list, but there is a consistent level of academic achievement, similar to the most recent spring semester, where our student-athletes had a combined average GPA of 3.42 across the department.
These accomplishments were fueled by your support, through attendance, mentorship, generosity, and unwavering pride in Bearcat athletics.
I’m pleased to share that Leslie Shevlin, a deeply experienced leader and former head coach/administrator at Willamette, stepped into the Director of Athletics role beginning August 6, 2025. Leslie’s 15‑year legacy here, plus her recent success as Senior Associate AD at Williams College, make her the ideal steward for our student‑athletes and programs.
As for me, I’ll remain part of the Willamette family, transitioning to a new role in Human Resources. I’m eager to continue serving our students and campus in a new way.
You’ll hear from Leslie next month about her vision for the upcoming academic year, which includes an emphasis on continuing to ensure that our Bearcat student-athletes receive a transformative experience.
I trust you’ll give her the warm Bearcat welcome that has meant so much to me.
Thank you again for believing in our mission and helping make Willamette Athletics a place of excellence and community.
Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat!
