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ESPN Feature On Husky Softball

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The Washington softball team was featured on ESPN's College Sports Blog. Graham Hays breaks down the upcoming season as well as an in-depth look on sophomore and starting pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby.

Check out the article here: 

Husky Softball Featured in The Daily

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Check out this story by The Daily on the UW Softball team where they reflect on last year's run in the Women's College World Series, talk about the upcoming season, and introduce the freshmen squad. 

UW Spotlight: Lauren Rogers

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Check out this video on junior Lauren Rogers from the UW Gymnastics team:

Women's Soccer Signee Berkley Gamble Discusses Signing Day

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One of the signees, Fairview High School's Berkley Gamble (Boulder, Colo.), chatted with Josh Lindenstien of Boco Preps TV on the eve of National Signing Day. 
Check out this video of Gamble talking about her decision to play for UW next year:

Gymnastic's Elise Ray Inducted in Athletics Hall of Fame

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Washington assistant gymnastics coach Elise Ray has recently been inducted into Howard County Women's Athletic Hall of Fame. 
Here is a great read about Ray's induction, written by Andrew Conrad of the Howard County Times (Columbia, Md.):

Elise Ray

No one would ever mistake Columbia for a hotbed of world class gymnastics, but thanks to 2000 Wilde Lake High School graduate Elise Ray, Columbia can always proudly call itself the town that produced a world class gymnast.

"I wasn't a high school athlete (because gymnastics was not a varsity sport when Ray was at Wilde Lake) but it didn't make a difference to them," said Ray, who was born in Florida but moved to Columbia at a young age. "(The community) was just so supportive. Going to public school was a huge priority for me and my family, and they worked with me."

Whether it meant allowing her to miss classes to commute to and from her training facility in Gaithersburg, showing flexibility with making up work, or just sharing congratulatory words upon her return from a successful international competition, Ray is grateful for the community support she received in Columbia, and still counts that as an integral part of the realization of her Olympic dream.

As a 2000 Olympian in Sydney, Ray remains a fan favorite and one of the most memorable members of the U.S. team that was awarded team bronze medals in 2010 when it was discovered that the Chinese team had falsified the age of one of its competitors at the Sydney Games.

Unfortunately for Ray, that was not the only scandal that stained the 2000 Summer Games.

After officials inexplicably set the vault two inches low, Ray -- along with many other gymnasts -- fell twice off of the improperly set apparatus.

The vault was eventually corrected, and Ray stuck her landing en route to a 13th place finish in the all-around, best of any American.

"I didn't know what was wrong," Ray told the New York Times in 2000. "It looked low to me, but I thought it was my nerves. Definitely falling on your first event shoots your confidence way down. That was the toughest part, just to keep going."

A stable coaching staff might have eased its gymnasts through the stormy situation, but...

U.S. team coordinator Bela Karolyi earned a reputation during the 2000 Games as an overbearing drill sergeant, and he feuded openly with gymnasts and fellow U.S. coaches alike.

But gymnasts are trained to persist through adversity with a bright smile on their face, and that's exactly what Ray did.

After Sydney, Ray found a return to normalcy at the University of Michigan, where she studied English and thrived as a 14-time NCAA All-American and three-time NCAA national champion, becoming the most decorated female gymnast in the history of the school.

After graduating in 2005, Ray eventually took a job performing with the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. After several years living in Las Vegas, she came back to Maryland to be closer to her family (parents Ellen and Bill and brother Taylor) and coached at the Carroll Gymnastics Center in Hampstead until recently.

The fall of 2011 was a memorable time for Ray, who was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in late August and was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Washington in late September.

Washington head coach Joanne Bowers coached Ray at Michigan.

"She has just been fantastic which doesn't surprise me in the least, with the dedication and focus she had when she was at Michigan," Bowers said. "She has been through so many different things at the highest level so the girls gave her their undivided attention right away ... I'm just thrilled that she's here and that I'm getting to work with her."

Ray now lives in Seattle and continues to coach younger gymnasts at summer camps.

While she has done some work as a color commentator for the Big 10 Network and has expressed interest in becoming a writer, Ray clearly has found her calling in coaching.

"I'd been thinking about coaching in college and the timing couldn't have been more perfect," said Ray, who helped lead Washington to an upset of No. 1 UCLA on Jan. 27. "It's very, very different. I've learned a lot technically already. (College gymnasts) very much want to keep learning but they know their bodies and they know themselves."

And while the Olympic Games in Sydney was the tumultuous culmination of a dream realized, Ray looks at winning the National Championship in St. Louis, which qualified her for the Olympic team, as the pinnacle of her athletic career.

"I had done a ton of mental preparation. I was going to make (the Olympic) team and nothing was going to stand in my way," said Ray, who compared the feeling to how Michael Jordan must have felt on his best nights. "Everything just aligned and everything felt effortless. I can say that I never had that feeling up until then and I've never had it since."

--Andrew Conrad

http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/sports/ph-ho-cf-hs-whof-stories-0202-20120201,0,7129429,full.story

Ruby Engreitz Receives National Recognition

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Ruby Engreitz was named one of CollegeSports360's Primetime Performers of the Week (one of 16 honorees).  Four of these athletes were also named Primetime Pacesetters of the Week and Engreitz also received this honor.  Check out the following link to see the entire story:

http://www.collegesports360.com/awards/primetime-performers_2012G.html


WPS Suspends Play for 2012 Season

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Here is the official statement from the Women's Professional Soccer League:

"Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) announced today that its Board of Governors has voted to suspend the 2012 season to permit the League to focus on the resolution  of certain pending legal issues and  the challenges that now face the League as a result of its ongoing dispute with a former owner.

"We are proud of what the League has accomplished in the first three seasons, but we do recognize the necessity to resolve our existing legal and operational issues so that we can continue to support and grow WPS the right way," said Sky Blue FC Owner Thomas Hofstetter. "This was a very difficult decision, but one we as owners feel is the best business decision for the League at this time."

The Board voted on Monday morning to suspend the 2012 season.  Over the last year the league has faced significant challenges, including a lengthy and expensive legal battle with a former owner.  The litigation has diverted resources from investment in the league and has forced the Board to take action, suspending the 2012 season in order to address the legal issues head-on before moving forward with competition. 

"We firmly believe there is a place in the global sports landscape for Women's Professional Soccer," said WPS CEO Jennifer O'Sullivan.  "Making the decision to suspend the 2012 season was a difficult and painful one, but it is necessary to take the time to address current issues and solidify our business in order to provide appropriate support needed to achieve the League's long-term goals. Those that take part in our League - players, partners and fans - deserve the best, and that is what we are taking the time to ensure we deliver when we resume play in 2013 and beyond."

WPS has established its plans to return to play in 2013, and all five owners of the League's existing teams - Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash - will remain active with the CEO, Jennifer O'Sullivan, in the governance of WPS throughout the current year.

"We are deeply grateful to our fans and partners for the tremendous support they have shown for WPS, our players and the sport," added O'Sullivan.  "With our supporters and athletes in mind, we are committed to complete the hard work necessary to resume play in 2013 and reestablish WPS as the premiere women's professional soccer league in the world.""

http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/news/press_releases/120130-wps-suspends-2012season.aspx

Husky Gymnastics Featured In Seattle Times

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Check out this feature story about the Gym Dawgs from the Seattle Times, as they host No. 1 UCLA at Alaska Airlines at 7 p.m.


Clem, Brown Succeeding Down Under

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Two members of last season's Husky baseball senior class have been enjoying the "winter" by playing for the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League. With the southern hemisphere's summer moving along, Jacob Clem and Geoff Brown are a part of a Perth squad that begins the playoffs today as the top-seeded team.

Clem recently made headlines with a remarkable relief outing in a 15-inning victory for the Heat. In the same manner as he was known to do it for the Huskies, Clem went seven innings in relief, allowing just two hits, before a teammate's homer in the 15th delivered the victory.

Meanwhile, Brown, the Huskies' all-time pitching appearances leader, posted a sparkling 5-0 record and 1.88 ERA for the Heat, who finished the regular season 34-11.

Perth hosts Melbourne in the first round of the playoffs while in the other semifinal series, Sydney takes on Adelaide.

Here are a few links:

ABL Playoff Schedule

Assistant Coach Elise Ray Featured In UW Daily

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First year assistant coach and former Olympian Elise Ray has been featured in the UW Daily. Read the entire story here:

http://dailyuw.com/news/2012/jan/24/path-rediscovery/