Check out the latest blog updates from McKenna Waitley in Greece http://theblondegreek.blogspot.com/ and Brent Richards in Ecuador http://brecuador2011.blogspot.com/.

After years of leading some of the top teams in the nation as an assistant coach, Theresa Wagner gets her first head coaching opportunity at Dartmouth.

Wagner was a standout player leading the University of Washington to its first Pac-10 title and the program's first-ever number one ranking as a senior in 2000. Her team made three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years and she was a four-time all-Pac-10 honoree. A member of the University of Washington Sports Hall of Fame, Wagner was an NSCAA Scholar All-American, SoccerBuzz All-America and a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic team selection.

"We are extremely proud of Theresa and all of her coaching accomplishments since leaving UW back in 2001," said UW head coach Lesle Gallimore. "Dartmouth College has found one of the bright young female coaches of our times and they have hired someone who will do an outstanding job in that environment. I am so very happy for Theresa for the opportunity to lead her own program. I look forward to watching her teams play and following their success."

Read the full release posted by Dartmouth here: http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205084875&DB_OEM_ID=11600.

The pre-season Pac-10 coaches poll was released today for softball and the league's coaches predict the Huskies to finish fourth in 2011.

Arizona and UCLA tied for first with four first-place vote and 46 total points. Arizona State was picked second (30), follow by Cal and Washington tied with 26. Stanford was picked sixth with 22 votes, just one ahead of Oregon. Oregon State finished eighth with seven votes.

Washington has won the Pac-10 three times since joining in 1993. The Huskies won in 1996, 2000 and 2010.

The Huskies are ranked No. 10 in the pre-season NFCA coaches poll and No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.

No. 15 Washington
Last season: 50-9, lost in Women's College World Series

Who returns: At the top of the list is a Canadian Olympian who rates among the very best at her position in the last decade or so. That is, of course, shortstop Jenn Salling. In her first full season on the field for the Huskies, Salling posted a 1.051 OPS, was perfect on the bases in 14 stolen base attempts and committed just six errors. Niki WIlliams edged out Salling for the team batting title with a .357 average (and 1.038 OPS), and Kimi Pohlman erased the first word in "potential star" by hitting .347 with gap power and 22 stolen bases as a sophomore. Morgan Stuart endured a tough season at the plate but remains one of the very best with the glove at third base.

Who departs: At the top of the list is a Canadian Olympian who rates among the very best at her position in the last decade or so. Actually, forget the last decade; Danielle Lawrie rates as one of the best pitchers in the history of the college game, dominating hitters at a time when aces like her seem to be a vanishing breed. But the Huskies also lost one of their best run producers at the plate: Danielle Lawrie. The two-time Player of the Year led Washington last season in slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs. Amanda Fleischman, Bailey Stenson and Alyson McWherter were also integral parts of back-to-back World Series appearances.

Sophomore first baseman Hooch Fagaly is an unexpected loss. After posting a .442 on-base percentage as a freshman, Fagaly could miss the entire season with an injury.

Who arrives: Among the freshmen generating the most buzz are first baseman/pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby, pitcher/outfielder Whitney Jones and outfielder Victoria Hayward, the last apparently yet another gem from the Canadian national team (by way of high school in California).

Complete breakdown: http://espn.go.com/ncaa/blog/_/name/college_sports/id/6053471/washington-looks-life-lawrie

Check out some video highlights of last week's meet vs. Cal. Kristen Linton on bars, Sam Walior on beam and Kylie Sharp on the floor!

By Michelle Smith

Hope Solo "absolutely hated" playing in goal by the time she got to the University of Washington back in 1998.

"I despised it," Solo confessed. "My college coaches had their hands full with me."

From that hostile start comes a remarkable ending.

Solo is the top goalkeeper in Women's Professional Soccer and the No. 1 goalkeeper on the U.S. women's national team, a mantle she's held since 2005. She won a gold medal in2008 with the U.S. team at the Beijing Olympics. Her 91 appearances with the national team are second-most in U.S. women's soccer history at the goalkeeper position.

"My experience at Washington set the stage for me to play on the national team," Solo said.

The same can be said of many members of the U.S. team. Eight members of the current roster were Pac-10 athletes.

Solo chose Washington over Santa Clara and Virginia following an outstanding high school career in which she was a two-time All-American as a field player (she scored 109 goals in high school) and led her high school team in Richland, Wash., to the state championship. She had been recruited not only as a soccer player, but also as a basketball player.

And she was set to head east, far from home, to Virginia. Solo nearly committed to Virginia, but changed her mind at the last moment and decided to stay in her home state.

"It was a last-minute decision, but the best decision I ever made," she admitted.

When she got to Seattle, she said she was overwhelmed by the large campus and new environment. And she did not have her heart set on playing in goal, even though that was the position she'd been recruited to play.

"I didn't believe in myself, and it was a struggle," Solo said. "I didn't find happiness until my junior year in college, and I have so my gratitude for my coaches for believing in me and showing me the intricacies of goal-keeping." Solo said she needed to learn to "respect the position."

"I needed to change my outlook on it," Solo said.

Clearly, she succeeded there.

Solo finished her career at Washington as the school's all-time leader in shutouts (18), saves and goals-against average. She was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection, a three-time All-American and a finalist for the national player of the year in her senior season.

The outspoken Solo has had both a distinctive and decorated career in international soccer. She was the object of national controversy in the 2007 World Cup when she was benched for the semifinal game against Brazil and was critical of then-U.S. coach Greg Ryan. She was removed from the roster before being reinstated by new (and current) U.S. team coach Pia Sundhage in 2008. She has talked openly about her complicated, but loving relationship with her father, a Vietnam veteran who lived on the streets of Seattle for years and passed away before the 2007 World Cup.

Solo has been welcomed back to the fold with the U.S. team and continues to play a large role in the team's success.

Solo, who will turn 30 in July, played for Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) team Atlanta Beat in 2010 and was named the league's top goal keeper. She is currently rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery in September. She is working to be ready in time for the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany in June.

Solo looks back at her time at Washington as a "truly amazing experience."

"I wouldn't know where to start talking about it," Solo said. "It is a huge university and so easy to get lost, but there were people who took me under their wings and directed me to where I wanted to go. I had some individual struggles with family and outside pressures and the school and the coaches, I had so much support in that world.

"I found my niche."

Check out some interviews at practice on Thursday with senior Jenn Salling and freshman Kaitlin Inglesby.

Freshman John Crenshaw of the men's soccer team had a great first year at UW on the field and sat down with www.gohuskies.com for a Q&A to talk about fall quarter, winter break and winter training.

GoHuskies.com: Now that you have a full quarter of classes and a season of soccer under your belt, how are you feeling?

John Crenshaw: "I realized that it's really important to stay on top of your grades and focus on your school work. I need to take care of school work before practice so at practice I can focus on the game."

GH: What classes are you taking this quarter?

JC: "I am taking an American Indian Studies class, a literature class because I'm planning on going into law, societies and justice and this is a prerequisite and I'm also taking a geology class."

GH: What did you do over winter break?  (Did you celebrate with your family, etc.?)

JC: "My grandfather has cancer so he was ill for most of break but got over it just in time for Christmas so he is back home so I got to have a good Christmas with him."

GH: Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

JC: "My resolution is to score more goals in 2011."

GH: What winter/spring sport are you most looking forward to watching at UW now that soccer is over?

JC: "Men's basketball. They look good. I went to the Oregon game and we have a lot of talent on that team."

GH: If you could trade spots with any UW athlete from another team for one day, who would you pick and why?

JC: "Jake Locker. He's a stud."

Freshman Allie Beahan of the women's soccer team had a great first year at UW on the field and sat down with www.gohuskies.com for a Q&A to talk about fall quarter, winter break and winter training.

GoHuskies.com: Now that you have a full quarter of classes and a season of soccer under your belt, how are you feeling?

Allie Beahan: "I have adjusted to the college environment and have learned to manage my time wisely and to make sure I get a good night's rest! I am excited for next season and have high hopes for the incoming freshmen class!"

GH: What did you do over winter break?  (Did you celebrate with your family, etc.?)

AB: "Over winter break I spent time with family and friends.  I got to go snowmobiling for the first time with a few friends.  I also went skeet shooting for the first time and ended up hitting 6 out of 25 (my shoulder was sore the next day!) My family met up with Molly (Boyd) and her family to watch the Christmas ships on Lake Washington!"

GH: What did you do for New Year's?  Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

AB: "I hung out with a few friends and played Halo! I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year!"

GH: What is winter training like? What are you personally and the team working on? How is it different then fall training?

AB: "Winter training is not only physically challenging but it also tests your mental toughness. As a team, our goal is to improve on something each day. We do so by pushing ourselves to do better and challenge our teammates to do the same."

GH: What classes are you taking this quarter?

AB: "I am taking Physics 110, Math 120 and Psychology 101."

GH: What winter/spring sport are you most looking forward to watching at UW now that soccer is over?

AB: "I am looking forward to watching softball because my roommate Victoria (Hayward) will be playing!!"

GH: If you could trade spots with any UW athlete from another team for one day, who would you pick and why?

AB: "I would want to try volleyball because when I went to their games it looked like a lot of fun!!"

Check out the feature UWTV did on senior gymnast Kristen Linton.

Men's soccer Academic All-American Brent Richards is studying in Ecuador this quarter. Follow his journey on his blog here: http://brecuador2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/orientation-and-tourist-day.html#comment-form. Each time he make a new post we will update it in our blog for you to follow as well.

Seniors McKenna Waitley and Kellye Joswick are studying in Greece this quarter. You can follow their journey on Waitley's blog. See here newest posts here: http://theblondegreek.blogspot.com/.

Official practice for the 2011 softball season began on Tuesday as the team spent three hours in the Dempsey Indoor. The team will practice six days a week in preparation for the season-opener on Feb. 11 vs. Illinois-Chicago in Las Vegas. See some pictures of the practice below.

Husky great Amy Lia, the 2006 NCAA Champion at 1,500-meters, is in the midst of a return to the sport and has signed a contract with local company Brooks. Lia, as well as former Husky Katie Follett, are part of a new group of elite women's runners nicknamed the Brooks Beasts. As part of a new campaign encouraging athletes to tell stories about their "PRs" (Personal Records), Lia talks about her breakthrough race, which also happened to be in the NCAA final. Not a bad time for the fastest race of her life!

The gymnastics team begins the 2011 season at 2 p.m. today at the Pac-10 Showcase at UCLA. The team arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and went tot Hollywood before having dinner in Marina Del Rey. Check out some pictures in the photo gallery below. Check back next week for more photos from the team.

Check out the UW gymnastics feature from the Examiner.

Check out some photos of a recent men's soccer camp in the Dempsey Indoor the last week of December 2010.

Check out the New Year's greeting from the UW gymnastics team.

Current UW volunteer assistant and former soccer great Veronica Perez made the headlines in the Los Angeles Times. Perez currently plays for the Mexican National Team.

http://mobile.latimes.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=294&nid=33741955&title=World&nstart=0&cid=16677&scid=1848&from=&redir=&ith=4&storytitle=A+chance+at+soccer+south+of+the+border.

Check out this great feature story on former UW soccer great Troy Ready. Check out the full story: http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=otb&id=ready.

Laying the Foundation On and Off the Field

The journey for Ready began in the Pacific Northwest in Spokane, Washington when he was a young boy, longing to become a professional soccer player.

"From the age of five or six, I wanted to play professional soccer," Ready recalled of his childhood with a chuckle. "Actually at the time, I was making a decision if I was going to play professional soccer or the NFL."

"I must have been a confident five year-old believing that I was going to make one of the two."

The decision between the two sports however was not as close as it seems. Even at that young age, deep down, his heart clearly pulled him towards soccer.

"I remember standing in my parent's living room with one of those toy bowling pins," the Washingtonian recalled. "I placed it on one side of the room and then paced to the other side, soccer ball in hand. Then, recognizing the significance of the moment I told myself - if I kick this ball and knock down that pin, then I'm going to play professional soccer...but if I miss it's professional football. I focused, I approached, I kicked...I missed."

"I think I'll try again," Ready laughed. "I persuaded myself, persisting until finally slamming the pin to the ground. Obviously I had already set my heart on my true passion, soccer. From then on, you could have described me as an over-the-top fanatic. I would wear my shin-guards to school, was keeping a log of my training sessions by the second grade, and had green carpet laid in my bedroom to resemble grass."

Once the decision was made, Ready gradually moved forward with his career, progressing in the PDL as a 17 year-old with the Spokane Shadow. But even more important than his career on the field was a growing life-theme that began to take root. He desired to somehow give back to others by using his soccer abilities as a bridge.