Husky spring sports update: tennis, baseball, and rowing

University of Washington athletics have always had some of the most premier programs in the nation, but this year has been special, to say the least. After the winter sport season wrapped up, where fans saw UW men’s basketball make the tournament for the first time since 2011 and gymnastics make yet another NCAA tournament, it was the spring sports’ time to step up and make a name for themselves.

Tennis

For the 14th time in school history, the UW women’s tennis team were a part of the NCAA tournament field, where they earned the #10 overall seed. Their seeding meant they were the chosen host for the first two matchups in their region — the first time since 2004 they were able to do so. The team showed that their seeding was well deserved after they won 4–0 shutout matches against first and second round opponents, Army and Princeton, ultimately earning them a spot in the sweet 16. That is where their magnificent season came to an end, as UCLA was able to get the best of them for the third time this year.

Even after the season ended sooner than they hoped, 2019 was still a historic season for the program, setting high expectations for teams to come. Their 21–5 record was the second most wins in school history, along with a new school record of eight wins in Pac 12 play. The season will continue for two Huskies — Stacey Fung and Nika Zupancic — who will compete in the NCAA individual tennis championships.

Rowing

UW rowing continues its dominance after both the men’s and women’s team won the prestigious Windermere Cup in Seattle on May 4. The cup is open to the best NCAA and international collegiate rowing teams in the world. This was the women’s 12th first place finish in the past 13 years, while the men captured their third straight title.

The Huskies are now taking this momentum into the Pac 12 championships, where they will hope to claim their spot in the national championship at the end of the month. The men’s team will be seeking their 19th championship and the women will be seeking their fourth overall and second in the last three years.

Baseball

Husky baseball faces important series in the coming weeks, as they are on the fringe of making the NCAA tournament, just after last season when they made it all the way to the College World Series. The Huskies have had inconsistent play come back to haunt them, staying around a .500 winning percentage in Pac 12 play. Their final two series of the year will be with two of the top teams in the Pac 12, California and nationally ranked UCLA.

Most recently, the Huskies were able to sweep Utah during Mother’s Day weekend. This included two straight comebacks, as the Huskies had to rally late in order to come away with the win. Over the past few seasons, the team have always been strong finishers, giving them a great chance to come away with crucial victories over California and UCLA over the upcoming weeks.