I turn to November 6th in my planner and write "First Game! Exhibition VS Academy of Art." It is as if this day is the first day of the rest of my life. This is my last year and it's hard to believe it's already here for me (and I'm a fifth year!). It seems like these past years have flown by. I look forward to leaving Seattle U on a very successful note. We are going to have an amazing year and to keep track of it all season long I will be blogging about our practices, games, and any other adventure we have along the way!
First, a little about myself: my name is Julee Christianson, I am a journalism major and I am from "Big Sky Country," Missoula, Mont. I started my college career at a Division III school called Willamette University in Salem, Ore. After a medical redshirt I decided I was destined for something bigger and better. I wanted to be able to earn a scholarship, play against big schools and live in a real city. I've been here for four years now and although there have been trials and tribulations, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. When I first got to Seattle U, the University was still Division II. It is still incredible to me that I have played at all the levels of the NCAA. The transition to Division I has been tough, but a lot of fun. This year we are looking better than ever and are ready to get after it!
The team is doing its best to prepare for the upcoming season. This summer there was a first for Seattle U women's basketball: required summer school. Although it sounds like the worst thing in the world (I mean come on, school in the summer?!) it turned out to be a good experience. The class was only a month long, but in that time we got to workout as a team and meet the new freshmen. Plus, the freshmen got a taste of college classes (and study hall!) without having a full load. Now that summer session is over, the whole team has the opportunity to go home and get some much needed time with family and friends. In the mean time, we are making hundreds of shots a week, playing in any and all open gyms we can find, and lifting. Although it is "vacation" we are still hard at work. September 15th we begin team workouts and individual workouts. When that first exhibition game rolls around we're going to be ready! To ensure we stay in high spirits during the tough workouts to come, we are making a team CD. This is a team bonding activity we've been doing for a few years now. Everyone secretly picks one of their favorite songs and then we listen to it as a team and try to guess which song was chosen by which player. The idea is to get to know one another better and it inevitably turns into a dance party.
We have three starters returning in Tatiana Heck, Elle Kerfoot and Maggie McCarthy, as well as a supporting cast in Samantha Messersmith and myself. Returning after an ACL tear last season and looking better than ever, Carley Butcher. It will be exciting to see what Amani Butler and Salena Dickerson can add to the team after sitting out last year after transferring from other schools. And of course look out for all our "newbies": Daidra Brown, Annie Kassongo, Talisa Rhea, Sylvie Shepard, Kacie Sowell and Ashley Ward. We also have a few teammates working behind the scenes who are greatly appreciated: Bianca Williams, Jamie Johnson and Breanna Salley.
Thanks for reading and check back soon for more updates about Seattle U Women's basketball!!
Go Redhawks!