Four years later, Buckley’s competitiveness has made her one of Division III’s best volleyball players. The WashU senior is one of only three players in program history to tally over 2,500 career assists and 1,000 career digs and is on track to put herself into WashU’s record books for single season assists. 

As WashU faced off against North Central College, BNVB kicked off its 10th season as the University’s student-run pep band. The pep band has become a staple of game days, energizing crowds and building a tight-knit community of musicians along the way.

Despite WashU’s three national championship wins in the 2024-2025 school year, the Athletics Department has unveiled a new motto for the 2025-26 school year for the fifth time in as many years: “Defend the Standard.” The tradition of the Athletics Department’s annual motto was established in 2020 with “United Pursuit” to bring students and coaches together after the pandemic.

The pieces are all in place — student interest, and an institution to facilitate filling the stands. And while WashU cannot do this for every game, this should not be the last time they bring students together to rally behind our sports teams. Whether it is a rivalry football game, playoff soccer game, or home March Madness matchup, WashU and its students must commit themselves to rallying behind our teams and creating a sports culture.

Over the weekend of Feb. 21–23, WashU’s Army ROTC basketball team traveled to South Bend, Indiana to participate for their third time in the Flyin’ Irish Invitational Tournament at the University of Notre Dame. The Bears won the entire tournament, establishing for themselves an impressive winning legacy in a short timespan.

In the world of college basketball, Division III programs are often overlooked. Most D-III athletes don’t play for national glory, future NBA careers, or to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. Yet to all those who have found a special community around Division III athletics, the D-III tier — where student-athletes are able to pursue a more well-rounded college experience than Division I athletes —  stands out.

For most WashU students, there are just eight miles and a short metro ride that separate campus from Busch Stadium. For 2021 graduate Ryan Loutos, the journey was a little more complicated. 

Lisa Stone has been a basketball head coach for 36 years. When her 10-year run coaching Saint Louis University (SLU) ended in 2022, she wasn’t sure where her career would take her next.

During the 2024 indoor track season, times set by Kelley, Sarussi, and graduate student Danielle Schultz made the WashU trio three of the 15 fastest runners in the 800 in all of Division III. Their success is emblematic of over a decade of dominance by the WashU track & field team’s women’s 400/800 meter training group.

 “It’s like a symphony,” Juckem said. “They move in concert with each other; there’s rhythms; there’s an omnipresence. When we’re at our best, it feels like there’s not five of you guys out there, it’s six of you. Because you’re doing it with such zest, such energy, and such passion.”