Men’s and women’s cross country:

After the women’s and men’s cross country teams finished in seventh and 16th, respectively, at the 2025 NCAA Championships, the Bears will look to build upon their success in the 2026 season.

The women’s team graduated four senior runners last year, notably regional runner-up Jillian Heth and Katie Rector. The team will look to the Midwest Region Champion and Athlete of the Year, junior Lucinda Laughlin, to lead the Bears this season. Laughlin was the Bears’ top finisher at nationals, finishing in 16th. WashU will also return senior Avery Nason, and juniors Lauren Raley and Maddy Lee, who all competed in nationals last year. 

The men’s team graduated five seniors, including Midwest All-Region athlete and standout runner Conor Daly. Sophomore Max Sudrzynski will return after a successful rookie season, in which he was named second team All-UAA and finished nationals in 62nd place as the Bears’ top male finisher. 

Last season, the team was quite young with four first-years competing at nationals, including now-sophomores Charlie Houck, Rishi Shadaksharappa, and Gavin O’Connor. Juniors Sean Green and Ben Lorenz will also return after performing in nationals last season.

Despite graduating top runners from last year, both teams are filled with young returning talent and are poised for a solid run at the 2026 NCAA championships.

Volleyball:

With AVCA Second Team All-American Sam Buckley now graduated, who set an all-time program record for assists at 5,394, a question mark remains next to WashU’s volleyball team. The Bears ended their 2025 season ranked 15th in the nation, losing in the NCAA Division III tournament 0-3 to the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. Still, this Sweet 16 loss marked the Bears’ deepest tournament run since 2016 — a promising sign looking forward.

Buckley and her classmates’ leadership will be replaced by five seniors, including AVCA Second Team All-American Leah Oyewole and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Ellie Laird. 

Oyewole led the team with 3.73 kills per set in 2025, while Laird stepped up in her first year as the team’s starting libero, putting up an astounding 5.26 digs per set.

While Oyewole will power the Bears’ attacks, and Laird will hold down their defense, a key part of WashU’s offense remains uncertain without their star setter. Someone must step up to fill Buckley’s shoes if the Bears want to continue their four-year streak of making it to the D-III tournament. 

Golf:

After placing fifth for the second year in a row at the 2026 NCAA D-III Championship, WashU’s golf team looks to continue the momentum going into the 2026-2027 season. 

Now that Athena Nguyen and WGCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-UAA Tiffany Chan have graduated, seniors Reagan Robinson and WGCA All-America Honorable Mention Amy Beanblossom will lead the Bears this season. Robinson and junior 

Nicole McGuire finished last year’s season ranked among the top 60 players in the country, taking 28th and 59th, respectively. 

The team’s schedule has not yet been released; however, the fall matches will be vital in preparing the Bears for the spring season and making the NCAA championship once again. 

The WashU women’s soccer team secured its second straight national championship title in December 2025 after an undefeated season (Riley Herron | Class of 2026)

Women’s soccer:

Following their second consecutive undefeated season, WashU women’s soccer continued their reign, clinching both the 2025 University Athletic Association (UAA) conference title and the 2025 NCAA D-III National Championship. The Bears enter the 2026 season hunting for the rare national championship three-peat, which has only been seen once in D-III collegiate women’s soccer by the University of San Diego between 1995 and 1997.

The graduated class of five led the 2025 Bears’ championship team, including decorated forward Grace Ehlert, who finished last season as Third Team All-America, First Team All-Region, and First Team All-UAA. Defender Kaci Karl was a strong upperclassman voice on the Bears’ defense, playing in all 24 games with 23 starts. Both Karl and Ehlert made substantial contributions toward both the 2024 and 2025 national championship titles.

The returning classes hold an ample amount of talent. Senior midfielder Sophie Viscovich concluded the 2025 season with Fourth Team All-America, First Team All-Region, and First Team All-UAA. Senior defender and midfielder Keira Smyser looks to continue her key role on the Bears’ defense, allowing only 9 goals throughout the 2025 season. 

Junior forward Olivia Clemons is the catalyst for the Bears’ offense, earning her First Team All-America, UAA Offensive Player of the Year, and several other honors. The rising juniors and sophomores have never lost a game in a WashU uniform.

WashU women’s soccer has continued to raise the bar every year. The Bears look toward the 2026 season determined to take home the National Championship trophy for the third year in a row.

Men’s soccer:

Coming off their best season since 2007 with a record of 14-4-1, the WashU men’s soccer team is looking to repeat their UAA conference championship. In the postseason, they made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2025 D-III NCAA tournament and ended the season ranked No. 14 with the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year led by head coach Andrew Bordelon. WashU has since announced a new assistant coach for the program, Gavin Kalish, who was previously an assistant men’s soccer coach at D-I Saint Louis University. 

With 10 seniors on the roster, the team has a lot of experience coming into their final season. Defensive back Quentin Gomez has won back-to-back All-UAA Defensive Player of the Year awards, contributing to an opponent average of just 0.84 goals per game last season. Behind him is Second Team ll-UAA goalkeeper Cal L’Hommedieu, who recorded nine shutouts last season. First Team All-UAA forward Ethan Wirtschafter dominated offensively, scoring 14 goals in just 18 games. Last year’s UAA Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-UAA midfielders, sophomores Daniel Kochen and Sebastian Valdes, respectively, are also expected to play a vital role on both sides of the ball this season. 

WashU will have a difficult schedule this season, facing tough UAA competition, including Emory University and the University of Chicago. This past season, Emory made it to the semifinals of the national championship tournament while WashU narrowly defeated Chicago in a tightly contested second round match. Now with tournament experience under their belt, this WashU team is ready to be one of the best in the nation once again this year.