For many WashU athletes, “Defend the Standard” has become a rallying cry ahead of key games. (Sam Powers | Staff Photographer)

Whether it be athletic companies, Division I schools, or professional teams, many popular sports institutions have iconic rallying calls, like “Just Do It,” “Roll Tide,” or “Go Pack Go.” These mottos serve as a unifying force among athletic communities and often only change when the organization is no longer consistently successful. 

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. “United Pursuit” quickly became part of WashU athletics’ branding, and Athletic Director Anthony Azama then began to introduce new rallying calls every year at the Welcome Back Barbecue, an event where Azama brings together the entire Athletics Department, both students and administrators, to spend time together in August before classes start. 

“The administration and coaches are working on [creating the motto] before we [student-athletes] get there during the summer or the year prior,” senior football running back Fred Ware said. “They present it to us, and everyone gets a t-shirt with [the motto] on it so that they can remember [it].”

The motto not only consistently sets WashU athletics apart from other athletic institutions but also serves as a reminder for the Athletics Department’s staff and student-athletes to push each other towards excellence and know they are part of something bigger than themselves. While the initial sentiment behind the motto is to serve as a unifier for the entire department, Azama also hopes that students and teams will “make it into their own.”

“Just this weekend, we used [this year’s motto] before our tournament,” junior golfer Reagan Robinson said. “We all went out and did a little [cheer] breakdown, and we said ‘Defend the Standard!’ right before we went out to play a team. [Because every team is] defending that one standard that the athletic program has set, they’re each doing it individually.”

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) also contributes to the unifying spirit among WashU athletics. SAAC, which is co-led by Ware, Robinson, and senior football cornerback Caiden Hill, consists of representatives from WashU’s 19 teams. Each year, SAAC designs an additional slogan in December, often reflecting the values of the current motto. The Athletics Department assesses the student reaction to both slogans at the end of the year and uses this response to aid the idea generation process for the next motto. 

“I think part of the reason [the administration] even did ‘Defend the Standard’ was based on [SAAC’s] ‘Defend the Den’ and how that was being received across our student-athlete population [last year],” Ware said. “…The Athletic Department sees what we do as a SAAC committee, and they feed off that to make their decisions on behalf of us, because what they’re really doing is trying to provide service for us and improve our student-athlete experience as much as possible.” 

WashU’s continuous rebranding could be negatively viewed as mixed messaging; however, the four national championships won in the last five years speak for themselves. This consistent novelty not only creates a unique identity for WashU, setting it apart from other successful institutions, but also fosters a distinct energy for each year while continuing to build on previously established values. Hill highlighted that slogans of the past are still integrated into the culture of the football team today. 

“[The football] coaches usually reference [past] themes throughout the year, … even if [they are from] two years ago or three years ago, into their messages before games or during practices or whatever it may be,” Hill said. 

This year’s “Defend the Standard” emphasizes the importance of community both on and off the field. WashU athletes have explained that the “standard” for them is to show up for their teammates and other teams. But it is also the production of champions who leave WashU prepared for post-graduate opportunities. Defending the “standard” is striving to consistently remain among the top athletic and academic institutions in the nation. Azama reiterated this notion when brainstorming ideas for this year’s motto.

“There are 431 Division III schools, and I kept asking myself, outside of our success, what makes [WashU] not just different, but special?” Azama said. “How do all of us hold ourselves accountable to making sure we keep this place special?”

While the same core values of excellence and unity remain consistent, the “standard” for each year changes as seniors graduate and new students take their place. The consistent reinvention of the mottos allows new students to embrace the unique culture of WashU while also empowering them to interpret these core values for themselves. “How do we pass [the sentiment of the ‘standard’] on to [incoming students], so that they carry on the standard as well?” Ware asked. “Just reiterating it and having good leadership within the seniors and upperclassmen helps as well, because we were once those [first-years] not knowing much about what the standard to be a WashU athlete is or a WashU student is.”