Feels like home Feels like home Feels like home

From our very first days on campus, my family and the team around me were welcomed with warmth, generosity and a shared passion for what it means to be part of this extraordinary university and city.

This past year allowed us to truly embed ourselves in the UW community and participate in and appreciate what makes our community so unique. In this exciting new era for Husky athletics, our future is full of opportunity.

Until 2025, Pat Chun was the athletic director at Washington State University, where he was named Under Armour A.D. of the year in 2018 and inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame in 2022.

A year ago, we joined the Big Ten Conference. It’s a bold new chapter for us, and one that aligns with who we are as an institution academically and athletically. For me, the Big Ten feels like home. I grew up in the Midwest and began my career in athletics administration at Ohio State University. Joining this conference is both professionally meaningful and a return to my roots.

Joining the Big Ten places us on the center stage of college athletics, with exposure that reaches across the globe. The conference also brings together many of the world’s most respected universities—institutions where groundbreaking research, innovation and discovery thrive. Does that sound familiar? It’s who we are at Washington—a global powerhouse—and now we stand shoulder to shoulder with peers who match our values, ambitions and impact. That alignment matters because at the UW, we don’t believe in choosing between excellence in the classroom and excellence in competition. We expect both. We deliver both.

In our first year in the Big Ten, our student-athletes reached numerous academic milestones, including the department’s highest combined GPA of 3.48, with 469 student-athletes earning a GPA above 3.0 and 304 earning academic All-Conference recognition.

On the field, our student-athletes had an outstanding year headlined by a national championship in men’s rowing, four individual national titles and nine Big Ten individual championships. Women’s rowing swept all seven Grand Finals at the Big Ten Championships, and 16 of our 22 teams advanced to postseason play. Record-breaking performances across programs were punctuated by 43 All-America and 80 All-Big Ten accolades.

None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our community. To our alumni, generous donors, fans, corporate partners and friends across Seattle and the Pacific Northwest: Thank you. We feel your commitment as you fill the seats at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, Alaska Airlines Arena and every venue where our teams compete. We see your dedication across the country wherever our teams go. You stand with our student-athletes as they proudly represent the Purple and Gold.

We look ahead with optimism. The programs we set out to build are gaining strength. The ones that were poised for success are thriving. Our path forward is one of opportunity and momentum. Together, we will continue to show the nation what it means to be a Husky.

Go Dawgs!

Pat Chun is the UW’s Director of Athletics. He stepped into the role in 2024, as the University was transitioning into the Big Ten Conference.