LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL VERSUS LEWIS & CLARK • FEBRUARY 20, 2026

FEBRUARY 20, 2026

WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY

Chase Fisk, Kelly Bird STATISTICS

Rheese Heim, Emerson Teller

SCOREBOARD

Katie Putnam, Sam Haynes

Ethan Klein

PUBLIC ADDRESS

Steve Oleson

VIDEO WEBCASTS

Joe Stuart, Brian Kice

Maddie Funk, Kalina Zagyva

OFFICIAL SCORER

Mia McCormack

EVENT PROGRAM

Kelly Bird, Chase Fisk

Felipe Unker, Kalina Zagyva

WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT

the jack of all trades

Versatile grad student Katie Putnam is lending her experiences as a coach’s kid by aiding multiple facets of Linfield Athletics

by natasha freimuth ’29

Katie Putnam can hardly remember a time when football wasn’t part of her life.

The Linfield University graduate student grew up on the edges of locker rooms and practice fields, running through offices while her father, Mike, prepared game plans. The daughter of a longtime football coach, Putnam learned early that sports were less about glamour and more about showing up, again and again, no matter the conditions.

“I like to say my hometown is the entire state of Oregon,” Putnam says. “That’s where my memories are.”

Putnam has lived in multiple Oregon cities, eventually settling Salem, but her upbringing followed her father’s coaching career across the state. As a child, she spent afternoons tackling practice dummies and watching football game film long before she understood what of it meant. Football, she says, became the foundation of her relationship with her father.

A foundation that would later shape her career.

Putnam was a highly competitive athlete herself, swimming for 15 years and competing as a Junior Olympic water polo player. She also played semi-pro football while attending community college before injuries forced her to medically retire.

“If I couldn’t compete anymore, I knew I still wanted to commit to athletics,” she says.

That commitment took shape during her senior year of high school, when a football program scrambling for help handed her a camera and a few instructions.

“They told me, ‘Start when the center gets set and stop when the whistle blows,’” Putnam says. “I had no idea what I was doing. I was just copying what I’d watched on TV my whole life.”

What began as a volunteer opportunity quickly turned into something more. Putnam became a video coordinator, statistician and social media manager, roles she continued each time her father changed coaching positions. Over the years, her responsibilities expanded, and so did the demands.

Putnam has filmed games in sub-20-degree weather heavy rain and extreme heat. She has shot from scissor lifts, broom closets and open windows, sometimes hanging out over stadium ledges.

“You don’t complain,” she says. “You figure it out. That’s where my work ethic comes from.”

She carried that mentality to Western Oregon University, where she earned her undergraduate degree and worked her way up from athletics video assistant to video coordinator and head student of operations. Sixty-to-seventy-hour workweeks were routine. She painted fields, ran scoreboards, handled replays fo broadcasts and wrote manuals still used by student workers today.

“I poured my heart and soul into Western for three years,” she says.

After graduation last spring, she faced a difficult decision when a promised position at WOU failed to materialize. Rather than remain stagnant, Putnam chose to move forward, enrolling in Linfield’s graduate program in sport leadership.

“Even though it’s Division III, Linfield felt like a step up,” she says. “It’s more professional. I get to see how a real system works.”

At Linfield, Putnam quickly became what colleagues describe as a jack of all trades. She balances a full course load with multiple jobs, including serving as a graduate residence director, working in football operations, and serving multiple roles with the sports communications office. During the season, her days often began before sunrise and ended well past midnight.

Putnam’s work ethic is fueled by a deep sense of purpose. Diagnosed with autism as a child, she says representation and accessibility in sports matter most to her. She has taken particular interest in professional programs that support neurodivergent fans, including the Philadelphia Eagles’ autism initiatives.

“If I can be an example for kids with autism, that would mean everything.”

Her dedication was rewarded this fall when she stood alongside her father as his Cascade High School team won a state championship, the first of his 33-year coaching career. Putnam had agreed to return for one final season of filming after being promised a championship ring if the team won. They went undefeated.

“Watching him come so close for so many years made winning it together mean everything,” she says with a smile.

Outside of athletics, Putnam describes herself as introverted and reflective. She spends her free time reading history books, collecting old comics, building Lego sets and playing chess. She enjoys golf with her family, a tradition tied to her late grandfather, Jerry Hendricks, and values time with her younger siblings, Oliver and Lachlan.

“I always think about what I can do for other people,” Putnam says. “I don’t spend much time thinking about myself.”

Looking ahead, Putnam hopes to work in sports administration, ideally at the Division I or professional level. She is particularly drawn to roles that combine leadership, operations and advocacy.

“I got to this point because I kept raising my hand and saying yes,” she says. “Even when I didn’t know how.”

For Putnam, that willingness to learn, and to give everything she has, remains the guiding principle of her life in sports.

“I’m an all-or-nothing person. I give 100 percent, or I don’t do it at all.”

WOMEN’S COACH CASEY BUNN-WILSON

pointing in the right direction

CCoach Casey Bunn-Wilson has the women’s basketball program on the cusp of its first conference championship in 46 years oming off a record-tying 19-win season in 2024-25, Casey Bunn-Wilson enters her 11th season as head women’s basketball coach at Linfield with the goal of claiming the program’s first Northwest Confernece championship. equaling the team record for most wins in a single campaign while guiding the Wildcats to a coveted berth in the Northwest Conference Tournament.

During her first year with the Wildcats, she helped guide the women to the program’s first winning record in five seasons (13-12) and a share of sixth place in the Northwest Conference, one of the premier women’s basketball leagues in NCAA Division III. In 201819, the Wildcats reached the NWC Tournament despite a competing with an injury depleted roster.

Bunn-Wilson spent three seasons as girls basketball coach at Tualatin High School, compiling a 39-32 win-loss record while leading the Timberwolves to three straight OSAA Class 6A state playoff appearances. Prior to Tualatin, she spent two seasons as an assistant girls basketball coach at Lake Oswego High School.

At Oregon State University, Bunn-Wilson led the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring as a senior in 2007, averaging 20.0 points per game. That season, she averaged 37.9 minutes, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. Appearing in 122 games with 70 starting assignments, Bunn-Wilson concluded her career with 1,163 points, ninth-most in Beavers history and her 679 career rebounds rank seventh all-time.

She graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Promotion and Education.

A star athlete at Stayton High School, Bunn-Wilson earned varsity letters in basketball, volleyball, softball and track. On the basketball court, she was a four-time all-state, all-region and allconference honoree. The Capital Conference Player of the Year

for three straight seasons, Bunn-Wilson led Stayton to the league championship her freshman and junior seasons. She set SHS career records for points (1,831), rebounds (783), assists (342) and steals (306) and went on to represent Stayton in the Oregon Class 3A AllStar game following graduation.

Bunn-Wilson played professionally in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Australia. While competing overseas, she earned allleague honors on the Portuguese All-Star team.

She is co-founder and director of the Jr. Energy youth basketball program, a skills development program geared toward girls in grades 4-12 throughout the Portland area. In its fifth year, Jr. Energy’s mission is to introduce young female athletes to an advanced level of coaching and competition that takes their basketball skills to a higher level.

At Linfield, Bunn-Wilson also co-directs the athletic department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

She and her husband, Mitch, live in McMinnville with their young sons, Rylan and Dawson.

Sixth-year assistant Jeremy Vandenboer previously spent four years as head women’s basketball coach at Mount Hood Community College, leading the Saints to back-to-back 20-win seasons. Prior to joining the Mount Hood staff, Vandenboer helped lead the Corban men’s team to the 2015-16 NAIA Cascade Conference playoffs. From 2013-15, he coached boys basketball at Auburn Adventist Academy High School in Washington, leading the team to its first-ever state appearance.

PROUD PARTNER OF LINFIELD ATHLETICS

MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN

Back row (l to r): Miki Vermeulen, Logan Roberts, Evelyn Melis, Sydney Newby, Tana Hoekema, Assistant Coach Jeremy Vandenboer, Head Coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, Madison Huntley, Skylar Willey, Natalie Rosetti, Mia Thompson, Madison Barter. Front row: Allie Mead, Eve Burke, Jordan Roberts, Dylan Cheney, Willow Ishibashi-To, Amelia Solt, Ella Koebelin, Kate Townsend, Laurel Quinn, Jayden Ray, Lauren Buchanan.

MEET THE LINFIELD WOMEN

LINFIELD WOMEN

LEWIS & CLARK WOMEN

LINFIELD WOMEN VERSUS LEWIS & CLARK

Safely

game PREVIEW

THE RECORDS

Linfield has a chance to clinch its first conference title in 46 years and the Wildcats’ first women’s basketball title since the formation of the Northwest Conference in 1997. The ’Cats enter the week at 20-3 overall record and 13-1 in the NWC. Lewis & Clark begins the week 6-17 and 3-11, having lost three-straight matchups.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

After securing two program-records in the 20th win and 13th conference win on Saturday against Puget Sound, the Wildcats have an opportunity to clinch a share of the Northwest Conference regular season title with a win on Friday or Saturday. With two wins, the ’Cats would claim the regular season title outright. Together with dominant wins over Willamette and Pacific Lutheran last week, Linfield overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to down the Loggers 71-66 in a crucial game last Saturday. The win was led in part by senior Eve Burke’s 21 points and junior Allie Mead’s 20, marking a new career high for the junior guard. Linfield is set to honor eight seniors prior to tonight’s game: Eve Burke, Ella Koebelin, Laurel Quinn, Jayden Ray, Logan Roberts, Jordan Roberts, Amelia Solt and Miki Vermeulen.

LEWIS & CLARK AT A GLANCE

Junior Lauryn Frederickson and sophomore Kaitlen Carns provide the offensive firepower for Lewis & Clark, each averaging double-digits in scoring per game. Carns is the only River Otter to have started in all 23 games this winter while leading the team in assists (56) and steals (34).

SERIES HISTORY

Linfield owns a 47-37 all-time series advantage over Lewis & Clark, having won six of the last seven games. The Wildcats dominated the River Otters January 24 in Portland, prevailing 76-42.

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NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

women’s basketball STANDINGS

MEN’S COACH ELIJAH GURASH

embracing change

Taking on his first head coaching assignment, Elijah Gurash relishes the challenge of rebuilding the Linfield basketball program

Joining the Linfield staff in the spring of 2025, Elijah Gurash embarks on his first collegiate head coaching assignment as he takes the reins of the Linfield men’s basketball program this winter.

Gurash arrived at Linfield after serving one year as the lead assistant coach at Buena Vista University, a Division III institution in Storm Lake, Iowa.

No stranger to the Pacific Northwest, Gurash served as a top assistant at Whitworth University for six seasons. During his time in Spokane, the Pirates went a combined 116-41, captured three Northwest Conference championships, three NWC Tournament titles and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament four times.

Prior to joining the Whitworth staff, Gurash spent 15 years coaching at the high school level in North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington state, first as an assistant boys basketball coach for seven seasons and later as a head varsity coach for eight seasons.

An all-state basketball player, Gurash began his collegiate playing career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

He concluded his playing career at Northwest Christian University (now Bushnell University) in Eugene.

Gurash earned a bachelor’s degree from Bushnell in 2001 and went on to complete a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 2007.

He has also published his own book, entitled, “Jesus is a Baller: Reflections on the Fundamentals of Basketball.”

Elijah, and his wife, Katy, are raising three children: Xander, Oliver and Isla Grace.

matt gehrke, assistant coach

New assistant coach Matt Gehrke brings over 20 years of coaching experience at the AAU level in the greater Portland area. Gehrke is the founder and director of G-Elite Basketball, an AAU program that has helped develop young studentathletes into successful collegiate basketball players.

MEET THE LINFIELD MEN

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LINFIELD MEN

LEWIS & CLARK MEN

LINFIELD MEN VERSUS LEWIS & CLARK

Lewis & Clark (8-6) holds a two-game lead on Linfield (6-8) in the NWC standings entering the final weekend of play. A River Otters win would clinch a spot for L&C in the NWC Tournament. The Wildcats, meanwhile, must win both their remaining games and see the River Otters go 0-2 to claim the final playoff spot.

Linfield has dropped five of its last six games, mostly earning season splits with the majority of the NWC teams. Seniors Chase Bannett and Dayton Magaña led the Wildcats last week, with Bennett matching a career-high 22 points in a 74-67 loss to Puget Sound. Both senior guards join Donovan Johnson, Bryton Lenahan and Logan Morrill as a part of the senior group

The newly-renamed River Otters have remained in the hunt for a postseason berth, having won four of their last six games. Senior Andre Treadwell averages 18.9 points a game. Marcus Bast, Taien Jackson, and Kody Uyesugi have started all 23 games this season for the Otters and figure to have prominent

Lewis & Clark leads the all-time series with Linfield 65-53, including victories in four of the past five contests. The ’Cats upset the River Otters January 24 in Portland, using some last-

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

men’s basketball STANDINGS

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THE TOPCAT CLUB

Linfield University TopCat Club serves as a support organization to the 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams and the more than 500 students who participate in athletics each year. Each year, support from the TopCat Club is essential to maintaining and expanding each of these mission of the TopCat Club is to provide students with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the overall Linfield athletics program. Linfield, we continually strive to improve programs and facilities so that our teams may compete at the highest level. Roughly 75 percent of the athletic department’s annual operating budget comes from the university’s general fund. The remainder is generated through a wide variety of external sources, including annual gifts to the Linfield TopCat

o learn more about giving opportunities, please visit the TopCat Club website at www.linfieldtopcat.com.

KEEPING TABS ON THE

All Linfield Sports Network webcasts are now carried on FloSports, a conference-wide pay-to-watch platform

Linfield University has joined together with its eight fellow Northwest Conference institutions in support of a new partnership with streaming provider FloSports to offer live and on-demand video coverage of nearly every athletic event Linfield participates in

An annual subscription costs $107.88 ($8.99 per month). A monthly subscription runs $19.99.

Linfield students, faculty and staff with linfield.edu email addresses will enjoy discounted rates of $71.88 per year ($5.99/ month) or $9.99 if purchased monthly.

Schools are expected to receive annual investments from FloSports to build and expand broadcast capabilities and make other investments within the athletic department. Linfield personnel will continue to staff and operate all home broadcasts.

“Entering into this agreement with FloSports was a conferencewide decision,” said Linfield Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Brosius. “While it does represent a change in how our streams are viewed, we do believe this partnership signifies a positive step forward. We anticipate increased quality of our streams conferencewide, as well as programming allowing viewers to watch college sports not just from within our conference, but from all across the country. This is the direction other Division III conferences are moving toward. Many of our out-of-conference competitions already require a FloSports subscription.”

As Brosius noted, FloSports subscribers will have the capability to access more than 40,000 events nationwide spanning 25 different sports.

WATCHING flosports MADE EASY

To establish a FloSports account, head to go.flocollege.com/partner/nwc

REGULAR RATES

$107.88 ANNUALLY

$19.99 MONTHLY

STUDENTS & STAFF RATES

$71.88 ANNUALLY

$9.99 MONTHLY

FloSports expects to deliver live and on-demand coverage of Linfield events across 15 different sports: Football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s wrestling, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball, softball, and women’s lacrosse. Northwest Conference Championship events in all sports except golf and cross country will also be streamed as part of the annual agreement.

Beyond live competition, FloSports plans to invest in original content and storytelling initiatives online and across social media aimed at elevating the profile of NWC student-athletes and institutions. The NWC joins several of its regular non-conference opponents in partnering with FloSports, the industry leader and primary media rights partner for Division III conferences.

Each year, FloSports will provide a global platform to live stream over 800 regular-season and postseason events.

FloSports is available via web, mobile apps (iOS and Android), and streaming platforms including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. The FloSports app is expected to be pre-installed on most topselling Smart TVs in the U.S. this year.

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

The Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame is regarded as one of the most impressive athletic showcases in NCAA Division III

The Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame, sponsored by Pacific Office Automation, was established in 1998 as an means to honor former outstanding athletes, coaches, staff and contributors and to preserve the memory of their past achievements.

A new class of inductees is honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet each fall. Inductees are chosen from a list of submitted nominations and voted upon by the Hall of Fame Executive and Selection Committees. The 20-member panel is made up of current and former staff members, past inductees, a member of the media, and a former athlete representing each of the preceding six decades.

Nominations may be submitted by any interested person but must be submitted in writing using an official nomination form. Hall of Fame nominations are considered in any one of six categories: Athlete, Coach, Team, Athletics Staff, and Meritorious Service. Nominations must be accompanied by appropriate background information. Nominations are now accepted online. The deadline to submit nominations each year is March 1.

Athletes, through athletic achievement, must have brought distinction and honor to themselves, to Linfield University and to its intercollegiate program. Athletes are eligible for induction 10 years following their graduation class. Coaches, athletic administrators, or athletic staff members must have served on the staff for at least 10 years. At the time of induction, they must no longer be active in that position. Individual non-athletes, who in some manner have made extraordinary contributions to the success of the intercollegiate athletic program, may be considered for a meritorious service award. Eligibility of teams is based upon exceptional accomplishment at and above the conference level, with the team ranking among the nation’s elite.

Housed within the Paul Durham Lobby and Foyer, the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Champions is regarded as one of the most impressive athletic showcases of any NCAA Division III program in the country. Matching 55-inch touch-screen monitors chronicle the expansive array of Hall of Fame inductees. Visitors to the Hall of Fame can read details about each inductee as well as search by name, sport, classification and year of induction. The electronic displays provide access to summaries of every national champion, both team and individual, plus listings of major award winners.

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