LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL VERSUS PACIFIC • JANUARY 27, 2026

WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY

Chase Fisk, Kelly Bird STATISTICS

Rheese Heim, Emerson Teller

SCOREBOARD

Katie Putnam, Sam Haynes

Ethan Klein

Steve Oleson

VIDEO WEBCASTS

Joe Stuart, Eric Albios

Maddie Funk, Kalina Zagyva

OFFICIAL SCORER

Mia McCormack

EVENT PROGRAM

Kelly Bird, Chase Fisk

Felipe Unker, Kalina Zagyva

WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT

HART TO HART

Inspired by his brother and trained by his father, Lucca Hart now brings an unselfish attitude and quiet confidence to the court

by kalina zagyva ’29

What makes Linfield University basketball player Lucca Hart and his teammates perform at such a high level compared with previous seasons?

“Our trust in each other is at an all-time high,” says Hart. “I’ve definitely gotten better as a player. This is the best we’ve played together as a team so far.”

Nearing the halfway point of the season, the Wildcats have been blessed with the addition of first-year coach Elijah Gurash, whom the players are exceedingly grateful for.

“My experience has gone up a lot with the new coaching staff we have,” says Hart. A junior from the Southern California community of Nipoma, Hart says the team culture and program have all benefited with the consistent support of Gurash and assistant coach Matt Gehrke.

“Everything is very structured this year, from the way we carry ourselves in practice to the way we communicate with each other.”

Comparing this season to years past, Hart has noticed significant improvements across the board.

“It’s been a little bit up and down with the different coaches that we’ve had. The first two years didn’t go great as far as win-loss percentage.” This year, Hart and his teammates are competing with a restored sense of confidence knowing that their coach will support them no matter what.

Hart vocalizes that the root of the team is altruistic. “[Our coach] has made it clear that playing unselfishly is how we’re going to be the best team we can be.”

On the court, players compete with the belief they are serving something larger than themselves.

Hart and his teammates “aren’t worried about getting their own points as much as helping the team.” This sense of greater purpose has allowed the team to thrive during game play.

Gurash has also brought a new motto to the table: CAT, which stands for courage, attitude, and trust. Hart has been living by this, both on and off the court. To him, the acronym represents doing the right thing, no matter what, and trusting in his teammates and coach.

“We all read a book as a team at the beginning of the year, called Attitude 101,” he says. The book introduced the motto and laid the foundation for the mindset of this year’s season.

While keeping his coach’s values in mind, Hart has added his own philosophy for the court.

“There’s a balance between doing the right thing, while also staying confident.” A shooting guard, Hart balances these internal attitudes alongside the fast-paced nature and pressures of the game.

“There’s a lot that goes into our game plans and a lot to think about.” For anyone less devoted, it would be too much to handle Hart’s father, Jason, describes his son’s passion for basketball as one of his greatest strengths.

“His whole life he knew that the opposing team was game planning to try and slow him down,” says Jason, proudly. “He relished the opportunity, stepping up and playing his best in the biggest games and moments.”

Basketball has been Lucca’s passion since kindergarten.

“My dad got me and my older brother into basketball.” He recalls feeling inspired by his brother, saying “I would go to his games and watch, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Since then, basketball has been becoming increasingly prevalent in Lucca’s life, with his father always being there for encouragement.

“I’ve been blessed to have coached him all through his early years of rec ball, some club teams, and his middle school teams,” says Jason, looking back to his son’s formative years. “Lucca had an unmatched drive from an extremely young age that you can’t teach…we’d work together on his game even after I was done coach-

While at Nipomo High School, Lucca continued to develop his skills. Due to the small size of the school, he wasn’t faced with a high level of competition.

“There were some positives and negatives from that,” he says, noting he was able to gain confidence on the court and shine as a player, but his high school program did not allow him to reach his full potential.

Now as a Linfield Wildcat, the younger Hart is improving on the court each day. As he looks towards his future after graduation, he plans on putting his business management degree to good use.

“I work on cars and motorcycles, so if someday I could open my own shop, that would be ideal.” It’s a goal that doesn’t seem far-fetched given his successful time at

As Jason says, “People have always gravitated to Lucca because of his infectious personality and energy. He’s always been a natural leader and just someone people want to be around and call him their friend.”

It seems that the motto of courage, attitude, and trust has truly been taken to heart.

WOMEN’S COACH CASEY BUNN-WILSON

pointing in the right direction

CCoach Casey Bunn-Wilson has the Linfield women’s basketball program aiming for a Northwest Conference championship oming off a record-tying 18-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.

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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

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LINFIELD WOMEN VERSUS PACIFIC game PREVIEW

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THE RECORDS

Linfield remains near the top of the Northwest Conference standings with a 3-0 conference record 10-2 overall, just one win back of the league-leading Puget Sound Loggers. Willamette enters tonight’s midweek matchup at 5-9 overall and 2-3 in NWC play, most recently falling 62-46 to the Loggers in Tacoma.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

Linfield rides into the mid-week battle with Willamette on a sixgame winning streak, fresh from a dominant 20-point win over the Whitworth Pirates. The Linfield defense held Whitworth to just 39 points, including just 17 in the second half. Over the weekend, Linfield was tied at halftime against Whitman and led by four points versus Whitworth, before dominating the third quarter of each game. Linfield features four of the top25 scorers in the conference. Miki Vermeulen ranks third in the NWC in rebounding (7.8 per game) while Allie Mead leads the league in steals (2.9) and ranks second in assists (5.0).

WILLAMETTE AT A GLANCE

The Bearcats are the NWC’s top three-point shooting team, averaging 7.6 per game, and trail only the Wildcats in threepoint shooting percentage. Riley Walden leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, second-best in the NWC. Walden also has the second-highest three-point shooting percentage in the conference (41%).

SERIES HISTORY

The Wildcats have won 44 of 84 contests against the Bearcats, including the last three meetings. The teams have split the previous 10 matchups.

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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 VERSUS PACIFIC

Linfield entering tonight’s midweek matchup coming off of a 1-1 weekend inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Wildcats are 3-8 overall and 1-2 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette enters at 8-6 and 3-2 in the NWC. The Bearcats are fresh off a home

The Wildcats split last weekend’s homestand with Whitman and Whitworth. Senior guard Dayton Magaña led the charge, sinking a three-pointer in the final seconds to hold off the comeback by the Whitman Blues. Magaña topped the team in scoring in both games and continues to average the most points this season. Linfield continues to shoot well form beyond the arc, sinking more than 10 threes in each of its last three contests, and in

Coming off of a loss to one of the conference’s best teams in Puget Sound, sophomore guard Tanner Overby looks to get the Bearcats back on track, aiming to replicate his 30-point performance on Friday against Pacific Lutheran. Overby plays a large role in the Bearcat offense that ranks No. 1 in the NWC,

Linfield trails the all-time series with Willamette, 60-57, splitting the season series each of the past three years. The Bearcats

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.

LINFIELD DANCE

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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.

LINFIELD SPORTS NETWORK

follow the ’cats home and away via live stream

The Linfield Sports Network again brings fans live action of all home Linfield basketball games during 2025-26. Fans can enjoy live video webcasts with play-by-play commentary on their computer, tablet, mobile device or smart TV. Live coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each game. Broadcasts include a complete postgame wrap-up with analysis and statistical breakdown. Linfield will also provide live audio-only webcasts of all of the Wildcats’ Northwest Conference road contests.

McMinnville native Joe Stuart begins his seventh season as the playby-play voice of the basketball Wildcats. The 2020 Linfield graduate is the Athletics Broadcast Operations Coordinator, managing all aspects of Linfield’s webcasting outreach and handling lead play-by-play duties on Linfield football, baseball and softball webcasts in addition to basketball. Stuart also assists with other external sports communications and social media needs.

All LSN broadcasts, both live and on demand, can be accessed via the FloSports platform at go.flocollege.com/partner/nwc using the Linfield Athletics app, your desktop computer, mobile device or smart TV.

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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