LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL VERSUS WHITMAN • JANUARY 9, 2026

WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY

Chase Fisk, Kelly Bird

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

a change of plans

An 11th-hour decision to enroll in college is proving beneficial to Garrett Callsen, who intends to apply his business management degree in the field of forestry

by kalina zagyva ’29

How has Linfield University basketball player Garrett Callsen overcome so much adversity during his time on the Wildcats’ basketball team? By consistently giving his full effort, no matter the circumstances.

During the height of last year ’s basketball season, Callsen came close to transferring universities due to the heavy inconsistencies the team was suffering under the head coach at the time. But just as he was about to enter the transfer portal, Linfield began the search for a new coach.

“They got the pool of new applicants, and I felt hopeful,” he says.

As the search progressed, he recalls meeting each of the final four candidates and learning about their individual philosophies. “I thought it was a really solid four applicants. I was leaning towards staying because I really like Linfield as a school.”

Now that first-year head coach Elijah Gurash has taken the reins of Linfield’s team, every player has been granted a fresh start.

“We kind of struggled the past two years,” he says, looking back. “We didn’t have winning sea sons, so I feel like with the new coach, it’s a chance to spring a new leaf and reset.”

Comparing this year’s season to the previous ones, Callsen notes that the program is “in a better spot culturally, better attitudes all around and better positivity.”

Callsen happily reports that the team dynamic has morphed into one of friendship and camaraderie.

“We’re all pretty close…there are close-knit circles, and everyone gets along really well.”

Yet even with a strong head coach, leadership is still needed to guide the team. Callsen believes this year’s senior leaders – Chase Bennett, Dayton Magaña, Donovan Johnson, Logan Morrill and Bryton Lenahan – form one of the team’s greatest strengths.

“They always have faith in us. Even if we’re down in a trench, they’re always able to bring us out of it through positivity and encouragement.”

This upbeat mentality has significantly helped the team through times of adversity in terms of adjusting to a new coaching style and recovering from a handful of recent player injuries.

With the 2025-26 season underway, Callsen has set a number of goals for himself and the team.

“I always have the team goal of winning the conference every year,” he says. “But the real goal for us as a team should be just to prove that we can compete with all of the teams and win.”

A desire to improve collectively is Callsen’s top priority. “I’m definitely more team-oriented right now.”

For his personal goal, the junior forward from Stayton, Oregon, wants to continue to put forth his full effort in order to aid his team as much as possible.

This mentality of putting all his energy into the game has been consistently prominent for Callsen.

“Sometimes I struggle with confidence when I make mistakes. I’ve been trying to push myself with the mindset of giving full effort, shifting my focus away from making mistakes.” He says that he enters this mind space not only on the basketball court, but in his daily life.

Since the age of 5, Callsen has been pursuing his passion of basketball.

“My parents grew up playing basketball and they’ve always loved it. They watched the NBA and started my brother that young, too, because they like the sport.” Naturally, growing up in a basketball-oriented family led Callsen to become a four-time letter winner for Stayton High School, even achieving first team all-league honors during his senior year. Around the time of his graduation from high school, Callsen experienced a major change in his plans.

“I wasn’t actually planning on going to college, I was going to go straight to work.”

That changed when an assistant coach at Linfield reached out to recruit Callsen.

“He had me come on a visit here, and I really liked it, I really liked the guys, and so I ended up going to college.”

Callsen has had no regrets since, with even his mother, Deborah, saying “Basketball has given him the opportunity for a college education. It’s something he never thought

As a junior at Linfield, Callsen is continuing to explore the opportunities that wait for him after he completes his degree in business management next spring. Despite not having a specific career goal in mind, Callsen says his major will “help the most out of all the degrees,” from a practical standpoint.

, Callsen notes that he is leaning towards a career in forestry, partly because his father, Cory, owns a logging company in Stayton.

“I want to try out forestry, maybe like the forest service or the Oregon Department of Forestry. But if not, I’ll just keep trying things out.”

No matter where he goes after his basketball journey is complete, it’s safe to assume that Garrett Callsen will consistently display his strength of giving his full effort into everything he does.

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.

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

WHITMAN WOMEN

LINFIELD WOMEN VERSUS WHITMAN

Safely

game PREVIEW

THE RECORDS

Linfield enters the week with an 8-2 overall record. The ’Cats are 1-0 in the Northwest Conference, having dominated the Pacific Boxers to the tune of a nearly 30-point win a month ago. After a tough stretch in non-conference play, the Blues (8-4) have kicked off the NWC schedule with three-straight wins over Pacific, Willamette, and Whitworth.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE

The ’Cats enter the week riding a four-game win streak with their only two losses coming to nationally-ranked opponents. With the No. 1 scoring offense in the NWC, the entire Wildcat starting five ranks in the conference top-25 scorers this season, three of whom are averaging double-digits. Allie Mead tops the conference in assists and steals per game, helping Amelia Solt and Tana Hoekema as top-10 scorers in the NWC.

WHITMAN AT A GLANCE

The reigning conference champions look to continue their NWC dominance following the departure of multiple key members of last season’s team. Although the offense ranks fifth, the Blues’ stellar defense ranks second in the conference, holding opponents to just 52.6 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY

The Blues have won 55 of 75 matchups versus the Wildcats in the alltime series, including victories in the previous three meetings. Linfield’s last triumph over Whitman came inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium almost exactly two years ago, winning 51-45.

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NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

women’s basketball STANDINGS

MEN’S COACH ELIJAH GURASH

standing tall

Taking on his first head coaching assignment, Elijah Gurash embraces 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

WHITMAN MEN

LINFIELD MEN VERSUS WHITMAN

Linfield enters the week with a 2-7 overall record and 0-1 in Northwest Conference play, falling at Pacific back in December. Meanwhile the Blues come to McMinnville owning a 6-6 record

After enjoying nearly a month off, the Wildcats and are rested and ready to continue NWC action against the Blues. Linfield returns after a narrow 57-55loss on the road to Division II Western Oregon. Senior Dayton Magaña has led the team offensively, averaging 13.2 points per game, sinking a team-

Coming off of a pair of home losses to Willamette and Whitworth, the Blues slipped to 1-2 in the NWC before embarking on tonight’s single-game road trip to McMinnville. They are led by three scorers, Milos Sarenac, Jacob Fotu and Ali Efe Isik, each of whom are averaging double-digit points per game while

Linfield holds the overall series lead against the Blues, 57-55. However, the ‘Cats have defeated Whitman just three times in the past 15 seasons, including last season’s 63-61 win in Walla Walla.

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

LINFIELD CHEER

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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