How a car crash in Connecticut brought grief and resilience: ‘A loss can change a whole town’
On April 5, 2021, a car crash forever changed the Southbury community. One life was lost while another was given a miraculous second chance. I spent 10 months following Eva Houlihan’s recovery journey from the crash that killed her boyfriend and reset her own life. I reported on her recovery milestones in real time and learned how the community was also healing from the crash after losing Ryan Rutledge. What first started as an original short story on a track tribute relay turned into a 6,000-word story on grief, hope and the impact one crash can have on a community (Photo links to online package behind paywall, title links to PDF version of story). I reported a follow-up to Eva’s story when she walked at her high school graduation in June 2022.
UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd has been uncomfortable in spotlight. That’s started to change
I spent a weekend in Washington D.C. covering UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd at her annual summer camp. I watched her interact with and teach kid campers basketball skills and sign countless autographs. Less than a week later, her best friend and UConn teammate Paige Bueckers suffered a season-ending ACL injury, making Azzi the now biggest face and key returner for the Huskies. This story is about Azzi’s battle with learning how to embrace the spotlight. In June 2023, this story was awarded first place in Connecticut SPJ’s Regional A Sports Feature contest.
Inside the viral photo of Paige Bueckers, UConn women’s basketball student section: ‘Sheer madness”
A photo of Paige Bueckers celebrating with the UConn student section went viral after the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament Second-Round win over UCF. While the image was captivating, it was when UConn announced the game set an all-time record of student attendance for any UConn basketball game that got me curious. What was the student experience like? And for those captured in the picture, what did mean to see the image go viral and forever immortalize the moment? I talked to two students who attended the game and were in the picture to find out.
How WNBA players manage unstable world of roster movement: ‘Emotional roller coaster’
Evina Westbrook sat up in her bed and looked down at the brand-new Ugg cream-colored comforter she had just bought. She was sad and confused, filled with emotions that she couldn’t make sense of. It was late Friday night on June 24 and the former UConn women’s basketball guard had been waived by the Minnesota Lynx. … Less than 24 hours after she was waived from Minnesota, Westbrook’s agent called. The Washington Mystics wanted to sign her to a seven-day contract. I spoke to a handful of WNBA players about navigating roster movement within the league. This story was awarded first place in 2023 Connecticut SPJ’s Regional A Sports News contest.
UConn women’s basketball legend Sue Bird has ended her WNBA career. Her legacy? ‘Unmatched’
UConn and WNBA great Sue Bird officially retired from playing basketball in September 2022. She’s left a lasting impression on the basketball court with countless accolades, but it’s her work off the court that cemented her legacy. I spoke with Bird’s former UConn teammates about how their former point guard impacted their lives and what it means to see her close her 20-year-plus playing career. I worked with our digital team to create an interactive map and quote database to illustrate Bird’s historic career.
Letter from the heart helps UCLA track athletes heal
Following the murder of George Floyd, sports teams and coaches issued statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. UCLA coach Avery Anderson wrote a personal letter to his team. He described how he was reminded of being a UCLA freshman during the LA Riots and growing up in South Central LA with both his dad and uncle being policemen.
ACL injuries are more common for female athletes such as UConn’s Paige Bueckers. Experts explain why
On Aug. 1, 2022, UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers tore her ACL, forcing her to sit out the entirety of her junior season. That same summer the Connecticut Sun lost two point guards to ACL injuries. After reading in one of our news stories about Bueckers that female athletes are more at risk for ACL injuries than their male counterparts, I was curious to learn why. I spoke with doctors and the Sun’s head athletic trainer to learn more.
How UCLA gymnast Felicia Hano’s life changed after her father’s near-fatal accident
Everything was happening so fast. Shock and uncertainty and fear kept building, as UCLA gymnast Felicia Hano sat in the back seat of the police car. The sun began to set in the distance, and the only thing feeling familiar were the two women next to her. Though this accident happened to Hano’s father, Edward, I wanted to make sure the story centered on Hano. After talking with her mom, I was able to sit with Hano’s father to talk first-hand about the accident and see his scars.
Geno Auriemma challenged Nika Mühl to improve. Now she's 'heart and soul' of UConn women's basketball
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma gave Nika Mühl an ultimatum this summer. Stop fouling or you’re not playing. It was as simple as that. The Hall of Fame coach didn’t care that he was down to just one available true point guard after Paige Bueckers’ offseason ACL injury. The team needed Mühl to be better. Six games into the 2022-23 season and Mühl has not only kept her end of the bargain but she’s exceeded even Auriemma’s expectations. On how Bueckers’ replacement point guard rose to the occasion to create her own spot in UConn’s record books.
‘It was the lowest of lows’, Conn-raised Emily Sweeney returns to Olympic stage following 2018 luge crash
Megan Schafer refuses to watch the video of her sister’s crash at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She doesn’t need to. She was there living the nightmare in person. During Emily Sweeney’s final run of the Olympics, she crashed in PyeongChang, South Korea. She fractured her back and neck in her Olympic debut. Four years after her crash at the 2018 Winter Games, Emily returns to the Olympic stage. She’s still the same slider but she’s a different person now. The crash gave her fear for the first time in her 18-year luge career.
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UConn women's basketball recruit Jana El Alfy will come to CT from Egypt next year. Meet the future Husky
Jana El Alfy is the first Egyptian to commit and sign with UConn women’s basketball. I profiled the recruit a month after she officially signed with the Huskies. While she had offers from many other schools, she committed to UConn because of a trip associate head coach Chris Dailey made to go meet El Alfy in Egypt in person. Because of this story and my relationship with El Alfy, I was able to break news a month later of her decision to enroll a semester early at UConn.
Why Azzi Fudd's parents travel to every UConn women's basketball game: 'On that journey with her'
UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd missed 22 games in her sophomore season due to a knee injury. She missed 11 as a freshman because of a foot injury. But even when she wasn’t playing, her parents, Katie and Tim, still attended nearly all of the Huskies’ games, including road trips across the country. I wanted to show readers why and how the Fudds make it a priority to be at every UConn game and put them in their perspective of their travels with a vlog. With Katie Tim regulars at UConn games, both in person and on TV, the story allowed readers to learn about Azzi’s upbringing and her parents’ support of her and her UConn teammates.
As UConn’s Evina Westbrook returns home to Oregon, she’s celebrating what made her different
UConn senior Evina Westbrook has always felt different. She grew up the only girl in a house with three brothers. She played basketball on boy’s teams until high school. She wasn’t into the more traditional girly things and only went to her high school senior prom because her mom made her. She had one passion and it was basketball. Yet even while pursuing the sport through all its highs, Westbrook felt like an outsider. In December 2021, I visited Westbrook’s family in Salem to learn how her upbringing in basketball led her to a career at two of the most historic college women’s basketball programs.
‘You’re over there by yourself’: Some WNBA players look forward to overseas competition while others seek alternatives
For most WNBA players, the job doesn’t stop when a champion is crowned at the end of the season. Players start competing for international leagues oftentimes immediately following the conclusion of the WNBA season. For some, competing overseas is worth it for the lucrative contracts. But for others, the months spent away from family and friends is hard, especially when the overseas season overlaps with winter holidays and ends when the WNBA season begins. With the news of Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia still raw, I talked with players from the Connecticut Sun to learn why so many are questioning the value of playing overseas.
Despite three ACL injuries in four years, Quinten Pounds isn’t giving up on football or the Huskies
While in a scrum during Washington’s 2019 preseason training camp, I noticed how Quinten Pounds’ mannerisms changed when asked a question about what he learned from watching on the sideline during his past four seasons. It seemed as if no one else noticed the way he lowered his head and avoided immediate eye contact. I waited until other members of the media walked away to ask Pounds what it was like not being able to play the sport he was so passionate about. He opened up about the mountain of negativity he faced while injured. I learned how his grandpa, who had been diagnosed with cancer at the same time, was one of the main reasons Pounds never gave up football after suffering three ACL injuries in four years.
Mentally Tough: A group of Oregon athletes is trying to normalize mental health conversations in athletics through their campaign, “Duck The Stigma.”
What started as a simple profile on a softball player turned into a two-month reporting process on a big-picture story. After another paper beat us to publishing the profile, I knew the short story had a deeper meaning behind it. I convinced my editor to let me continue reporting in order to use the profile as a key piece in highlighting the bigger issue of mental health in collegiate athletics and Oregon’s role within the topic. I talked with several Oregon athletes (both current and former) about their battles with mental health while being a collegiate athlete and Oregon’s athletic therapist as well.
How former CT resident Amy Dixon reached Paralympics after enduring worst year of her life
Amy Dixon began to lose her sight at age 22. She’d endured treatment after treatment to slow down the rare form of uveitis that has robbed her of over 95% of her vision over the past 23 years. She’s gone through chemotherapy and steroids treatment on top of 35 different eye surgeries. The former Sherman and Greenwich resident has suffered and survived through all the pain. The harsh, grueling, body-destroying pain she can never just quite get away from. But it’s this constant battle which has pushed, shaped and molded her strength to never give up. And in 2021, that determination led Dixon to her Paralympic debut.
What's behind string of injuries at UConn, other women's basketball programs? Experts weigh in
In the 2021-22 UConn women’s basketball season, 10 of 12 players missed at least one game or more due to injury or illness. Two months into the 2022-23 season, six of the Huskies’ had missed one game or more due to injury, including two players out for the year with season-ending injuries. While each injury is different and freak accidents happen all the time on the court, I asked experts why we’re seeing so many injuries to some of the nation’s best college women’s basketball players.
Madison Kocian ends UCLA gymnastics career with pain, pride and a new purpose
Madison Kocian is just one of two female gymnastics to win Olympic, World and NCAA championships. Her first torn shoulder labrum almost came in the way of her competing in Rio at the 2016 Olympics, he second almost derailed her senior season at UCLA and final year in gymnastics. Despite all the pain and the abrupt end to her athletic career due to COVID-19, Kocian used her injuries to discover a passion in the medical field that excites her for life away from the mat.
The resilient cheerleader: From the Final Four to chemotherapy
At the 2017 NCAA Final Four, Oregon cheerleader Sarah DeBois cheered in front of a crowd of 77,612 people, calling it one of the best moments of her life. Two-and-a-half months later, she was diagnosed with cancer — stage 2A Hodgkin lymphoma. I spent two months getting to know DeBois, learning how she remained positive throughout her recovery. Through my reporting, I took time to break down what a cancer diagnosis looks like for a college student and put DeBois’ experience into context, allowing more readers to relate to her story. I leaned on many experts in the realm of cancer treatment to teach me terminology and concepts, and in turn was able to make this topic more approachable for readers.
How Quinnipiac basketball player Mackenzie DeWees thrived after celiac disease diagnosis: 'She owns it'
Mackenzie DeWees concentrated on the sound of her shoes pounding the gym floor as she ran off the court with her teammates. She was exhausted, fatigued, and knew each thud she heard meant she was that much closer to sitting down in the comforts of Quinnipiac’s locker room. She wanted so bad just to sleep. All of a sudden her body went numb. Her vision blurred, and the echoes of the thuds disappeared. On how the Quinnipiac guard learned to accept her celiac diagnosis and manage it within the demands of being a collegiate athlete.
Seattle U. coach faces her toughest competition yet: Her daughter’s No. 3-ranked USC Trojans
When my editor originally pitched this story idea to me, it focused on how Seattle University’s women’s soccer coach, Julie Woodward’s success in the program had led her to near her 300th career win. However, while reporting and later talking with Julie, I noticed the story was not about her. She could care less about the 300th win and lit up with emotion when I asked her about playing against her daughter, Jalen, and USC. I knew then the story was not about Julie’s coaching career, but instead about her relationship with Jalen.
As UConn fans await news on Paige Bueckers, doctors weigh in on injury
On the day after Paige Bueckers collapsed in pain on the floor of Gampel Pavilion, UConn fans waited for a prognosis. In the final moments of a victory over Notre Dame Sunday, Bueckers suffered a left knee injury prior to falling in front of the UConn bench. UConn coach Geno Auriemma said after the game that Bueckers would undergo an MRI when the swelling subsided Monday. Without an official release from UConn, I spoke to doctors to hear their initial reactions after watching the video of Bueckers’ injury.
Rachel Garcia, in limelight with Team USA, faces former UCLA teammates Sunday
Originally, I was assigned to cover the LA Sports Awards and write an advance for UCLA’s upcoming game against Team USA, where star pitcher Rachel Garcia would be facing the Bruins for the first time since joining Team USA. However, in my first moment of being introduced to Garcia backstage before the awards show, I couldn’t help but notice her quiet, yet exhausted and nervous demeanor as she was getting ready and talking with her family and friends. I knew then, the story wasn’t about facing her former teammates or even receiving an award that night, but about how she had been processing her whirlwind year from winning the WCWS and making the US Olympic team.
From laundry to blocking in Super Bowl, former UConn star Anthony Sherman not afraid of the dirty work
The way Desi Cullen remembers, it starts with Anthony Sherman refusing to remove his laundry out of the machine in the apartment they shared senior year at the University of Connecticut. To teach the Husky’s fullback a lesson, Cullen, along with UConn teammates Brett “Moose” Manning and Scot Lutrus, decided to pull a prank. …. Ahead of Super Bowl LV, I knew speaking to Sherman would be a tough get so instead I focused on talking with his former UConn teammates who shared what it was like to watch their roommate take part in his second Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.
More than a gold medal victory for Eugene man at 2018 Gay Games
In August of 2018, Jake Harder of Eugene sprinted across a triathlon finish line in Paris, France, to earn a gold medal at the Gay Games. While that victory was sweet, it was made all the more memorable because his uncle, Ed Miesen, was in Paris to help him celebrate. Harder, 28, and Miesen, 58, had planned to compete in the triathlon together, but last year Miesen was diagnosed with late-stage kidney cancer. It was during my second interview with Harder, when he opened up about competing for the sake of his uncle. While Harder became more and more comfortable sharing this story with me, his uncle took multiple interviews to gain trust and to break down some of the harder, more emotional, moments of his story. Through this process, I learned the value of patience in helping a subject feel comfortable while being interviewed.
Under the pads and beyond the ink
Cyrus Habibi-Likio hid his for a year, Tony Brooks-James’ mom found his the day he left for college and Calvin Throckmorton wants to get one of Bigfoot. Underneath the jerseys and all the padding, a handful of Oregon’s football players use tattoos to represent their identity and motivation.
UCLA women’s basketball team aims to ‘beet’ high-altitude symptoms in Utah, Colorado
I was immediately curious and intrigued after hearing coach Cori Close casually mention the team taking beet juice shots ahead of UCLA’s road trip to Utah and Colorado. After doing my own research and talking to UCLA’s Athletic Performance Dietitian one on one, I was able to make my game preview for the Bruins’ road trip that week centered on how the team prepares to play in such places outside of their normal drills in practice.
Graduating with honors, Oregon senior Oti Gildon leads a path both on and off the court
When Oregon senior Oti Gildon graduates from the University of Oregon, she will become the first in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. Over the past four years, as a forward for Oregon’s women’s basketball team, Gildon has used this accomplishment to fuel her family-focused motivation in following her basketball passion, and along the way became one of the Ducks’ leading bench scorers.
Former UCLA athletes take lessons learned in sports to fighting coronavirus
During the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers were putting their lives at risk to work the frontlines of a unknown and uncontrollable disease. Hearing the stories of my mom, who was an on-call nurse at the time of COVID-19 after 30-plus years as a radiation oncology nurse, I was curious how other nurses felt working during the pandemic. After interviewing former UCLA athletes who had jumped into healthcare professionals, I learned their experiences as collegiate athletes had well-prepared them to remain calm during times of crisis.
With Tim Lopes out, Ryan Court makes MLB debut for Mariners
Once the Mariners released a statement saying they had picked up Ryan Court, I knew a lot of outlets would focus their stories on him, so in order to make mine stand out I asked him questions centered around moments. Who did you call first? When did this all feel real? I wanted to add as much of Court’s true and personal emotions, of making the MLB after nine years of trying, really hold the centerpiece in the story.
‘He would have sacrificed his life to help us’: Parkrose students praise former Duck Keanon Lowe for tackling gunman
On May 17, 2019, a student at Parkrose High School walked into a classroom with a loaded shotgun. By chance Keanon Lowe, a former standout Oregon wide receiver, happened to be in that same classroom. In a split-second decision, he jumped in front of the gun and wrestled it away from the student, halting a potentially horrific situation. I had the privilege of talking with Parkrose students about the incident and their immense gratitude for what Lowe did to save the school and their lives.