The 2024-25 athletic year has been undoubtedly historic for sports at the University of Portland, and this spring season has brought more records, top performances and unforgettable moments to the Pilot community.
As the spring semester winds down, Beacon sports writers Kaeden Souki and Aidan Hyde have reviewed each of the Pilots' spring sport seasons — the good, the bad… and well, actually, it’s mostly pretty good.
Kaeden’s Grades:
Baseball: Historic/10
When a program sees the first perfect game in its history, as well as its first no-hitter since John F. Kennedy was alive, I would call the season successful regardless of how it ends or how far they go in the postseason — though I'll admit the players and coaches may disagree. Fortunately for them, they've also been playing well beyond their historic early-season perfect game against Seattle, well enough that I could see them coming back from Las Vegas with a West Coast Conference (WCC) championship trophy should they qualify for the tournament in May.
This season, they’ve struggled against some non-conference teams, particularly Arkansas, which makes their overall record look unimpressive at first glance. It never feels good to lose, but I’ll cut the Pilots some slack for losing to the best team in college baseball and other top-100-ranked programs.
What’s most important is their conference record, which, at 9-6, is good enough for third place in the WCC. The team also hit four electric walk-offs, one of which came in the first game of their season sweep of Oregon.
Upperclassmen veterans Brady Bean, Tyler Howard, Jonas Salk and Zach Toglia are excelling at the plate, junior Curtis Herbert is having a career season on the mound and upperclassmen Kaden Segel and Carter Caston are racking up strikeouts as if their lives depend on it. Even freshmen like Cody Nitowitz and Cole Katayama-Stall have played crucial roles offensively, with the latter also defending well at the challenging shortstop and third base positions. It's clear this team has a future. They may not fare well against tougher competition, but in their own league, they have the chemistry and fire to knock any team out of the park.
Rowing: A serene day on the water/10
The rowing team took second place in all races at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships (WIRAs) on April 27, improving on a pretty lackluster showing at last year’s event. The WCC championships take place after the semester’s end, but they look to improve upon their fifth-place performance at last year’s event.
For those new to the Pacific Northwest, the weather so far this spring has actually been better than usual, and this has been beneficial for the squad as it’s given them more time on the water to practice, according to sophomore coxswain Emma Hanson, and it's clear that the extra practice has helped in their races. Thanks, climate change.
Pilots rowing practicing on the water. Photo courtesy of Rachel Hester.
The varsity eight crew was awarded WCC Crew of the Week twice, on March 25 and April 15 — the three-seat of which, Rachel Hester, had a pretty standout season at a critical position in her boat.
In the team’s first invite, the hometown Sacramento State ran the show, but Portland came back and put on a clinic of their own at the Puget Sound Invite on March 22. They also performed quite well at the Portland Invite most recently. They struggled against Oregon State and Gonzaga at the Dexter Invite, but those are also two of the top teams in the country, and, like I’ve said, if you’re losing to the best, you’re still pretty good.
Women’s Track and Field: Running the game/10
There are so many incredible runners on this women’s track squad, but I feel I have to start with two of my favorite words: Laura Pellicoro. In the final year of her historic UP career, Pellicoro gained a spot on the Bowerman Watch List, earned All-American honors and athlete of the week honors all after recovering from Achilles tendinitis and bursitis. Pellicoro is an incredible athlete and leader, which translates into the success of the rest of the team, so we must give Pellicoro her flowers, but there are also…
Laura Pellicoro races in a meet. Photo courtesy of Pilot Athletics.
Boy, I don’t feel like counting, but there are a lot of great runners on this squad. Freshman Aria Cain set the fifth-best time in school history in the 200-meter and tied for sixth all-time in the 60-meter at the UW preview early in the season.
You think they’re just killing it on the track? You couldn’t be more wrong. Samantha Prusse, Stina Pettersson and Tiahna Woodger all earned MPSF All-Academic Honors while also setting personal records in various events.
What I can say is that the track culture here, especially on this women’s team, is very strong. You have veterans like Pellicoro, Prusse and Teresa Perez who you can’t help but feel are going to leave a hole on this team when they’re gone, and yet they’ve left such a significant mark on the team’s youngest members — people like Cain, Jillian Bremont, Josie Blackwell, Rose Perotin, Kate Kabenina — that I’m confident that this program is in good hands.
Women’s Tennis: 40-Love/10
The team has had a season of mixed lows and highs. When playing at their home Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center, they’re certified queens of the court with an 8-1 record, whereas they’ve struggled with a 1-7 record on the road.
Fortunately, they’ve only risen up since their rough start to the season when they were defeated in every match by the University of Washington in late January. It hasn’t been all one way or the other, as they channeled these defeats into their own dominant 7-0 sweep against Weber State on March 1.
Sally Pethybridge and Alaia Rubio Perez during a set. Photo courtesy of Pilot Athletics.
Toward season’s end, they were toward the bottom half of the WCC standings, but with only two seniors on the squad — Aleksandra Dimitrijevic and Sally Pethybridge, who were both named to the WCC Women’s Tennis All-Academic team — this small unit can carry their chemistry and momentum into a more successful season next year.
Pethybridge and her doubles partner, Alaia Rubio Perez, earned All-WCC second team honors for doubles. Pethybridge also made the All-WCC second time for singles, while Rubio Perez was an honorable mention. As the sixth seed, the squad was unfortunately swept by the third-seeded Washington State in the first round of the WCC championships, but that can only mean that next year is their revenge tour.
Aidan’s Grades:
Men’s Tennis: Youth rebuild/10
Pilots men’s tennis started their season off strong with a thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Utah State University, followed by solid victories against the University of Idaho and the University of North Florida. Despite this promising start, the Pilots ended their season with a record of 7-10 overall and 1-6 in the West Coast Conference (WCC).
With a young roster that includes only one senior, Maxim Groysman, and one junior, Nikola Keremedchiev, the team is rebuilding for the years to come. Despite not having a great record in the WCC, the Pilots were recognized for their hard work and determination at the end of the WCC season. Groysman was awarded honorable mention for the 2025 WCC Men’s Tennis Singles All-Conference Awards, and he was also awarded an honorable mention for the 2025 WCC Men’s Tennis Doubles All-Conference Awards with his partner, Stefan Skobelev.
Next year, there is no doubt that the coaching staff will be looking for the younger players to step up and help the team. One bright spot remains the home court advantage, where the Pilots recorded a respectable home record of 5-4, proving that they’re a tough team to beat when they play in front of their home crowd.
Overall, while men’s tennis had ups and downs this season, it was a valuable learning experience for a maturing squad. With their core of young talent and strong foundation, the Pilots are set to grow stronger and become more competitive in seasons to come.
Men’s Track and Field: Training leaders and record breakers/10
Pilots men’s track and field made significant strides during the 2025 spring season. There were record-breaking performances, personal bests and emerging talent on display throughout each meet of the season.
Matt Strangio celebrates with teammates. Photo courstey of Pilot Athletics.
Senior Matt Strangio continued to excel and impress on the track, leading the Pilots to several strong individual performances at the Stanford Invitational. Strangio placed first in the race and set a school record in the men’s 5,000-meter race, along with senior Jonas Gertsen, who established a school record in the men’s 10,000-meter race. Strangio also competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational this spring season and broke yet another school record in the men’s elite outdoor 1,500-meter run.
The Pilots' season is not over yet as they will compete in six more races before the end of May in a bid to qualify for the 2025 NCAA West Regional Championships and the 2025 NCAA National Championships. With their young talent and confident veterans, the Pilots have a solid foundation for the future and will look to cap off their season with some medals.
Beach Volleyball: Windy beach day/10
Pilots beach volleyball wrapped up their 2025 spring season with a 5-17 overall record. Their season started at the Corban Invitational, where they struggled to perform, losing three games against Corban University, the University of Oregon and Sacramento State University. Following the Corban Invitational, the Pilots won home games against Southern Oregon University and Bushnell University.
Despite their inconsistent form, the Pilots worked hard to improve, and toward the end of the season, they won two away games against the University of the Pacific and Bushnell University. The Pilots then lost two tough games against the University of Oregon and Corban University, where they honored seniors Taylor Helle, Annika Stammberger, Valerie Bruk and Elena Bullemer.
Their season concluded at the 2025 WCC Beach Volleyball Tournament, where the Pilots lost to Saint Mary’s College of California and the University of San Francisco but beat the University of the Pacific.
And there it is. UP will be losing some incredible athletes as they graduate or move on from the university, but as they say, once a Pilot, always a Pilot. There’s also some fine talent that’ll be joining the school in the fall, and the legacies left by these upperclassmen athletes ensure that the future looks bright for UP sports. What final thoughts do you have, Aidan?
You said it best, Kaeden. Once a Pilot, always a Pilot. Good luck to all the continuing students and athletes, and good luck to my fellow seniors who will be graduating — I know you will continue to do great things beyond The Bluff.
Kaeden Souki is a sports reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at souki28@up.edu.
Aidan Hyde is a sports reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at hyde25@up.edu.
