The End of 2023-24 and Year 1 as your Director of Athletics

I want to thank all those who helped to make the past year a success, and in many ways, one for the record books here at Eastern Washington University.

Thank you to our 300+ student-athletes for showing me what Eagle GRIT is all about. The tradition is alive and strong and is being carried out by this generation of Eastern student-athletes. As I remind them, they are the ones that set, steward, and further our culture. 

Thank you to all our coaches, staff, and faculty who contributed to our operations and development efforts. The coordination and partnership it takes from our colleagues across our campus are valued and appreciated.

Last, but not least, thank you to all of our incredible fans, donors, and supporters of EWU Athletics. Without your contributions to our programs, none of this would be possible.

In my first year in the AD chair, we set our focus to serve three distinct areas: 1) our student-athletes, 2) our campus, and 3) our community. While there is still work to be done, I can't tell you how proud I am of what we accomplished this year. 

With that, let's celebrate a few of our team and student-athlete achievements:

• Our student-athletes continue to raise the bar. As of this spring, they have achieved 51 straight quarters with a cumulative GPA over 3.0.
• Men's basketball secured their second-straight Big Sky regular season championship and we look forward to the future with head coach Dan Monson at the helm.
• Women's basketball and Big Sky Coach of the Year Joddie Gleason completed the most successful season in program history as they set a Big Sky record with 29 total wins, secured conference regular season and tournament titles, and made the program's second NCAA tournament appearance.
• EWU Track & Field, led by Director Erin Tucker, put 7 student-athletes on the podium during the indoor season and another 4 outdoors in the spring while new school records were set by Maddie Knight (60m indoor), Owen Higgins (600m indoor), Zach Klobutcher (indoor pole vault), and Egypt Simmons (long jump & triple jump).

Early in the fall, we identified that we needed to do better when it comes to connecting with our student-athlete alumni. We weren’t sure what to expect during the football season when we invited our Eastern football alumni back to Cheney. Wow, they answered the call. We had over 100 former players and coaches who represented nearly 50 years of Eastern football tradition. And what better way to celebrate an Eag homecoming win than with fireworks that were generously donated by an Eastern alum.  

In the winter, we celebrated with the 2004 men’s basketball team as they made a return to Reese Court, 20 years after they earned our University’s first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. To see former players embrace their coaches with tears in their eyes as they reunited perfectly encapsulates OUR WHY.

That is just the start. I’m proud to say that each of our athletics teams has a renewed focus on our initiative to reengage our student-athlete and general EWU alumni base. We look forward to welcoming more Eags home in the future and to working closely with the alumni relations office to remind all our graduates just want makes Cheney such a special place. 

In May we hosted a new event - A Night of Champions - at The Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane. With over 400 champions of EWU athletics, staff, and student-athletes in attendance, we raised $150,000 to support the Eagle Athletic Fund, in turn benefiting both student-athlete scholarships and operations that impact their experience and performance.

Thank you to all those who attended that event and to those who didn't make it out this year - we'll see you in 2025 for an even bigger and better night!

Throughout the past year, we have put a lot of pressure on ourselves but have also taken ownership of the fact that we need to raise more funds to support our programs. I can confidently say that our team answered that call as we achieved nearly a 31% increase in revenues supported by our sponsorship, ticketing, and fundraising efforts.

Overall, it's a step in the right direction, but we will need your help to continue that momentum into the 2024-25 school year.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to get your football, volleyball, and basketball tickets and support the Eagle Athletic Fund

WHAT’S NEXT? 

Matching my pride for the first 365 days is how excited I am for the future of Eastern Washington University.

As we prepare for the upcoming year, keep your eyes open for exciting news coming down the pipeline. 

• We’re bringing back the EWU Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall.
• New fan amenities will be coming to Roos Field to enhance the game day experience.  
• We will work with our TV partners to establish kickoff times that help us elevate the tailgating tradition that we are building at EWU.
• Our volleyball and basketball teams will hit the court this year on a brand new playing surface in Reese Court which also hosts high school games, commencements, campus, and community events.

It’s a great time to be an Eag! Thank you again to all those who contributed to our success this year.  I am humbled to serve as your Athletics Director and look forward to celebrating with you on gameday this fall.

Have a great summer and we'll see you in just a few short months at Roos Field for our home kickoff on Thursday, August 29th.

GO EAGS! 

Tim Collins

EWU Director of Athletics