CHENEY, Wash. — College is preparation for life. It goes fast, but people learn what their goals are and how to achieve them. People also make connections that will be important for them for the rest of their lives. With her collegiate basketball career now in the past,
Ella Gallatin is ready for what comes next.
"Honestly, I feel like I blinked and it was over," Gallatin explained. "I was talking with Bella [Hays] the other day. We remember meeting in the dorms and meeting the team our first year like it was yesterday. I've enjoyed my whole experience, which made the time go by super fast."
In June, Gallatin will graduate with her bachelor's degree in Biology and Pre-Vet. Following graduation, Gallatin wants to explore a professional basketball career overseas.
After basketball, Gallatin's career goal is to become an equine massage therapist.
"I grew up with horses, doing rodeos and barrel racing. Animals were my first love and I want to get back to that after basketball."
When her career as a massage therapist begins, Gallatin is focusing on direct experience to become an expert in the field, "I've taken zoology classes at Eastern that focus on animals, but I definitely want to be out in the field and get hands-on experience. I just love working with animals. I haven't done it professionally yet, so I'm excited to learn everything.
Gallatin is already well versed with horses, and owns her own here in Cheney, "I've gained a lot of experience in equine massage therapy from my own horses and watching treatments at rodeos. I try to see her every day when we're not traveling. That's been really nice."
The horse, Tiki, was given to Gallatin from a family in Snohomish, who was moving away. Gallatin had been exercising Tiki for the family's daughter and they were not able to take the horse with them.
A teammate with a horse is not common and Gallatin said it's been great letting the rest of Eagles meet her, "I love bringing my teammates to meet and ride her. A lot of the time, it's their first time riding a horse. It's a great way for us to bond outside of basketball and I love getting to share my love for horses with them."
As an athlete, Gallatin has a particular interest in working with horses at rodeos, "Horses that are athletes is definitely where I want to go with my career. I'd work with regular horses too, but rodeo horses are where I really feel like, "This doesn't feel like work.""
Splitting time between her athletics and academics, Gallatin sees the parallels between the two sections of her life, "Massage therapists help professional athletes, and it's the same idea with horses—they're athletes too, especially in rodeos and racing. It kind of mixes my two loves."
The demands of being a student-athlete and Gallatin can take the lessons she's learned on the court and apply it to her career, "Definitely work ethic. Hard work can help you excel in anything, so I'm hoping to apply that moving forward."
Gallatin played her final game in the Eastern red last week at the Big Sky Championships. The Snohomish, Wash. native finished her EWU career with 887 points, ranking 30th all-time in program history. Gallatin also added 185 assists and 323 rebounds.
For her career, Gallatin is a career 38.7 shooter and 78.9 percent from the free throw line. She has made 89 three-point field goals and has 33 steals.
After playing in 105 career games and starting 63, Gallatin has numerous favorite memories, "Winning the Big Sky my sophomore year was amazing, but honestly, I'll miss the little things like the bus rides with the team, talking and laughing the whole time."
Gallatin was a sophomore on the 2023-24 championship team, appearing in 17 games. She played five minutes in the EWU's first round March Madness game against Oregon State.
Being a part of the championship team, Gallatin carried over lessons from that season for the rest of her career and into her life, "The intensity was the biggest takeaway from that year. We brought it every single day. It was truly "we over me." No one cared about individual performances; we just wanted to win together."
Gallatin wants her career to focus on horses, but the passion extends beyond work-life to her long-term goals, "I'd love a big ranch with a bunch of horses and to do rodeos myself someday. I have family in Montana, so maybe somewhere there. But I really like Eastern Washington. Hopefully somewhere between the two."
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
