Seawolves Sweep Coffee Cup, Overcome Mistakes in 36-28 Win against Free Jacks
TUKWILA, Wash. - There was no doubt who would be hoisting the Coffee Cup when 80 minutes expired on Sunday. The visitors may have been the defending MLR champions three times over, but their down year combined with a late Seawolves surge led to Seattle sweeping the trophy.
It was a game that didn’t necessarily look great for either side; in the end, it was a determination of which team would get in their own way less than the other. But the Seawolves emerged victorious in their 36-28 battle against the New England Free Jacks and put themselves in a winner-gets-home-field game against the California Legion.
With the Legion having won their penultimate game against Anthem 55-26, the Seawolves needed a win to keep open the possibility of getting the second seed and a home playoff match. And with the five-point showing they put together on Sunday night, there are a lot of winning scenarios against California that put Seattle into that seed.
Despite being the three-time defending MLR champions, the Free Jacks came into Sunday night’s game in quite a beatable shape. New England had just 16 points with a 5-3-0 record, fifth in the table ahead of only Anthem Rugby Carolina. But the middle of the table remained tight going into the second-to-last week; New England could tie things up with Seattle by getting all five points and keeping the Seawolves to none.
Seattle’s lineup was almost identical to their match in Chicago the previous week, though with Charlie Walsh and Michael Hand in the reserves instead of Dewald Donald and Nolan Tuamoheloa.
Jordan Horston’s Resurgence Encouraging For Storm
Before the start of the 2026 season, Seattle Storm wing Jordan Horston hadn’t played basketball in 15 months. Horston tore her ACL while competing in Athletes Unlimited during the WNBA offseason and missed the entire 2025 season.
It’s been a slow ramp-up period for Horston so far this season, as she’s played in all nine games thus far while on a minutes restriction. She’s been steadily contributing on defense, but the offensive side has been a struggle for the former 2023 No. 9 overall pick.
In her first eight games, Horston averaged just 3.0 points (27.3% FG), 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per game in 17.5 minutes. She hadn’t been playing up to her starting role, and the Storm have been struggling overall.
Horston finally started to look like her old self in the Storm’s most recent game — a 93-72 loss to the Toronto Tempo. Even though it was a loss, Horston tied her season high of 22 minutes and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, one assist and four steals.
Analysis: Should Kraken Re-Sign Jaden Schwartz or Let Him Walk?
On July 21, 2021, the Seattle Kraken held their “expansion draft” to build their first ever team, setting sights on constructing a roster that would allow them to be competitive right away.
But in the present, there are not many “Day 1” Kraken players left from that inaugural team after making just one playoff trip in five seasons. Seattle’s two goalies, Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, remain on the team. Among skaters, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann, Vince Dunn, and captain Jordan Eberle are still with the franchise.
A few of those original members of the team are set to be free agents this offseason in Jamie Oleksiak and Jaden Schwartz.
While Jaden Schwartz was not part of the actual draft, Seattle signed him that summer to a five-year, $27.5 million contract. That deal is now expiring after he totaled 79 goals and 168 points over the life of the contract, ranking fourth and fifth in franchise history respectively.
Reign Fall to Spirit, Dip Under .500 Ahead of June Break
The Seattle Reign were dealt their third loss in five matches on Saturday afternoon, as they fell to the Washington Spirit 2-1 on a late goal from Hal Hershfelt.
Seattle (4-5-2) has notoriously struggled to score recently, putting a five-game scoreless streak behind it with a 2-1 win at Boston last week. Though the Reign got on the board on Saturday, it was an unforced error as Lucia Di Guglielmo chipped her own keeper, USWNT prospect Sandy MacIver, trying to keep the ball away from Maddie Mercado on a break-out play.
By the end of the match, Seattle had put just two shots on target for an underwhelming 0.5 expected goals while giving up 1.8 to a dynamic Spirit team on the other end. Washington and USWNT star Trinity Rodman burned Seattle's right side most of the day, creating multiple chances and assisting on Hershfelt's transition winner.
The loss dropped the Reign to 10th place in the NWSL, with Seattle losing three of its last five to enter the June CBA/World Cup break on a slide. The Reign will have until July 4 at North Carolina to process this result with 19 matches to go.
Mariners Groove Back Over .500, Take Game 2 vs. Diamondbacks
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Callaghan Bluechel goes over the Mariners' Saturday win against the Diamondbacks, their position in the AL West, and what has produced their five-game win streak.
Kraken the Ice: Can Berkly Catton Elevate Game Entering Second NHL Season?
The Seattle Kraken face a pivotal offseason as top prospect Alexis Bernier signed his entry-level deal and rookie standout Berkly Catton looks to elevate his game. Can the franchise finally unlock the full potential of its young stars and transform player development woes into progress?
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee breaks down Bernier’s arrival from the QMJHL and examines Catton’s growth after his rookie campaign, raising crucial questions about the organization’s talent pipeline. The episode also spotlights veteran Jaden Schwartz’s uncertain future as free agency nears, emphasizing Seattle’s pressing need for fresh scoring talent and a youth infusion. Get ready for insider analysis on roster challenges, draft positioning, and which pending free agents—like Jamie Oleksiak—could define the Kraken’s next chapter.
Washington State Goes 1-1 to Open Eugene Regional, Faces Oregon State in Elimination Game
In their first NCAA Baseball Tournament appearance since 2010, the Washington State Cougars have gone 1-1 through their first two games and now face a rematch with Oregon State in an elimination game.
If the Cougars defeat Oregon State for a second time in four days, they will advance to face Oregon later on Sunday. To reach the next round, Washington State would need to beat the Ducks twice.
Cougars Open Tournament With Win Over Oregon State
On Friday night, the Cougars defeated Oregon State 3-2, pulling off the upset against their former - and soon to be current - Pac 12 foes.
The Beavers jumped out to a 2-1 lead before Washington State's Matt Priest delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning that scored Gavin Roy and tied the game at 2-2.
The Washington Huskies Mid-Season Stretch Could Determine 2026 College Football Fate
It’s easy to look at the Washington Huskies 2026 football schedule and skip to the end.
While the last two games — home against defending national champion Indiana and on the road at nemesis Oregon — could determine UW’s College Football Playoff fate, the Huskies have to get there first.
Washington begins the football season with three non-conference snoozers, and ends with the types of games UW has been unable to compete in under Fisch through two seasons. The seven games in the middle are all winnable — Washington could well be favored in six of them — but Big Ten games are rarely easy.
The bottom line is Washington must go 6-1 during that stretch to have any hope at its first CFP berth of head coach Jedd Fisch’s tenure.
Gonzaga WBB Brings In Jocelyn Medina, Continues to Strengthen Guard Depth
The frontcourt was the story for Gonzaga women’s basketball last season. From redshirt freshman Lauren Whittaker winning WCC Player of the Year to true freshman Jaiden Haile taking home the conference’s Sixth Woman of the Year, the Zags’ forwards garnered plenty of attention during the team’s 24-win campaign, where they made it back to the NCAA tournament after missing it the season prior.
But after the graduation of starting point guard Inês Bettencourt and the transfer of Paige Lofing, GU continues to restock its backcourt personnel for next year. The program recently announced the addition of Jocelyn Medina, a 5-6 senior from the University of Denver, who joins Emmy Roach as the Bulldogs’ lone transfers so far this offseason – both of them listed as guards.
The move to Spokane for Medina will be her fourth stop in four seasons, as the experienced Arbuckle, California native has played in a variety of roles throughout her collegiate career.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Stumble Late, Fall to Tempo Via Self-Inflicted Wounds
The Toronto Tempo briefly held a new WNBA record for free throws made in a game without a miss, and the Seattle Storm crumbled in the second half of a 92-73 loss to their cross-border foes on Saturday, May 30, at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Shortly after taking a third-quarter lead, the Storm couldn’t get out of their own way with fouls, turnovers and missed shots. That opened the door for the Tempo to close out the period on a massive run, leaving the Storm in the dust.
Solid performances from Natisha Hiedeman (18 points, two rebounds and seven assists) and Jordan Horston (15 points, four rebounds and four steals) were far from enough for the Storm to win this game.
The Tempo had five players score in double figures, led by Marina Mabrey’s 18 points, three rebounds and four assists. Kiki Rice totaled 17 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Jack Kayil Intends to Stay in NBA Draft, Leaving Hole in Gonzaga's Backcourt
Receiving first-round feedback in the NBA Draft process, Gonzaga commit Jack Kayil has decided to stay in the draft, his agents first told Jonathan Givoy of DraftExpress.
But since the initial reports, in an interview with basketball-world.news, Kayil’s agent Milan Nikolic said that “Jack definitely won’t go to college – for any number in the world. This is final.”
Because the German guard is an international player, he technically has until June 13 to withdraw from the draft, but based on Kayil’s sentiments about college basketball, suiting up for the Zags is firmly off the table for him even if he is not on an NBA roster next season. The situation is a tough break for GU, which never got to deploy the talented 20-year-old in its system after he officially signed with the program last November.
Crawford, Rodríguez Log Firsts; Mariners Walk Off Diamondbacks
Friday night began as a game of firsts and ended as such, even if, for a few frames, an uneasy familiarity washed over T-Mobile park.
The Mariners had to scrape, scratch, and battle just to get back to an even .500 record, 29-29. But a win is a win is a win, and the team’s 7-6 extra innings victory was just the same as if it had been the easy ordeal it initially appeared. For five innings, home runs from historic places were putting players in great positions and George Kirby was apparently grooving.
In truth, Kirby was missing danger by the thinnest of margins, and once that tiny bit of tricksy pixie dust dissipated, Arizona’s high-contact bats and eagle eye for the strike zone made Seattle pitchers fight for every blade of grass. One after another fell before the onslaught, conducting an ordered retreat by the skin of their teeth until the tide turned at a most unlikely Mariner with the proverbial morningstar upon his brow.
Homering Mariners set their own records as Seattle powered out to an early lead.
As befits this Mariners team as much as those of other years, all runs scored in regulation innings came on the longball. But these homers - at least those powered before the game became a nailbiter - set personal records for multiple guys on the team. In the end, all three M’s leading the team in homers added to their edge on Friday.
Seahawks Lose Nolan Teasley to Vikings, Creating Major Front Office Void
During the franchise’s re-ascent to Super Bowl champion over the past two-plus years, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has been able to enjoy great continuity in the front office, maintaining all of his key confidants to oversee a tremendously successful roster reload.
But with a new season less than two months away, Schneider won’t have that same luxury coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, as one of his longest-tenured staffers will be taking his talents to Minnesota.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, former Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley has accept the Vikings vacant general manager position following a second interview with the franchise. His departure will bring a 13-year tenure in the Pacific Northwest to an end as he now inherits the task of getting Minnesota back into contention in the rugged NFC North.
Graduating from Central Washington, Teasley began his rapid rise in Seattle’s scouting department as an intern in 2013, turning that opportunity into three years as a pro personnel scout for Schneider. Impressing in every role the organization awarded him, he stepped up to assistant director of pro personnel in 2017 and then spent five seasons as the director of pro personnel, overseeing everything in free agency and scouting players on other teams throughout the preseason.
The Montlake Report: Big Weekend on Tap as Huskies Welcome 2027 Recruits for Visits
Washington Huskies football gears up for a pivotal recruiting stretch as elite recruits arrive for key campus visits. Can four-star quarterback Blake Roscopf and edge prospect Chaz Gray be the cornerstones of a top-15 class?
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe spotlights high-profile visitors, including wide receiver Dante Tyson and cornerback Jalen Hill, and breaks down which positions are still lacking—most notably on the offensive line. With the Big Ten season looming, the Huskies’ strategy to bulk up in the trenches comes to the forefront as linemen like Reis Russell and Jacoby Doyle headline upcoming visit weekends. The show details recent roster additions, such as Joseph Peco, and assesses how recruiting momentum under Coach Fisch could shape the program’s future. Will Washington maintain its stronghold on in-state talent and flip late commits as signing day approaches?
WATCH: Recapping Sounders Solid Start, And Late Troubles, Ahead of the World Cup
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 7-3-3 start to the Seattle Sounders’ 2026 campaign. The team started 6-1-1 before falling into a slump and entering the June FIFA World Cup break at sixth in the Western Conference.
The Sounders will be back in action on July 16 against their rival Portland Timbers, as Cristian Roldan (United States) is the only Seattle player rostered for the World Cup.
Rashid Shaheed More Than Just a Return Specialist for Seahawks
When John Schneider pulled the trigger on a trade with the New Orleans Saints at the trade deadline last season, it changed the trajectory of Seattle’s season. It’s not too far-fetched to say that the move to bring in Rashid Shaheed helped the Seahawks get over the hump and win the Super Bowl.
While Shaheed is a receiver, he truly turned the tide for Seattle as a return man. He ran back a kick return to open the second half against the Falcons when the game was tied and the offense was sputtering. That sparked Seattle to a blowout win in Atlanta. Later, he returned a punt for a touchdown when Seattle was down two scores to the Rams at home, with the division and No. 1 seed in the NFC possibly at stake. That helped the Seahawks rally to one of the most dramatic wins in franchise history.
He didn’t stop there. On the opening kickoff of Seattle’s postseason, against the 49ers, Shaheed ran it 95 yards and pranced into the endzone for the game-opening score amid the smoke from the pregame fireworks. Before the dust and smoke had cleared, Seattle was already winning and they never looked back.
It’s impossible to tell the story of the 2025 Seahawks without Shaheed. He is a vital part of it, interwoven with so many critical moments leading up to Seattle hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Fall Victim to Vengeful Mystics in Blowout Loss
The Seattle Storm got bullied on the glass and struggled to convert from long range in a vengeful 78-64 loss to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, May 27, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (3-5) was never competitive against Washington (3-3) despite being just a few days removed from a 12-point route of the same team on the same court. Only Jade Melbourne for the Storm cracked double figures, totaling 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Shakira Austin (18 points), Michaela Onyenwere (14 points) and Kiki Iriafen (13 points) led the Mystics to victory. Austin and Iriafen combined for 22 rebounds as well.
M’s Complete 22-4 Sweep of A’s with 9-1 Blowout, Take First Place in AL West
Despite still being a game back of .500, the Mariners are in first place in the AL West. In one sense, it doesn’t matter; a man once said that you should check the standings once on June 1 and every day starting July 1. But in another sense, the series was massive.
“Yeah, I think so,” said Mariners starter Logan Gilbert when asked if the series (in which they outscored their opponents by 18 runs) was their most complete of the season. “To go out there and prove it like that, and everybody steppin’ up at different times, it says a lot about the team.”
For the first time since sweeping the Astros at home back in April, the M’s cobbled together three consecutive complete wins. From the first inning onward on Wednesday afternoon, Seattle held a watertight lid on a team that had come into the series scoring 4.8 runs per game in their home ballpark. Julio Rodríguez put a bow on the whole thing with a three-run jack in the eighth, but the final outcome was not in doubt long before the 9-1 final score.
Rob Refsnyder got the Mariners started with a three-run homer, continuing an inchoate upturn.
The Mariners’ $6.25 million acquisition of platoon bat Rob Refsnyder hasn’t been a very productive signing despite the clear pedigree of production against lefties over his previous four seasons. With a horrific .113/.195/.197 slash line going into Wednesday’s game, it appeared that his time with the Mariners was nearing an ignominious conclusion.
That may yet be true. But a glimmer of hope shone through in the first inning, as he built on a hit in Tuesday’s game with a loud 107.7 mile per hour bomb.
Seahawks Bolster Gunner Competition, Acquire Irv Charles From Jets
Orchestrating a rare late May trade, the Seattle Seahawks have added another viable contender to the mix to help replace departed receiver Dareke Young as one of the team’s primary gunners covering punts on special teams.
According to Zach Blatt of the Athletic, Seattle has agreed to send a conditional 2028 seventh round pick to the New York Jets for veteran receiver Irvin Charles. The team officially announced the trade on their official website with undrafted rookie Trayvon Rudolph waived to create a roster spot in a corresponding move.
Highly recruited out of high school, Charles began his collegiate career at Penn State, playing two seasons for the Nittany Lions before transferring to Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018. He didn’t play football for the next three seasons, returning to the gridiron as a graduate student in 2021 and catching 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns, using that successful comeback audition at the Division II level to climb back onto the NFL radar.
Gonzaga WBB Adds Rider Transfer Emmy Roach as Taller Option in Backcourt
Wanting to add size to its backcourt, Gonzaga women’s basketball announced the addition of Emmy Roach, the team’s first landed transfer ahead of the 2026-27 season.
A priority on head coach Lisa Fortier’s offseason checklist, the 6-0 Roach brings a unique skillset from her years in New Jersey and overseas. She spent the last two seasons at Rider University, appearing in 28 games each year for the Broncs. But the Australian also has semi-professional experience, playing in the NBL1 before her collegiate career began, which will now continue in Spokane. Roach will likely fill a desired role in replacing senior Inês Bettencourt, as a guard with two-way abilities who can take pressure off of Allie Turner as a ball-handling option.
In a statement released by the team, Fortier said, “We are excited for Emmy to join our team! She brings versatility, a solid basketball IQ, and shoots the ball in a way that fits great for how we want to play.”
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