Less than one month after Oklahoma and Texas announced their intentions to join the Southeastern Conference, three of the biggest conferences in college athletics pushed back with an announcement of their own.

An action-packed spring season capped off a hectic year for UW Athletics, where 17 teams navigated sport seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are The Daily sports staff’s picks for best athletes, performances, and moments from the past year. 

Following the NCAA Division I Board of Directors' guidance approval to allow student-athletes to compensate on their name, image, and likeness (NIL), the UW Athletic Department unveiled plans to support its student-athletes in business endeavors.

Vanessa Wong, the Washington women’s tennis team’s senior captain and top player, wrapped up a brilliant career Sunday morning, falling 3-6, 2-6 to Florida’s McCartney Kessler in the first round of the NCAA singles tournament.

Less than 24 hours after finding themselves on the wrong side of a 4-0 sweep against San Diego, the Washington women’s tennis team showed its grit in knocking off Arizona 4-1 on Friday morning to begin the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament.

The Washington women’s tennis team flew into San Diego, California riding a five-game winning streak and defeating all of those opponents handily. After a 4-0 loss to San Diego, that winning streak has come to a close.

The courts at Nordstrom Tennis Center sizzled with more emotion and energy than they had witnessed in over a calendar year, since before the COVID-19 pandemic extended its grip on UW athletics.