Where Are They Now: 2009 Championship Team
October 21, 2014 | Softball
Husky Hall Of Fame
SEATTLE – The 2009 University of Washington softball team will be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 inside Alaska Airlines Arena. Since its inception in 1979, the Husky Hall of Fame has welcomed 203 members to its prestigious ranks.
In 2009, Washington won its first softball National Championship. Led by head coach Heather Tarr, UW swept Florida in two games in the final series of the Women's College World Series. The team ended the season with a 51-12 record. Pitcher Danielle (Lawrie) Locke, who pitched every inning of the Huskies' 12 postseason games, finished the year 42-8 and was named the National Player of the Year and WCWS MVP. Lawrie, Ashley Charters, Niki Williams and Jenn Salling were named first-team All-Americans. Williams set a WCWS record for most RBIs in a game (7) and series (10) while Morgan Stuart set a WCWS record for most doubles in a series (4). Five Huskies were named to the All-Tournament team, including freshmen Kimi Pohlman and Williams, sophomore Stuart, junior Lawrie and senior Charters.
Let's take a look at what some of the former players have been up to since winning a national championship:
Ashley Charters
After I graduated in 2009, I played with Team USA for two years (2009 and 2010). I then went on to play in the National Pro Fastpitch league from 2011-2013. I just recently retired from playing and am currently working remotely here in Seattle as a Marketing Representative for a company called Boombah. It is an online athletic apparel company based out of Chicago. I do anything and everything softball for the company. Other than that, I am enjoying living in Seattle and traveling around the country for work and pleasure.
Jenn Salling
Since graduating, I was drafted to play in the National Pro Fastpitch league by the USSSA Florida Pride. I had the honor of winning an NPF championship in 2013 with current Husky defensive coach, JT D'Amico, where he served as the head coach for the Pride. I have been playing professionally since 2011 and am still currently! Just recently, (last April) I was traded from the Pride to the new franchise in the league, Pennsylvania Rebellion. Last year in the off-season, (2013) I was the assistant coach at Roosevelt University, an NAIA school in downtown Chicago.
Currently, I have moved to San Diego, Calif. from Chicago and am a hitting and defensive instructor at Power Line Consulting. My role is just that, along with handling group sessions (offensive/defensive) and managing/running team practices around the SoCal area. In addition, Power Line offers college softball recruiting advising and strength and conditioning programs, pitching, slapping and outfield instruction.
Furthermore, I am currently an ambassador for Mizuno USA. Since graduating in 2011, I signed an endorsement contract with them, then just re-signed this past year for another three years! It's been fun being a part of the Mizuno family! My family (my mom, dad and brother) who will be joining me, live in Vancouver, BC, Canada! I'm the lone solider from our family that has left home!
Danielle (Lawrie) Locke
Since graduating in 2010, I began my professional career right away. I competed with the National Team in the summer of 2010 and then went on to play for my pro team, the USSSA Pride for the last month of August. I'm lucky I decided to play professionally because I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who was playing Triple-A baseball in Round Rock, Texas and our team was heading there to play a series. We met through a mutual friend and the rest is history.
I played a full season with the Pride in 2011 and went with Team Canada to compete in the World Championships in the Yukon in Canada. For my 2012 season, I decided to take my talent overseas and play a season in Japan. My season went from March/April/May and the first weekend of June -- I returned to the U.S. to play in the NPF league in June/July/August -- before heading back to Japan for the second half of the season in September/October/November.
I signed another contract to play in Japan for the 2013 season and when I arrived, I found out within the first month that Andrew and I were expecting our first child. I played a couple of games while pregnant, but decided it was best for me to come home and be with my family. Andrew and I had an amazing wedding in Boston on June 28, 2013 surrounded by 50 of our closest family and friends. We welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Madison, December 16, 2013. I'm currently giving lessons right now in Boston and spending most of my time with Madison. My husband and I are looking to move to Seattle in the spring of 2015, where we will be settling for good. My three year goal is to open up a baseball/softball facility in Washington and teach and instruct young women and help them achieve everything they set their minds to.
Bailey Stenson
What an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the greatest school in the country. GO DAWGS! Since graduating in 2010, (has it really been that long?!) I have been busy finding my new passion in life. Softball was my life for 15+ years and that sort of ended with gaining my degree. I wrote a book about our 2009 season and hope one day I'd have the content to write another. I have always liked to be creative and be around people so I started taking up photography a little bit and BAM before you know it, I have a full fledged photography business. I had 20 weddings this year...that's a lot of cake. So to counteract that I eat a lot of cake and take a lot of photos at weddings, I started working with my friend's startup company called Volt Athletics. We sell online strength and conditioning programs to athletes, coaches, teams of all levels - high school, college, club etc. I also coach a 12U softball team in all my spare time! As you can see I've had no problem staying busy! I do know one thing however, that this is one incredible Hall of Fame class and it's honoring to get to be a part of it!
Lauren (Greer) Locker
Upon graduating from the UW in 2009, I went to work as a Legislative Aide for King County Councilman Pete VonReichbauer where I learned the ins and outs of politics. On July 3, 2011 I married my husband, Jake Locker. We moved out to Nashville, Tenn. a few weeks following, and we continue to split time living between Nashville and Ferndale, Wash. We have two children Colbie, 2 and Cooper, 4. Along with being a stay-at-home mom, my husband and I started the "Pass It On Foundation" in order to help chronically and critically ill children and their families in middle Tennessee. I have also enjoyed chairing several non-profit organization events in the Nashville area, with the main focus to give back to the community and help those in dire need.
Morgan Stuart
Since graduating, I have moved back to California and have had a couple college coaching jobs before deciding to start my own business doing infield lessons in Orange County. I am also a part of a group called The Packaged Deal. We travel the country and internationally doing softball clinics and motivational speaking. I recently played in the Asian Games in South Korea with Team Philippines. I hope to continue traveling, coaching and influencing wherever that will take me.
Nikia Williams
I've been all over the place! Immediately after graduating, I moved to Orlando, Fla. and competed in the National Pro Fastpitch league as a member of the USSSA Pride. After a very adventurous first summer in the league, I moved out of the country and traveled for a year until I had to report back to Florida for my second season. After training, practicing and playing (what felt like) a million games for three months, I was able to experience winning the NPF championship with the Pride in 2013. Once the new year arrived, I decided that I was going to retire from playing in the NPF and move back to Seattle. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to work for a dear friend, Taylor Smith, at National Prospects Academy in Tacoma. At NPA, we mentor young women and give them tools to excel in the sport of softball.
Amanda Fleischman
I graduated with a business degree from the UW, obtained my CPA and worked for three years in the business world (at Deloitte and Touché as well as Alaska Airlines Corporate). I am currently taking a break from the office, coaching club softball and will travel to New Zealand for a few months this fall.
Ashlyn (Watson) Shoup
Upon graduation, I moved back to California and decided to go back to school. I attended Cal State Fullerton and received my teaching credential in special education. I became a teacher for Garden Grove Unified School District in 2012 and have been working there since. Currently, I'm teaching a 7-8th grade moderate-to-severe autism-specific class and love every minute of it! I also received my Masters of Science in Special Education this past May and will soon be working on an administrative credential. I got married in August 2013 to my amazing husband, Nick Shoup. We currently reside in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Jessica Ventoza
After attending the UW, I went on to receive my Master's of Education degree at Central Methodist University and coach college softball there for a year. I returned home, coached a select team for three years and worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for two and a half years. In the summer of 2013, I was given my dream job as the assistant coach at Western Washington University where I am embarking on my second season there.
Alyson McWherter
After graduating from the University of Washington, I commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United Starts Army. My first duty station took me from Seattle to Ft. Stewart, Georgia. As a Medical Service Corps Officer, I served as the principal medical advisor in the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. I was responsible for the command and control of the medical service corps units. Within my first six months at Ft. Stewart, my Commander decided to send me to a Medical Logisticians course in San Antonio, Texas.
I spent the summer learning about logistics and trying to survive the Texas heat. I met another Lieutenant who hooked me up with some local slow pitch softball. A few phone calls and emails later, I was selected to play for the All-Army softball team. We won a gold medal and made the trip to Oklahoma City to compete in the ASA Championships. It was surreal playing on that field in a different uniform. Shortly after returning from my softball hiatus, I deployed to Afghanistan with the 3rd Infantry Division. My unit was responsible for running the medical facility on a forward operating base. We were the intermediate life saving platform in a very kinetic area of operations. I earned a Bronze Star Medal during the deployment. Upon my return, I made the decision to begin a new career and moved to Florida to become the Operations Team Lead for a company called Hale products.
Taylor Smith
I graduated in 2012 from the UW and wanted to give back to the sport and stay involved in the game. I founded a softball training academy based in Tacoma, Wash. called Northwest Prospects Academy. This past September, I was hired at Boise State University as the assistant softball coach and am loving every minute of it! Playing at Washington was one of the greatest experiences in my life and has helped mold me into who I am today. I am truly blessed to be a Dawg.
Marnie Koziol
I've been working at a steel service center south of downtown called Seaport Steel since July of 2009. I am responsible for payroll, accounts payable and monthly financial statements. Accounting is my career passion and I'm currently enrolled in a certificate of accounting program through UW professional and continuing education in pursuit of my CPA. I bought a townhouse in Lake City in September of 2013 and I live there with my wonderful girlfriend Tracie. In my free time, I enjoy snowboarding, camping, hiking, slow pitch softball and cheering on the Huskies, Mariners and Seahawks.
Alicia Blake
Since graduating, I moved to Spokane, Wash. where I lived for five years with my husband, Andy. We have two children, Sawyer, 4 and Adalie, 2. We were stationed there with the Air Force. While living in Spokane, I coached at Coeur d'Alene high school one year and Whitworth University (going on three years) while giving private softball lessons. We just recently moved to Olympia to be near family. My husband just ended his enlistment with the Air Force and is currently working on his EMT certification. I have worked for Amazon since the move and am coaching fall ball at Whitworth University and we are expecting our third child in March.
Ashley Tuiasosopo
Since graduating from the University of Washington, I took a year off from school and was my sister's nanny for her two little boys. In September of 2012, I started my master's of arts in teaching - secondary math at Western Governor's University, an online university. Two years later, in August of 2014, I graduated with my teaching certificate as well as my masters degree in teaching - secondary math. This past June, I accepted a full-time teaching position at Monroe High School where I teach freshmen algebra. I am also the varsity girls basketball assistant and the JV girls fastpitch coach.
Kimi Pohlman
Pohlman is the creator of Raise The Bar Athletic Solutions, which is designed to educate young athletes on the balance of physical performance, skill development and recovery. She was drafted to play in the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2012 and helped the Chicago Bandits win a regular season championship in 2013.
Dani Stuart
Danielle graduated from UW in 2009 with a B.S. in Biology, and then went back to complete her Bachelor's in Nursing at UW. After that, she moved to Nashville, Tenn. to attend Vanderbilt University for her Master's in Nursing program. She had been working in Scottsdale, Ariz., as a nurse practitioner, and recently accepted a job at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she works as a nurse practitioner and surgical first assist in orthopaedic surgery. She now resides in D.C. with her boyfriend and their dog, and travel to Seattle and Michigan frequently to visit family and friends.
Jenna Clifton
Clifton lives in Phoenix, working as a Media and Marketing Sales Professional.
Dru Hester
I am currently a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia working as a legal assistance attorney. After graduating in June of 2010, I moved to Sacramento, Calif. and attended law school at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. I graduated from McGeorge in May of 2013 and became a member of the California State Bar after passing the bar exam in November of 2013.
Washington Softball
