PULLMAN – WSU women athletes will trade their crimson uniforms for pink ones this weekend, and they’re asking employees to wear pink for a day, as well.
Women’s soccer, swimming, volleyball and rowing teams will wear pink uniforms Oct. 22-29 to honor breast cancer survivors and educate the public in observation of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
WSU Athletics has declared Oct. 21 to be Think Pink Thursday. Cougar Athletics staff and student-athletes, as well as the rest of the Pullman campus, are encouraged to wear pink for the day.
On Friday, Oct. 22, the women’s soccer team will host Oregon State at 2 p.m. at the Lower Soccer Field. At 5 p.m. Friday and at noon Saturday, Oct. 23, the WSU swim team will host the Debbie Pipher Memorial Invitational meet at Gibb Pool.
Pipher was the women’s swim coach 1977-97; she died of breast cancer in 2007 at age 53.
Later Saturday, the Cougar volleyball team will don pink jerseys to take on Arizona in a 7 p.m. match in Bohler Gym. The women’s rowing team will host the Head of the Snake regatta against Gonzaga, Friday, Oct. 29, at Wawawai Landing.
A Wear Pink Weekend poster is being distributed this month featuring student-athletes who have had family members survive breast cancer. Kaleinani Kabalis from the volleyball team, swimmer Jen Dean and Ariana Byrd from the soccer team are the student-athletes on the poster; all have grandmothers who are breast cancer survivors.
During October, the Cougar volleyball team is conducting the ninth annual Attacking Breast Cancer (ABC) Pledge Drive to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse, known as the Bosom Buddies. The team will be collecting pledges for WSU team kills landed during the October home matches, as well as flat donations. Last year the team raised more than $2,600, bringing the total to more than $11,405 donated since 2002.
Anyone wishing to donate can contact Kara Kiefer, Cougar volleyball operations coordinator, at 335-7169 or kkiefer@wsu.edu, or assistant coach Jenn Fry at 335-0275 or Jennifer.fry@wsu.edu.
The Cougar soccer team sell its pink uniforms after the Oct. 22 match for $30 each, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, eastern Washington affiliate. To purchase a jersey contact Craig Lawson, sports information soccer contact, at 335-0265 or craigl@wsu.edu.
The swimming team is seeking sponsors of events at the Debbie Pipher Memorial Invitational, and a portion of those proceeds will be donated to Bosom Buddies. To sponsor an event, please contact swimming coach Erica Quam at 335-0273 or ericaq@wsu.edu.