Fall Check-In: Western Washington Vikings

For our next Fall Check-In we head back out West to visit with the Western Washington Vikings and Head Coach Tyler Farrar.

To read the prior installments of our Fall Check-in Series click here: Virginia Tech (DI), Florida Atlantic, Chapman, Montana, Washington,  Long Beach, Moorpark, Liberty, Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Florida

The Vikings narrowly missed the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League in 2025 and are looking to get to the tournament in 2026.

Last year three players (Kian Maesetti, Wyatt Stephan, and Aidan Schreck) accounted for massive portion of the team’s points.  I assume you’re looking to diversify the offensive production some this year, what are you all planning to do to get there?

Tyler Farrar: We had a small roster last year - 17 total - but in addition to that we always seemed to have a constant 1-3 players with short term bang ups, so we played most of our games with 14-15 man rosters, so some of the product of the offensive production from those 3 players were they were consistently healthy and active meaning they were on field for the majority of our offensive reps.  We were deliberate last year with playing settled offense and working the shot clock which did make our offense slightly one dimensional and opponents were able to key in on that.  As that roster grows this year, we're definitely going to be playing at a faster tempo which should increase the looks we're getting other than strictly out of settled offense.  Holden Bates and Weston Huntly should be healthy at Attack full time this year which will be important as both missed large amounts of last season, we also have a larger midfield bench, and a few Freshmen and transfers who will make immediate impacts on offense and in our transition game.  Another item to point out is those three players are extremely talented and athletic lacrosse players - Wyatt Stephan was named PNCLL Freshman of the Year and Kian Maestretti was 2nd Team All Conference, so they were able to capitalize on or create their scoring opportunities.  They're a threat to score every time they have the ball in their possession.  

You only had 17 players on the team last year,  how did you all practice things like clearing and riding?  What are the some of the other challenges of having such a small group and how did you all overcome them?

TF:  As commented previously, the roster size was a challenge, but we also knew that the 2025 season was going to be a bit of a transitional year.  The 2024 team graduated a large number of players and like a lot of programs, WWU is still coming off of odd class sizes impacted by the Covid shortened seasons.  Last year we only returned 7 players with 10 new (6 of which were Freshmen), in addition to an entirely new coaching staff with all of us being first time MCLA coaches.  The team culture and focus on fundamentals at WWU is really second to none, we feel strongly in that being the strong foundation that we're going to continue to build this program.  The roster size and its impact on game preparation was probably the largest single discussion point last season, we felt that we played settled 6v6 very well against even some of the top programs in the country, but we struggled early on with clears/rides specifically.  There's no way to really replicate those concepts other than full field with full numbers.  There were a lot of times that as coaches we were running as "dummy" players through those drills and we relied on game film review for positioning and adjustments.  Putting together all of the pieces in our early games just unfortunately didn't happen last year and contributed to our 0-4 start.  But, we were able to take those game reps and lessons learned and turn them around for a 6-1 end to the season.

Last year you all only had one goalie on the roster, and he graduated, how is that position shaking out this Fall?

TF: We were very fortunate to have Cam Cohen in cage last year as an experienced Senior with a new group of D- poles in front of him.  We have a new Freshman goalie in Travis Follett from Anacortes HS who has a lot of experience at the HS level through their deep playoff runs.  He's been impressive to start and has really fit in with the team culture and systems.  We're also fortunate as a program to have Max Hanson as our Goalie coach who played his college career at WWU, their ability to work one-on-one together on individual as well as team fundamentals will help get him game ready in time for the regular season.  We return 2 All Conference Defensemen as well as a number of talented D-poles this year, so Travis will have a lot of support in front of him setting him up for success.

What are schedule highlights for next year?

TF: We have a larger 15 game schedule this year that includes 3 road trips in addition to our spring break trip.  We were fortunate with some of the teams hosting where they planned for an OOC game as well, so 3 teams are picking up 2 games on those weekends.  We have the always challenging PNCLL schedule along with picking up 5 OOC games and 2 games against MCLA D1 programs.  Some of the highlights are the games against University of Montana, College of Idaho, UC Davis, Montana State University, and Cal State San Marcos - 5 teams who all played at Nationals last year.  We have a good mix of the ranked games throughout the season which will serve as measuring sticks to our progress and growth throughout the year. 

How is Fall Ball going so far?  Any newcomers standing out?

TF: Not to keep beating the same drum, but the small roster size last year had its impact, so we are very happy having a good sized incoming class of 9 new freshmen or transfers in addition to only graduating 2 players in 2025.  Sophomore Cadel Velazques LSM from Dominican University has looked very strong, is a threat in transition, and fits in well with our current defensive sets, Sophomore Joe Nave Midfield from Montana adds to our depth at that position as a dynamic dodger and will be an impact player this year, and incoming Freshman Giles Johnson Attack from Bellingham HS brings size and strong stickwork and will be a threat to score on ball and off ball.  

Thank you to Coach Farrar for taking the time to answer some questions about the program.  Coaches, if you’re interested in participating in our Fall Check-In series, please email info@mcla.us.