As another school year comes to a close, another group of seniors will be graduating from Seattle University. Among these seniors are several athletes that have had collegiate careers to be heralded and all of which have helped Seattle U compete in its recent return to Division I. Here is a look at life in DI athletics through the eyes of some of the graduating seniors who have been through it all.

Dylan Burnett

Burnett came to Seattle U from Vancouver, Washington. He throws the javelin for the track and field team. Burnett had his fair share of success in track and field and made school history in doing so by becoming the first post-season qualifier. “It has been an amazing

experience where I have reached throws I never thought possible,” Burnett said. “My most memorable moment was when I qualified for West prelims last year and became the first athlete to go to the post season since returning to DI.” Burnett is competing post season once again this week in Arkansas. “This last season, I had the best season of my life,” said Burnett. “It was really special and helped fuel my love and passion for the sport.” Now that his time at Seattle U has come to an end, Burnett will be pursuing a career in Environmental Studies, hopefully as an environmental consultant in Seattle.

Jake Feener

Feener is a soccer player from Rocklin, California that played goalkeeper for the Redhawks. The first couple years were difficult for the team, but by his senior season, the men’s soccer team made a great run winning the WAC tournament, and competing in the NCAA tournament. “Winning the WAC regular season and tournament, and then beating Creighton in Nebraska will never be forgotten,” Feener said. “I could never trade away the experience of playing in front of our fans and truly feel as though we were doing something exciting for the school.” Now that his collegiate career is over, Jake will continue his soccer career professionally. He is currently with the Sounders Premier Development Team and occasionally trains with the Sounder MLS team. Aside from soccer, Jake is graduating from Seattle U as a film major and is trying to find work with a studio productions company.

Whitney Dean

Dean is a distance swimmer for Seattle U and hails from Campbell, California. She chose Seattle U, not only compete in collegiate swimming, but also to study nursing. Whitney started swimming when she was five years old and had a tough transition switching from club swimming to DI swimming. The team also had a change in coaching staff who converted Dean to distance swimming. “Ultimately, I loved doing distance,” Dean said. “Going from the pool to open water was really cool.” Over the course of her college career, Whitney bonded with her team and made lifelong friends. “One of my favorite memories was when the team stayed over winter break,” Dean said. “On the last day we did relays and the seniors swept the races and then the team sang Christmas carols together.” Now that her time swimming for Seattle U has come to an end, Whitney will look to get to get her feet wet in the nursing profession, and may continue to participate in open water swimming and triathlons. “I also really enjoy running,” Dean said. “Doing charity runs will allow me to volunteer, which I want to do more now that swimming is done.”

Hannah Middlesteadt

Middlestaedt runs for the Seattle U cross country team as well as the indoor and outdoor track team. She came to Seattle from Maple Valley, Washington. “When I was in high school I had a former teammate who went here, so it was on my radar,” Middlestaedt said. “I came on a visit and I loved the team and the coach. It was a good fit.” Over the course of her collegiate career, Middlestaedt had a great deal of success. One of her biggest accomplishments came last year when she won the outdoor steeplechase conference championship race. This year, she battled with tendinitis in her hip flexor and ended up finishing third in the steeple chase. Now that her college days are behind her, Middlestaedt will be pursuing a job that will prep her for graduate school. She is an environmental science and marine conservation major. “I want to go into a career in the long term that is ecology research oriented,” Middlestaedt said. “As for running, I am excited to focus on it without the pressure of competition. It will be nice to have a different focus and do it for enjoyment and see if I want to stay competitive.”