Hall of Fame
On April 22,1896, the Ellensburg Normal School and the University of Washington squared off in the first recorded women's intercollegiate sports contest in Washington State history. The game was played in Seattle with the University of Washington taking a 2-1 victory in front of 600 spectators. The Ellensburg Normal School team was coached by Elizabeth Cartwright, who coached both men's and women's basketball from 1896-1897. Cartwright was a teacher of reading and physical culture, and records indicate she was more than likely the school's first athletic director. The 1896 women's basketball team did not only blaze a trail for future women's programs, but was a trailblazer for athletics in general. Organized athletics began in 1895 at the Ellensburg Normal School, starting with the formation of a women's basketball team. In the later months of 1895, men's athletics started, but due to the lack of males. teams could not be fielded.
