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QuickTake:
Oregon sports are over for the school year. We're writing through it with a look back at the most important things of the past nine months.
Athletes, coaches, fans, readers and anyone who bought a house next to Autzen Stadium without realizing the Oregon athletic complex would rock with noise for nine months of the year:
Congratulations, you’ve made it.
With the completion of the NCAA track and field championships this month at Hayward Field, the 2025-26 school year is officially in the books.
While Eugene isn’t exactly taking a nap this summer — the Savannah Bananas are coming this weekend, Zach Bryan is playing Autzen in July and do you really think work is going to stop on the practice facility? — we wanted to take a moment to commemorate some of the notable people who made the 2025-26 school year one to remember.
These are the 2025-26 Oregon Ducks Yearbook Awards.
Let’s begin with everyone’s favorite time capsule…
Best dressed: Dante Moore, football
There are two schools of thought here because, I suppose, one could make an argument for Moore’s exclusion.
I mean, the guy has a few bucks in his pocket and all of college football’s attention, yet he comes into his postgame press conferences wearing slippers, pajama pants and, in one instance in Happy Valley, a neck pillow for his flight.
Where are the flashy suits? Where are the throwback jerseys?
Where is whatever it is Lewis Hamilton has the confidence to wear with millions of people watching?
It’s not that Moore doesn’t know fashion. He’s always quick to comment when he likes a reporter’s shoes. But in most instances, he shows up for work, does his job well and, like the rest of us, enjoys retiring into something a little more comfortable after a long day.
At a time when it’s becoming harder to relate to star athletes, I commend this “one of us” gesture from Oregon’s biggest star.
Future campus tour guide: Sean Stewart, men’s basketball
You know that Will Smith meme? The one from the end of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when he’s standing alone in the living room?
That must be how it felt for the Oregon men’s basketball forward this spring.
One minute, he was the new guy in town, on his third school after previous stops at Duke and Ohio State.
Then, after the worst season of the Dana Altman era, Stewart was suddenly the only guy in town after the transfer portal and graduations left the Ducks with one scholarship player on the roster.
That roster is full now, but expect Stewart to take the lead in future “Where should we eat tonight?” discussions.
Most likely to be an Olympian: Aaliyah McCormick, women’s track and field
When it’s all said and done, Mykolas Alekna, Sharifa Davronova and Elisa Mevius will be able to look back on their careers and say they competed in the Olympics.
But among the Ducks who haven’t yet been to the Games, I feel just as confident saying the same about Aaliyah McCormick, who defended her NCAA women’s 100-meter hurdles crown at Hayward Field with a blistering time of 12.47 seconds.
Class clown: Dillon Thieneman, football
This could have gone to Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher, often Thieneman’s partner in crime, but we have Boettcher reserved for a spot later.
Instead, it goes to the Purdue mercenary who came to Oregon for a year, dominated in the secondary and couldn’t help but flash a grin as he sat through his postgame press conference in Seattle while wearing a shirt featuring himself, Boettcher and the words: “Caucasian Collision Unit.”
Future TV analyst: Ehis Etute, women’s basketball
Ehis Etute didn’t just arrive on the scene this season as a must-see player for fans at Matthew Knight Arena. She became a must-quote for those of us in the media, too.
Her wit, frankness, self-deprecation and propensity to say whatever came to mind made for endlessly entertaining postgame press conferences.
She’s great on the court. She will be on TV, too.
Best car: Dan Lanning, football
These have certainly gotten nicer during my 12 years on the Oregon beat.
There was a time when my Mazda 3 would have looked fine — even somewhat respectable — among the players’ cars in the parking lot outside the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.
Now it’s lost among the trucks and luxury cars afforded to those whose 40 times are a bit more valuable than my words per minute.
Alas.
However, a tip of the hat to Dan Lanning for keeping the kids humble.
His vintage retrofitted Bronco is a beauty. There’s a reason you may see the coach driving it around town with a 5-star recruit in tow.
“They’re awesome, man,” Lanning told me a couple of summers ago. “Especially on days like today, I love driving around with the top down. It’s old-school. It’s got a Coyote V8, but it does have some souped-up stuff — you can hook it up to Bluetooth, power windows, that sort of stuff.”
Most likely to tell you all about the Buster Posey-era San Francisco Giants while giving you your next tattoo: Elon Butler, softball
Elon Butler is very good at softball.
She came to Eugene from Cal and did exactly what a program would want from a big-name one-year transfer, finishing the year as Oregon’s record holder in runs (66), extra base hits (40), total bases (144) and slugging percentage (.881).
But Butler sure got a lot out of Eugene, too, a place she said left a permanent imprint on her aspiring career.
“It’s like softball,” Butler said of tattooing. “You fail a lot more times than you’re going to succeed. It might not look good, but the more you keep on doing it, the better you get.”
Most likely to run a Fortune 500 company: Dakorien Moore, football
Before the boardroom, Oregon’s now-sophomore receiver has a long and fruitful football career ahead of him.
But at just 19 years old, Moore has already been featured heavily on a football reality show, has an endorsement deal with Red Bull and recently donated $10,000 to his old high school, Duncanville, in Texas.
His teammates have called him a leader since he stepped onto campus as a 17-year-old, and in 2025-26 Moore continued to show he’s a step ahead of everyone.
Best hair: Astera Tuhina, women’s basketball
With apologies to Nate Bittle and Kelly Graves, this was a pretty easy one.
Nobody stood out quite like women’s basketball guard Astera Tuhina. Her hair could be pink. It could be bleached. It could feature spiderwebs, a hand or Grateful Dead bears.
And like all great efforts, it came with sacrifice.
“It probably isn’t good for my scalp because I bleach it so much,” Tuhina told us back in March. “I’ll have to take a break and grow it out a little (after the tournament), and then go back to it when you least expect it.”
Most likely to win on the PGA senior tour: Bryce Boettcher, football
Bryce Boettcher wanted to be a professional baseball player, so he worked hard until he was drafted into Major League Baseball.
Boettcher then wanted to be a professional football player, so he worked even harder until he was drafted into the National Football League.
Whenever Boettcher’s career is done — in whichever sport that may be — I have a feeling that when he picks up the driver and heads into retirement, he might end up being pretty good at golf, too.
