Kary Whitney - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory - University of Washington Athletics

Staff Directory

Kary Whitney

Title:
Assistant Coach
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Kary Whitney has spent three seasons on head coach Nicole Van Dyke's staff at Washington, leading instruction of the Husky goalkeepers.

After spending the 2022 campaign as a volunteer assistant on Montlake, Whitney was elevated to a full time assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season.

Whitney oversaw the development of one-two goalkeeping punch Mia Hamant and Olivia Juarez, who combined to give Washington arguably the nation's best goalkeeping unit. The duo gave UW the nation's lead in team save percentage at .893, ranking eighth nationally with a 0.560 goals against average. Washington surrendered just 12 goals all season while posting 11 clean sheets, tying the program record in both categories.

Allowing just two goals in seven matches, Juarez capped one of the great goalkeeping careers ever put forth in Purple and Gold. The Beaverton, Oregon native set the program record for career goals against average at 0.89, while her 0.32 GAA in 2024 set the single season record.

During the season Juarez passed the torch to Hamant, who emerged as UW's starter for much of the season. Hamant finished her junior season with a .882 save percentage, the third lowest in the nation. Collecting seven solo clean sheets, the California native posted a 0.657 goals against average to rank 18th nationally.

Under Whitney, then-junior Juarez rose to a breakout season in her first as UW's primary starter. Juarez finished the season with a 1.14 goals against average, posting a .753 save percentage. Juarez and the Huskies registered seven clean sheets, earning a shutout in each of the final three matches of the season. Juarez twice earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors after standout performances against No. 2 Stanford and Washington State.

During Whitney's first season at UW, he guided veteran keeper Olivia Sekany to another stout season between the posts. Sekany started all 19 matches between the posts for the Dawgs, earning a 1.30 GAA with five clean sheets, including two solo efforts. In reserve action, Juarez appeared in six matches, surrendering a single goal all season.

After the season, Sekany signed professionally with Racing Louisville FC, making the club's regular season roster.

Whitney made the short trip to Montlake from Seattle Pacific, where he served as goalkeeper coach.

During his time at SPU, Whitney coached the goalkeeping group to the lowest goals against average in the country for over half the season in 2021. In addition, the Seattle Pacific coaching staff won the NCAA/NCSA Western Region Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the team to the GNAC regular and postseason titles and the NCAA DII Western Regional Championship.

Whitney is also deeply connected to the club soccer scene in the Emerald City, coaching the Seattle United Soccer Club in the Junior Sounders Program. He also serves as head coach of the U-16 G07 Copa ECRL.

Prior to SPU, Whitney was a volunteer assistant at Bellevue College working with the men's and women's soccer teams. In 2019, Whitney coach with Melbourne University in Australia while playing for Australian club Western Suburbs FC.

Whitney is a 2018 graduate of Seattle Pacific, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in family consumer sciences: human development and family studies with a minor in psychology. He and his wife, Lexi, live in Seattle.