WSU marching band features students from Kitsap
Published 1:30 am Monday, January 5, 2026
When the Washington State University Cougar Marching Band took to the football field at the school’s bowl game Dec. 22 in Boise, Idaho, the crimson and gray ensemble featured four members from Kitsap County.
Each of the musicians graduated from performing at local high school football games to playing in the university marching band at nationally televised football games.
The four closed out the marching band year at the 2025 World Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. The Cougs defeated the Utah State Aggies, 34-21, on the blue turf at the home of the Boise State Broncos.
Siena Dougall, of Poulsbo, is a student leader of nearly two dozen WSU Piccolo players. She enjoys being in the band.
“When we finish our pregame show and hear everybody cheer for us, it makes me feel very proud to be in the group,” said Dougall, a member of the band since arriving in Pullman.
The 19-year-old sophomore joined her first marching band at North Kitsap High School. She earned a spot in the Pacific Lutheran University Honor Band and was awarded the Director’s Award in her senior year of high school.
She enjoys the challenge of performing in the university band.
“We do big shows compared to my high school, when we never really marched around on the field. Here, we learned how to draw pictures and words on the field. For our pregame, we do our Cougar head logo when we play our fight song. In one of our halftime shows, we did a dragon,” she said.
Dougall is a microbiology major with a pre-pharmacy focus. Once she hangs up her marching band uniform and graduates, she plans to enroll at the school’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Spokane, with the end goal of becoming a clinical pharmacist in a hospital setting.
Evelyn Zoller, of Kingston, played the clarinet in school bands since the fifth grade. She showcased her musical talent at Port Orchard’s Cedar Heights and Marcus Whitman Middle Schools. When the family moved to Kingston, she joined the band at Kingston High School. “We played in the Vikings Day and Armed Forces Day parades, and at football and basketball games,” she said.
While she loves to play the clarinet, after joining the WSU marching band, the 21-year-old junior decided to shake things up. She put away her reed instrument and moved to the color guard section of the band. Color guard members are on the field with the band, but twirl colorful flags that display the cougar logo.
“We are marching just like everyone else. The only difference is we’re tossing and spinning the flags to the songs they are playing,” she explained. “I enjoy being able to dance and toss a flag during game days. I can express myself more. It brightens my mood and raises my energy to a new level on game days.”
Zoller is a music business major. “This is going to open a bunch of doors in the music world for me. With this degree, I can do things like recording studio management, music video editing or concert show promotion and music blogging,” she said.
Owen Lindsay, 20, from Poulsbo, is one of over a dozen tenor saxophonists in the WSU band. He performed in school bands at Poulsbo Middle School and North Kitsap High School.
“During my first year (in Pullman), I was all over the place about what my major would be. All I knew for sure is, I wanted to do marching band because I genuinely enjoyed it in high school,” the sophomore said.
Being part of the school’s marching band has paid dividends, including being able to play music in front of thousands of fans. Joining the 230-member band enabled Lindsay to meet new friends who all shared an interest in music.
During his two years with the band, his favorite memory happened on the first day of band camp. “I was really nervous because – you know, new place and all these new people. Then the drum majors and section leaders came out to the stage and did this performance and introduction for us. I was kind of a little blown away by the entire thing. It got me excited,” he said.
When not playing the saxophone, Lindsay works on a major in mechanical engineering and minor in music.
Liam Jurcak of Bainbridge Island is a freshman who plays tenor in the drumline. He is in the Honors College studying neuroscience as part of the accelerated pre-veterinary track. Jurcak graduated from Bainbridge High School in 2025 and was a member of the marching band all four years. He was also a member of the All-Star Drumline out of Poulsbo from 2019-2025.
