Following her career wrapping up in 2015, Goularte was third in scoring (1,199), seventh in scoring average (11.8), second in field goals made (418), sixth in field goal percentage (.456), second in free throws made (328), second in rebounds (619), seventh in rebounding average (6.1), second in defensive rebounds (434), seventh in defensive rebounds per game (4.3), fifth in offensive rebounds (185), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (1.8), seventh in assists (175), second in blocked shots (121), third in blocked shots per game (1.2), first in steals (167), seventh in steals per game (1.6), sixth in games played (102), eighth in games started (70) and fifth in minutes (2,600). She recently landed in the top 10 list of the decade coming in at No. 9 when she set a new program record in field goal percentage connecting on a 47.9 percent clip during the 2011-12 season. The decision to come to WOU was an easy one for Goularte. Once she arrived on campus, she knew this was the place for her.
"When I came on my visit to WOU, I knew that it was the college I wanted to attend. I loved the small town feel and immediately connected with the team. The team, coaches and administrators made it feel like family," Goularte said.
Being able to play a sport you truly enjoy always helps, but other memories make it special including the opportunities to travel the country with your teammates that become some of your best friends and experience a journey together.
"My best memories throughout my time in college always surrounded basketball. I made life-long friends with my teammates and we had the best times. Some of my favorite memories surrounded our travel schedule. There's nothing like traveling around the country with your best friends doing the thing you love most. We were able to travel to Hawaii and had the privilege to not only play over there, but also have a couple relaxing days on the beaches. Another one of my favorite memories was on senior night. My senior year, we had the most fun pre-game shoot around and rituals and ended up playing stellar and won at the end of the night. Another memory that I'm extremely fond of is when we played in the Las Vegas Challenge my senior season and after going 2-0, we came back to the locker room and the coaches announced that I had scored 1,000 points in my career. I had no idea and it was pretty special to achieve that in my basketball career," Goularte said.
Getting to her end result of playing basketball wasn't always in the cards, as early on Goularte was focused on soccer, but realized that she might have to switch sports to try and play in college. After all that and making the switch, she would make an impact right away for the Wolves as a freshman playing in all 28 games.
"I honestly had no idea if I would play or not my freshman year. I had played soccer year my entire life and really wanted to try to play in college but realized that I wasn't getting any offers. So, my junior summer in high school I started taking basketball really seriously and played club ball and traveled across the states to play in AAU tournaments. When I arrived onto campus at WOU, I had an eye-opening experience during pre-season and immediately realized I was out of shape and had a lot of work to do. I knew I wasn't going to get major minutes because I had a lot of work to do, but I think that it was good in a sense because it really made me realize that I needed to put in the time and the work to get better. I think the biggest thing that helped me my freshman year was playing day after day against the starters. Being on the scout team can sometimes be discouraging, but I saw it as an opportunity to learn from my teammates and compete to get better. I wouldn't have developed my game (or my step through) if it wasn't for competing against my teammates day in and day out," Goularte said.
With reality setting in of having to put the work in to reach the next level, Goularte took what she learned from a strong first season and applied that to the offseason and year two. Which included staying and training on campus and the results quickly showed up. She started in 22 of the 26 games she played in, averaging 9.7 points, led the team in blocks with 28 and in steals with 61, while tying for the team lead in rebounds per game at 5.7. Also strong in the classroom, Goularte took home GNAC All-Academic honors.
"Going into my sophomore year, I had stayed on campus during the summer to train and I think that was a huge piece that contributed to my development. I had never truly trained or pushed myself before I got to college and training with our strength and conditioning coach Cori Metzgar was a game changer. I came into my freshman year barely being able to bench press the bar or run a mile without taking a break-so needless to say that summer kicked my butt, but it was integral in me understanding what work I needed to put in to be successful and see my game change. Also, that off season I had a realization that I wasn't new anymore meaning that the coaches and team would expect more from me and I think that helped with my confidence to step into a larger role and mindset to start stepping out of my comfort zone and be more of a leader," Goularte said.
In addition to the academic honors earned throughout her career, Goularte was also named to the All-GNAC second team in back-to-back seasons to finish her career to help add even more of a special meaning to her transformation from soccer to basketball.
"I felt so blessed to be able to receive any sort of accolade or recognition to be honest. I never expected to receive any sort of recognition for basketball because I was just giving it my all and those things just came along with it. Being strong in the classroom and getting recognition was always a great feeling because at the time it didn't feel as great as maybe getting recognition on the court, but I look back and am grateful to have been pushed to excel as much in the classroom as on the court from coaches," Goularte said.
Arriving looking to just enjoy the experience, Goularte wouldn't realize that she would eventually get the chance to play basketball professionally and also her main sport of soccer. But, overall the time spent and learned as a student-athlete certainly shaped her for the future and something that she has been forever grateful for the time spent at WOU.
"I felt extremely blessed for my time at WOU because I truly believe without my education and time spent as a collegiate athlete there would not have led me to where I am today. After I finished my four years of eligibility in basketball, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. I had tossed around the idea of going to grad school, but needed more time to study and test for the GRE/GMAT so I wasn't sure what to do next. That's when a good friend from the women's soccer team convinced me that I should play a fifth year of soccer that spring and following fall," Goularte said.
Although having not played soccer in college, the sport had always been a part of her life growing up, so the transition, while tough at first, became a smooth one once her natural instincts began to kick back in. In fact, not only did Goularte play that year, she started in 16 of 17 games at midfield, tallying a goal and a pair of assists in helping WOU to an 8-8-1 overall record and was part of a defense that posted four shutouts.
"I knew it was a long shot, but after some convincing, I gathered enough courage to meet with the women's soccer coach and he graciously let me come out to a few practices to see if I would be a good fit for the team. After a couple of tough practices, it was obvious I had a long way to go, but he gave me a shot and I practiced and played in their spring matches with no expectation to actually play come fall. Fall came and I ended up earning a starting spot at center back and had the best time. It was the most amazing experience and I'm so thankful to be able to have experienced playing not only one sport but two during my college career," Goularte said.
With her collegiate career in two sports now behind her, a career in the outside world followed which wasn't a hard decision at first, but more of finding the right avenue and fit to pursue. The road took her down many paths, but remained on the same course of athletics and eventually back to the Pacific Northwest.
"After our season ended, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in athletics, but needed to get experience and pursue my master's degree. With the help of some amazing mentors within WOU's athletic department, I landed a part time job as an accounting technician for the athletic department at WOU. As I was working that year I applied to a few master's programs and luckily was accepted into Seattle University's master's program. I started my master's program at Seattle U and in my first year I interned at the University of Washington in their compliance department and was also a graduate assistant at Seattle U in their ticketing department. In my second year at Seattle U I became senior compliance intern at UW and transitioned from ticketing into working for our program as a marketing assistant. In my final semester of my master's, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to New Zealand and play professionally for the Otago Goldrush for a season," Goularte said.
Time spent in New Zealand wasn't always in the cards, but a second chance to play overseas arrived giving her the chance to experience playing one last time before turning towards a career in athletics. Current WOU head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter helped Goularte connect with the team in New Zealand.
"Holli Howard-Carpenter had connected me with the New Zealand team initially my first year in grad school but it never panned out; however, I kept in touch and the second year I somehow made the cut and they invited me out. It was the most incredible experience for so many reasons but the best part was that we were hosting the WBC championships and ended up winning the whole thing. It was the most incredible feeling and to add to it I was awarded the WBC MVP award," Goularte said.
A former WOU standout student-athlete in Bridget Johnson-Tetteh ended up helping a fellow alum start at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference office after returning to the states.
"After returning from NZ I had an internship set up with the GNAC office as a compliance and championship assistant. It was such a great experience and I had the best time working and learning about what happens at the conference level. My mentor and boss at the time, Bridget Johnson-Tetteh, encouraged me to apply to the NCAA postgraduate internship for the following year. I applied on a whim and somehow got an interview, which turned into an in-person interview, which turned into an offer to become an Enforcement PGIP intern. I was shocked that out of over 1,000 applicants I had been chosen, but couldn't pass up this amazing opportunity. I finished my internship with the GNAC and almost immediately picked up and moved across the country to Indianapolis, Indiana. I started my internship with our PGIP cohort of around 30 individuals from across the country. It was yet another incredible experience and gave me insurmountable experience that not everyone in the sports industry had. When a job opened up at the University of Portland I knew that I had to apply because it was always the plan to return to the PNW. With the help of my peers and mentors I was able to land the job as assistant director of compliance and student services at the university of Portland and started in February of this year," Goularte said.
Goularte still looks back to her time at WOU for really helping to shape her future and something that continues to help her to this day.
"My time at WOU was a defining moment for my life professionally and personally. I not only was able to learn so many important skills from being a collegiate athlete, like time management, hard work, etc, but I was also able to connect with so many amazing mentors and peers that have helped mold me into the person I am today," Goularte said.
The itch to still play basketball is there and before the pandemic, Goularte was a regular in the gym still keeping the skills active.
"Pre-pandemic, absolutely was playing basketball as much as I can! Everywhere I've lived I've been able to get into a league to play. I think the most basketball I played after my collegiate career (besides playing professionally) was when I lived in Indianapolis. The NCAA had standing Monday afternoon open gyms that I'd play in every week. We also started an NCAA team to play at the YMCA and we played once a week too. I was also playing with some co-workers once a week in their church open gym, so I was playing at least three times a week and running in open gyms whenever I had the chance!" Goularte said.
Goularte recently married former WOU standout student-athlete Andy Avgi this past August. A multi-sport athlete in both basketball and football, Avgi was named the GNAC Male Athlete of the Year his senior season after being named to the Preseason All-American list twice and was tabbed a postseason All-American by four different organizations on the basketball court. On the football field, Avgi earned First Team All-GNAC honors as a tight end and later went on to tryout for the then Oakland Raiders in the National Football League.
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Catching up with Dana Goularte - WOU Athletics
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