Jan. 5—PORTLAND — Throughout Julia Dalan’s four years at W.F. West High School, her time after the final buzzer was usually spent by talking to family and friends, her coaches in the locker room and the occasional media interview.
There’s more responsibilities as a true freshman at the University of Portland.
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She went right to the headset for an interview with the ESPN+ crew that called Friday’s 62-49 win for the Pilots over Washington State, then she had another on-camera chat before meeting with her coaches in the locker room. To cap the night, with a pen in hand, she signed dozens of posters for kids in attendance.
“They’re just happy to be here, it is always cute,” Dalan said with a smile.
Such is life for one of the most impactful first-year players in the country.
Dalan has transitioned into Division I seamlessly as a starter for the Pilots and being one of the top shot blockers in the nation. Through 15 games, she’s sitting at 50 total blocks and over 3.5 blocks per game, both firsts in the NCAA.
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Her career-high was set in November at eight against USC. She’s registered multiple blocks in all but two games, one of them being Friday’s home win at the Chiles Center in a West Coast Conference game.
It’s an element of Dalan’s game she felt was controllable. The 6-foot-3 post established a Class 2A record of blocks in a state tournament game with 13 to put the Bearcats in a trophy game back in March.
“I can’t control shots falling, but blocks are the one thing that I feel like, in most of my career, is something I can fall back on,” Dalan said. “It was comforting (to know) it translated somewhat into college. As I go along, it is something teams know about me.
“It is cool. It is good to celebrate it, but I don’t want to hyperfixate on that.”
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Even Pilots head coach Michael Meek never thought he’d have the nation leader in blocks on his roster.
“There’s no way you can expect that,” the seventh-year leader of the program said. “She anticipates shots really well. The cool thing for us is how fast she’s improving and how great her ceiling is to keep getting better.”
Against the Cougars, other parts of Dalan’s game that made her a force to be reckoned with in Chehalis came through.
She led Portland with 14 points on seven made field goals. She was on the receiving end of a couple back door feeds in the fourth quarter to give the Pilots cushion. Her patented jump shot near the free throw line made an appearance and she even attempted a 3-pointer.
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Dalan set new season-bests in points, field goals made, steals and assists.
“We thought she would play for us right away,” Meek said.
One of the focal points in Dalan’s decision to commit and sign with Portland was the staff not “sugarcoating” what life would be like as a DI player.
She got first-hand experience in the second quarter.
After a sloppy defensive possession, Meek called a timeout and was visibly angry with Dalan. He subbed her out immediately and Dalan sat for the final 4 minutes, 30 seconds of the first half.
“It is a mistake I should know better by now,” Dalan stated. “I do have a habit of getting a little frantic. He knows that I know that I get (frantic). I wasn’t adding much.”
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Portland was in a dogfight with a Wazzu team that came with just two wins. Meek was far from pleased with the effort. And while he didn’t specifically call Dalan out, she took some of his criticisms in the locker room as if they were directed at her.
She proceeded to score eight points in the third quarter that saw the Pilots lead by as much as 10.
“They were very blunt,” Dalan said. “I knew I had to step it up if I wanted to keep playing.”
“She did a great job in the second half and just settled into things,” Meek added.
One of the biggest adjustments Dalan has seen in her first season is the speed of the game. And she’s still learning what works and what doesn’t against high level competition.
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Meek admitted he’s putting more on her plate than a typical freshman. In the new age of college athletics, true freshmen getting substantial minutes is becoming less common. Dalan is bucking the trend in the PNW.
“She’s doing a great job of pushing through it,” Meek said. “For the most part, it takes sophomore, junior, even senior year to play. She’s doing some great things.”
Off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024 and an WNIT trip last season, the Pilots are a game over .500 and 5-2 at home. They’re 2-1 in the WCC with the majority of the conference season coming up.
It was a banner 2025 Dalan as a prep and collegiate and she’s hopeful the momentum carries into 2026.
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“With each game, whether it is a loss or a win, we just need to work on putting full effort in,” Dalan said. “It is so bizarre how far into the season we are. We can’t be down on stuff too long and we can’t be up on stuff too long.”
