The Washington Huskies are in the build up to the 2026-27 season with Big Ten media days starting Tuesday and set to continue through Thursday at the Hilton Chicago.

In addition to entering this season with expectations to potentially compete for a College Football Playoff spot, the Huskies were also anticipating a change in the broadcast booth.

Longtime football and men's basketball play-by-play announcer and UW director of broadcasting Tony Castricone left his role with the university to take over as the lead play-by-play man for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On Tuesday, it was announced who would take over for Castricone.

It was announced that longtime sideline radio reporter Elise Woodward would take over as the lead play-by-play football announcer in a post on "X" from the Washington Athletics official account.

Woodward has been a football sideline reporter for the Huskies for over two decades, but her connection to the Pacific Northwest goes beyond that. She was a player on the women's basketball team for four years and was a captain her senior season before graduating in 1997.

In addition to her contributions as a sideline reporter for Washington, Woodward has also served as a reporter and host for a variety of different sports.

She's currently the lead broadcaster for the WNBA expansion team Portland Fire, which is currently in the midst of its first season.

In addition to her work with the Fire and UW, Woodward has also been a pregame and postgame show host for the Seattle Storm, Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, the Big Ten Network and Pac-12 Network. She also hosts her own show on Seattle-based radio station KJR and has been the television broadcaster for NCAA women's national basketball tournament games for ESPN. She's called men's and women's basketball games for FOX and the Big Ten Network.

According to an article from Seattle Times reporter Andy Yamashita, the university plans on hiring a separate play-by-play broadcaster for men's basketball, which will allow Woodward to continue her current role as the lead television broadcaster for the Fire and calling games for the Big Ten Network.

Woodward had previously called football games filling in for Castricone.

"Having the opportunity to be the voice of University of Washington football is the honor of my lifetime," Woodward said in a news release from UW. "As a Dawg, I take so much pride in the rich history and tradition of Husky football. I am so thankful for the last 23 seasons that I spent on the sidelines, but I'm also beyond excited to trade in my rain gear for the warmth of the Bob Rondeau radio booth."

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