Mount Hood

Verstappen holds off Hamilton to win Austin Grand Prix

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Look who’s done it again: Red Bull Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen. The three time world champion clamped down on 50 career wins following the race on Sunday, Oct. 22 in Austin, Texas. Verstappen recovered from sixth place to steal the lead from McLaren driver, Lando Norris, and held Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, to second place. Norris had managed to get ahead of Charles LeClerc — who drives for Ferrari — on a rundown in Turn One from the beginning and held a two-second lead going into Lap Two. 

Going into Turn Twelve, Verstappen had caught up to the leaders, racing in the fourth place position behind Norris, LeClerc and LeClerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz. This is where Verstappen made his move to pass Sainz and take the third-place position.

It wasn’t until Lap Eleven that Verstappen was able to overtake LeClerc, once again coming into Turn 12 — this turn being considered the most advantageous turn on the Austin course. By Lap 26, Verstappen was only a second and a half behind Norris. 

In Lap 29, Verstappen took advantage of Norris locking up to drop into Turn 12 and secured the lead for himself — Norris was unable to return to first position for the duration of the race.

Hamilton and Norris were both in close pursuit of Verstappen in Lap 33, and by this point, Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, was closing in on Sainz to take P4. 

Tire changes for Perez, Sainz and Hamilton in Lap 38 meant the tide could turn for any one of these drivers, some switched their medium tires for hard tires or put on a new set of medium tires — this signifies the amount of grip the tire has and its durability on the track.

Throughout the race, many drivers were issued black and white flags for exceeding track limits, which occurs when drivers go outside the track boundaries or are issued as a stop-and-go penalty in the pits. American driver, Logan Sargeant, was one to receive one of these flags. 

In Lap 46, Hamilton was two and a half seconds behind second-place Norris, but if he wanted to catch up to Verstappen, he would need to up his pace. Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso, was forced to retire his vehicle in Lap 50 due to rear suspension failure — he had been in seventh place.

Once he got into second place, it was looking less than likely that Hamilton would be able to overtake Verstappen; there was a five-second gap between the two drivers. The Ferrari drivers battled against each other for position, and Sainz pulled ahead of his teammate at the discretion of the Ferrari team, a decision LeClerc was clearly not happy with. 

Two laps to go and Hamilton had closed the gap between him and Verstappen to two seconds, with Verstappen complaining about braking issues on his vehicle. Hamilton was unable to close this gap, and Verstappen took his third consecutive win at Circuit of the Americas or COTA. Norris followed in third, with Sainz taking fourth and Perez overtaking LeClerc for fifth place.

However, Hamilton and LeClerc were unable to celebrate their positions in the Grand Prix, as both were shortly disqualified for technical breaches. An inspection of the plank wear was carried out on their vehicles after the race and irregularities were spotted — the skids on their tires were not in compliance with Technical Regulations — and they were referred to the stewards.

Both Hamilton and LeClerc sent a representative to see the steward, where they attributed the evident wear on the skid pads to the combination of a bumpy track and the short time between the Sprint race and Grand Prix, making for a unique situation.

The stewards’ job is to ensure that a team’s vehicle is in compliance with regulations at all times during an event. In this case, the rear skid in the Technical Delegate’s report was well outside of the thresholds outlined in the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations, which includes allowances for such wear. 

Hamilton and LeClerc were subsequently disqualified from the Grand Prix, which moved Norris up to second and Sainz to third podium. Sargeant, who drives for Williams Racing, moved to P10 and won his first point on the season. 

Sargeant had initially placed twelfth, which was groundbreaking for the driver, considering he started last. He is also the first American driver to score points in 30 years. Those points were scored by Michael Andretti, son of Mario Andretti, who debuted in Formula One during the 1993 season and had dropped out with three races left

This is Sargeant’s Rookie year, having competed in the Formula 2 circuits for the 2022 season, and initially debuting in Formula 4 for the Winter 2016 season. 

The next Formula 1 races are set for Sao Paulo, Brazil on Nov, 5 at 9 a.m. and Las Vegas, Nevada on Nov. 18 at 10 p.m. Both races will be streaming on ESPN+ and the F1 Network. 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Cross country on a steady pace for the season

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Western’s cross country team is holding steady on course for this season. The team secured a pair of sixth-place finishes in San Francisco on Oct. 6 — following a pair of first-place wins at their home meet on Sept. 22.

Senior, Caitlin Heldt, came in seventh place to bring the women’s team to 144 points and secure the sixth-place win — Heldt completed the 6k race in 22 minutes, 0.4 seconds. For the men’s team, Freshman, Konoa Blake, finished 28, completing the 8k race in 26 minutes, 3 seconds and bringing the team to 167 points. 

Heldt and Junior, Olivia Flack, had positive attitudes about their team’s success and training environment.“Our team is very competitive and I think we work very well together in practices,” Flack said. This is Flack’s second year at Western. “This is the first year overall that we actually have been able to have a big group during workouts,” she also said. She feels it helps the team environment and fuels competitiveness.

“This year we’re a lot more positive in what we say to each other and ourselves,” Heldt added. She talked about how the team uses mantras and affirmations to remain positive. “We’re more competitive this year, so we’re always in packs and competing better than last year.” 

Both Heldt and Flack have goals to race in Nationals and to place high in the GNAC championship race in Anchorage, Alaska and the NCAA West Regionals, hosted at home at Western. 

“Zach is a great coach, he’s really good at knowing where we’re at and communicating with us,” Flack said about their head coach Zach Holloway — this is his first year as head coach, after four seasons as Western’s assistant coach.

“He’s very young, so I feel like it’s very easy to talk to him and I feel like he understands us,” Heldt said.

Flack was also among the 21 cross country runners named for the GNAC All-Academic Honors. To receive this honor, athletes must have a grade point average of at least 3.2 and have competed on an official course during the 2023 season. Three students on the list had a 4.0 GPA: Juniors Josie Ackerman, Kaitlyn Kruse and Rami Dear — Ackerman and Kruse had both been on the honoree list the previous year. 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

What’s up next for athletics?

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Thursday, Oct. 19

12 p.m. — Men’s Soccer, HOME v. Northwest Nazarene University

3 p.m. — Women’s Soccer, HOME v. Seattle Pacific University

Saturday, Oct. 21

All Day — Cross Country @ GNAC Championships,Anchorage, Alaska

All Day — Women’s+ Rugby, HOME JAMBOREE

11 a.m. — Women’s Soccer, HOME v. Montana State University Billings

1 p.m. — Men’s Rugby, HOME v. Oregon Institution of Technology

1:05 p.m. — Football, HOME v. Midwestern State University Texas, HOMECOMING

Halftime — Western Oregon Dance Team Performance

4 p.m. — Men’s Club Soccer @ Willamette University

5 p.m. — Volleyball @ State Martin’s University

Thursday, Oct. 26

4 p.m. — Men’s Soccer @ Western Washington University

7 p.m. — Volleyball, HOME v. Northwest Nazarene University

7 p.m. — Women’s Soccer @ Western Washington University

Saturday, Oct. 28

All Day — Women’s+ Rugby @ Oregon State University

1 p.m. — Women’s Soccer @ Simon Fraser University, British Columbia

1 p.m. — Volleyball, HOME v. Central Washington University

1 p.m. — Men’s Soccer @ Saint Martin’s University

1 p.m. — Men’s Rugby @ University of Oregon

4 p.m. — Football @ The University of Texas Permian Basin

Sunday, Oct. 29

All Day — Cross Country v. Stumptown Youth Cross Country Championships

2 p.m. — Men’s Club Soccer, HOME v. University of Portland

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Men’s soccer on winning streak

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Men’s soccer is having a smashing start to their season. After going three and two in the preseason, the team did not let this stop them. Starting conference play with a 1-1 tie against the University of Simon Fraser, British Coloumbia, men’s soccer quickly bounced back and are now on a win streak of six — three of these six games were shutouts. 

These wins come as a massive improvement from the 2022 season, where the team had only two wins compared to 13 losses and two ties. This improved record means higher points on season; giving the team 21 points on the season thus far. This is 11 points higher than their total of eight points from last season. 

Freshman Center Back, Olaolowua Balogun, attributed the team’s success to the tight-knit environment the team has.

“We’re like a family and do everything together and no one’s left out,” he said. “Our coach treats us like family, like he’s our dad.” 

Head Coach Michael Behonick started his first year of coaching for Western this season. Previously, Belhonick spent seven seasons as the assistant coach for the University of Pittsburgh men’s soccer team.

Balogun has high hopes for the team this season. “I see us winning GNAC and going to playoffs and going far and better things to come,” he said. Western’s men’s soccer has recently had a limited history in terms of GNAC competition — only officially becoming an intercollegiate team in the 2022 fall season.

“We had recruits come over and we treated everyone as family, even if we didn’t know who the person was, it’s a good environment to be in and everyone’s welcome,” Balogun said.

Against Western Washington University this last Thursday, men’s soccer won 2-1, officially bringing their win streak up to six. Both of Western’s goals were scored in the first 20 minutes of play and within five minutes of each other.

Junior transfer, Gabriel Silva, scored off an assist from Sophomore, Alex Gringon, and Junior, Andres Labate. Five minutes later, it was Gringon who scored the final goal for the team, assisted by Junior, Moises Cisneros, and Freshman, Yahir Ocampo.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Men’s rugby ranked 17 in Coach’s poll

Written by Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

For most, fall means back to school, football and pumpkin spice; for Western’s men’s rugby team, it means the start of a season. With an updated schedule having been released on Aug. 25, the team had plenty of time to prepare for their upper division matchups — four of their six posted matches are against division one schools.

However, the team feels no sweat going into the season. Coaches polls posted to Instagram on Sept. 21 by National Collegiate Rugby placed Western men’s rugby originally at 15, until revised polls posted Sept. 26 placed them at 12 on the national level. At the start of the 2022 15s season, the team was unranked, which means this is a huge jump in favor of the team this season.

This ranking additionally comes from a strong 2022-2023 full season of both 7s and 15s — these numbers denoting how many men are on the field at a time. In the National 7s Tournament, having taken place in Washington D.C. during the last weekend of April, they finished in the tenth spot nationally — after being knocked out of the tournament by Babson College, the current small college national leader. 

Western men’s rugby finished their 2022-2023 season strong, winning champion titles in 7s and 15s, and have high hopes to bring in two more titles this year. This high ranking from the start compounds their hopes, as it is a favorable position and they can continuously strive to move up in the rankings.

This Saturday, the rugby team faces off against Oregon State University at home on the turf fields. Coming off a 5-39 loss against Boise State, they hope to add a win under their belt this next week. Updated coaches polls posted on Oct. 3 placed them at 17, following their loss at Boise. 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Volleyball team hits early lead with strong preseason

Western’s women’s volleyball team is currently off to a strong start to their Fall season with a record of 8-5. This week they were on the road, playing Central Washington University and Northwest Nazarene University. Western lost against CWU in three sets and won against NNU three sets to two, with a day in between for rest. 

Last week, they played Saint Martin’s University, but were unable to pull out the win. The team had a slow first set, hitting 0.044% with 11 successful hits out of 45 attempts. Western had one service ace and one block, but nine attack errors and two service errors. 

Both teams scored their first points off a hitting error, but it was an attack up the middle from senior Bella MacLellan followed by a service ace from sophomore Chloe Asciuotto that brought Western the energy they needed to rally with Saint Martin’s. 

The first set finished 21-25 in favor of Saint Martins, but the second set was a positive note for Western — ending 25-18. The team’s hitting percentage improved, rising to a .467% with 17 successful kills out of 30 attempts. Western started in a point deficit early in the second set, but kills and errors from Saint Martin’s aided their success. 

The third and fourth sets were not as successful for the wolves, with 0.21% and 0.225% hitting percentages and 12 and nine errors, for a combined 21. On the positive side, in the third set Western had 10 successful kills and two service aces, and 15 successful kills and one service ace in the fourth. 

Western kill leaders were junior outside hitters Bailee Hartsook, Sarah Strus and Madison Hornback. Hartsook had 12 kills, and Strus and Hornback both had 11. Strus was also a service ace leader, along with junior setter Laney O’Neil and sophomore middle blocker Chloe Asciuotto. Strus, Hartsook and Hornback were also point leaders for the night, scoring 13, 12 and 11.5 points. 

Western’s next home game is Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. against the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the New PE Building and will be streamed live on Western Athletics YouTube.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Next up for Western Athletics

Thursday, Oct. 5 

5 p.m. — Women’s Soccer @ Montana State University Billings

5 p.m. — Men’s Soccer @ Northwest Nazarene University

7 p.m. — Volleyball, HOME v. University of Alaska Fairbanks

Friday, Oct. 6

All Day — Cross Country @ San Francisco State Invitational

Saturday, Oct. 7

11 a.m.  — Men’s Soccer, HOME v. Saint Martin’s University

1:05 p.m. — Football, HOME v. Western New Mexico University

2 p.m. — Women’s Soccer @ Seattle Pacific University

2:30 p.m. — Men’s Rugby, HOME v. Oregon State University

7 p.m. — Volleyball, HOME v. University of Alaska Fairbanks

Thursday, Oct. 12 

12 p.m. — Men’s Soccer, HOME v. Western Washington University

3 p.m. — Women’s Soccer, HOME v. Central Washington University

Saturday, Oct. 14 

All Day — Cross Country @ Linfield George Oja Invitational

11 a.m. — Football @ Montana State University Mankato

1 p.m. — Men’s Rugby, HOME v. Central Oregon University

2 p.m. — Women’s Soccer, HOME v. Saint Martin’s University

7 p.m. — Volleyball @ Western Washington University

Sunday, Oct. 15 

12 p.m. — Men’s Soccer @ Simon Fraser University, British Columbia

Tuesday, Oct. 17 

7 p.m. — Men’s Basketball @ Portland State University (Preseason)

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Headline: Champions vs. champions

Analyzing the National Cheer Association’s College Daytona performances from Navarro and Trinity Valley

Jude Bokovoy | Lifestyle Editor

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

 

This article contains spoilers for competition results and season two of “Cheer.”

Navarro cheer team is one of the most well known collegiate cheerleading teams in the U.S. Navarro can be easily recognized by their sparkly red and black uniforms, incredible stunting abilities and team spirit. In 2020, Netflix released a documentary about Navarro’s road to reach the National Cheerleaders Association National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, called “Cheer.” The show and the team’s execution of their routine was a major success. Navarro was named the 2019 National Champion in Daytona’s advanced large coed junior college division. 

Daytona is NCA’s Collegiate Dance and Cheer Competition. To be able to participate in Daytona, each team needs to qualify by either getting bid on at an NCA camp or approved by sending in a video. Cheerleading teams come from all over the country to experience and compete in the notorious Daytona.

This January, the second season of “Cheer” was released that included their rivals, Trinity Valley Community College. Throughout the season, they went back and forth showing how each team prepared for Daytona, as well as the ups and downs throughout the season. Both teams were incredibly talented and had viewers on their toes, wondering who was going to be the 2021 National Champions. TVCC ended up placing first, stealing Navarro’s national title. 

Although both of these teams are located in Texas, they couldn’t be more different. Days before Daytona, many competing teams performed a showcase of their routines for their friends, families and fans. At TVCC’s Daytona showcase, the camera crew made it clear that they were only focused on certain individuals, by exclusively filming certain cheerleaders as they were executing their skills. Their routine was extremely tumble heavy leaving viewers in awe, however it seemed they were more focused on the individual spotlight rather than working as a team. It didn’t go unnoticed that many of them did not smile during the duration of their performance. 

The Navarro routine was team-based. Everyone had a smile on their face and they were energetic while performing their fluid routine. Navarro’s baskets and transitions were jaw dropping. As always, their choreography lit up the mat. What these two teams had in common were the high magnitude of tumbling, stunts and ambition. 

This year TVCC decided to enter into the advanced small coed division, meaning that they did not end up competing against Navarro. During the weekend of April 6 – 10, NCA’s Daytona provided each team two days to perform their routine twice in hopes of taking home a trophy. 

Throughout TVCC’s day one performance, their tumbling was clean but the stunts were not. There were many shaky dismounts, two stunts needed to be saved and the center group for their main pyramid fell. TVCC made a comeback on day two; their team jump combo was level throughout the team, the baskets were very high and the center tumbler had lots of energy. Unfortunately in the same middle stunt group, the flyer slipped during the pyramid. While making their final exit on day two, each member of the team did actions towards the crowd of an “I’m the best” mentality, iconic of the individualistic mindset that is rampant in TVCC.

On the other hand, Navarro blew it out of the park for both days’ performances. On day one, their beginning tumbling sequences were intense, all of their pyramids were executed well and included elaborate transitional stunts. On day two, all of their one-man stunts were solid; they nailed their first jump combo of a toe touch to a b-twist and they performed choreography with enthusiasm. The only notable flaw from Navarro was during one of their pyramids in which well known athlete Gabbi Butler slipped but regained balance while doing the choreography. When Navarro left the mat on day one and two they all hugged each other and exited as a supportive team.

At the end of the day, both TVCC and Navarro executed their intense routines very well. Both included elaborate baskets, jump combinations, tumbling and pyramids; because of their determination and skill Navarro and TVCC went home as the 2022 National Champion for their respective divisions.

Spring term intramural sports open for sign-up through IMLeagues

Find out what intramural sports are being offered during spring term

 

James Fowlkes | Freelancer

Contact the author at jfowlkes18@mail.wou.edu

IMLeagues, available on desktop, laptop or mobile devices, allows students access to a multitude of fitness classes and intramural sports activities that they can sign up for. When COVID-19 was surging around campus — and all over the world — students were required to sign up for facility and fitness class reservations. Before entering, students had to agree to wear a face mask and maintain physical and social distance while getting a workout in. With the mask mandate being lifted, signing up for facility use is no longer required, but students will still have to sign up for other fitness activities if they’re planning on participating.

IMLeagues also provides a list of intramural sports and drop-in activities available for all members. This spring term offers soccer, corn hole, volleyball, softball or home run derby, golf and tennis. Drop-in activities available for sign-up are volleyball, table tennis, basketball and futsal. Schedule-wise, basketball and futsal are held Wednesday nights at 7 p.m., and volleyball and table tennis are held Thursday nights at the same time at the Health and Wellness Center.

To get set up on IMLeagues, students have to create an account using their student email address. One can find a drop-in or fitness activity within the intramurals section, sign up and agree to the terms and conditions. Overall, it is a simple process. 

IMLeagues has previously offered virtual or esport activities such as Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. 1v1 tournaments. As far as this spring term, there’s no news on when or what virtual competitions will take place, but until then there are drop-in intramurals and fitness classes on IMLeagues.

Honoring our graduating track and field Wolves

Western track and field team hit personal bests

Mollie Herron | News Editor

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western hosted its only home track and field meet on Friday, April 8. John Knight Twilight was the only outdoor home meet that the Wolves held for the 2021–22 season, in which they invited universities from all over Oregon as well as multiple running clubs.

They honored 11 seniors for senior day: Gabe Arce-Torres, Kaylin Cantu, Samuel Cole, Owen Collins, Justin Crosswhite, Moana Gianotti, Austin Goldstein, Aaron Hanible, Devin Hasher, Logan Jackson and Taryn Wilson.

Collins placed second in shot put with a distance of 46-4 and hit a new personal record in the hammer throw. He threw a distance of 165-7 earning him runner up behind Western’s own Samuel Cole who threw 166-8.

Crosswhite won the 800 meter with a time of 1:53.55 and joined runners Emmet Klus, Timothy Rambo and Keeton Sanchez in the 4×400 relay to end the day. The group finished first with a time of 3:27.35 with everyone left on the track cheering them on.

Goldstein placed first in men’s javelin with a distance of 194-10. The crowd cheered Goldstein with a slow clap that increased in speed as he ran with the javelin turning into a full cheer as it soared through the air.

Hanible ran a time of 56.67 in the 400 meter hurdles which put him in first place. He also started the men’s 4×100 with Danny Cossette, Amari Hendrix and James Mazzio where they won with a time of 44.69.

Maya Hopwood, Taryn Wilson, Ana Popchock and Maliyah Thompson ran a time of 48.91 placing them in first for the women’s 4×100 relay. Western also won the women’s 4×400 relay with runners Macy Clemens, Amity Deters, Jenelle Hurley and Jessy Hart completing it in 4:17.44.

The Wolves will compete in the Mt. Sac Relay, Long Beach Invitational and the Bryan Clay Invitational from April 13 – 16 in California.

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