Mount Hood

The final finish for Coach Johnson

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor

Coach Mike Johnson of the cross country and track and field programs has retired after coaching for 16 years at Western Oregon University. Johnson has helped both the cross country and track and field teams win championships, as well as taken them to Nationals — almost every year since he started.
Before joining the Wolves, Johnson was able to make a name for himself coaching at quite a few distinguished schools, including Highline Community College, Eastern Washington University, University of Portland, University of Washington and Boise State University — while also being an assistant coach here at Western for three seasons before taking on the role as head coach in 2004. 

Not only does Johnson have titles at Western amongst the cross country and track and field teams: but also he coached the teams at Washington that won two Pac-10 cross country championships. Johnson was able to help Portland’s cross country team win seven consecutive West Coast Conference titles. Johnson’s feats do not end there — while a Pilot, Johnson founded the women’s program and earned himself a spot in the Portland Hall of Fame. 

The titles and honors do not end, with Johnson earning Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times, NCAA West Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year four times and earned NAIA National Coach of the Year. 

For 16 years, Johnson has made an impact in multiple student-athlete’s lives and an impact on Western’s campus. Johnson will be greatly missed, but his titles and influence will carry on.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Demolished chances worldwide, how the Wolves “competed” in Nationals

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor

Western Oregon’s Track and Field team is known for their success, having top finishers every season and sending multiple athletes to Nationals every year. This indoor season saw some top marks and finishes with promising futures for the spring season — particularly the Men’s Distance Medley Relay. The first leg saw Derek Holdsworth running the 1200; second leg, Gabe Arce-Torres running the 400; third leg, Max Carmona running the 800; and the final leg, Justin Crosswhite running the 1600. 

The Wolves’ DMR crossed into the top 25 rankings of 2020 NCAA DII Men’s Indoor Track and Field, giving them the opportunity of a lifetime — to compete in Alabama against the top-ranked schools in the country. As the Wolves traveled to Birmingham, Alabama on March 11, COVID-19 was starting to creep into everyone’s lives. The Wolves arrived, were welcomed with southern hospitality and continued their training for the big race. Though COVID-19 began to pick up, the NCAA DII Indoor Championships was still “on” — making changes to the meet, not allowing spectators, but still giving the athletes a chance to compete. However, on Thursday, March 12, the Wolves’ season came to an abrupt end with the NCAA stating there would be no meet due to the increasing effects of COVID-19 — disbelief filled the Wolves, to say the least. 

“The virus tore my final indoor meet apart,” said Holdsworth on the decision from the NCAA, “that (meet) could have led to more looks — instead it shows I’m just another 800 guy who’s run a respectable, but not world class, time, it’s extremely frustrating.”

Not only did the decision affect those who would have competed in the Indoor Championship, but it ended the upcoming spring season for all athletes, ripping away many “senior seasons.” 

“When I found out that the Indoor Championships got cancelled, I was really bummed for the guys and all the other GNAC athletes,” stated Grayson Burke, a senior on the Track and Field team. “But it never crossed my mind that the entire rest of the season would get cancelled.” The Wolves’ Track and Field team qualifies runners to the Nationals almost every year. Having the season taken away also ripped away the chances for multiple seniors. Due to COVID-19, all spring sports were cancelled, at every level, in every state. The NCAA granted eligibility to seniors, but that doesn’t mean chances weren’t lost. 

“I feel the NCAA did the right thing by granting full eligibility to all national qualifiers,” said Carmona, “but sadly I feel like this is just a minor Band-Aid over a massive wound — this may have been the last opportunity to compete on a national level, but I will no longer be at Western and therefore cannot compete.”

Yes, athletes were offered the chance to compete again, but this does not solve the issue for those who were on scholarships, partial scholarships, grants or even federal aid — those wanting to use the eligibility will still have to go to school and pay for that schooling, which not everyone is able to do. Some student athletes feel that the NCAA has a lot to improve on. “We were put in harm’s way simply for the meet to be cancelled the day before,” said Carmona about having to travel through major international airports to get to the National Championships. 

COVID-19 continues to affect athletes nationally and globally, leaving sports up in the air to the unknown. 

“The hardest part of all this is that being done was not my choice,” stated Burke after hearing the Spring season was cancelled. 

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Illustration by Rachel Hetzel

Q&A: How COVID-19 impacted athletics

Caity Healy |  Managing Editor

 

Christina Carney, Women’s Rugby

Senior, Early Childhood Studies

 

When and how did you find out your season was coming to an abrupt end?

I kind of figured our season was coming to an end once the governor announced that no more than 250 people can gather together, and it just started going down from there. I am also friends with one of the OSU rugby girls, and she informed me that the rest of their season was cancelled, so I kenw Western would be soon. Then, my coach officially confirmed that championships was cancelled, and that’s when I told myself, “Wow! My college rugby career is over.” I had hoped that championships would at least happen because my team and I were preparing for it and excited for this last game with the seniors.

 

What was your reaction? How did your team react?

My first reaction was that I was shocked. I could not believe that my last college rugby game would be taken from me. For my team, I could tell that they were sad, as well. On championship day, a teammate even said, “today would have been a lot better if we were playing rugby,” and it made me tear. But, as captain, I reminded them that we had an awesome season and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my senior year playing rugby with any other team.

 

How do you think this will impact your team for next year?

I think my team will be impacted in the sense that they need to play every game like it’s their last. No one expected this abrupt end, so I believe they will want to play every game to their fullest with no regrets in the coming years.

 

How do you feel about your season overall?

Overall, this season was awesome. I had the best teammates, the best positivity, the best bonds and lots of champions. Everyone did so amazing and stepped up during practices and games. There was so much support and I am so proud of all of us.

 

Anything you’d like to add?

If my teammates are reading, and other athletes, I would like them to know that they should play every game like it’s their last, because you never know if that is your last game. Also, for people wanting to join a sport, rugby is the sport. I promise, you will never be on a team so welcoming. So many students had joined rugby and just absolutely loved it. Loved the community, the welcome, the team, and ends up falling in love with rugby. Go Wolves!

 

Kennedy Coy, Softball

Senior, Community Health Major 

 

When and how did you find out your season was coming to an abrupt end?

We found out on March 12. We had a home game schedule that day against MSUB. We had won our first game, and we were feeling really good for the second. During our break in between games is when our coach told us. Sarge said that this next game was gong to be our last one for a while.

 

What was your reaction? How did your team react?

I was in shock at first. It took me a few minutes to process what was happening. When I realized that the next game was very well going to b e my last, there was a lot of tears. I hugged my teammates and as a whole we took some time to gather our thoughts. We tried to keep the mentality of, “Hey, we have one more game. We aren’t done, so let’s finish strong.” It was a really emotional game, but we played well and ended up winning. During the second game, someone thought to go get flowers for us seniors, and at the end, we had a short, make-shift senior night. It was a really hard day because none of us knew what was going to happen.

 

How do you think this will impact your team for next year?

I think that the next year is going to be something really special. Not just for our program, but for teams across the country. We all had something that we love, something that we worked really hard for, ripped away from us without warning. I think that next year, no one will take a single day for granted. We are going to have to work hard, but I know that people will be happy they get the chance to!

 

How do you feel about your season overall?

It’s hard to judge our season overall because we had so little of it. In our preseason, we learned a lot and we were headed in the right direction! We had to overcome a lot of injuries and other obstacles in the preseason, but as a group we were just getting started. I’m really proud of this team, we had to work with smaller numbers this year, but people were stepping up to fill spots and get the job done! Even though our  season was short, we have a lot to be proud of.

 

Anything you’d like to add?

If I were to add anything, it would be a huge thank you to our coaches, trainers, and the rest of the athletic department. WOU athletes are blessed with an incredible support system. This is scary right now, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store for WOU.

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu 

Photo courtesy of Christina Carney 

Photo courtesy of Brian Kortz 

Campus Voices

Cora McClain  | Editor-in-Chief

Yasmine Saleem, First-year Chemistry major ; Soccer, because of the physical competitiveness and I just like kicking things.

 

Em Preuss, Junior ASL/English Interpreting major ; Color Guard, because I’m a member of Color Guard. It’s fancy, but also very physical and it just looks cool. We use flags and rifles and we dance.

 

Trenton Viloria, First-year Kinesiology major ; Football, because of the action and the different concepts that come with it, offensive concepts and passing plays makes the game exciting.

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Photos by Cora McClain

Track and field start outdoor season on the right foot

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

As the Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships approaches, the Wolves got an early start to their outdoor season. Two meets were held last weekend, March 6 to 7, at Willamette University and Linfield College.

Both meets met the expectations of the Wolves with multiple runners making the top 10 across several events. To start, Sawyer Heckard, a senior, ran a new personal best in the Men’s 10k with a time of 32:20.83 — placing ninth overall at Linfield. Another feat included Dominic Giordano, a senior, who won the Men’s 3k steeplechase with a time of 9:28.49, followed by senior Hunter Mosman with a time of 9:37.94.

In the Men’s Shot Put, the Wolves were able to take first and second, as well as fifth through seventh — Nick Sieber, a senior, led the pack with a throw of 47-5 feet. 

The Men’s 800 placed well and consisted of mainly Western Oregon runners as Trey Reed, a junior, and Bryce Mefford, a first year, took first and second place with times of 2:00.59 and 2:01.90.

First-year, Jillian Greene stole the Women’s 800 and 1500 meter runs with times of 2:22.71 and 4:54.92. Another robber of two races included Bethanie Altamirano, a sophomore, who ran a time of 27.20 in the Women’s 200 meter race and a 59.89 in the Women’s 400 meter race — not far behind Altamirano was senior Grayson Burke with a time of 1:00.57.

The Wolves have officially sparked the match and outdoor season has begun. 

Next up, March 13 through 14, four Wolves head to Birmingham, Alabama, for the NCAA DII Indoor Championships where senior Derek Holdsworth, senior Max Carmona, sophomore Gabe Arce-Torres and senior Justin Crosswhite will compete in the men’s distance medley relay.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Racking points for seniors during Women’s Rugby match

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

The gridiron was full of spirit, the seniors were ready for their game and their teammates ready to battle for them.

Saturday, Feb.29, the Women’s Rugby team held a home game against the Willamette University Wildcats for their Seniors graduating this upcoming spring term. 

The Wolves’ Seniors included Nelly Blancas, the captain and team president, Leslie Carrasco, Alexis Osborn, Christina Carney, Gha Ming Ng and D-Dré Wright who was unable to attend. 

This game represented the closeness the teammates have with each other and showed the power that women have.

This was a meaningful game for Women’s Rugby being that it was the last time a lot of these players would get to see each other on the field. 

“I’ve enjoyed my time as the president and as a player. The club is amazing! I have learned so much through the years. It’s always great seeing new players grow. And I hope the team (has) the best of luck for next year!” said Blancas about her Senior game with the Women’s Rugby squad. The enthusiasm that the club president has for this club is shared among the players, having brought home a cake of a win, beating the Wildcats 42-5.

Coming up the team will play Willamette University again on Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day. They will also play University of Puget Sound on March 15, which will be their final and championship match, hosted on the turf field at Western.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Emily Prall

Western player spotlight: Gha Ming Ng

Hannah Greene  | Sports Editor

Highlighted this week is Gha Ming Ng, a Western Women’s Club Soccer player and newly Western Women’s Rugby player. Ming was part of the team that flew to Texas to participate in Nationals for club soccer and part of the rugby team that continues to dominate its opponents.

Ming “is a force to be reckoned with,” said D-Dré Wright, a teammate on both soccer and rugby. Though short, Ming makes up for size with her speed and aggression against any opponent, along with her undying passion to help her team succeed. Ming has been playing soccer for most her life and went from, “thinking that I would never play soccer out of high school, to being a part of a new club team,” said Ming about her excitement over being able to play soccer longer.

Currently, Ming is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her main sport was soccer. Ming decided to go out for Women’s Rugby this Winter Term and has been killing it since. Ming is also a supervisor in the Valsetz Dining Hall and a WOU Ambassador. 

Ming creates a positive atmosphere, both on and off the field, and is able to bring any heated player to an even tempo. She plays each second with tenacity and drive, proving every practice that she belongs on the field during game play. As a senior, graduating this term, she has shown her natural leadership skills and her ability to be a role model to underclassmen. 

Through injury, Ming keeps pushing and never lets anything hold her back. 

“Ming is an endless source of energy on the field, whether it’s for soccer or rugby. Her perseverance on and off the field is incomparable,” said Wright, acknowledging her teammate’s power and recognizing Ming for her ability to step out of her comfort zone and join the Women’s Rugby team, “I wish I had joined earlier,” Ming said about her growing love for rugby.

“I am grateful that WOU has the options of intramurals as well as club sports where students can compete at different levels and overall just have fun,” said Ming about her time as an athlete at Western — getting the chance to continue her love and passion in soccer and now rugby.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Emily Prall

Western Oregon University

Facebook   Instagram   X  YouTube

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361

503-838-8000 | 1-877-877-1593

Tools

Campus Maps
Canvas
Find People
Portal
WOU Email
Technical Support

Resources

A-Z Index
Accessibility
Academic Calendar
Class Schedule
Jobs at WOU
News
Explore WOU
Partnerships
Student Services
Freedom of Expression

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

Accessibility    Public Records    Privacy    Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.