Sports – Page 57 – The Western Howl

Ribich ready to take on regionals

By: Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

David Ribich started his sophomore year off strong with high hopes for the racing competitions this cross country season.

Being in the lead in the top 6 of the team, David is very determined to work with his team to get to nationals.

“Our ultimate goal is to get to nationals this year, we’re all very committed to that goal […] We’re committed to do the work it takes,” said Ribich.

Ribich said that he team last year “fell short at regionals” and with regionals being at Western this year, the team and David both feel a lot of pressure to perform. They want to make Western proud.

“When the season rolled around one of the highlights was [at] Sun Dodger where I went 24:38 minutes for 8K. It was a minute PR (personal record) and really set the tone for the rest of the season,” Ribich said.

He has been training to be his best in order to get to the goal of nationals.

Ribich recently set a new PR running a 10K at 32:02 minutes. His personal highlight is getting 4th in conference.

“The race started out like I thought it would,” Ribich said, adding “But we’re only climbing. We’re on the uphill for regionals.”

“For regionals right now, we are sitting in the middle of the pack between all the teams […] We’re in the hunt for it,” said Ribich. During their last race, the team exceeded what they were expecting and are feeling good about their ability to compete at regionals. They were ranked 7th in the conference this year and exceeded expectations.

This summer, he counseled at a running camp and was able to train through the summer and work to better his times. He managed multiple new PRs and is continuing to train.

“I just know that if I have support I can go out there and make everyone proud,” Ribich said. He looks to his family and community to support during races, and with Western being the host for regionals this year, he hopes that the community will come to support as well.

“At some point in the race, everyone is going to get physically tired,” he said. For Ribich, the majority of races are a mental challenge as opposed to a physical challenge. He believes that mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation.

Ribich has been running since 7th grade, he went to a small high school that did not offer soccer past 6th grade, and soccer was his passion. His sister ran cross country which inspired him to begin running as well.

He is in his sophomore year here at Western and is majoring in communication studies with a minor in sports leadership and sports development.

“Professional running is a macro goal for me. My micro goal is to pursue athletics,” Ribich said. Choosing this major/minor allows him to pursue his passion for athletics. He wants to pursue a post collegiate career in running and coaching

“Netflix is definitely a post workout priority […] Right now I’m watching Arrow, The 100, Prison Break and Supernatural,” Ribich added. He also finds time outside of workouts to hike and do outdoor activities.

Ribich and the cross country team hope to see Western supporters at regionals. He looks forward to pursuing cross country the rest of his college and professional career.

MSU Yellow Jackets sting Wolves on senior day

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

The Wolves women’s soccer team lost at home to Montana State University-Billings (MSU) 1-0 on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The loss brings the Wolves overall record to 7-7-1 and 3-6-1 in GNAC conference play.

A large crowd was on-hand to cheer on the pack for senior day, the last home game of the year.

“Senior day is a very exciting day and it’s a really emotional day,” stated head coach Steve Ancheta. “It’s hard to keep all of those emotions in check and come out and play well against a good opponent.”

Western fed off the energy from the crowd and pressed the Yellow Jacket’s defense.
Controversy arose in the 15th minute after the Wolves sent a cross into MSU’s 18-yard box which should have been a hand ball on one of MSU’s defenders. However, the referee chose not to award Western a penalty kick.

MSU took the lead in the 36th minute on a shot from the top of the 18-yard box which sailed over Nicole Tejada’s (GK) outstretched arms.

In the second half, the Wolves continued to press MSU but couldn’t find the back of the net. Western’s best chance for a goal came in the 56th minute when junior Mariah Konyn (M) just missed the top right corner.

The Wolves would outshoot MSU 14-4, but the Yellow Jacket’s stingy defense held their clean sheet.

“Although we lost, we still worked really hard as a team, and I’m really happy for our seniors,” stated Ancheta. “They brought a lot to this team and I will miss all those guys.”

The Wolves hit the road for the final two games remaining on their schedule. The first is against Seattle Pacific University on Thursday, Oct. 29, and the final game of the season is against Simon Frasier University Saturday, Oct. 31.

Basketball hype and expectations

By:Jamal Smith

Are you getting excited for basketball? Lucky for you, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are currently preparing for the start of the season.

The GNAC coaches’ poll, released on Thursday, Oct. 15, ranked the men’s team no. 2 out of the 11 teams in the conference.

The expectations for the men’s team are high on the shoulders of last season’s successes.

The Wolves finished the season with a program best winning record of 23-7 and reached the NCAA Division-II West Regionals for the first time in school history.

“The season is just a journey and we are starting out 0-0 just like everybody else, and last season doesn’t mean anything,” stated head coach Jim Shaw. “We have to approach this year as an opportunity to get better every day, and then we will be all right.”

The men’s team has four returning starters, and two First Team All-GNAC selections in redshirt: senior Andy Agvi (F) and senior Julian Nichols (G).

Agvi was also selected for the GNAC pre-season All-American Team. In his junior year, Agvi averaged 18.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He also was named the 2014-15 GNAC player of the year.

“Our foundation comes back to four things: our attitude, our work ethic, our leadership and our ability to work as a team,” added coach Shaw. “I expect them to compete every night, no excuses. We have to leave everything out there on the floor and let the results speak for themselves.”

Last year, the women’s team had an overall record of 8-18, and 5-13 in GNAC conference play. In the GNAC coaches poll, the Wolves were ranked no. 10 in the conference.

The women’s team looks to the return of three starters from last year, including GNAC preseason team selectee junior Jordan Mottershaw (G). Last year, Mottershaw led the Wolves in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game.

Returning sophomore Sami Osborne (G/F) had a great second half of the season last year, and started 13 games for the Wolves. Last year, as a true freshman, Osborne averaged 8.8 rebounds per game.

The men’s team faces a huge test in an exhibition game against the Oregon State Beavers on Thursday, Nov. 5 in Corvallis at 7 p.m.

The first exhibition game for the women’s team is also on Thursday, Nov. 5, on the road against Weber State University at 7 p.m.

Cross country competes in GNAC championships

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Western’s cross country team competed in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships Saturday, Oct. 24, in Bellingham, Wash.

Out of 11 schools, Western’s men’s team placed fourth overall, and the women’s team placed sixth.

The men were led by sophomore David Ribich, who tallied 122 points and finished fourth out of ninety-one athletes on the 8K course. Ribich ran a personal-best time of 24:59, which was 57 seconds faster than his run in the 2014 GNAC Championships.

Senior Stephany Stuckey placed thirteenth out of ninety-seven with a spectacular time of 22:40 on the 6K course.

“I went into the race and felt fantastic and had so much fun with it,” stated Stuckey. “I talked with my teammates before the race about believing that the people behind us on our team was really going for it and putting their best foot forward.”

“I’m really proud of my work, but also of my teammates work,” Stuckey added. “We just did really well as a team.”

Next up, the Wolves will host the NCAA West Regional Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Ore. The women will start at 10 a.m., and the men will begin at 11:15 a.m.

Braxton leads Wolf Pack to victory against Simon Frasier

By: Jamal Smith Sports Editor

In a clash north of the border, the Wolfpack headed to Canada on Saturday, Oct. 24, defeating Simon Frasier University (SFU) 37-26.

The Wolves were led by freshman Malik Braxton (RB) who had a record-setting game, and was awarded the GNAC Football Offensive Player of the Week. Braxton finished the game with 199 yards of all-purpose yards: including 179-yards rushing, two rushing touchdowns and a touchdown pass.

Redshirt sophomore Phillip Fenumiai (QB) got the start for the Wolves and would show his dual threat abilities on Western’s first possession, rushing on third down for a 45-yard first down. Fenumiai tallied 81-yards rushing for the game, adding another 55-yards through the air.

Braxton would finish out the first drive with a bit of trickery, throwing a touchdown pass to sophomore Paul Revis (WR) which evened the score at 7-7. Revis finished the game with five receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

On the next drive, Braxton would break away for a ridiculous 75-yard touchdown run which would give the Wolves a 14-7 lead.

In the second quarter, SFU would outscore the Wolves 10-3 and take a 20-17 lead going into half time.

Midway through the third quarter, senior Trey Shimabukuro (QB) made his return to the field after a three week absence due to injury. On his second drive, Shimabukuro would throw a 56-yard touchdown strike to Revis which gave Western a 24-20 lead, and would be the only points scored by either team in the quarter.

Just seconds into the fourth quarter, and on the first play of the drive, Shimabukuro would connect with redshirt sophomore Katakana Apelu (WR) for a 50-yard touchdown pass which increased the Wolves’ lead to 31-20.

SFU answered the Wolves’ touchdown on their ensuing possession with a seven play, 73-yard touchdown drive to bring the score to 31-26.

With 8:05 remaining in the game, the Wolves started their drive from the one yard line.
On the first play, Braxton broke through and raced past the SFU’s defense, running for a 99-yard touchdown, which set a GNAC record for the longest rushing touchdown and sealed the victory for the Wolves.

The impressive win improves the Wolves’ overall record to 5-3 and 3-1 in GNAC conference play. This is Western’s fourth consecutive victory.

Western’s next game is at home on Saturday, Oct. 31, against GNAC opponent Azusa Pacific University at 1:00 p.m. at McArthur Field.

Volleyball secures dramatic four set victory

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team edged out Saint Martin’s University (SMU) in a tense four sets on Saturday Oct. 24.

The scores for the four sets were 25-19, 25-23, 21-25 and 29-27.

After winning the first two sets, WOU looked to sweep SMU with a win of the third set.

With the score tied at 10-10, the Saints would go on a five point unanswered run and would pull away from the Wolves, eventually winning the set 25-23.

SMU continued to build momentum in the fourth set, going up on WOU 11-5. But the Wolves clawed their way back, eventually tying the score at 23-23.

Seeing the score tied at 25-25, the Wolves buckled down and took their first lead of the fourth set at 26-25 on a long back-and-forth volley. SMU wouldn’t go down without a fight though, and responded by leveling the score twice before the women would put SMU away with a kill from redshirt sophomore Sydney Blankinship.

“I was really happy at how hard we fought today, especially in that last set,” head coach Brad Saindon said.

Redshirt sophomore Alisha Bettinson (OH) led the Wolves with 14 kills and 6 blocks, and redshirt sophomore Sydney Blankinship (MB) and redshirt freshman Amanda Short (OH) each added 9 kills.

“We are improving each game and our confidence is coming around,” added Saindon. “I think we can be a really threatening team for the rest of the season, and the future looks bright for us as well.”

The conference victory improves Western Oregon’s overall record to 7-14, and 4-8 in GNAC conference play, and is the Wolves’ third consecutive victory.

The Wolves hit the road on Saturday, Oct. 31, to play Northwest Nazarene University before returning home to play Western Washington University on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m.

Drought Relief

By: Jack Armstrong 
Copy Editor

The Portland Timbers have ramped up their efforts to qualify for the 2015 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 win against the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015 in Los Angeles.

Portland fielded a familiar lineup with the exception of young right back Taylor Paey (D) in place of regular starter Alvas Powell who was suspended for the clash. The Galaxy were quick to test the new man, but he proved himself to the fans throughout the night, effectively managing the left hand attack of L.A.

Despite the Timbers cohesive back line, Steven Gerrard (M) rattled the crossbar from a free kick just inside of three minutes into the first half.

Gerrard set the tone for the Galaxy going forward, and in the 35th minute, captain Robbie Keane hammered home a glorious curing volley into the top left corner of the Timbers’ goal.

As the second half kicked off with L.A. controlling the game with a 1-0 lead, Portland roared into life in the 64th minute on the back of leading scorer Fernando Adi (F).

Holding the ball up in L.A.’s box after some brilliant team play, Adi turned and struck a rising shot in the back of the net.

Adi would strike again as he drew a penalty two minutes later. Electing to take it, Adi stepped up and slotted the ball just underneath former Portland Keeper Donovan Ricketts (GK).

This opened the taps with Diego Chara (CDM) scoring a flying header in the 73rd minute.
Even though Keane was able to scrape one back to make it 3-2, Portland would grab two more unanswered goals almost instantly, one from Darlington Nagbe (M/F) in the 84th and another courtesy of Maximiliano Urruti (F) in the 89th minute.

Speaking to mls.com after the game, head coach Caleb Porter said “Maybe there are some guys in LA that are more talented than us, but we wanted to be the better team today.”

Racking up two wins in two against conference rivals including Real Salt Lake, Portland stands on the precipice of a playoff series, but it isn’t a dead lock just yet.

The Timbers must win in their last game against the Colorado Rapids Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015 at Providence Park. If they lose, they must bank on Seattle or San Jose losing their last game, or Kansas City losing both of their final outings.

If Portland can manage to win on Sunday, there is the possibility that they will be the number two seed in the playoffs, granting them automatic passage to the semi-finals and a home game during the cup run.

The number two seed is up for grabs but only if Vancouver loses their last game while Sporting Kansas City and Los Angles draw, or if Vancouver loses and Sporting Kansas city draws or loses to their last game against the Rapids.

If the Timbers don’t secure the number two seed, they will be forced into the knockout rounds to play for a spot in the semifinals.

With a the goal drought still in very recent memory a knockout round with little to no rest could spell disaster for the team, but Portland have been playing better on the road than at home this season and the long rest between the end of the season and the semifinals could cool off their new-found momentum.

With all that being said, those of us in the stands can just sit back and look forward to an exciting round of matches approaching.

Homecoming powder-puff

By: Amanda Clarke 
Staff Writer

The annual powderpuff game took place on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. at the intramural recreational field on campus.

This year’s game featured a match up between students living on-campus against students living off-campus.

“There were a lot of students supporting others, which was wonderful to see and be a part of such a united community!” said Karisa Merrill, a sophomore with a pre-professional biology major.

There was a pre-game tailgate that included free food. The event, which was hosted by the Student Activities Board, also gave all attendees chance to take pictures with mascot Wolfie before the game.

A firework display followed the powderpuff game.

The off-campus team sported black uniforms with pink lettering, and the on-campus team sported pink uniforms with black lettering.

Ann-Marie Matagi, a junior social science major, said she felt the game went well.

“There were times when it was aggressive, but other than that our team went out and had fun,” she said.

Matagi played for the off-campus team for her first year at Western this year.

The homecoming court nominees were introduced at halftime. They consisted of students who attended the homecoming activities throughout the week. Members of the Homecoming Court included Jordan Ducotey and Nathan Tew, Shay Guyton and Bryan Kelly and Kaylee Church.

The homecoming honorees from 2014 also made an appearance.

The final court was scheduled to be announced on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the homecoming football game.

The final score of the powderpuff game was 8-0 with off-campus emerging as the victors.

Western a hotspot for Hawaiian student-athletes

By: Jamal Smith 
Staff Writer

It has been well documented within the past decade that Oregon’s major universities have been a draw for Hawaiian athletes.

Although Western is a much smaller college than the University of Oregon or Oregon State, the Wolves still play host to a growing number of Hawaiian student-athletes.

On all three rosters of the football team, soccer team, and volleyball team, the Wolves have a total of 22 Hawaiian athletes; 13 on the football team, six on the soccer team, and three on the volleyball team).

These numbers may not seem all that staggering, but when comparing the number of Western’s Hawaiian athletes to the rosters of the other ten schools in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), it becomes clear that Western is a stand out in attracting Hawaiian players.

The rosters of football, soccer, and volleyball from all of the other 10 schools in the GNAC conference only have a grand total of 15 Hawaiian students (11 for football, three for soccer, and one for volleyball).

Yes, you read correctly. Western Oregon has seven more Hawaiian athletes in football, soccer, and volleyball than the 10 other teams in the GNAC conference combined.

Generally, Division-II schools across the country recruit athletes within their state lines or bordering states.

Central Washington’s women’s soccer team, for example, has a 28 person roster, all of which are from the state of Washington.

So what makes Western Oregon such a hot destination for Hawaiian athletes?

“I like the people; they’re all friendly,” stated first year midfield soccer player Taylor Cadiz from Mililani, Hawaii. “I also like that it’s a small school. The classes are really small and it’s easier to go to the professors and get help compared to a bigger university.”

Junior midfield/forward soccer player Machaela Rapozo from Lihue, Hawaii said, “I chose Western Oregon because it’s under the WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange Program) and we get in-state tuition here. Also, Oregon is pretty close to Hawaii because it’s on the west coast so we don’t have to travel that far to go back home.”

“There’s still a lot of [Hawaiians] here so you can get away from home but at the same time there’s still the comfort of having other [Hawaiians] here,” Rapozo added.

Whatever the reason may be for a Hawaiian athlete or student to choose Western Oregon over other universities, the Wolfpack is certainly happy to have them.

Wolfpack finds its stride

By: Jamal Smith
Staff Writer

The Western football team defeated Central Washington University (CWU) 31-25 on Saturday Oct. 17, 2015, at McArthur Field.

After last week’s emotional upset of no. 6 ranked University of Northern Alabama, the Wolves didn’t disappoint; they controlling the game from start to finish.

Sophomore Phillip Fenumiai (QB) got his first career start at quarterback for the home team.

In the game he would throw for 131 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior Andy Avgi (TE), in addition to running the ball for 44 yards with one 4-yard rushing touchdown.

“Our game plan was just simple enough to where everything was just easy and within my control,” stated Fenumiai. “[It] was nice because it got me rolling around on my feet, which I’m good at.”

After the Wolves exchanged three-and-outs with CWU on both teams’ first drives, Western got the ball back on their own 9-yard line for their second possession, marching downfield with a 12-play 91-yard touchdown drive.

First year Malik Braxton (RB/WR) who also got his first start, capped off the drive with a breakaway run for 44 yards and the touchdown, which put the Wolves up 7-0.

Braxton finished the game with 131-yards rushing. “We came in knowing that we wanted to run the ball on first and second down and the [offensive line] opened the holes,” stated Braxton.

CWU would answer on their second possession with a 4-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. After converting on a 2-point conversion, the Wildcats would take the lead 8-7 near the end of the first quarter.

On Western’s ensuing drive, the Wolves would find themselves in two third-down and long situations.

However, Fenumiai would keep the drive alive with a 29-yard scramble on 3rd and 7, and then a 26-yard pass to senior James DePew (WR) on 3rd and 18. Fenumiai would finish off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, putting the Wolves up 14-8.

The home side’s defense was good at stopping CWU’s running game, but had problems defending the deep ball. CWU would capitalize midway through the second quarter when Wildcats quarterback Justin Lane would throw a 39-yard touchdown pass to put CWU up 15-14.

But Western would not be stopped, running seven straight rushing plays. Eventually, Fenumiai would finish the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Avgi, for his first of two touchdowns.

The Wolves would take a 21-15 lead going into halftime.

In the third quarter, Western started to pull away from the Wildcats.

After CWU added 3 points on a field goal, the Wolves would score a touchdown on Fenumiai’s second touchdown pass to Andy Avgi, this time for 17-yards.

Then, senior kicker Jesse Correa would add a 32-yard field goal to put the Wolfpack up 31-18 going into the final quarter.

CWU closed the gap on another long touchdown pass from Lane. The touchdown put CWU within 6 points of Western with 8:46 remaining for the game.

After three first-downs on their next drive, CWU would force the punt, but the Wolves would eat up over five minutes of clock. The Wildcats were left with only three minutes remaining for the game.

CWU started their final drive on their own 9-yard line and moved down field to the edge of the home team’s end zone.

The Wolves defense bunkered down and forced the Wildcats into a 4th down with only a yard to keep their drive alive. CWU handed the ball off to their running back on 4th down, but he was brought down simultaneously by junior George Swartzlender (DL) and senior Shane Kuenzi (LB) for a turn over on downs.

The Wolfpack would run out the clock to seal the victory.

This victory marks a turning point in the season, and is Western’s third consecutive win. The win improved their overall record to 4-3 and 2-1 in GNAC conference play.

“We try to focus on one week at a time and get better,” stated head coach Arne Ferguson after the game. “To get a win against a real good team like Central Washington, that’s a serious accomplishment, but we have some skills that we need to get better at.”

Western hits the road and heads north of the border to take on Simon Fraser University in British Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.

The next home game is Saturday Oct. 31, 2015, against Azusa Pacific University (CA) at 1 p.m. at McArthur Field.

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.

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