Lake Larsen | Sports Editor
Western’s Club Sports department has been continually expanding with new team after new team in the past two years. One thing that these teams seem to have in common — winning. This tradition was proved true again as the Wolves club sports took to their respective fields on Feb. 23 and 24.
One of the teams competing was the brand new Men’s Basketball Club. Just weeks after being introduced as a member of the club sports family, the team took to the court in a multi-game tournament at the University of Portland. With three teams listed to play, the men knew their games would be anything but easy.
Just as the basketball team took to the court in Portland, the year-old Women’s Soccer Club took to the pitch in Corvallis. The tournament was a two-day event, spanning the weekend. Just a year ago, the Wolves took part in this tournament for their first-ever game.
The last of the competing teams was the Women’s Rugby Club on their home turf in Monmouth. The Women’s team has only played a handful of games due to scheduling problems. Despite these difficulties, the Wolves were still ready to play.
Scores began to ring in from all across Oregon, and most scores followed a familiar trend — Western wins.
The day started off with a disappointing loss from Women’s Rugby, falling to the University of Puget Sound on Feb. 23. But the sorrows quickly shifted as the basketball scores were posted.
Despite being only a few weeks old, Men’s Basketball had beaten the University of Oregon, Portland State University and the hosting University of Portland. This undefeated record caused the Wolves to be named the tournament champions — an amazing feet for a team that was only an idea a few months ago.
The final games of the weekend were to be played on the soccer pitch. The first day of the Oregon State University tournament was huge for the women, as they took on both the first University of Oregon team as well as the hosting Beavers. With a relentless offense, the Wolves blew past both teams to post a 2-0 record on day one. The following day, the Wolves took on the second Oregon and Oregon State squads. Again, the Wolves topped the hosting Beavers, but fell at the hands of the Ducks. After a strong showing, the Wolves finished third overall in the tournament.
With two of the three teams competing being founded during or after the previous school year, Western’s club sports are a new force to be reckoned with.
To become a member of a club sports team, visit IMLeagues.com/wou/clubsports.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis
