Sports

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor With the recreational department closed, along with all other athletic facilities, working out and staying in shape is a little more difficult — luckily Western offers options for students and the Western community to work out at home. These classes are available through the Health and Wellness Center, giving full-time enrolled Western students free membership. For Western community members, a free trial period is offered with the options between a daily pass or a term membership which costs $108 per term and $105 for the summer term. Registering is quite easy and risk free; by emailing hammerlez@wou.edu “Add Me,” your information is then verified and an email confirmation is sent with instructions on how to register for a fitness class. Campus Recreation Assistant Director, Zachary Hammerle, is the creator and initiator behind having online fitness classes for Western, giving students and the community the option to continue to workout from the safety of their own home.  For the rest of spring term, classes will be offered until May 29 with an unknown schedule for the summer term. Currently, multiple class options are there to choose from like yoga, meditation, zumba, spin and more. There are many other free options out there for students and community members to join to stay active and interactive, while keeping a safe distance. Instagram offers a safe way to workout, giving users access to Instagram Live, where followers can join a profile’s live stream — this has also worked with live music events and gaming. Orangetheory, a popular workout studio, offers free 30-minute daily workout routines that are available...

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor Due to COVID-19, not only were Spring Varsity and Club sports put to a halt, but the recreation department had to stop all Intramural Leagues as well — resulting in the creation of the Esports League.  “We researched and talked about an expansion into Esports for a while. We wanted to make sure we knew how to effectively run an Esports league, and if Esports fit into the Campus Recreation mission and values. You could say we fast tracked the implementation when the pandemic arrived, but I’m happy to say they have gone well,” stated Andy Main, the Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Intramural and Club Sports, on the decision to proceed with Esports leagues.  As of right now, there are multiple leagues offered for both Xbox and Playstation 4 including FIFA 20, NBK 2K20 and Madden 20.  “We’ve tried to stick to games that at least one of our Intramural Supervisors had experience playing,” said Main on the decision of which games and leagues to have — this way they could be confident in what they were doing. Currently there are five people working on the leagues to ensure quality and capability, including Main and four Intramural Supervisors: Shariff Youngblood, Noah Jones, Jonny Watt and Sarah Texter. Each Intramural Supervisor works on the league from the start to the finish, actively managing each aspect — GroupMe conversations have been started to keep all participants up to date and to make sure everyone follows the rules and how the matches are set up. GroupMe has also helped the Intramural Supervisors by giving feedback, allowing...

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor COVID-19 put a temporary end to all athletics; NBA, soccer, baseball and more. On May 9 the Ultimate Fighting Championship 249 was held in the VyStars Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida — the first sport to come back during the pandemic.  Many changes had to be made to ensure COVID-19 would not intervene with the event, including testing the fighters and their corner team before allowing them to travel and fight; no mingling of any sort was allowed and daily temperature readings and symptoms checks were also imposed. The fight was televised so fans were able to view it, but physical presentation was not allowed, making a different atmosphere for the fighters to have to compete in — especially for athletes who feed off of the crowds reactions.  To start the card was Ryan Spann versus Sam Alvey in the Light Heavyweight bout, followed by Bryce Mitchell versus Charles Rosa in the Featherweight bout. In the Welterweight standoff between Vincente Luque and Niko Price, Luque took home the win with a TKO — a technical knockout where the referee has to step in due to a fighter not protecting themselves. Following the Welterweight came the women’s Strawweight bout where Carla Esparza fought Michelle Waterson, with Esparza winning by decision. Four more fights took place after the women’s match before the final three events — Aleksei Oleinik versus Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis versus Donald Cerrone, Greg Hardy versus Yorgan de Castro, and Jeremy Stephens versus Calvin Kattar. The next match, Heavyweight, where Francis Ngannou knocked out Jairzihno Rozenstruik in the first twenty seconds of...

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor “A coach is someone who can give correction without resentment,” – Coach John Wooden This year, along with our Rookies and Players of the Year, The Western Howl presents the Club Sports Coaches of the Year.    Male Coach of the Year Jorge Arias As a volunteer coach, Arias not only invested his time, but also his passion for the sport. Arias was able to bring the team together and create a solidified unit — leading the team to the All Conference Title. This was Arias’ first year coaching a University Club Sports team ever, adapting each day and always putting forth his dedication.  “We would love for this coach to be recognized for all the hard work he has done for our soccer community here (at Western),” said the President of the Men’s Club Soccer team, Juan Perez.   Female Coach of the Year Jennifer Sato Sato stepped onto the pitch ready to educate and get the team to the championships. Sato has shown her commitment to the team and each individual player, motivating and encouraging the team to always improve, while also pushing them to reach new heights. Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Women’s Rugby team was unable to compete in this year’s championships; however, this only drives the team’s determination for next year, ready to do what Coach Sato directs. “Sato has done an excellent job as a coach and I look forward to seeing the impact she will have on next year’s team,” said President of the Women’s Rugby team, Nelly Blancas.   Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu Photo...

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor Following the Rookies of the Year, The Western Howl presents the Club Players of the Year — voted on by you, the fans, teammates, coaches, the Assistant Club Sports Director and the Club Sports Supervisor. Though there are many great and recognizable athletes among us, these two earned every part of this acknowledgement. Below are the two Club Sports Players of the Year.   Men’s Rugby Trever Kahunahana  Junior 3rd year on the team Kahunahana was the team captain and led by example — always putting in the extra hours whether at the gym or on the field on off days. He continued to push his teammates alongside him. As a team captain, he represented the core values of Men’s Rugby and made an impact in every second he played. Kahunahana, even injured, was a force to be reckoned with — proving that size truly does not matter. Kahunahana was dedicated, with a solid work ethic that showed on the pitch, never allowing anything or anyone to get in his way. Along with his dedication, he also showed commitment to his teammates, creating a stronghold that was unbreakable  Kahunahana was not only recognized as captain and a strong component on the team, but he also received the 1st team all-conference Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference, NCRC.   Women’s Soccer Kawehi Taniguchi Senior 2nd year on the team Taniguchi brought her A-game every second — being one of the most consistent players on the team. Her creativity, passing accuracy and shooting ability made her a dominant figure, not only in the midfield, but also as a...

Hannah Greene |  Sports Editor With the 2020 season put to an end, the time for Club Sports awards and recognition has come. Below are the Rookies of the Year, voted unanimously by the fans, — students, teammates, coaches — Assistant Club Sports Director and Club Sports Supervisor. Each athlete selected deserves this recognition not only for their participation in the club, but for their work ethic on and off the pitches.   Men’s Rookie of the Year Player – Jorge Trujillo from Men’s Club Soccer Year – Sophomore Achievement – Trujillo led the team in points and scored important goals throughout the playoffs to help the team win the Men’s CCSL Second Division Championship.  Work Ethic – Trujillo always showed his enthusiasm to contribute to the club by working hard at practice and delivering goals in the games. Trujillo was one of the most involved players in the team when it came to activities off the field.  Noteworthy – Trujillo has volunteered in the Salem-Keizer school district, where he has gone into PE classes to share his knowledge about being a student-athlete and a soccer player.    Women’s Rookie of the Year Player – Jeydawn Coates from the Dance Team Year – Junior Achievement – Coates performed with the biggest smile on her face whenever she had the opportunity and showed up to every practice ready to learn.  Work Ethic – Always had great energy and a great work ethic, even if she wasn’t in the performance for that week. Coates made all her teammates laugh and feel good. Noteworthy – Works at Dutch Bros with a great...

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...

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...

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...