Mount Hood

Knock knock, Men’s Rugby team knocking down doors to reach new endgame, bringing home a win against Oregon State University

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Saturday morning called for misty skies, hot tea and the first home game for Men’s Rugby. Oct. 5, the Wolves played Oregon State University as their debut match for the 2019 season, bringing home a well-earned win.

Stepping onto the pitch, players and spectators could barely see 10 yards in front of them, as the mist circled each player as they warmed up. The fog continued to lay across the field, claiming its stake.

“This is great rugby weather!” exclaimed the sir of the match. 

Bernard Barber — a senior for the Wolves, studying business with a focus in marketing — felt confident in himself and his team to start this season on the right foot. 

“We’ve done a lot of preparation… watched a lot of film. I believe every guy is prepared today, I believe we’re more confident this year,” Barber said. 

With a lot of seniors from the previous team now gone and a tough playoff loss in the previous season, the Wolves have something to climb for. 

“We want to come back and prove ourselves this year and be better than we were last year,” said Barber. The Wolves got an early start to the season by beginning their practices during the summer, as well as adding an extra day, making practice five days a week.

The start of the game was filled with energy and consistenecy from both teams. Oregon State University, a rival, has been a difficult opponent for the Wolves in the past. Throughout the match, the Beavers put up great battles to stop scoring opportunities for the Wolves. Oregon State University won some rough tackles and completed two unanswered tries before Western could put one down. 

The Wolves continued to push on to get some points on the scoreboard. 

Breakthrough player — first-year on the team, Keegan Echevarria — scored a try after an intense run, being tackled into the point. This was followed by a conversion of two points from kicker and player — a returning sophomore, Braedon Eltagonde — leaving the Wolves hungry for more. 

Keegan Echevarria scored the Wolves’s second try as well, catching them up to the Beavers. The Wolves kicker completed the second two-point conversion putting the team ahead of Oregon State University.

But the Beavers weren’t done yet. They answered the Wolves point with another completion, making their score 19. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Echevarria was unable to finish the game due to an injury sustained during play, leaving them a man down. That didn’t stop them, though, as they continued gaining momentum. 

Moments later, Trever Kahunahana — one of the Men’s Rugby team captains — left to the sideline after a strain in his right leg kept him from finishing the game, leaving the team to play two men down. 

This had no effect on the Wolves. They came back with another completion by Bernard Barber and a two-point completion by Braedon Eltagonde, making the score 19-21, Western. 

The last minutes of the game had everyone on the edge of their seats with the seconds ticking away. The final whistle blew as the Wolves rushed the field to celebrate their first season win. 

“We put it all together out on the field… makes me feel good, feel proud of everyone out here,” said Riley Bardes, a senior studying Exercise Science, in regards to their first win at home. “We have a pretty bright future — a lot to live up to — but we’re more than ready to do it.” 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Men’s Soccer has a rocky start to season with big loss to University of Oregon

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

A perfectly sunny day welcomed the Men’s Soccer team to the pitch for their first home game. Oct. 6 our Wolves played the University of Oregon Ducks — the team that has showed no mercy to Western in the past. 

As warm ups began, nerves were shaken out. The Wolves brought a squad of only 12 men including one goalkeeper, meaning only one substitute was available during the game. 

In the first three minutes of the game, the Ducks scored their first goal from a slip pass to an unmarked forward, making the score 1-0. 

The Wolves’s goalkeeper — first-year Wyatt Haak — heightened the energy with a tackle against a Ducks’s forward, not only taking the ball but taking out the forward as well. 20 minutes into the game, Western’s own forward stepped off of the field due to an injury leaving 10 players on the field, giving the University of Oregon a huge advantage.

The Ducks took a corner kick bringing the goalkeeper out for a 50/50 ball, leaving the goal wide open. Wolves’s defender made the save and kicked the ball out of the goal before it could cross the white goal line.

An offensive attack from the Ducks created another opportunity, making the defense work hard and save yet another goal by clearing the ball out. At the 31 minute mark Wolves’s goalie made another save against an unmarked Ducks’s forward, tackling the player and hitting the ball out. Western’s defense continued to maintain the tempo of the game to keep University of Oregon at only one goal.

The Ducks connected a one-two pass to the goal and shot the ball with a fast spin; Wolves’s defender went to stop the ball and it came off his foot wrong and right into Western’s own goal, making the score 2-0 Ducks.

The Wolves got multiple breakaways and transitions towards the Ducks’s goal, but were unable to find a way to finish. The last five minutes of the first-half, the Ducks gave high pressure and continued to take chances at the goal, causing panic among the Wolves, but the Wolves kept pushing forward to keep the first half 2-0.

The Wolves started the second half on the wrong foot; only 10 minutes in and the University of Oregon scored two more times to make the score 4-0. 

Both teams continued to show perseverance and effort, with strong battles to every ball. Even though the Wolves had no luck to score, they created multiple chances and kept a cool head in the game. 

Towards the end of the game, the Wolves began to show frustration with each other, with the defense unable to find any offense. Then, out of nowhere, the Wolves hit a long ball over the Ducks’s defense, leaving Western’s forward to shoot the ball, only to have it hit the keeper. The forward didn’t stop and kicked the ball again to see it to the back of the net. Western Oregon University now had one point on the scoreboard. 

The final score: University of Oregon 6 and Western Oregon University 1.

Although the Wolves lost their first home match, they made for a game that kept the audience on the edge of their seat. While only having 10 men on the field for a portion of the game and no subs, the Wolves stayed strong and left every bit of energy on the field.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu 

Photos by Hannah Greene

Varsity sports summer season catch up, what you missed

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Men’s Football started Fall Term with 125 total points, averaging about 31.25 points per game, equivalent to about four touchdowns. In the game against Azusa Pacific on Sept. 21 — our first GNAC conference opponent — the Wolves put up the fight for a win, making their record 1-2. It was a touchdown-difference game with the Wolves finishing at a 42-36 score. 

The team moved on to Saturday, Sept. 28 and played Central Washington University, bringing home another win to make their record a 2-2. In the past, Central Washington has put the Wolves to quite a test, beating them twice during conference play last year by nearly five touchdowns per game. This is the first win against Central in Ellinsburg since 1998.

Coming up — Oct. 5 the Wolves play at home against our neighbor Canada, Simon Fraser. 

The team will face a new opponent — Oct. 26 against the Mustangs from Midwestern State Texas, and will no longer be competing against Humboldt State University as they have left the GNAC conference.

The men’s and women’s Cross-Country teams, who are consistently successful at Western, began their seasons with strong performances at the first annual Ash Creek Invitational. The women placed second overall behind Division I University of Oregon, keeping strong throughout the entire race to stake eleventh-place, fifteenth-place and seventeenth-place. The men placed eleventh overall with an average time of 21:04, comparatively to University of Oregon’s 17:58. 

To continue their streak, at the Sundowner Invitational, both men and women placed in the top five. Their next race is not far from home at Willamette University on Oct. 5.

New year, new coach, new team? Women’s Soccer gained a new head coach, Kasey Bingham,  who is turning the program around. They started off their season strong with three consecutive wins before two losses to Adams State University and Cal State Monterey Bay, losing only by one goal each game. The team faced one tie and continued to heat up with two wins at home game matches, finishing in overtime against California State Dominguez Hills. This past week, Sept. 26 and 28, the Wolves left home to start their conference play against MSU Billings ending in a 1-0 loss and a 1-1 tie against Northwest Nazarene. 

Will women’s soccer continue to only win at home, or will they bring their A-game on the road?

Women’s Volleyball started their season slow with many hiccups, losing eight games and winning only two. GNAC started early for the volleyball team on Sept. 17, resulting in a loss against Concordia. Following that loss, the Wolves continue to lose their conference games, holding a record of 0-4. Their next home matches are Oct. 10 and 12 against Alaska and Alaska Anchorage.

Women’s softball is currently preparing for season that will begin Oct. 12 against Clackamas Community College.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Club sports are back in session for fall

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Western Oregon offers a variety of club sports, some being Tier I — competitive play with seasons and multiple games/tournaments — and Tier II which do not normally compete and are more of a gathering of people with similar interests. Western has many teams returning hungry for more wins, championships and titles. 

Men’s Rugby returns this season after an extraordinary year full of victories and achievements. This team has a strong tradition of success and recognition across the pitch; they are nationally ranked 30 out of 240+ teams. Men’s Rugby is an excellent choice for anyone looking to step on the gridiron and battle it out.

Women’s Soccer is back and ready for more grueling battles, hopefully able to put away a win against the only team that beat them in their previous season: University of Oregon Gold. This is Women’s Soccer first year as an IFC funded club team, thanks to the hard work and perseverance of graduated player and club founder, Haylie Shinsato. 

Men’s Lacrosse, another highly successful club sport at Western, returns this year after a national ranking with multiple individual honors. They begin practicing this fall to prepare for their season during Spring Term. 

Along with these fall teams are Women’s Rugby, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, the Rock Climbing Team, and Dance Team which performs at halftime during every home football game. 

Tier II club sports include a running, tennis and wrestling team. 

For those looking for something active with no big time commitment or a lot of traveling, club sports is the way to go. Some club sports are free to join while other teams fundraise throughout season to help with any costs that may be needed. Club sports offer a way to exercise, have fun and meet great people while being a part of the school and getting the chance to rep Western’s red and black proudly.

For more information about club sports, how to join, teams schedules and more, visit wou.edu/campusrec/programs/club-sports/ or follow their social media pages on Instagram. Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

 

Four Wolves drafted history made

Paul F. Davis | Managing Editor

Four Western baseball players, center Jared McDonald and pitchers Alex Roth, Austin Crowson and Koty Fallon, made history on June 3-5 by becoming the largest class of Western baseball players to be signed in a single MLB draft.

Jared McDonald, a senior, was majoring in exercise science and was picked first out of the four. Mcdonald was picked in the 19th round as the 584th pick to the Oakland Athletics. McDonald spent his first two seasons at Grand Canyon University; while at Western, he was given the title of All-GNAC twice, finished his senior season 6th in conference with 54 hits, 4th with 46 runs scored, 5th with 9 home runs, 7th with 39 RBI, 4th in slugging percentage at .611 and finished his time at college tied for third all-time most home runs with 18.

Alex Roth, a junior, was majoring in biology and was drafted in the 21st round as the 634th pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his junior season at Western, Roth became the GNAC Pitcher of the Year and also earned a place on the First Team All-GNAC. Additionally, he became the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Pitcher of the Week and GNAC Pitcher of the Week when he struck out 15 players  in seven innings on March 30, 2019 against Saint Martin’s. These 15 strikeouts made history at Western and set the single-game record for most strikeouts, tying the GNAC record with five other pitchers.

Austin Crowson, a junior, was majoring in criminal justice and was drafted in the 39th round as the 1170th pick to the Philadelphia Phillies. Crowson only played for Western for a year and earned First Team All-GNAC honors. Crowson also won National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week after throwing a no-hitter on April 25 at Concordia. Crowson also threw two additional complete game shutouts.

Koty Fallon, a senior and the only player to spend four years at Western, was majoring in communications and was drafted in the 39th round as the 1170th pick to the San Diego Padres. During his final season at Western, Fallon made 12 appearances and had a team best 0.66 ERA. During these appearances, he struck out 20 in 13 innings and only allowed  one run all season.

In the next few months, the four players will find out which development teams they will get sent to. But for now, fans at home are excited to say that this year’s draft team was historic.

 

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of WOUWolves

Final intramural leaderboard of Spring Term

Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

Soccer

Co-Rec, Tuesday-Thursday Evenings

  1. Look ma, no hands! (6-0)
  2. Los Linguistas (5-1)
  3. Dunder Mifflin (4-3)
  4. Your Goalie’s Nightmare (3-2)
  5. Head Game Strong (3-4)
  6. Grace & The Funky Bunch (1-6)
  7. Team World (0-6)

 

Softball

Co-Rec Sunday Night League

  1. Broke Bat Mountain (5-0)
  2. benchwarmers (4-1)
  3. Swingers (4-1)
  4. Misfits (2-3)
  5. Always Going Deep (2-3)
  6. Masterbatterz (1-4)
  7. Dunder Mifflin Inc. (0-5)
  8. Wait for it…. (0-5)

Co-Rec Thursday Evening League

  1. Basic Pitches (4-1)
  2. Soft balls (4-1)
  3. Bad Apples (4-2)
  4. The One Hit Wonders (1-4)
  5. Rolling Bunts (1-4)

Men’s Monday Evening League

  1. Opihi Lickahz (5-0)
  2. Rippin Magoos (3-2)
  3. Dirty Ball Bags (2-3)
  4. Blue Ballers (0-5)

 

Volleyball

Co-Rec Competitive — Monday/Tuesday Evenings

  1. Killah Hawaiians (7-0)
  2. Bumpin’ (4-3)
  3. Meow Down (3-5)
  4. Wait for it…. (0-7)

Co-Rec Recreational — Monday/Tuesday Evenings

  1. Incomprehensibilities (8-0)
  2. Scott’s Tots (7-2)
  3. Work for sets (3-5)
  4. I’d hit that (1-7)

Co-Rec Recreational — Wednesday/Thursday Evenings

  1. Spiked Tea (5-3)
  2. The Agents (4-3)
  3. S.S.F.F.F.A.F.F. (0-7)

Men’s/Women’s — Wednesday Evening

  1. Joey’s Men’s VB Team (6-1)
  2. Bumping balls (3-4)
  3. Ball Busters (3-4)
  4. Meet the Blockers (3-4)
  5. Mas Hits (3-5)

 

Rugby

Co-Rec Flag Rugby

  1. How does one rugby?? (1-0)
  2. Bangahz Only (0-1)

Open Flag Rugby

  1. Idk what’s going on (3-0)
  2. Hook Those Balls (1-2)
  3. Balls Out!! (0-2)

 

Spring Golf Tournament

  1. Wakem (39)
  2. Wanderscheid (39)
  3. Dodd (41)
  4. Nowack (41)
  5. Moore (41)
  6. Weaver (43)
  7. Johnson (45)
  8. Brooks (46)
  9. Chimienti (48)
  10. White (49)
  11. Halle (51)
  12. Minniti (51)
  13. Reynolds (51)
  14. Benavides (55)

 

Flag Football Tournament

  1. Show Me Your TDs (3-0)
  2. 9 HC’s (2-1)
  3. Tightest ends (1-2)
  4. Rollin with Mahomies (0-3)

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Hall of Fame: Club Sports

Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

This year proved to be a successful one for Club Sports — each team had something to be proud of, and each had players worth recognizing. The coaches of each sport were asked to nominate their top player and their top rookie of the year; here is a look at the female and male athletes that were chosen, along with the reasons that their coaches nominated them, in the words of their coaches.

[fruitful_sep]

Male Player of the Year

Joey Caver

Sport: Rugby

Class: 2019

Performance: “Joey is a strong athlete. He works very hard at practice and on game-day. He

runs hard, he tackles well and he motivates people around him to be better. I played with Joey during my time here and now I am his coach, but even as a first-year he always had a drive to get better everyday. From when he first came out, to the year he had this year, he made a massive change. It was a pleasure having him as a teammate, and as a player.”

Character/Work Ethic: “Joey is a very humble person. He puts in the work without fussing and drives people around to push themselves through the hardships. I mentioned more above

before I read this question.”

Achievements in the Sport: Selected first team all conference; he was selected to play for the NorCal All-Star team; he was selected to join the Pacific Coast All-Stars

Other Noteworthy Achievements: Joey Caver is also a mentor for at risk middle school children.

Female Player of the Year

Amber Haslinger

Sport: Soccer

Class: 2020

Performance: “Amber started with the team when the club was formed … She has always exceeded the expectations and goals given by myself or one of the other coaches. Fellow players look towards her as one of the leaders in the team — she’s not a vocal leader, but instead an actions-speak-louder-than-words leader. Amber has been one of our most consistent forwards throughout this season and last season as well.”

Character/Work Ethic: “Amber has always been a hard worker on and off the field. She is always one of the first players to arrive to practices and games. Amber will make any of her teammates feel welcomed and will always make sure that her teammates are doing okay if she notices them not acting the way they normally do.”

Achievements in the Sport: Co-Captain; scored 9 Goals so far this season, 5 last season; contributed three goals during the OSU tournament where the team earned 3rd; part of the NWCSL Small School Division Championship Fall 2018

Other Noteworthy Achievements: Works at the Child Development Center on Campus; recently completed her licensure exams to be part of the ED Program

[fruitful_sep]

Male Rookie of the Year

Jonathan Williams

Sport: Lacrosse

Class: 2022

Performance: “Johnny led the team in total points and in goals scored as a first-year. He also was very important to our transition game and consistently improved defensively.”

Character/Work Ethic: “His work ethic is second-to-none. Even though he could rely solely on his athleticism and probably be better than most, he works hard every day in practice and

never complains. He is also very encouraging of his teammates which I think speaks to his character.”

Achievements in the Sport: Williams was named 1st Team All-League Midfield; he scored 58 goals and led the team to Semi-Finals in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) Tournament; Williams was named Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) 3rd Team All-American

Other Noteworthy Achievements: Williams also helped lead practice for West Salem High School during their preseason workouts early in winter of 2019.

 

Female Rookie of the Year

Hannah Greene

Sport: Soccer

Class: 2020

Performance: “She will give maximum effort in practices and games. Has always risen to the

occasion during big games and tournament play this year … has become one of the first players I will pencil into the starting 11 team sheet week in, week out; due to her being one of the most consistent defenders but being as well a versatile player where she can step into the center midfield or forward role when needed.”

Character/Work Ethic: “Hannah is a hard worker … she has a high soccer IQ, she will give opinions or suggestions to myself or one of the other coaches that we may not see during the game that she might see as a pivotal observation that can help in us winning that specific game. Hannah will always play with high intensity. ”

Achievements in the Sport: Two goals, three assists this year; part of the team that won the NWCSL Small School Division Championship fall 2018; part of the defensive backline that has helped in only conceding 10 goals and having an extraordinary goals-against average of 0.935 this season

Other Noteworthy Achievements: Assistant coach for the Girls’ soccer program at Central High School; part of semi-pro team, CFC Atletica

[fruitful_sep]

Photos courtesy of Andy Main

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