Track and field teams show excellence

Head track and field coach Doug Bowman, taking over for Matt Hart, who stepped down from the top job last month, came to Mt. Hood after Hart had solicited his expertise for years.

After retiring from a teaching career in 2012, Bowman would follow one of his student’s footsteps and become a Saint.

“I decided I would come out of retirement and coach again. I have been coaching track and field at the club level and privately for the past 16 years with athletes of all ages,” he explained. Hart, whom he had known for a decade and highly respects, “made it very easy to get back into coaching… I would like to thank him for bringing me on board.”

Mt. Hood’s track athletes have remained focused during the coaching transition, gearing up for the NWAACC championship meet in May. Bowman said several Saints are on target to qualify.

Many Saints showed their stuff at the Cougar Open last weekend, where both Mt. Hood teams finished first over Clackamas College, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Clark Colllege, and Lane College.

The men’s team score was close, as the Saints edged the second-place finisher, 79 points to 73.

The Mt. Hood women blew away their rivals, taking 109.50 points to 63.50 points for the closest team.

“All (our) athletes really put out great performances with some PRs (personal records) and a yet another school record,” said Bowman.

The latter reference would be to sophomore McKenzie Warren, who collected first-place finishes in the shotput (13.03m) and the discus (43.30m) and broke her own personal and Mt. Hood record in the hammer throw with a heave of 54.44 meters (178 feet, 7 inches).

Several more Saints collected more than one top-five finish.

Freshman Courtney Andre and sophomore Caitlyn Safley supplied their speed to help freshman Marley Yates and sophomore Whitney Warren to win the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 4.09.37. Yates also won second place in the high jump.

In the 200-meter sprint, Safley earned first place (26.59), Andre took third (27.79) and Warren claimed 5th (28.69).

Andre and Safley weren’t finished. Safley took first in the 400-meter run (1.00.25). Close behind was freshman Shanice Lakes, with a time of  1.00.31.

Andre claimed first in both the 100-meter hurdles (16.47) and long jump with 5.12 meters. Freshman Xayna Robinson won third for the Lady Saints in both the long jump with 4.92 meters and the triple jump (10.45 meters).

In the 1,500 meter race, freshman Haley McDonald won first (5.15.04) and freshman Katerina Lucero took third (5.37.06).

Also helping Mt. Hood secure its first-place overall finish was sophomore Megan Nelson, who won third place throwing the javelin (34.94 meters).

The men’s team saw great results in the throwing events.

In the javelin, sophomore Justin Schlant won first place, at 54.88 meters. Freshman Josh Visan hit his personal record, finishing fourth, at 48.51 meters.

In the discus, Mt. Hood swept the top three spots, led by sophomore Cody Quinton (43.07 meters), freshman Zach Kilgore (39.25 meters) and freshman Tyler Jackson (39.20 meters).

Kilgore also threw for second place in the shotput event, at 13.29 meters, and Jackson took third with 13.07m.

Freshman Janaree Porter claimed second in the 100-meter spint (11.42) only to be beaten by a non-NWAACC athlete. Freshman sensation Devon “Seattle” Larson won first in the 110-hurdles, at 15.94, meanwhile. In the 800-meter run, sophomore Cody Beierle took first (1.58.57).

The next meet will be held at Mt. Hood on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.

Advocate Staff