Clark Freshman Wins Award

_{Mia Beightol with her NWAC Runner of the Year ring.}

Mia Beightol earned NWAC Runner of the Year after finishing first in her 3K run at the Fall 2024 Women’s Cross-Country Championships. She finished the run with a time of 18:18:4, winning by over 14 seconds.

Beightol’s win helped catapult the entire Penguins women’s cross-country team to second place at the championships overall. She was also the Southern Regional Champion with a time of 18:35.6.

_{Left to right: Mia shows her ring to Chair Denise Gideon, President Dr. Karin Edwards, Vice Chair Marilee Scarbrough, and Cristhian Canseco Juárez.}

She was recognized with a championship ring at the Clark Board of Trustees’ meeting on February 26. Clark President Dr. Karin Edwards presented her the ring as an audience full of supporters and her parents watched over Zoom.

While Beightol herself was humble, the women’s cross-country coach Owen Frasier—who also received the 2024 NWAC Southern Region Men’s Coach of the Year—made sure the trustees understood what an accomplishment this was.

With emotion in his voice, he shared with the trustees that Beightol was not only an excellent athlete but academically accomplished, with a 3.7 GPA. He also shared that his own daughter looks up to Beightol for being a great, kind person.

This is the second year in a row that Clark College won the honor of NWAC Runner of the Year, the 2023 honoree was Sydnee Boothby.

Congratulations, Mia Beightol!

_{Mia Beightol, far left. Photo courtesy of Penguin Athletics.}

About NWAC

The Northwest Athletic Conference is the parent organization for thirty-six (36) community colleges located in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. It is the mission of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) to foster athletic participation in an environment that supports equitable opportunities for student-athletes consistent with the educational objectives of member colleges. (From NWAC’s website)

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent