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.

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!

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

When Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and her husband, Dean Gluesenkamp, stepped into Clark’s Automotive Technology lab, it was familiar territory. The couple owns Dean’s Car Care in Portland and have spent their careers working in the business. 

Automotive professors Dannie Nordsiden and Mike Godson showed the congresswoman and her husband around the shop, where students troubleshoot engines and their sophisticated computer systems. The 14,000-square-foot facility allows students an opportunity to work on real cars, trucks and electric vehicles donated by local dealerships and industry workers. With a program history that spans more than 40 years, Clark’s automotive program are producing top-tier automotive technicians with a strong focus on hands-on learning and partnerships with dealerships that include Toyota, Honda, Dick Hannah, and Audi. 

Throughout the two-year-program, all automotive students also get real-world experience working at paid apprenticeships in Vancouver auto shops. In their own repair shop, the congresswoman and her husband hire mechanics from local apprenticeship programs similar to Clark’s. Clark’s automotive technology program has regularly trained successful graduates for 40 years, with students moving on to work in auto shops and dealerships throughout southwest Washington and Portland metro area. 

After seeing gasoline-powered cars in the shop bays, the group gathered around a dismounted electric motor from a Toyota hybrid that students had been working on. Clark’s programs have kept pace with new technology and market demands. 

Next, the group toured the Welding Technology lab with professor Chad Laughlin and the Diesel Technology lab, where professor Don Gonser led the way to a red Peterbilt semitruck with the engine exposed. Gluesenkamp Perez stopped to peer into the engine before posing for a group photo in front of the enormous rig. 

Background 

During her 2022 campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania spoke often about her working-class roots, emphasizing support for small businesses, job training and local concerns, like the timber industry. Her family lives in rural Skamania County in the unincorporated community of Skamania, about 35 miles from Clark’s campus.  

A graduate of Reed College with a degree in economics, she is a businesswoman and a politician. Gluesenkamp Perez has served on the Washington State Democratic Party executive committee since 2020. She has been a member of the Underwood Soil and Water District Conservation board of supervisors since 2018. Her new role as the U.S. representative for Washington’s 3^rd congressional district began in January 2023.   

If you are interested to learn more about the Clark’s Automotive program contact Hernán Garzón, Automotive Student Recruiter at automotive@clark.edu or 360-600-2098.

Clark College recently announced
that Laura LeMasters has accepted the position of athletic director at the
college.

LeMasters joined Clark
College as assistant athletic director in 2016 and most recently served as
interim athletic director since June. She has a master’s degree in Kinesiology
with an option in Sport Management from California State University – Long
Beach and a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management with an emphasis in
Communication from WSU Pullman.

LeMasters brings a wealth
of experience in student success, college athletics, marketing, operations, and
recreation from her prior roles at Occidental College, Central Wyoming College,
and Lewis & Clark College.

“Laura is a strong student
advocate and has played an important role in ensuring our compliance with
state, federal and NWAC regulations,” said Vice President of Student Affairs
Bill Belden. “Laura is committed to continuing our focus on academic and
athletic excellence in our athletic department.”

“I am grateful and honored to be selected for the role of athletic director at Clark College,” said LeMasters. “I hope to continue to build the level of commitment to academic and athletic excellence as well as create a student experience for athletes, coaches, staff and the entire student body, that will enhance the pride of Penguin Nation.”

About Clark College Athletics

Penguin Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). The department offers 11 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball; Men’s and Women’s Basketball; Men’s and Women’s Cross Country; Men’s and Women’s Soccer; Softball; Men’s and Women’s Track & Field; and Women’s Volleyball.

Penguin Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well to pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit www.clarkpenguins.com.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The Clark College women’s soccer team concluded their 2019 regular season on Saturday, October 26. With the 3-1 win over Clackamas, the Penguins went undefeated in Southern Region play.

This continues a near-historic winning streak for Penguin women’s soccer: They have now gone 64 league games without a loss, dating back to October 17, 2014. With this win, the team has claimed their fourth NWAC Southern Region title in a row and have earned a bye for the first round of the conference tournament.

The Penguins are set to host the NWAC quarterfinal round at Kim Christensen Field on Clark College’s main campus at noon on Saturday, November 9. They will be host to the winner of the Tacoma Community College vs. Columbia Basin Community College game, to be held on Wednesday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The Clark College athletic department recently announced the 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame class.  On Saturday, February 2, the 2019 Class will be recognized during halftime of the men’s basketball game vs. Linn-Benton (approximately 4:45 p.m.). Following the basketball game, a Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held in the Gaiser Student Center at 6:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.clarkcollegefoundation.org/athletics-hall-of-fame-2019.

This
year’s honorees are:

Brenda Bessner – Women’s Track
and Field (1989-90)

• 1989
  NWAACC Shotput Champion – 42’8 ¾”
• 1989
  NWAACC Javelin Champion – 166’1”
• 1990
  NWAACC Javelin Champion – 160’2”
• Currently
  still holds the record for shotput (45-05) and Javelin (178-00)
• Competed
  in the Deaflympics in 1985/89 for both Shotput and Javelin and place 2^nd
  in each event

Janie Hogan-Corbett –
Women’s Basketball (1991-93)

• 1^st
  team all-league
• 1^st
  team all-tournament
• Led
  league in scoring and rebounding
• Compiled
  33 rebounds in one game
• Was
  part of the first undefeated team in NWAACC history (33-0)
• 1993
  NWAACC Champions

1981 Men’s Golf Team

• Team
  members:
  • Kevin
    Antolock, Greg Brown, Jeff Coad, Eric Degerman, Ian Harper, and Glen Hueser
• Head
  Coach
  • Skeet
    O’Connell

1982 Men’s Golf Team

• Team members:
  • Kevin Antolock, Mike Burch, Jeff Coad, Eric Degerman, Tim Gilberg*, and Todd Quigley  *honor awarded posthumously
• Head Coach
  • Skeet O’Connell

About Clark College Athletics

Penguin Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success
within the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). The department offers 11 intercollegiate
sports programs: Baseball; Men’s and Women’s Basketball; Men’s and Women’s
Cross Country; Men’s and Women’s Soccer; Softball; Men’s and Women’s Track
& Field; and Women’s Volleyball.

Penguin Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as
athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to
reach their educational goals, as well to pursue meaningful athletic
accomplishments. For more information, visit Clark Athletics’ website, Twitter
and Facebook pages.

The 2017 Penguins volleyball team had its best season in program history. Photo: Clark College Athletic Department.

As fall quarter comes to a close, Clark’s Athletic Department has much to take pride in from the concluding sports season. More than one fall sports teams had their best performance in team history, and many made into the championships for the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). Individual team reports are below:

Women’s Soccer 

Women’s Soccer carried over their success from the 2016 season, extending their South Region dominance, finishing 11-0-1 in conference and 13-3-1 overall. The women reached the NWAC semi-finals after defeating Whatcom 6-1 at home in their quarterfinal game.  

The semi-final game was played in Seattle against Highline Community College. Clark would score first and go into half-time with a 1-0 lead. Highline answered in both the 60:00 minute and the 67:00 minute, taking over the lead. Freshman Sarah Teubner tied the game in the 86:00 minute, propelling the Penguins into what would be two high-energy extra periods. The extra periods would conclude with both teams still tied 2-2, forcing penalty kicks. 

The Penguins ultimately fell to Highline in penalty kicks, 4-3. Highline would go on to win the NWAC title. Clark’s third-place championship finish is the best in program history. 

Forward Facienne Graham was voted South Region MVP and teammates Rylee MacDonald, Sarah Teubner, Maddison Maffeo, and Maggie Higgins received All-Star recognition. 

Teubner finished the season second in the NWAC for assists, with 13. Graham finished fourth in the NWAC for points with 40, and fifth in assists with 10. Goal-keeper Higgins finished second in the NWAC for save percentage, with .864. 

Men’s Soccer 

Men’s Soccer found themselves in the playoffs this season following a 4-4-2 conference record and 4-8-2 overall record. The South Region saw an evenly talented pool of teams throughout the season, with playoff positions being decided in the final games of the conference season. Clark secured their third-place finish, which put them on the road up to Tacoma for their playoff game. 

Clark fell to Tacoma 3-0, with all of Tacoma’s goals coming in the last 17 minutes of the game. Freshman forward Eric Hernandez-Tavera received South Region MVP and teammates Colton Mannhalter, Kento Oudomphong, Vladimir Romano, and Miguel Martin received All-Star recognition. 

Volleyball 

Volleyball finished their season with the best record in school history: 34-8 overall, 11-3 in conference. With the top three spots in the South Region being up for grabs until the final matches of conference play, the Penguins secured the third-place position heading into the NWAC tournament. 

Clark defeated three NWAC opponents before falling to Chemeketa, 1-3, in the double-elimination tournament. They faced Bellevue in the elimination game, after defeating them 3-1 during the second-round of the tournament. 

The Penguins finished the first set in dominant fashion, defeating the Bulldogs 25-9. The Bulldogs answered in the second set 25-18, forcing a third set. The final set appeared evenly matched, but Bellevue ultimately defeated the Penguins 15-11. Clark would finish their season with a third-place standing in the conference. 

Freshman Dalaney Tuholski finished fourth in the NWAC in kills with 374. Freshman Mary Schorn finished fourth in digs per set with 4.71 and fifth in digs with 518. Freshman Olivia White finished second in the NWAC in blocks per set with 1.30. 

Men’s Cross Country 

Men’s Cross-Country finished the South region in third place. Sophomore Sam Andersen finished fifth with a time of 27.43; right behind him was freshman teammate Jarod Hulsizer, at 27.47. Freshman Javier Tavera finished sixteenth with 30.13 and freshman Jose Cruz-Solis finished thirty-fourth with a time of 33.293. 

The South Region meet was held at Umpqua Community College in what turned out to be a competitive course involving multiple hills for the athletes to climb. 

The NWAC championship meet was held in Lacey, Washington, on the campus of St. Martin’s University. The men finished fourth with seven runners completing the course. Freshman Jarod Hulsizer finished sixth with a time of 27:41.50, earning All-American status as a Top Seven finisher. 

Women’s Cross Country

Women’s Cross-Country saw much success at the end of their season. They finished in second place at the South Region meet, with four runners finishing in the top ten. Freshman Lizzye Rybalka finished third with a time of 21.37 and freshman Natalia Urtiaga finished fifth, 22.00. Sophomore Aislynn Hansen finished ninth, 23.04, and freshman Lulu Meksheneva finished tenth, 23.15. 

The women would carry that success into the NWAC championship meet, finishing in fourth, only two points behind the third-place finishing team. Urtiaga finished the course fifth, earning All-American status. Rybalka would finish ninth, followed by Hansen in fourteenth. 

Coming up: Basketball 

With the conclusion of the fall sports season, both men’s and women’s basketball programs are in the middle of their non-conference schedule. The men will be hosting an NWAC crossover tournament December 15-17, which will include a round-robin tournament with Centralia, Olympic, and Spokane. Both the teams will open their conference play in January, with their first home conference opponent, Lane, coming into town on Saturday, January 6, at 2:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. for the women’s game). 

For all upcoming schedule and events, visit www.clarkpenguins.com 

The 2017 Clark College Women’s Soccer team

With its 2-0 road victory over Southwestern Oregon this past Saturday, Clark College Women’s Soccer clinched the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) South Region title.

Led by Head Coach Sean Jansen–who received a Presidential Coin in September for his service to the college–the team has racked up some impressive statistics.The Penguins have scored 45 goals and allowed only 4–the biggest spread in the South. Penguins stat leaders include Facienne Graham with 10 goals, Sarah Teubner with 9 assists, and goalkeeper Maggie Higgins with 38 saves. The Penguins have a South Region best 9-0-1 conference record. The Penguins have 28 points in the region standings with two matches to play. They will be the No. 1 seed from the region and receive a first-round bye in the NWAC playoffs. Clark will host the first round of playoffs on Nov. 4 against a team yet to be determined.

The Penguins finish out their conference schedule at home, taking on Portland Community College at home on Saturday, October 21, at Kim Christensen Field, followed by playing Rogue Community College on Wednesday, October 25.

In other sports news from the weekend:

Men’s Soccer

The Penguins beat Southwestern Oregon 3-0 at Coos Bay.

Eric Hernandez, David Garnica and Mark Fabyanchuk scored goals. Nick Henry assisted on Hernandez’s goal, and Chikuru Balekeassisted on the other two.

Joseph Miguel Martin recorded the shutout in goal.

Clark (4-6-1, 4-3-1) is in second place in the South Region with 13 points, two in front of Portland. Clark and Portland meet next Saturday at Vancouver.

Volleyball

Clark rolled past Southwestern Oregon with a 3-0 win at the O’Connell Center. Scores were 25-18, 25-11, 25-14.

Madison Swanson had six kills, Dalaney Tuholski had five kills, Mary Schorn had 12 digs, and Megan Hess had 12 assists.

Clark (22-4, 7-2) is third in the NWAC South, one game behind Linn-Benton and Chemeketa, which are tied for first at 8-1.

Next for Clark is a crossover tournament at Aberdeen next weekend.

Cross Country

The Clark women placed fifth out of nine teams at the George Fox Classic, held at Willamette Mission State Park in Gervais, Ore. The Clark men were seventh out of 11 teams.

Battle Ground High grad Lizzye Ribalka was the top women’s finisher for the Penguins. She was 20th out of 90 runners in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 19:40.8.

Ridgefield High grad Sam Andersen was the top men’s placer for the Penguins. He was 31st out of 123 runners on the 8K course with a time of 26:34.0.

Athletics intern Davis Young contributed to this article. Photo: Clark College Athletics.

Paul Cannon, green pants, sits with former Head Coach Eric Harper during a game.

Paul Cannon, former Assistant Coach for Clark College Women’s Basketball during the 2016-17 season, was moved into the Interim Head Coaching Position following the stepping down of former Head Coach Eric Harper.

Cannon joined the staff last season assisting first-year head coach Harper in a rebuilding year for the program. The Penguins finished the season 7-20 overall, with 12 of their losses by 10 or fewer points.

The Penguins will be returning two sophomores as they rebuild the program and gain buy-in to the new system being implemented by Cannon.

Prior to Clark, Cannon’s basketball experience includes five years at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Washington. At Evergreen, Cannon worked his way up from volunteering with the basketball program to becoming the varsity assistant coach. While working with the basketball program at Evergreen, he helped nine of his athletes move on to play at the college level.

Coming on as an assistant for the program is former NWAC player at Yakima Valley, Rosetta Adzasu. Adzasu also competed at the NCAA Division I level for the Washington State Cougars. Her experience as a college athlete, along with her time coaching with the Nike EYBL Fast Program, will be great assets to the team and the program.

Athletic Director Chris Jacob said, “We are very fortunate that our coaches find such high-quality assistants. With Coach Harper leaving, we are grateful and excited to see what Coach Cannon can do with the program and know that he will do well in this quick transition.”

Jacob also talked about the new assistant coach Rosetta Adzasu, “She is a very experienced basketball player that has so much to offer,” he said. “With her experience playing professionally, we welcome the knowledge she has. We are very excited to see what Coach Cannon and Coach Adzasu can do in such short time.”

Clark College Athletics contributed this article.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Mark Magdaleno was named Interim Baseball Coach in January 2016.

Clark College has named Mark Magdaleno as its Interim Head Baseball Coach. Magdaleno takes over as the Penguins are preparing to begin practice for the upcoming season.

“Mags” takes the helm after serving as the associate head baseball coach since he was hired in August. He has spent 32 years coaching baseball at the high school and college level. Most recently he was on staff at Ventura College in California, where he also began his career in 1983. Magdaleno has extensive coaching experience in California and throughout the West. Andy Moore, Mick Ellett, and Jesse Villanueva continue to serve as assistant coaches for the team.

Director of Athletics Ann Walker says she feels fortunate to have Magdaleno and his staff leading the baseball team. “There is great energy in our baseball program right now and that is a tribute to Mags and his assistant coaches,” she says. “I am confident, through his leadership, our young men will achieve great successes, enjoy a sport they love playing, and will represent the program and athletic department in a manner we can all be proud of. I look forward to working with him and his staff and watching the team compete this spring.”

Clark College opens its 2016 season on Tuesday, March 1, against Linfield College at home.

Photo: Clark College/Nick Bremer-Korb

Clark College Penguin Miles Martin dunks during a Dec. 4 game against Wenatchee Community College. Photo: Bruce Berg

The Clark College men’s basketball team opened its home season with a wire-to-wire, 84-64 victory over the visiting Wenatchee Valley Knights on December 4.

The Penguins, who had previously relied on their hot shooting to create early leads, just couldn’t find the range from the field and only shot 33 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3. The shooting woes frustrated the Penguins, which led to some uncharacteristic fouls and turnovers as the team pressed early in the game. The Penguins committed 27 fouls, which led to 34 free-throw attempts for Wenatchee.

“Games like that are good to go through,” Head Coach Alex Kirk said following the win. “No one in that locker room feels good about our performance, but we found a way win despite not being at our best. There’s a lot to learn from this type of performance.”

It certainly wasn’t all bad for Clark College, as the Penguins had four players in double figures, led by Micah Paulson‘s 19 points on 6-10 shooting. Bryan Berg added 13, Eris Winder Jr. added 11, and Aubrey Stephens added 10. Additionally, Glenn Baral had another great overall performance: 6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 assists, 0 turnovers and only 1 foul.

Led by Baral’s 10 rebounds, the Penguins out-rebounded the Knights from Wenatchee Valley 52-43, en route to a 17-5 advantage in second chance points. During the evening, the Penguins had 17 offensive rebounds, their highest number to date. “The guys really crashed the offensive glass hard tonight,” a pleased Coach Kirk said, looking at the stat sheet. “In that area, this was definitely our best effort thus far this season.”

Additionally, the Penguins had 14 steals and forced 21 overall turnovers on the evening, which led to a 16-8 advantage in points off of turnovers. While Clark’s outside shooting touch wasn’t as efficient as had been previously, the Penguins still outscored the Knights 30-9 in points off of threes.

Perhaps the greatest strength thus far for the Penguins has been their depth, and once again the Clark bench proved to be a huge weapon. Clark’s bench dominated the Knights 38-22 in bench scoring. Aubrey Stephens, Devon Hawkins and David Baze all provided huge contributions throughout the game, especially on the defensive end, where they frustrated Wenatchee all night long.

Next up for the Penguins will be Concordia JV on Thursday, December 10. Tip is at 7 p.m. at the O’Connell Sports Complex.