Clark College has carefully reviewed the Northwest Athletic Conference’s recently announced Return to Play for Fall Sports and made the difficult decision to not offer sports programming during the 2020 fall term.

This decision was based on the impact of the NWAC guidelines on Clark’s students and staff, as well as the continued increase of COVID-19 cases in Clark County and surrounding areas. As always, the safety of our students, employees, and greater community remains paramount.

This decision will directly affect the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competition season, currently scheduled to begin this Fall. Clark will forego entering teams into scheduled NWAC competitions for the 2020 season. If future decisions are made, delaying the Cross Country season to winter term, there is a possibility for Cross Country to compete in the winter.

This decision also includes training and practice components for the Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, as well as the training and practice components for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Track and Field. The college will continue to closely monitor guidance from NWAC for changes to their 2020-2021 sports calendar.

“This is by far the most difficult decision I have had to make, since taking on this role,” said Clark College Director of Athletics Laura LeMasters. “Ultimately, the student safety and experience was at the forefront of our conversation, along with the safety of our coaches, trainers, and department staff. We are prepared to work with local health authorities and college administrators to return to play, when our campus and community can provide the safety and experience expected by those who attend Clark College.”

LeMasters added that the college appreciates each student-athlete who chose to attend Clark College and represent the Penguins in competition this fall, and will honor their athletic aid. “Should a student-athlete decide that another situation will allow them to be successful elsewhere, Clark College stands ready to assist in that transition,” she said.

Clark College will consider the status of subsequent 2020-2021 sport seasons for winter and spring at an appropriate time in the future and in accordance with the most current version of NWAC protocols for return.

As always, Clark College will continue to center its decisions on the health and safety of its student‐athletes, coaches, athletic staff, support members, and fans as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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

Clark College welcomes the community to its third annual Healthy Penguin Walkabout on Saturday, June 2, on its main campus. This free, family-friendly event offers a wide range of opportunities for personal health assessments, wellness-related education, and healthy activities.

Activities run 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will take place both indoors and outside. Guests will begin their visit in Gaiser Hall, where they can register and receive an event passport as early as 9:30 a.m. Gaiser is most easily accessed from the Green 1 and Red 3 parking lots. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

This year’s event is organized and volunteer-staffed by Clark College faculty and students from the Business and Health Sciences Unit,Clark College Athletics, and Child and Family Studies.

Free health assessments and learning activities include:

• Blood glucose levels
• Oral Health and Wellness
• Body mass index (BMI) and body fat percent
• Grip strength and balance
• Diabetes risk level
• Blood pressure and pulse
• Stress reduction strategies
• Sports skills challenge with Clark College athletes
• Children and families connecting with nature
• Medication safety
• See inside an ambulance

Stations on the walkabout will include children’s activities, fun souvenirs, healthy snacks, a raffle for both adults and children, as well as additional prizes that include an annual membership to the college’s Thompson Fitness Center. Children’s activities include a “ninja warrior” obstacle course in the O’Connell Sports Center gymnasium. Guests are also invited to walk a half-mile “Penguin Pathway” through the college’s beautiful, 90-acre campus and arboretum. Organizers are also collecting donations of non-perishable food and personal-hygiene items for the college’s Penguin Pantry. Guests will receive one extra raffle ticket for every four pantry items they donate.

To learn more about the details of this event, visit www.clark.edu/cc/walkabout.

This event is a part of the college’s focus on inter-professional learning for Clark Business and Health Sciences students. “When healthcare disciplines work together, including business, healthcare is more efficient in terms of cost, resources, and time,” said Dean of Business and Health Sciences Brenda Walstead. “The event also increases engagement and learning among Clark College’s students, and provides the community with access to a wealth of information that can lead to healthier outcomes for all individuals.”

Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), prior to the event.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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.

The Clark College volleyball team celebrates its second place finish in the 2015 season.

The Clark Volleyball team started the NWAC Championship tournament with a No. 3 South Region seed and an opening match loss on Thursday to Walla Walla in five sets. After that, the Penguins went on a roll and won their next six matches on Friday and Saturday to make it to the Championship game on Sunday.

Head coach Mark Dunn said he kept telling the team to take things one match at a time. And after a big win over South Region rival Chemeketa, it was about authenticating that win. “After we defeated Chemeketa on Friday, we felt like we had to validate that on Saturday,” Dunn said. “And the ladies came through with four in a row.”

Their run at the NWAC Championship came to a halt Sunday afternoon at the Tacoma Convention Center. Three-time defending champ Blue Mountain (42-9) of Pendleton, Oregon, added a fourth straight title with a 3-1 win over the Penguins. The Penguins opened the match with a back-and-forth battle and won 25-23. The next three sets and the title went to the Timberwolves. Scores for the match were 23-25, 25-17, 25-22, and 25-20.

Clark’s Janessa Mast had 14 kills and 16 digs, Livia Strandberg had 12 kills and 10 digs, Meghan Turner had 26 digs, Gauleighyan Eastman had 22 assists and 10 digs, and Kinsey Pease had 22 assists. For a complete box score of the championship: http://www.nwacsports.org/volleyball/gameinfo.php?id=5620

It was the first time since 1979 that a Clark team had played for an NWAC Volleyball title. Clark finished the year with a 26-16 record and as runners-up in the Championship. In addition to taking the second-place trophy, Clark had three players named to the All-Tournament team. Those three were sophomores Meghan Turner and Janessa Mast, and freshman Melisa Ljuca. The all-star libero, Meghan Turner, was also named “Most Inspirational Player” of the tournament.

2015 Clark Volleyball (26-15)
26 NWAC Tournament Appearances
2 top 4 finishes
Road to the Championship
#3 Seed out of the South, 7-5 Region Record
Saturday – Clark def Linn-Benton (14-25,25-20,15-13)
Saturday – Clark def Tacoma (25-21,16-25,15-13)
Saturday – Clark def Walla Walla (25-13,25-17)
Saturday – Clark def Bellevue (22-25,25-22,15-6)
Friday – Clark def Chemeketa (21-25,25-23,17-15)
Thursday – Clark def Pierce (25-17,25-13)
Thursday – Walla Walla def Clark (22-25,12-25,25-19,25-20,20-18)
Team Tournament Stats
Hitting Percentage
Clark – .195, 4th ranked in the tournament
Blue Mountain – .194, 5th ranked in the tournament
Opponent Hitting Percentage
Clark – .109, 1st ranked in the tournament
Blue Mountain – .144, 3rd ranked in the tournament
Assists
Blue Mountain -11.33/set, 3rd ranked in the tournament
Clark – 11.10, 6th ranked in the tournament
Kills
Blue Mountain – 12.39/set, 3rd ranked in the tournament
Clark – 11.71, 7th ranked in the tournament
Blocks
Clark – 2.43/set, 2nd ranked in the tournament
Blue Mountain – 1.78/set, 6th ranked in the tournament
Service Aces
Blue Mountain – 1.78/set, 3rd ranked in the tournament
Clark – 1.14/set, 13th ranked in the tournament

Photo by Tracy Swisher, NWAC Sports Information Director