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Track & Field News
Southern Region Championships
The Clackamas Cougars had their last meet before NWAACC Championships that will be held in Spokane, Washington on May 21st and 22nd. This was the Cougars' last chance to qualify in their events. Mt. Hood Community College hosted Southern Regions, where the men’s side took 2nd place overall scoring 174 points and the women’s side took 4th scoring 119 points. Below are the top CCC performances from the meet:
Women’s Results: Men’s Results:
Stay tuned for the Cougar’s NWAACC Championships meet. Check out our website or our facebook page for more information. GO COUGS!
Mt. Hood Twilight/Oregon TwilightThe Clackamas Cougars had two track meets this past previous weekend (May 4-5), one in Gresham and the other in Eugene, at famous Hayward field. Only qualified athletes were able to attend the Oregon Twilight meet. Just weeks away from NWAACC Championships, the Cougars prepared and once again put up some great marks from both meets. Top results are as follows:
Men Results Oregon Twilight: GO COUGS! Buchholz sets top 2012 national JUCO mark in JavelinMay 2, 20B12 - by Keoni McHone
Cougar sophomore Emma Buchholz (Sheridan High School) improved her best in the javelin to 154'8" (47.15 meters) and now leads the country for junior colleges.
She is also ranks 39th for all colleges in the U.S.
The throw which occurred in the sixth event of the NWAACC Heptathlon Championships set a new heptathlon javelin record breaking the old record by twelve feet.
The throw was an eleven foot season's best and seven foot lifetime best for Buchholz.
The mark is the third longest throw in CCC Women's Ttrack & Field history.
Pacific TwilightApr 29 -- The Clackamas Cougars traveled to Forest Grove, to Pacific University for another Twilight meet. Only a few week away from NWAACC Championships, the Cougars competed and highlight performances from this meets are as follows:
Women’s Results:
Stay tuned for the cougars next meet, which will be the Hep/Dec NWAACC Championships held on Monday/Tuesday, as well as Oregon Twilight and Mt. Hood Twilight which will be taking place over the weekend. Check out our website or our facebook page for more information.
Oregon Twilight/Cougar Open ResultsThe Clackamas Cougars traveled both April 20th and 21st to Eugene for the Oregon Twilight, while they also hosted their second home meet, the “Cougar Open,” on Saturday, April 21st at the Oregon City Stadium. The sun finally came up, and it ended up being an ideal weekend for Track and Field. Highlight performances from both meets are as follows:
Women’s Results Cougar Open:
Women’s Results Oregon Twilight:
Men’s Results Cougar Open:
Men’s Results Oregon Twilight:
Stay tuned for the Cougars' next meet, which will be the Pacific Twilight next Friday, and Saturday in Forest Grove. Check out our website for more information at or our facebook page.
All-American distance runner Teresa Lawson signs to Oregon State UniversityMarch 25, 2012 Posted from OSU Website (full article):
Thrower Katie Higgins signs with the University of WyomingFebruary18, 2012
OREGON CITY, OR -- Katie Higgins, a CCC thrower, with personal records of 136ft in the discus and 160ft in the hammer, signed with the University of Wyoming for the 2013 Track and Field season.
Higgins was spotted by the Cowboy’s coach at the 2011 NWAACC Championship meet where she had an impressive performance, taking 1st place in discus as well as 1st in the hammer.
Higgins is excited for Wyoming’s great facilities, coaching philosophy, the small town feel of the college and overall track and field program the university offers. She also has had a family history tied with the college, and looks forward to being a part of the legacy.
Higgins signed with an offer of 75% scholarship to represent the Cowboys.
Although CCC is extremely proud of Higgins upcoming opportunity and signing, they are just as excited to have her for another season here at Clackamas during the 2012 campaign.
CCC alumni Keisa Monterola ranked 4th in D1
On January 27th, she pole vaulted a mark of 4.27 meters, which moved her into the number four position.
Clackamas Cougars are proud of her accomplishments, and wish her and other alumni the best of luck for the 2012 Track and Field season. To read more on the USTFCCA NCAA Division 1 rankings, follow up at: http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/rankings/div1/2012-itf/NCAAD1_2012_indWk2_TF_NationalRankingsByEvent.pdf
University of Portland Indoor MeetJanuary 22, 2012 Women’s 35 m dash: Heather Cleary 6.27
The Cougars will benefit from their early jump at the opportunity to compete in the University of Portland meet. The official Track season will begin on February 1st, 2012. Follow us at our website, or our facebook page .
Alumni Keisa Monterola named Big Sky AOWDecember 7, 2011 Lind and Monterola Named Big Sky Field Athletes of the WeekTwo Eagles rewarded for breaking school records
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Photo by Evan Syke
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Pole vaulter Keisa Monterola charges and plants the pole in the box, launching herself in the air. She throws her body over the bar before descending down to the pad as the crowd roars throughout the arena.
Monterola, a transfer student from Clackamas Community College (CCC), placed fifth at the 2011 Pan American Games with a mark of 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 24. She will be looking to break Eastern’s pole vaulting record and qualify for the 2012 Olympics.
Monterola represented EWU and her home country of Venezuela in the games.
While her 14-1 ¼ mark is less than a foot better than the Eastern pole vaulting record of 13-2 ¼, it does not count because she was not competing in an NCAA sanctioned event, according to Eastern’s athletic website.
From her approach to her takeoff, Monterola visualizes her jump until she leaves the ground.
“Right in that moment, everything goes so fast,” Monterola said. “I don’t think about anything except for being aggressive [because] that is what it will take me to finish my jump.”
To prepare for the October competition, Eastern jump coach Eric Allison helped Monterola focus on extra techniques and base work.
“It was a lot sooner than we would normally get someone ready, so it was a little bit rushed,” Allison said.
The preparation for the games was difficult for Monterola as she had just finished the process of moving from Clackamas, Ore. to Cheney and getting ready for school.
“I was worried because this was a big competition,” Monterola said. “I needed to be ready, I wanted to be ready. Eric got me ready in three weeks, which was impressive.”
Although she did not achieve her goal of winning a medal, Monterola was proud to represent her native country and the university.
“I was competing against world champions,” said Monterola. “It’s a whole new level, so competitive. I got close to the podium.”
With the Venezuelan team having already picked their coaches, Allison was unable to go to Guadalajara, Mexico.
“I thought she was going to jump around 13-6,” Allison said. “I was pleased, especially after only three weeks of training. She’s not in vault shape yet. I think it speaks highly of how far she’ll go this year.”
Monterola’s parents got her into sports when she was four years old.
She has been pole vaulting since she was 12 years old with Russian coach Alexander Radchich.
“Vaulting wasn’t very common for girls,” Monterola said. “I got the national record and made the national team. Nowadays, there’s a lot of girl vaulters trying to do what I did.”
Monterola’s pole vaulting ability progressed over the years.
In 2005, she won a silver medal in the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Youth Championships and the South American Junior Championships, clearing the 13-11 mark in both competitions.
Although she had successful training in her own country, Monterola’s transition from Venezuela to the U.S. was difficult. After spending a year in Seattle, Monterola transferred to CCC where she pole vaulted and was a jumper for the track team.
“It was a really hard transition because I didn’t have a coach for a year in Caracas,” Monterola said. “It was a whole [new] process, like starting from zero.”
Head track and field coach Keoni McHone remembers Monterola’s determination, as well as the struggles she endured when she first came to CCC, such as the running and sprint exercises.
“She wasn’t used to the conditioning,” McHone said. “On top of that, [she was] not getting the nutrition she needed.”
Despite initial problems, Monterola was able to adapt.
She placed first at the 2009 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAAACC) track championships in the long jumps and pole vaulting.
In 2010, she would place first in pole vaulting while achieving a personal best of 14-2 ½.
Monterola would also win a gold medal in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games with a record setting mark of 13-9 ¼ on July 25.
Although she had reached a new level of success, McHome recalls Monterola always having a smile on her face whenever she was competing on the CCC track.
“She enjoyed the time she had with all of the other athletes,” McHone said. “She still liked to have fun, make friends and do the other things a collegiate athlete likes to do.”
With the Pan American Games over, Monterola will be adjusting to the Eastern practice schedule to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We can still do quite a bit for her strength-wise and speed-wise,” Allison said. “There’s some technical flaws in her jump that we can clean up.”
Monterola is focused on training for the upcoming indoor and outdoor track seasons.
She knows she has a long way to go if she wants to qualify for the Olympics and break the school record.
“I know I can qualify for the Olympics,” said Monterola. “If I can jump 14-1 in three weeks, I can jump higher than that with training longer.”
Monterola’s pole vaulting accolades
• Venezuelan indoor national record holder
• Venezuelan outdoor national record holder
• 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships: Silver
• 2005 South American Junior Championships: Silver
• 2009 NWAACC Track and Field Championships: First
• 2010 NWAACC Track and Field Championships: First
• 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games: Gold
• 2011 Pan American Games: Fifth
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Teresa Lawson, Portland, Ore. Clackamas CC 
Why Teresa chose OSU: “When you choose a school, you’re not only choosing a school, but also choosing a team. The girls on the team made me feel welcomed and wanted and I could tell the coaching staff had my best interest at heart and would be more than capable of helping me reach my goals. In addition, OSU is a very good school for sciences and I knew it would provide me with a strong education.” 
