Clackamas harriers show they’re ready
for NWAACC Championships at
Southern Region meet
By Ian Schroeder 10/31/09
Oregon City, Ore. – The Clackamas Cougars, who played host to the Southern Region Championships, showed that they are ready for the NWAACC Cross Country Championships in two weeks as both the men and women teams had their best races of the season. The combination of rain in the days leading up to the meet and CCC hosting the Three Rivers and Pacific 6A high school district meets on Wednesday and Thursday, led to a torn up, sloppy and slippery course, especially on the turns. However, Saturday turned out to be a perfect day as the runners enjoyed a cloud cover with temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s. The teams that were competing for the Southern Region title included CCC, Clark College, Lane Community College, Mt. Hood Community College and Southwestern Community College.
On the men’s side, the individual race started out with four runners in the lead pack through the first mile comprising Travis Stevens of Lane, Cesar Perez of Lane, Shane Weldon of Clark and Paden Snell (Fr. Redmond, OR) of Clackamas who was within a second or two of the pack a mile into the race. They came through the mile in 5:14. Snell faded from the pack during the hilly second mile, while Perez and Stevens continued to dictate the pace. Weldon faded after the third mile. While the individual race was looking to be won by a Lane runner, each team’s 3rd-5th runners further back in the field was dictating the team race. By mile 3 the team title was up in the air between Lane and Clark and third place was being fought between Clackamas and Mt. Hood. Stevens and Perez pushed each other to the finish of the men’s 8k race where Stevens out kicked Perez by tenths of a second in a time of 25:55. Third went to Weldon, while Snell faded to 6th place with a time of 27:07 after putting forth a strong effort early in the race. Alex Seigal (Fr. Oregon City, OR) was running a strong race up until he suffered a side cramp around mile 4 after which he was able to maintain his 12th place finish with a time of 28:38. Chris Olsen (Fr. Milwaukie, OR) and Zach Fund (So. Milwaukie, OR) were key factors for the Cougars defeating Mt. Hood for third. Mt. Hood’s 2-4 runners were packed up for the first half of the race beating Clackamas’ 3-5 runners made up of Olsen, Fund and Kyle Vuksich (Fr. Puyallup, WA). Olsen broke away from the CCC pack first and closed well on fellow teammate Seigal placing 13th with a personal best of 28:45 beating Mt. Hood’s number two runner. Fund soon followed and ran an aggressive second half of the race to beat out Mt. Hood’s 4th runner, placing 17th, running a personal record of 29:35. Vuksich helped to clinch third place for the Cougars placing 19th with a time of 30:12 beating out Mt. Hood’s number five runner. Vuksich was also the spoiler for Lane as he beat out Lane’s number five guy helping Clark College avoid a tie with Lane for the Southern Region Title. Also having a strong race was Clackamas’ number six runner Steven Boe (Fr. West Linn, OR) placing 24th with a time of 31:00. Clark won the title with a score of 37 points, Lane was second with 38 points, Clackamas was third with 67 points, Mt. Hood fourth with 80 and Southwestern fifth with 110.
The women’s team race was full of anticipation as it was to be a close race between Clackamas, Clark, and Mt. Hood for second. The race started out quick for Melanie Peters (Fr. Burlington, WA) who took the lead for the first quarter of a mile ahead of Brittany Henderson of Clark and McCayla Claver of Lane. Starting conservatively in race for the Cougars was Mary Botsford (Fr. Molalla, OR), Crystal Spring (Fr. Milwaukie, OR), Laura Copenhagen (Fr. Canby, OR), and Heide Friesen (Fr. Molalla, OR). All four girls ran as a pack for the first mile and needed to close some ground on the rest of the field if the Cougars were going to place second. Botsford stepped up to the challenge after falling in the first 800 meters of the race and broke away from the CCC pack and started to make up some serious ground. She passed fellow teammate Katie Olson (So. Molalla, OR) with a mile to go and continued to close on Peters. Spring broke away from the CCC pack with a mile to go as she separated herself from a Mt. Hood girl in the last 800. Peters, fighting sickness, ended up fading to 7th running 20:17, while Botsford cracked the top 10 placing tenth with a 21 second personal best running 20:38. Olson pushed herself to a season record placing 14th with a time of 21:13. Spring had her best race of the season placing 17th with a time of 21:46. Copenhagen, who has normally run 2nd for the Cougars, had a disappointing race as she was coming down with a cold placing 20th running almost a minute off her PR with a time of 21:58. Friesen had a strong race despite having flu like symptoms before the race placing 21st with a time of 22:16. Lane won the team race with 31 points. Mt. Hood was second with 60, Clackamas third with 63, Clark placed fourth with 68, while the Southwestern girls did not have a complete team. Henderson won the race in a time of 19:03.
Next up for Clackamas is the NWAACC championships hosted by Clark College. The race will run at Lewisville Park located in Battle Ground, Washington. The gun goes for the women at 11:00am and 12:00pm for the men.
Clackamas Community College’s Mike Hodges Invitational Continues to Grow
By Ian Schroeder 10/16/09
Meet Results: Men | Women
Oregon City, Ore. – The Cougars played host to the Mike Hodges Invitational enjoying the most participants in the event’s 5 years. There were 143 men finishers and 127 women finishers that made up some of most elite teams in the country. NCAA Division I ranked teams that were in attendance were the University of Oregon (men 2nd, women 8th), University of Portland (men 8th), and the University of Washington (men 13th, women 1st). All three squads sent their “B” teams to race at the Hodges. The 13th ranked Division III men of Willamette University added to the loaded field as well as the Division I Xavier of Ohio.
Unseasonably warm and humid conditions made for slower times this year, but the athletes still competed to there fullest. The Cougar men were once again led by Paden Snell (Fr. Redmond, OR) who placed 67th with a time of 22:12 for the 4-mile race. Alex Seigal (Fr. Oregon City, OR) who continues to improve each race closed the gap on his teammate this race to finish within 16 seconds of Snell. Seigal finished with a time of 22:28 placing 76th. Rounding out the Cougar’s top 5 were Kyle Vuksich (Fr. Puyallup, WA), Chris Olsen (Fr. Milwaukie), and Zach Fund (So. Milwaukie, OR). They placed 106th (23:49), 109th (23:58) and 115th (24:30) respectively. Also competing for the Cougars was Steven Boe (Fr. West Linn, OR) who is battling a knee injury. Boe finished 128th with a time of 25:04. The men showed improvement by beating the NWAACC schools of Mt. Hood and Central Oregon for the first time this season. Willamette won the team race by 1 point ahead of the University of Oregon. Tommy Kauffmann of Xavier won the race in a time of 19:55.
The lady Cougars used this race as a tune-up before their Southern Region Championships on October 31st. Despite being in the middle of a high training cycle, Clackamas raced tough. Leading the way for the Cougars was Melanie Peters (Fr. Burlington, WA). Peters was the 6th fastest NWAACC competitor placing 72nd with a time of 20:28 for the 5k course. Running second for the Cougars with an excellent race was Mary Botsford (Fr. Molalla, OR) who placed 93rd with a time of 21:12. Katie Olson (So. Molalla, OR) got out a bit slower than usual, which helped her to have a stronger finish running a season personal record of 21:20, placing 97th. Laura Copenhagen (Fr. Canby, OR) finished fourth for the Cougars, while Heide Friesen (Fr. Molalla, OR) is starting to come on strong finished 5th. Copenhagen and Friesen placed 101st (21:43) and 103rd (21:53) respectively. Also competing for the Cougars was Crystal Spring (So. Milwaukie, OR) placing 112th with a time of 22:30 after rolling her ankle after the first mile and Amy Hermansen (Fr. Oregon City, OR). This was Hermansen’s second race for Clackamas this season finishing 125th with a time of 25:43. The University of Oregon won the race scoring 22 points with the University of Portland placing second with 77 points. Anne Kesselring of Oregon won the race in a time of 17:51.
Clackamas Cross Country Improves at Sundoger Invitational
By Ian Schroeder 9/20/09
Meet Results: Men | Women
Seattle, WA – The cross-country team had their first and only over night trip of the season to compete at the Sundoger Invitational hosted by the University of Washington at Lincoln Park. The Cougars didn’t waste the trip and used the opportunity to race the fast course as the men averaged 2-minutes and 4-second improvement on their 8-kilometer time, while the women averaged 2-minutes and 40-second improvement on their 6-kilometer time from last weekend at Pier Park. The conditions this week were much nicer compared to last. Race time conditions at Pier Park last week were extremely hot as temperatures soared to 94 degrees. A sharp contrast to this weekend’s race where the temperature was in the mid-60’s with light rain.
Melanie Peters (Fr. Burlington, WA) led the charge for the Clackamas women for the third straight time this season. After getting out fast in the women’s open division, Peters eased up after the first mile and maintained a steady and strong pace to finish 88th out of 202 runners with a time of 24:20.
Returning to the Cougars line up as Clackamas’ second runner was Laura Copenhagen (Fr. Canby, OR). Copenhagen had her wisdom teeth pulled last week and did an excellent job of adapting to her first 6k race placing 153rd with a time of 25:57.
Close behind her was Mary Botsford (Fr. Molalla, OR) placing 158th with a time of 26:03. Heidi Friesen (Fr. Molalla, OR) had a good race placing 183rd with a time of 27:03.
Katie Olson (So. Molalla, OR) made her sophomore year debut running a fast and tough first 3-quarters of a race, but unfortunately ran out of gas in the final 2k of the race. She was out kicked by her teammate and placed 184th with a time of 27:03 as well.
Rounding out the Cougars was Crystal Spring who did an excellent job helping to push Friesen until the last 400 meters of the race (So. Milwaukie, OR) placing 186th with a time of 27:08. Natasha Wodak won the women’s open race with a time of 21:02. She ran unattached.
Paden Snell (Fr. Redmond, OR) showed that he is getting the 8k distance down. Snell ran a fairly even paced race and did an excellent job moving up in the field. Snell was 130th 3k into the race and finished 89th out of 211 competitors in the open division with a time of 27:06.
Finishing 167th with a time of 28:58 was Chris Olsen (Fr. Milwaukie, OR). This was Olsen’s first time suiting up for the Cougars and racing 8k. Chris graduated from Rex Putnam High School and finished 6th in the 800 meters at the 2009 6A State Meet.
Olsen ran as a pack with teammates Kyle Vuksich (Fr. Puyallup, WA) and Alex Seigal (Fr. Oregon City, OR). They did an excellent job pushing each other, especially in the final mile of the race as they accelerated themselves to a 40-second faster mile from their pervious one. Vuksich was the catalyst in this move finishing 171st with a time of 29:10 and Seigal finished 173rd with a time of 29:14.
Rounding out the Cougars was Steven Boe (Fr. West Linn, OR) finishing 200th with a time of 31:15. Amos Maru of the Academy of Art won the open division in a time of 24:52.
The Cougars enjoyed scoring teams this weekend. This was the first time this season the men had a complete team and the second for the women. The men finished 20th out of 20 teams. The women finished 17th out of 18 beating Highline Community College, another NWAACC school. The University of British Columbia won the men’s open race, a NAIA school, and the University of Alaska Anchorage, a NCAA division II school won the women’s open race.
Next up for the Cougars is the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University at Bush Park. Clackamas will have this week off and compete again Saturday, October 3rd. Race times are 10:50am for the men and 11:35am for the women.
Clackamas Harriers Find Pier Park a Learning Experience
By Ian Schroeder 9/11/09
Meet results: Men | Women
Portland, OR – The Cougars competed in very hot conditions at the West Coast Preview Meet hosted by the University of Portland at Pier Park for their second meet of the season. Everyone had to endure late afternoon temperatures that reached into the mid 90s. Several firsts occurred for Clackamas at this meet. This was the first day the Cougars ran in late summer like conditions, the first meet where they competed against 4-year colleges, and for most of the women, this was an introduction to the 6-kilometer distance. The women usually race 5k.
Both the men and women were pulled out to a fast first mile considering the conditions of the course, the weather and competition. Despite the fast start, sub-par day and the highest volume week of training this season, the Cougars ran tough and used the day as a learning experience to properly hydrate and compete against more experiencedrunners from 4-year institutions.
Melanie Peters (Fr. Burlington, WA) led the charge for the women again placing 41st with a time of 26:42. Mary Botsford (Fr. Molalla, OR), Crystal Spring (So. Milwaukie, OR), and Heide Friesen (Fr. Molalla, OR) also competed for the Cougars placing 58th (29:14), 60th (29:20), and 63rd (29:59) respectively. Spring had one of her best races at Clackamas running a second faster in tougher conditions on this course than she did last year. Lyndy Davis of Portland won the race in a time of 22:27.
Paden Snell (Fr. Redmond, OR) paced himself to the men’s number one runner again this week placing 54th in a time of 29:36 for the 8-kilometer distance. Rounding out the Cougars was Alex Seigal (Fr. Oregon City, OR), Kyle Vuksich (Fr. Puyallup, WA), and Steven Boe (Fr. West Linn, OR) placing 62nd (30:55), 73rd (33:06), and 75th (34:47) respectively. Running unattached for Clackamas was Zach Fund (So. Milwaukie, OR) who placed 67th with a time of 31:57, running a 1:37 faster on this course compared to last year. Joash Osoro won the race in a time of 25:30.
The team race was less important this week as Clackamas fielded incomplete squads on both the men’s and women’s team. The women’s team was without Laura Copenhagen (Fr. Canby, OR), their second runner from the NWAACC Preview Meet last week, because she had her wisdom teeth extracted two days earlier and was at home recovering. However, the men added a fourth runner in Steven Boe and are closer to racing a full team by next weekend. The University of Portland women won the 7-team invite, while Gonzaga won the men’s race.
Next up is the Sundoger Invite, hosted by the University of Washington, the NCAA DI favorites to win Nationals on the women side. The meet will be held at Lincoln Park, in Seattle, WA. The women’s race starts 9:00am and the men’s at 9:40am.
Cougar Cross Country Starts Season with NWAACC Preview Meet
By Ian Schroeder -- September 05, 2009
Battle Ground, WA – The Cougars opened their 2009 cross country season in the same location and same conditions as they finished their 2008 season. Clark College hosted the meet at Lewisville Park where the conditions were wet and cool. This meet provided the Cougars a chance to race the NWAACC Championship course slated for November 14th and see how they measure up against most of the NWAACC.
The young and inexperienced lady Cougars had a promising opening meet where they finished third out of five teams barely edging out Clark College by two points. The men did not race a complete team. The Cougars only raced three of their men and five are required for a team score.
Everett Community College won both the men’s and women’s team races beating out NWAACC powerhouse and last years NWAACC Champions, the Community Colleges of Spokane. Lane CC was absent from the meet, another strong NWAACC program.
The ladies were led by Melanie Peters (Fr. Burlington, WA). Peters ran an aggressive race from the start to finish an impressive 9th place. She covered the 5-kilometer course in 20:38. Laura Copenhagen (Fr. Canby, OR) ran a strong race, placing 18th for the cougars with a time of 21:19. This is only Copenhagen’s second season running cross-country. Placing 22nd for the Cougars was Mary Botsford (Fr. Molalla, OR) who ran a lifetime best by 8 seconds with a time of 21:33. This was a very impressive effort considering the time of year and the nature of the course, which has one very challenging hill on it. Botsford was the 4A Capital Conference Champion in the 800 meters and earned All-State honors in that event. Rounding out the Cougars was Heide Friesen (Fr. Molalla, OR) who placed 31st and ran a time of 23:30, and Crystal Spring (So. Milwaukie, OR) who on Monday had her wisdom teeth removed. She placed 34th covering the course in 24:06. Brittnay Henderson, a sophomore from Clark College, won the race in an impressive time of 18:58.
The men’s 8 kilometer race went out very conservatively as the first individual crossed the mile marker in 5:25 with the main pack 10 seconds behind. This was to the delight of the Clackamas men who all come from a mid-distance background. Paden Snell (Fr. Redmond, OR) led the Cougars, placing 30th running a time of 28:57 in trainers. Snell was the 6A Central Valley Champion in the 1500 meters and missed All-State honors by one place. Also racing for the Cougars was Kyle Vuksich (Fr. Puyallup, WA) placing 53rd in a time of 30:35 and Alex Seigal (Fr. Oregon City, OR) placing 57th while covering the course in 30:43. Vuksich and Seigal had a solid opening race considering they come from a 400-meter/800-meter background. Running unattached for Clackamas was Zach Fund who ran a personal best of 30:36 and placing 54th. Freshman Emmanuel Contreras of Everett won the race in a time of 26:31.
Next Up: The Cougars compete again this Friday, September 11th at Pier Park in Portland. The meet is hosted by University of Portland, a strong NCAA division I program. The women’s race will start at 4:00 PM and the men’s at 4:45 PM.
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