The Oregon Twilight competition, held Friday, May 6, earned Western’s men’s track and field team seven National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) provisional qualifying standards just in time for Western to host the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships.

Senior Brandon Snook, sophomore Ryan Chapman and junior Dan Sprinkle were the first of the seven athletes to claim their NCAA provisional

qualifying standards, with all three competing in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Coming in third with a time of 9:11.11, Snook improved upon his previous record by 7.5 seconds and subsequently captured 16th place in the NCAA performance standings.

When asked what he thought contributed to his impressive leap in time this weekend, Snook joked, “As I

“Educate, Advocate, Eradicate.” This is the Motto of the Wolves Against Breast Cancer (WABC), an organization on campus that managed to raise over $1,000 for Breast Cancer this year.

Senior Brittany Mason, a community health education major, is the president of the club and the only college student to attend two Project LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Advocacy

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May 11, 2011 WWW.WESTERNOREGONJOURNAL.COM VOL. 11, ISSUE 28

The toppermost of the poppermost

A loud buzz of excitement filled the crowd as friends, family, students and faculty alike filed into the last remaining seats in Rice Auditorium. The excitement was in the air as attendees eagerly awaited the start of the 2011 Spring Dance Concert. The lights dimmed and the crowd applauded to what they expected to be the start of the performance.

After a brief introduction about the dance program, along with a few dancers walking across the stage in a catwalk manner to “I’m Too Sexy For My Shirt” while sporting shirts that were for sale to raise money for the dance department, the show began and rapidly picked up pace, starting with fifth year senior

student choreographer Barbie McGehee’s “Oddities.”Before the show, McGehee noted that since

this is her last year to perform, she does not know if she will ever get the chance to partake in an event like this one again, though she hopes she can.

“I hope the audience gains an appreciation for the wide variety of styles we are presenting this year,” said McGehee. “I hope they laugh, that they are inspired and that they enjoy it.”

McGehee also appeared in student choreographer Kaitlin Bauld’s “Exquisite Metamorphosis.”

Aside from her own piece, McGehee remarked she’s excited to see Kelsey Bartlett’s piece “Seasons,” not only because she is her roommate, but because this

year she has had the opportunity to share the experience of choreographing with Bartlett. This year boasts the largest cast of dancers with the widest range of talent levels to work with, beautiful costumes and music.

“When the whole cast is on stage, it’s a wonderful sight to see,” McGehee stated.

Dance Professor Sharon Oberst, remarked that she is always excited to see the students’ works.

“They spend four terms of class working and two terms of choreographing and rehearsing the dances,” said Oberst.

Oberst noted that she also hopes the audience will enjoy the performances and appreciate the “high quality

Dancers grace campus community with a plethora of student, staff creations for one weekend only

Wolves earn seven more NCAA provisional standards on their way to GNAC Championships

WABC educates and advocates in Washington, D.C., seeking to eradicate breast cancerMason travels with fellow WABC members to lobby for breast cancer on Capitol Hill, shares luncheon with second-lady Jill Biden

Paige O’Rourke | Editor-in-Chief

TRACK & FIELDSEE PAGE 11

Joanna Walker | Freelancer

WABCSEE PAGE 2

SPRING DANCE | SEE PAGE 6

Konner KnudsenFreelancer

The Rainbow Dance Theatre performs “Fantasy for Strings” during the 2011 Spring Dance Concert.

“In general there needs to be more research funding and more efforts to step outside of the box.”

COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION MAJOR

Photo by | Brandon Woodard

s n e a k p r e v i e w

Jensen Arctic Museum holds monthly crafting sessions for community members, focusing on American Indian culture and history. SEE NEWS, PAGE 2

AMERICAN INDIAN CRAFTS

Western’s Hawaiian Club hosted its annual Lu’au on Saturday, May 7. The event boasted music, dance and traditional cuisine.SEE CAMPUS LIFE, PAGE 5

A TASTE OF HAWAII IN OREGON

Musician, songwriter and actress Sheryl Crow will perform in Eugene, Ore. at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts on May 20.SEE CULTURE, PAGE 7

SHERYL CROW VISITS EUGENE

Western baseball wins three of four games against Northwest Nazarene University to seal its spot as No. 1 in the GNAC.SEE SPORTS, PAGE 12

WOLVES WIN GNAC TOP SPOT

fOUR-dAy fORecAst

-Brittany Mason

Development) programs.Project LEAD has

had a big influence on WABC.

Stella Strother-Blood, a junior pursuing a double degree in community

health education and humanities and an active

member of WABC, gave

Dazzling Performance yields standing ovations

2 NEWS May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

Barbara Ketchum | Freelancer

Jensen Arctic Museum hosts monthly Native American crafternoonsLocals learn about the practice and history of bead work, moccasin designing and basket weaving

This month the curator of the Jensen Arctic Museum, Roben Jack Larrison, with the assistance of Letitia Erckenbrack, began a new club devoted to making Native American crafts. The two had been wanting to pursue this idea for a couple of years and have finally decided to make it a reality.

“We talked regularly about the crafts that were made where I grew up in Nome, Alaska,” said Jack Larrison. “As time has gone by, more and more people have expressed an interest in these activities too. Letitia and I decided to test it out.”

The group has already been well received by students and faculty, with the first event taking place on Wednesday, May 4, at the Jensen Arctic Museum. The group is set to meet once a month for the time being, but should it gain the interest of

more people, it may change to twice a month or even to a weekly activity.

One of the main focuses of the crafting activities will be beading. At future meetings, Jack Larrison and Erckenbrack plan to make jewelry such as earrings and bracelets, and they hope to later move onto more complicated designs such as broaches and moccasins. Members also expressed an interest in basket weaving, so both ladies may incorporate that into their craft events as well.

“We will try to get a basket maker to come and show how to do a quick and easy basket in the future,” said Jack Larrison.

For the first group meeting, the focus was on becoming better acquainted with the needle and thread. Crafting supplies were spread around the table so everyone could choose from

an assortment of different types of beads to play around with along with a needle and thread. There were examples of more intricate and advanced work that they aspire to work toward creating eventually with the group.

“Bead work was first as it is the easiest for me to demonstrate,” said Jack Larrison. “Projects are very independent and beginner projects can be completed quickly.”

For projects that will consist of beading onto leather, they plan on practicing first with felt so that the crafters can get a feel for it.

“Roben likes to talk about the history of the bead,” said Erckenbrack. “She has some pretty interesting stories.”

A recent survey by “The Chronicle of Higher Education” has reported that Western professors are in the lower pay bracket than other Oregon State institutions; “The Itemizer Observer” (IO) of Dallas, Ore., has also reported this record low pay scale.

According to both “The Chronicle” and the IO, Western’s tenured professor yearly salary of $68,400 is “11th among 14 institutions cited by the study in Oregon, above only Eastern Oregon University, George Fox and Multnomah Bible University.”

The study also reported that an associate professor salary of $53,700 is “the second lowest in the state in that category.”

The IO stated that the study’s “figures are based on data from 1,300 institutions surveyed by the American Association of University Professors,” whose purpose is

Jake Logan | News Editor

Collective bargaining is underway for 2011-2013 professor pay

Western professors lean towards the bottom of state pay scale more information about

both Project LEAD and the Emerging Leaders Program.

“Project LEAD is an intensive science focused program about breast cancer. Topics that are covered include breast cancer at the biological level as well as the different research designs and scientific methods used today in research,” Strother-Blood stated. “It is all about becoming as educated as possible on the topic of breast cancer. The Emerging Leaders Program is made of young adults ages approximately 18 to 35 who meet each other and become strong advocates. This program allows individuals to be trained at the national level as advocates who change public policy and research of breast cancer.”

Mason has a clear goal to one day be a patient liaison for individuals with breast cancer, acting as a mediator between the patient and doctors with the needs of the patient being put first.

WABC had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. and participate in a conference to discuss the new goal to put an end to breast cancer by Jan. 1, 2020. The group also joined in the lobbying at Capitol Hill.

“One of the aspects I was most impressed with was the cohesiveness of our organization, Wolves Against Breast Cancer, at the

WABCFROM PAGE 1

conference,” Strother-Blood said.The group received

the chance to learn all about the most recent advances in medicine and research being done to treat and prevent breast cancer.

Mason is hopeful for the future and seemed confident that if enough people helped with funding, the new research may lead to a cure or better treatments.

“In general there needs to be more research funding and more efforts to step outside of the box,” she said.

Breast cancer is a serious issue not just for women, but also for men and the treatments we have today are sometimes effective, but may leave behind side effects that make life for a patient hard to live. This is one of the causes driving WABC to be advocates and leaders in the fight against breast cancer.

Mason is passionate about pushing to provide a better quality of life for breast cancer patients, which is why she wants to become an advocate and liaison after she graduates.

“Our goal is to give a voice to the women who aren’t strong enough to make their own voices heard,” she stated.

It is the group’s hope that their cause will continue to grow with the help of people like Dr. Jill Biden.

They plan to continue lobbying for acts on a state and national scale as well as spreading breast cancer awareness locally.

“We think we have among the best faculty in Oregon, if not the nation entirely.”

VP OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION- Mark Weiss

CRAFTS SEE PAGE 3

to “advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education.”

According to the IO, “Western has approximately 160 tenure-track professors and another 100 instructors or adjuncts.”

Mark Weiss, Western’s vice president of finance and administration, has told the IO that “the current collective bargaining agreement with faculty shows a pay range for a full professor – somebody with at least a minimum of seven years experience – between $53,000 and $80,000.”

According to Weiss, the administration and the Western Oregon University Federation of Teachers (WOUFT), the institution’s branch of the American Federation of Teachers, have worked on two agreements and are in the process of reaching a third in light of the fact

that the current agreement is up as of June 3 of this year.Weiss said that instead of the pay cuts and

furloughs that other Oregon University System (OUS) schools have taken in light of the economic down turn, Western installed a pay freeze, which could be a contributing factor to Western’s lower pay scale.

“Five out of seven state universities reduced through furloughs,” stated Weiss, with only the University of Oregon and Western not participating in furloughs.

The collective bargaining agreement is something that WOUFT and the administration negotiate every two years.

“In February of this year we began negotiations for the 2011 to 2013 collective bargaining agreement,” stated Weiss.

Weiss was not at liberty to say what has been happening in the bargaining session, since the meetings are completely confidential; however, he did state that there are student observers in the sessions.

These student observers are selected through the Student Body President’s office, are chosen by the president and are a required element of the meetings as per Oregon state law.

“We think we have among the best faculty in Oregon, if not the nation entirely,” said Weiss.

Another possible contributing factor in Western’s lower pay scale for professors could be that the state of Oregon is located at number 47 in state support of universities in the entire nation.

Western is looking for ways to set off the low state support, including by increasing out-of-state students as well as international students, according to Weiss.

“We have a goal of increasing out-of-state and international students, who pay three times what in-state students pay,” he stated.

Weiss continued to explain that the out-of-state students they are trying to recruit would be from the mid-west and east coast, who are outside of the Western University Exchange (WUE) program perimeters, since WUE students only pay 150 percent of the in-state-rate.

The collective bargaining agreement is still underway and may result in changes to the professor pay scale, while Western is simultaneously looking to expand student population and tuition revenues.

Photo by | Mackenzie Brown

Monmouth/Independence citizens gather at the Jensen Arctic Museum on Wednesday, May 4, to learn about American Indian crafts and culture.

NEWS 3 May 11, 2011

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Monica Millner | Freelancer

Survey seeks percentage of food-insecure students

Oregon is the second hungriest state in the U.S. Earlier in the decade it ranked first among the 50 states, but Oregon has steadily improved within the last few years. As of 2010, however, 10.5 percent of Oregonians are unemployed. Coupled with the downturn in the economy, food insecurity in the state has grown once again. About 13 percent of households in the state are food insecure—they do not know where their next meal will come from or if they can even afford it.

There are different ways that families worried about food insecurity can get help. The Marion-Polk Food Share supplies food banks in the area such as the Helping Hands Food Bank at Monmouth Christian Church and Ella Curran Food Bank in Independence, Ore. The Food Stamp Program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is available for low-income residents that need help purchasing food. College students, on the other hand, seem reticent to receive help, even if they need it.

Dr. Daniel López-Cevallos, professor of community health at Western, is very concerned about students’ food security. With the state in recession, people tend to budget very tightly.

“In college,” López-Cevallos said. “Food budgets are one of the things that students limit first.”

Food keeps a body going. Without it, energy is harder to attain and sleep cannot fix everything if the

body has nothing to refuel with.

L ó p e z - C e v a l l o s teaches a class called “Program Planning, Methods and Evaluation.” In this class, students tackle different projects every term. One of the projects is volunteering for Helping Hands. The food bank is very close to campus, but many students do not take advantage of the help available to them.

Currently, Western does not have any programs that focus on helping students who are food insecure. López-Cevallos hopes to change that by starting up our very own food pantry on campus. His inspiration and guidance for this comes from Oregon State University, who has had their very own food pantry since 2009.

The first step to gaining a food pantry on campus is proving the existence of food insecure students among those enrolled for the 2010-2011 school year. This includes both on campus and off campus students. Not every off campus student commutes as there is a plethora of student apartments within walking distance of campus. These students could directly benefit from a food pantry at Western, along with those living on-campus in the dormitories.

With the aid of the Health and Counseling Center, López-Cevallos conducted a survey in 2010 to judge how many students on campus were food insecure. In total, 82 students participated. Out of those students, 18

percent were food insecure. Although this is a large amount, out of such a small control group the result did not make such an impact. As such, another survey is being distributed, this time amongst the entire student population.

Senior Leticia Vazquez is a community health education major currently interning for López-Cevallos. After she graduates this spring, she hopes to intern at the migrant clinic, La Clínica de Cariño, in her hometown of The Dalles, Ore.

As López-Cevallos’ intern, Vazquez is directly involved in the process to gain a food pantry at Western. She has helped design the survey, which has been improved and elongated from last year's version.

“I really hope people take the time to take the survey because I think it will help the Western students,” Vazquez said.

Food Pantries such as Ella Curran and Helping Hands do not require proof of low income. Low income is defined as earning less than $20,000 a year. Scholarships and grants do not count, and as such, many students do not even realize that they qualify for aid.

The survey is brought to students through a partnership between the Program Planning class and the Helping Hands Food Bank. It is voluntary, anonymous, takes 10 minutes or less to complete and has been available since Monday, May 9, at www.surveymonkey.com/s/wouhunger.

Increasing food bank options for college students, ensuring nutrition

Along with crafting, this is also an opportunity for group members to learn more about Native American culture.

“I have Native American blood in me,” said Senior Sandra Bolton. “So I am interested in learning about these things.”

The group hopes that interest in Native American culture will become stronger on campus. They also hope that these activities may help restore a large interest in the museum itself.

“The museum just

recently lost university funding,” said the museum intern junior Sarah Johnson. “Now we are in the process of cataloging everything.”

The event’s location at the museum was actually the reason some students attended. They felt like it created a good atmosphere for the craft projects they were to partake in.

“I love the museum,” said sophomore Melanie Robertson. “I’ve been here three times already. I really enjoy the light show they put on.”

Larrison and Erckenbrack have been receiving positive responses. They look forward to

CRAFTS FROM PAGE 2

watching the group grow in members and also to work toward more intricate beading projects together.

“I hope we will grow as a group and the interest will be sustained over time,” said Erckenbreck. “It would be nice to get some interest from artisans and to share or display our work somewhere around campus.”

Meetings take place the second Wednesday of each month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The club will run through the summer. For more details, e-mail Jack Larrison at jacklarr@wou.edu or Erckenbrack at erckenbl@wou.edu.

Photo by | Mackenzie Brown

Bob and Amy McCormick create crafts with their daughter, Sarah McCormick.

4 CAMPUS LIFE

www.westernoregonjournal.com

May 11, 2011

Lindsay Pirelli | Freelancer

Western welcomes Oregon poet David AxelrodBringing energy, personality and a new breath of life to poetry, Axelrod discusses life, love, tragedy

Since 2004, English Professor Henry Hughes has been inviting poets to read at Western. Among the many writers who have visited, Western has hosted David Biespiel, the current winner of the Oregon Book Award, Ed Skoog, Peter Sears and Paulann Petersen, Oregon’s current poet laureate. On Thursday, May 5, poet David Axelrod read a selection of his works in the Hamersly Library.

Hughes stated that he has been in contact with Axelrod since last fall in order to plan this event.

“He immediately said ‘yes,’” Hughes said. He went on to elaborate that “word has gotten out that poets have a good time at Western.”

Hughes said he chose Axelrod because he “is a wonderful writer – that’s my main reason for asking him to read. All of his work is deeply informed by history, religion and literature, and he speaks in a wry, often ironic way about what it means to be part of the ‘American empire.’ I also love the way he describes nature in vivid, honest, loving, yet unsentimental ways. And he can write beautifully about love-making and drinking. Now that’s a poet!”

Axelrod’s reading was marked by a combination of humorous quips and emotionally powerful readings.

The first poem he read, “My Nationality,” was written in reaction to the leftist paranoia prevalent during the Bush era. He read the poem with

comedic enthusiasm with intermittent words replaced by “blank.”

After reading his second poem, “As I Sharpen My Knife,” Axelrod commented, “I’ve never read that poem in public before…

The effect is deeply unnerving.”He based the poem on the true story of

a young boy and his friends who hitchhiked from Germany to Northcape, Finland, during World War II.

Commenting on his next poem, “I Missed My Parents Today – A Drinking Song,” he described his mother’s reaction to the poem, stating, “My mother saw that [and] she said, ‘That’s not your father and me.’”

Axelrod frequently asked if anyone had any questions, even stopping in the middle of his readings to ask if everyone was okay and if they had any questions. When asked by a member of

the audience how his wife feels about his poetry, he said, “My wife has the tenderest feelings about poetry.”

He then went on to describe how he once made egg rolls for his wife when she was pregnant and asked her if she would like to hear some of his poetry. Shortly after, she went into labor.

“She still won’t eat eggrolls,” laughed Axelrod.

One student attendee noted that he used the image of a girl carrying a basket of eggs in several of his poems.

“They’re an inexpensive source of protein,” Axelrod remarked. “Real people eat eggs. I think I’ve rediscovered eggs in the past year.”

When asked how he got started writing poetry, he said, “I always got in trouble as a kid. At 12 years old, I realized that if you went into the world just pretending to take notes, people leave you alone.”

“I can’t shed any light on this,” said Axelrod after being asked if he writes with a purpose in mind. “Some people are talented and smart, but it’s a mystery to me . . . I don’t know a good poem from a bad one.”

Regarding the common themes of his poetry, he discussed how he had written many of the poems during the winter of 2005-2006, during some of the worst years of the Iraq war.

“It was horrifying to see what we had unleashed on these people [based] on a theory of how to reinvent a country,” Axelrod explained.

Hughes stated that he encourages students to attend these readings because he believes that “it’s important that students see living, breathing poets.”

“We sometimes think that poets are just some dusty names in our literature anthologies,” he stated. “It’s remarkable when we meet and hear someone like David Axelrod who lives daily in the spirit of writing and who cares deeply about the creative process. I hope students are inspired by these readings.”

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Hughes and Axelrod discuss their mutual adoration for the written word.

www.westernoregonjournal.com

May 11, 2011 CAMPUS LIFE 5

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“What I want people to get out of this event is to see the real cultural differences between the Hawaiian culture, and that of the other states.”

WESTERN STUDENT

- Jill Peterson

Candace Cheney | Freelancer

Annual Lu’au brings Hawaiian culture to OregonCelebrating all throughout the evening with music, dance and traditional cuisine, Western’s Hawaiian Club introduced attendees with the best Hawaii has to offer

As the doors opened up on Saturday, May 7, for Western’s fifth annual Lu’au in Werner’s Pacific room at 4:30 p.m., the Hawaiian culture was celebrated with dinner, music and shows. Dinner was served at 5 p.m., which included traditional Hawaiian food such as lomi, macaroni with tuna, pulled pork (a shredded pork that had an intense salty flavor and went well with the macaroni tuna), teriyaki chicken, jasmin sticky rice and Hawaiian Punch.

Jill Peterson, a Western student in charge of making the food, shared that, “What I want people to get out of this event is to see the real cultural differences between the Hawaiian culture, and that of the other states.”

In regards to the food, Peterson enjoys making the cuisine and the “intense flavors that are unique to Hawaiian food.”

While dinner was going on, the Hawaiian Club presented a slide show sharing special and comical moments that members had enjoyed during this year. The slide-show was followed by a variety of traditional and contemporary dances.

According to Joseph O’Connor, a performing dancer at the Lu’au, it is customary for Hawaiian children to begin learning the unique Hawaiian dance style at a young age. Beginning in kindergarten, children get together with the community every May for the, “May Day Festival”

put on by the schools, and this is where students begin learning how to dance Hawaiian style.

As the Hawaiian children grow older, the difficulty of the dances that they perform progresses until they reach high school level and are able to begin to learn the meaning behind the dances. The various dance performances at this event included: Tahitian and Haka style; Awana (which is a slower and more relaxing style); and the Kahiko style which is a more ancient type of dance that usually is performed to tell a story. Other dance performances included: No Luna E Ka Hale Kai; Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai; He Mele No Lilo and the traditional Hawaiian Colors of the Wind.

Senior Sarah Turgeon, the president of the Hawaiian Club, was very happy about the way things came together.

Turgeon was responsible for booking the band, “Kimie & Solidity” and was pleased that “this is the first time we have had a real live band.”

Turgeon chose which type of Hawaiian foods would be served, purchased the food and worked with Vice President of the Hawaiian Club, Naomi Shimabuku to have everything set up in time. Shimabuku was in charge of getting the programs together, ticket sales and preparing the slide show presentation. Both Turgeon and Shimabuku agreed that the thing they would like people to get out of this

Lu’au the most is a sense that the Hawaiian culture is one of sharing, community and friendliness.

Shimabuku would

like people to know that “the Hawaiian culture is not ‘cliquey’ and the people are really very friendly and open.”

Echoing this

sentiment are the bowls of water with tea leaves and candles decorating the tables, which, according to Turgeon, represent

“sharing.” The band’s

performance began at 7:30 p.m. which began with the Hawaiian Pono’i, the state song of Hawaii. Other

songs performed included: Nana i kou mo’i, Ka lani ali’i, and Ke ali’i plus much more.

Kevin Leard, a staff member of Western, attended the Lu’au with his daughter Samantha and they both enjoyed the cuisine, saying that the Hawaiian pulled pork, “[had] a lot of flavor.”

Leard spoke highly of the students putting the Lu’au together, saying that “it’s great to see it all come together because I look at the kids here as family, and I’m very proud of them.”

Vice President of Student Affairs, Gary Dukes’s hope is that “students will get a chance to learn more about the Hawaiian culture.”

Dukes also mentioned that it was great how it all

came together so well. Dancer Kristin

Sagami performed several dances at the Lu’au, including Colors of the Wind, and shared that, “it’s fun to bring Hawaii to Oregon.”

Qyla Parangao was in charge of helping set everything up before opening hour and was hoping that students would come away from the event feeling that “they have learned more about the Hawaiian culture, and that Hawaiian people are welcoming.”

The fifth annual Lu’au ended around 9:30 p.m., and attendees left with Hawaiian necklaces and a feeling of having shared a bit of the Hawaiian culture that is unique and inclusive.

Photos by | Scott Takase

One of the many traditional Hawaiian dances performed. The event educated attendees on the stages Hawaiian children go through learning the dances and the meanings behind them.

Guests were served a variety of Hawaiian cuisine including pulled pork, teriyaki chicken and salad.Dancers performed throughout the evening.

6 CULTURE May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

Photos by | Brandon Woodard

of choreography and performances the dance students provide for the community.”

Senior dance major and dance department president for the 2010-2011 year, Ermine Todd, remarked that as a performer, it is very difficult to anticipate how the audience will react to a dance.

“I’ve only seen glimpses of what everyone else is doing in mirrors during rehearsal,” added Todd.

Todd performed in dance professor Darryl Thomas’ “Hangman,” an all-male piece that involved a lot of hanging, suspension and balancing of bodies, as well as performing in Oberst’s ballet, “What’s Your Pointe?” and in guest artist Maurice Watson’s “Epiphany.”

Of all his performances, Todd said that he most connected to “Epiphany.” He explained that he had started working on the dance back in October, and that the performance itself was professionally adjudicated while at a dance festival in Idaho.

As the soloist, Todd was given freedom by Watson to make choices regarding his movements.

Todd explained that the first bit of the dance is a “structured improvisation,” meaning, he had a few known points in the music where he wanted to be at a certain part of the stage or executing a particular movement.

“The rest of it I’m making up on the spot, so it’s going to be different every night,” Todd explained prior to the performance weekend. “Improvisation is something I really love, and when I hear the music and feel the energy of the other dancers on stage, I let my mind go . . . and I just dance.”

Senior dance major and performer Kala Schafer expected to simply have fun and enjoy the “fruits of my labor,” as well as the performance itself.

“After spending months on dances, I was looking forward to getting out and performing for the audience,” Schafer explained.

Schafer appeared in “Seasons,” in the autumn portion and in “Invitation,” choreographed by Dance Professor Deborah Jones.

“‘Seasons’ was fun, because it was interesting to interpret the different times of year into movement,” she said, going on to describe “Invitation” by stating that “it was fun to put on a character, to have a bit more acting involved with movement.”

Schafer laughed at the prospect of deciding which dance she liked best, saying, “They are all so different and there is such a wide variety of styles. I enjoyed all equally; all had their own flavor, which was really neat.”

Junior community health education major and first-time dance concert attendee, Stephanie Chandler said she “didn’t

expect what [she] saw” at the

dance concert. However, upon seeing the opening piece, Chandler reflected, “I just couldn’t wait to see the rest of it! It was so creative, so . . . wow!”

Overall, the audience reaction was quite positive, and, as Todd described it, “they laughed in all the right spots, and they ‘oo’ed and ‘aah’ed at all the right times, too. [The audience] tends to always be a little surprised by some of the novel things we do in the men’s piece with sets and props, but I think we really stunned them this year.”

“I think if we keep doing what we do, we will still be great,” added Schafer. “We have great faculty, great students in the dance program and creative choreographic ideas. If creativity is fostered as it has been, it will continue to be a great show every year.”

Chandler remarked, “I’m just in awe that people thought of [those dances], that people could move like that. The overall product of [the concert] was just…amazing!”

Todd remarked, “Even if the movement you’re doing isn’t all that physically draining, you should be pouring so much energy and spirit into your movement that you have nothing left by the time the curtain closes. I think we definitely achieved that.”

“There is no way that anybody just talking about the dance concert would possibly capture the whole experience,” commented Chandler. “It is just something you have to see!”

SPRING DANCEFROM PAGE 1

(Bottom; left to right) Dancers Amanda Parrino, Samantha Bruckmier, Hannah Swanson, Katie Furman and Ermine Todd perform in “Epiphany,” coreographed by guest artist, Maurice Watson.

(Top) Senior Samantha

Buckmier slides through

Chenise Crocket in Barbie

McGehee’s funny dance

entitled “Oddities.” (Top

middle; left to right)

Dancers Rena Richards,

Annemarie Osurman, Arika

Ovens, Michelle Bright and

Samantha Bredahl meld in

the dance titled “Seasons”

by senior Kelsey Bartlett.

(Left) “Hangman” by Darryl Thomas included Samuel Benedict suspended while (pictured right to left) Andrew Olivo, Jesus Zapien, Carl Massey and Peter FLoraspell “hang.”

Photos by | Brandon Woodard

CULTURE 7May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

Book Review

New York Times Bestselling author, P.C. Cast, author of the “Goddess Summoning” series, the “Partholon” books and the “Divine” series, has joined forces with her daughter, Kristin Cast, to bring a new kind of vampire to life.

“The House of Night” novels, eight in all, detail the life of Zoey Redbird and her friends as they try to live their new lives to the best of their abilities while uncovering various plots that could destroy the world.

In the House of Night universe, vampyrism is a genetic mutation that occurs when a teenager’s hormone levels rise uncontrollably. The symptoms are typically that of a very serious cold or a bad case of mono. These teens are sensed by Trackers, who are then sent to Mark them. Once people are Marked, they will have to move into the nearest House of Night to be close to adult vamps, which will keep their hormones in check. If they ignore the call and do not go, they risk death.

When fledglings reach a House of Night, they are moved in and given a schedule of classes to attend in order to turn them into well-rounded and vampyres. However, there are some fledglings whose bodies begin to reject the Change. If this happens, the fledglings will die.

During “Marked,” the first book, the reader encounters Zoey, an average high school girl who is being Tracked. After being Marked, Zoey is quickly labeled a “freak” by everyone, including her best friend, her (almost) boyfriend, Heath and her parents.

Her stepfather, an elder at his church, tells Zoey that being Marked is a sign of the devil’s work and that she needs to be prayed for. He also says that if she does not become human again, she will not be welcome in the family.

Despite her attempting to explain to her parents that vampyrism is a genetic mutation, her mother activates the prayer tree and calls in the family shrink, clearly sending the message

that Zoey will not be taken to the House of Night. Zoey, frustrated at her parents lack of understanding, sneaks out of the house and runs to her grandmother’s home. Zoey slips and falls while trying to find her grandmother, knocking herself unconscious. She is found by grandma Redbird, who takes her to the Tulsa House of Night, where she meets the High Priestess of the school, Neferet.

After meeting the queen bee and “hateful hag,” Aphrodite, Zoey makes the acquaintance of Stevie Rae, her new roommate. Stevie Rae gives her the grand tour and introduces Zoey to her friends. The “nerd herd,” as Aphrodite calls them, consists of the vocabulary-obsessed, token gay friend, Damien, and the Twins, Erin and Shaunee, who could not be more outwardly different.

While Zoey tries to fit in to her new home and her new life, curve balls are thrown at her left and right, from her mother and stepfather causing family drama to her ex - (almost) boyfriend breaking into the school to see her and to trying to figure out how to survive the dynamics of her school. For the rest of Marked, Zoey and her friends try to fight the hateful hag that causes trouble for them.

From “Betrayed” to “Awakened,” the reader will meet some very interesting characters that they are sure to love and not wish to part with. There are also some villains that will surprise readers and plot twists that will have readers frantically turning pages. This series is fresh and new, providing a spin on vampyres that has not been seen before.

Outside of “The House of Night” novels, P.C. Cast pens books set in magical lands, ripe with various mythologies and cultures. Her “Goddess Summoning” series is vastly popular all over the U.S. and in Europe. Kristin Cast has also contributed some short stories to a few anthologies. P.C. and Kristin Cast will be releasing the ninth book in the series, “Destined,” in November of this year.

A new twist on the popular vampire genre of novels, P.C. Cast continues to add to her series

“The House of Night”Katrina Pettigrew | Freelancer

On Friday, May 20, the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Ore., will be presenting singer, song writer, musician and actress Sheryl Crow on her “100 Miles From Memphis” tour.

Born in 1962, in Kennett, Mo., to parents who were both musicians, Crow was exposed to music at a young age along with her siblings.

“We had four pianos in the house, and we all practiced at once,” Crow told People Magazine.

After high school, Crow attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition, performance and education. While attending college, Crow was in her first band called Cashmere. After graduating from the University of Missouri, she attended Southeast Missouri State University where she received her honorary doctorate.

While working as an elementary school music teacher, and playing in a band on the weekends, Crow was introduced to producer Jay Oliver who helped her in doing advertisement jingles for several companies, including McDonald’s and Toyota.

Crow’s professional

music career really began in 1987 when she auditioned, and won, a spot on Michael Jackson’s 18-month Bad World tour, in which she sang “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” alongside Jackson. She also performed background vocals for artists such as Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle, Tina Turner and Don Henley, and collaborated with Kenny Loggins on the track “I Would Do Anything.”

Crow’s music career started to take off in 1993 with the release of her first album entitled “Tuesday Night Music Club,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Albums Charts.

“I thought the album was going to die a slow death,” Crow told People Magazine. “But it turned out differently.”

Her second album self titled “Sheryl Crow” peaked the charts at No. 6 and won Crow two Grammys for Best Rock Album and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the hit song “If It Makes You Happy.”

In 1998, she released “The Globe Sessions,” her most popular album thus far which won her a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

“C’mon, C’mon,” Crow’s fourth album was released in 2002 that contained the hit song “Soak up the Sun.”

Caitlin Finnell | Freelancer

With nearly a quarter of a century of

experience under her belt, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow embarks on her new tour, “100 Miles From Memphis”

The next year, Crow released her greatest hits album “The Very Best of Sheryl Crow,” which featured many of her biggest hits along with new tracks such as a Cat Steven’s original song “The First Cut is the Deepest,” in which she received two American Music Awards for Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year and Best Pop/Rock Artist.

After the release of her fifth album “Wildflower” in 2005, Crow was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

“It was a really personal blow, because I was newly out of a relationship and that made it more difficult to even fathom that I could be diagnosed with cancer,” Crow stated in an interview with Health.com. “And

this great friend told me one of the gateways to awakening is to allow yourself to experience your emotions.”

“Detours,” her sixth album, was released in 2008.

“It’s about how I feel things are going in the world and what’s happened to me the last couple of years—the end of a relationship, adopting a baby,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

2010 marked the release of her latest album, “100 Miles From Home,” which is also the name of her latest tour.

Crow’s Eugene show begins at 7:30 p.m. in The Shed Institute. Tickets are $39, $69, and $85, depending on one’s selection of seating. Tickets can be purchased at www.hultcenter.org.

Photo courtesy | Christopher Nelson

Photo courtesy | Gary Poole

Crow will perform in Eugene, Ore., on May 20.

Performing since 1987, Crow has appeared with artists such as Michael Jackson and Tina Turner.

8 OPINION May 11, 2011

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Letters to the editor

In defense of Western’s new logos

ChrisReed

ManagingEditor

The good and the bad of our school’s new image

Western took a big step forward last week when the administration unveiled new logos to represent the university in both the academic and athletic sectors. The change was much needed, in my opinion, and it reinforces my optimism about the direction the school is headed. As pleased as I am to see ideas transformed into actual progress, I have some reservations about the actual images themselves.

More on that in a bit. First, I will tell a story to illustrate why this simple change is so important for the near and distant future of Western.

When Daniel Hare, Western’s Athletic Director, was hired about a year ago, I interviewed him for a profile piece that appeared in “The Journal.” I and then-Editor-in-Chief Erin Huggins asked him myriad questions covering topics ranging from previous life experiences to goals for the athletic future of the university to his first impressions of the student-athletes on Western’s campus. Of all the aspects of his new job we discussed, one in particular stood out to me: the discontinuity

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within our own school.Hare described the

first time he walked into the campus bookstore in Werner: “Something that drives me nuts, I’ll tell you, is seeing how many different logos, colors, shapes [and] sizes [there are]. ‘WOU,’ ‘W,’ this way, that way, wide, narrow…Those are things that, to me, are part of the reason people don’t know who we are, because we don’t know who we are. Are we this one or are we that one? Are we Western or are we Western Oregon? Are we WOU or are we WO or W. Oregon? Just look at the bookstore and see how many versions you’ll see of the logo, the wordmarks, and for me, coming from where I come from, you see a [Texas] Longhorn logo, that’s it. You know what it is. You see a Nike Swoosh, there’s no different slant of it; there’s no this or that. The Coca-Cola logo is the same everywhere it goes. That’s something that, for me, is part of the overall image that is important to be consistent with.”

That was a year ago. Although the grab bag that is our bookstore remains such for the time being, we finally know who we are. And what Hare said a year ago holds true today: if we don’t know who we are, how is anyone else (parents, alumni, prospective students, etc.)going to know?

Problem solved, right? Well, almost.

In that same interview, Hare talked about how vital it was for the Athletic Department to be consistent under the university’s umbrella. Coming from

IMAGE SEE PAGE 9

LOGOSSEE PAGE 9

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Showtimes for May 13 - May 19Matinees are all shows starting before 6PM.

Tickets available at box office, WOU bookstore and online at www.PrestigeTheatres.com.

*No passes on starred attractions

Kyle Bruce

Freelancer

On Tuesday, May 3, Western unveiled both its new academic and athletic logos to a crowd of students, professors and staff outside of the Werner Center. Complete with the pep band, dance team and an emcee, the event was one of celebration and anticipation. Yet, since the banners were revealed, the reaction has been surprisingly mixed. Some love it, some hate it and some couldn’t care less (a story for a different column).

The last time the university and its athletic department updated their logos was in 2000, the same time the university changed its name from Western Oregon State College to its current moniker. Since that time, the number of students has increased 33 percent and the athletic programs made the transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division II. Clearly, things have changed for the better at Western and nothing signifies positive change more outwardly than an updated logo. Logos are,

after all, one of the first things people see when looking at universities. They appear on websites, letterheads, envelopes and brochures, among other things. So having a consistent, quality logo is very important.

All of that brings me back to the mixed reaction the logos generated. Western’s athletics Facebook page is a perfect example; the new logo received 20 “Likes,” which essentially signifies a positive reaction without comment, as well as a handful of both positive and negative written comments. One person stated that the logo appears to have been “inspired” by another university while another person claimed he would have preferred anything over the previous version.

To those people who are basing their reactions to the logos on their artistic

quality and “cool” factor, I would say stop. To do such an evaluation is to miss the point of the new logos entirely. Western did not create these new marks just because a decade had passed since the last update. They did so because, as I alluded to earlier, the university has changed. Its academic programs have steadily improved to become as good as any other in the state of Oregon while its athletic teams have evolved into perennial conference championship contenders.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “I thought this was a sports column. Where is a discussion on the NBA Playoffs or the NFL lockout?” As someone affiliated with Western’s sports programs, the new athletics logo means a lot to the department. The most exciting part of the logo, however, is not the way it looks, but that it has been trademarked and will be

May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

OPINION 9

IMAGE FROM PAGE 8

LOGOSFROM PAGE 8

Stephanie Merritt Design EditorCRANBERRY JUICE

huge, Division I schools Baylor and Oklahoma, Hare has seen places that can successfully separate the academic and athletic portions of the school. But Western cannot effectively do that due to the size of the university and the nature of the Athletic Department, according to Hare.

Hearing this, I fully expected the two new logos to be more unified. There is nothing to associate the two together except color; they even have different fonts. Even the University of Oregon, a prime example of a school with a big-time athletic department that seamlessly operates outside

of the school’s academic side, has the same font in all of its logos.

My other criticism about the new imagery is the torch on the academic logo. Western does not have a torch anywhere on campus, so why is it the central theme of our new trademark? We wasted a tremendous opportunity to highlight the university’s best features, such as historic Campbell Hall or the giant sequoia. I understand that the torch is meant to represent the everlasting flame of knowledge and learning; many very prestigious universities use torch imagery to create an atmosphere of academic prowess. I respect that.

But countless prestigious universities use campus features to emanate the same kind of reputation with scores of success and I’m sure Western could have done the same.

Don’t take this the wrong way. The new logos portray an image of Western that makes my pride of the university beam brightly. I have never regretted my decision to attend this fine institution and the logos make me even more proud to be a Wolf. I’m merely pointing out some minor imperfections with the new imagery that I believe could have been improved.

As it is, the logo isn’t changing anytime soon, so I suppose it’s time to get this university a torch.

sold in the department’s new online apparel store, offering a source of income for the department it had not had previously. Sure, the logo features an intimidating wolf that will look good on uniforms, but it also signifies the positive changes within Western’s Athletic Department and the continued improvement of the university’s sports teams, both of which will be featured prominently in the future of Western.

These progressions

signal to outsiders that Western has become a quality institution across the board, and more importantly, that it has recognized its new position within higher education both academically and athletically. To do nothing to show people that Western is growing would have been a mistake. A university that considers itself to be growing for the better cannot maintain such a visible link to the past and expect to convince people it has improved.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying that links to the past are bad and should be thrown out en masse. Things like the massive sequoia tree,

the College of Education and Campbell Hall, all of which have been a part of the university since its inception or close after, will continue to be associated with Western a positive way.

My argument pertains more to the modern-day perception of Western, that it is a small liberal arts school in a small town. It is so much more than that. There are things happening here that students, faculty and staff can and should take pride in. Those things deserve an updated logo that announces to outsiders that Western has arrived as a university. In my opinion, the new logos do just that.

May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

10 SPORTS

Cam Newton, next JaMarcus Russell?

In an office building in Charlotte, N.C., the front office members of the Carolina Panthers organization is hoping that their heralded No. 1 overall pick, Cam Newton, doesn’t turn out like so many before him: a bust.

The Oakland Raiders have seen a player like Newton before; a big, strong-armed athlete named JaMarcus Russell, whom Oakland drafted No. 1 in 2007. JaMarcus Russell looked scary good in his workouts and on paper. Six feet, six inches tall, 260 pounds with a howitzer for a right arm — not unlike Newton, who measured six feet five inches and 249 at the NFL Scouting combine — JaMarcus was the guy whom coaches said could make any throw. His offensive arsenal was seemingly unstoppable. But, what the Oakland Raiders didn’t see in Russell is what the Panthers are hoping to see in Newton: a strong work ethic, the ability to lead, courage under fire, toughness and, most of all, a burning desire to succeed.

The similarities between Newton and Russell don’t stop at size and strength. Both put up impressive numbers in a tough SEC conference through the air. Russell threw for almost 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2006.

Russell might not have been the runner that Newton is, but what Russell lacked in speed, he made up for in arm strength, since he was said to be similar in comparison to one of the best gunslingers ever, John Elway. Newton has similar strength but will need constant work on his timing and accuracy to excel in the NFL. Also, nobody, not even former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow, dominated college football the way Newton did in 2010-2011. Fifty-one total touchdowns, almost 3,000 passing yards and nearly 1,500 rushing yards proves that much. He carried an already semi-talented team to a national championship on his larger than normal shoulders.

On the night of April 26, the Carolina Panthers took their chances with the best player in college football. It’s almost inevitable that we will see Newton under

center for the Panthers in the first game of the season after Jimmy Clausen was about as unimpressive in Charlotte as one could be.

On the days of their respective drafts, Mel Kiper Jr, one of the most respected analytical minds when it comes to the draft, gave the young signal callers Russell, then 21, and Newton, who turns 22 on May 11, similar praise, saying they will bring an energy and talent level that was/is desperately needed for the two franchises to succeed.

Both did share off the field issues that any organization could live with considering the talent level it is bringing in. Although Kiper couldn’t have been more wrong about Russell, who has managed to sack himself, get cut and get arrested all while earning almost $39 million for three years of very subpar work.

It will be interesting to see how Newton responds to the criticism in training camp. At Auburn, Newton could do no wrong, but Ron Rivera will ask him, “What have you done for me lately?”

People will tell him he is the next JaMarcus Russell, that he’ll never grasp an NFL offense after playing in an over simplified offense at Auburn. Critics will question his leadership abilities because people have questioned his morals, they will dwell on off the field issues when the only thing that really matters is his performance on it.

From a fan standpoint, I am rooting for Newton and his superstar smile. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to overcome the obstacles he’s faced. Regardless of whether or not the things blocking his path were placed there on his own accord, he hurdled them all and passed every test with flying colors.

The NFL is the game of football’s biggest stage, and Newton knows that the spotlight is always on at this level, although the spotlight shining on Newton will always be the brightest because of the title he earned. The title, you might ask, isn’t “Heisman Trophy Winner,” “Davey O’ Brien Award Winner,” “Maxwell Award Winner,” “Walter Camp Award Winner,” or “Nation Champion.”

No, this title is more of a culmination of all of those, a title far simpler, yet far more important to a person who loves football the way Cameron Newton does: the title of “Number One Overall.”

BrianMahuna

Freelancer

Western’s softball team concluded its 2011 campaign with a doubleheader loss to Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) winner Central Washington Thursday, May 5, and a split at Saint Martin’s on Saturday, May 7, also in GNAC play.

Western finishes the year with a 13-33 (10-24 GNAC) record.

In Thursday’s opener, CWU exploded for eight early runs en route to a 12-4, five-inning victory.

The Wildcats took an early 3-0 lead in the second on a two-out, three-run homer down the right field line.

Western responded with a strong third inning, capped by a throwing error that allowed senior Tiera-Lyn Cuba to reach home, cutting Central’s lead to

3-2.The hosts would not

be denied, however, as they generated five runs in the third thanks to an RBI double, a sacrifice fly and another three-run homer. The offensive explosion gave the Wildcats a commanding 8-2 lead that ballooned to 11-2 in the fourth on Central’s third three-run home run of the game.

After Cuba reached first on another throwing error, senior Jessica Hallmark drove her in with a blast to right center in the fifth frame, narrowing the margin to 11-4.

The Wildcats ended things in the bottom of the fifth, using an RBI single to right center to trigger the eight-run rule, ending the game.

Hallmark’s home run in the fifth was her 13th of

the season, breaking the record for home runs in a season, a mark she herself set with 12 four-baggers in 2009.

In Thursday’s nightcap, the Wildcats scored a pair of late runs to turn a one-run game into a comfortable 5-2 win.

Western found itself ahead early thanks to a solo, two-out home run over the right-center fence from Hallmark.

CWU answered with a two-out RBI double to left center in the bottom of the second, taking a 2-1 advantage. The hosts went ahead 3-1 on a solo shot to right center an inning later.

Refusing to back down, the Wolves loaded the bases when junior Kendra George was hit by a pitch.

Freshman Ashley Gardner used a fielder’s

choice to reach first, allowing junior Bailey Rueck to score, trimming Central’s lead to 3-2. A ground out left her and Gardner stranded.

The Wildcats put some distance between themselves and Western with another solo home run to right center in the bottom of the fifth. A Central base runner was able to steal home an inning later, resulting in the final margin.

In Saturday’s first game, the Wolves used three runs in the top of the seventh to earn the 7-6, come-from-behind win.

After both teams stumbled out of the gates, Saint Martin’s got it rolling in its half of the second inning, scoring six

Kyle Bruce | Freelancer

Wolves lose series against CWU, split final series of the 2011 season Hallmark gets 45th career home run to earn the school record in the loss to Saint Martin’s University, last career game

SOFTBALLSEE PAGE 11

Chris Curtis | Freelancer

Lacrosse wins league titleWolves earn automatic bid to MCLA National Tournament

On Saturday, May 7, Western’s lacrosse team headed to the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) final four weekend held at Wilsonville High School.

The Wolves were entering as the three-time reigning PNCLL champions and were looking to make history by becoming the only program to raise a fourth league banner. The first opponent Western had to go through was long-time antagonist Whitman College.

The last three times the Wolves and the Missionaries faced off, Western got the better of Whitman, but each game was closely contested.

Looking to get out to an early lead, the Wolves used their speed advantage to get the scoring going with Mark Iliyn finding Jacob Bohince in close for the score. A few plays later it was Iliyn’s speed again that was unmatched as he buried a shot on the run. Western was able to jump out to a 5-0 lead before Whitman was able to score its first goal.

The Whitman offense was short lived as Ian Bohince was able to feed

Spenser Brock for a nice finish as well as feeding his brother Jacob for a goal. Western led at the half, 8-1.

Not wanting to leave any doubt that the game was in hand, Western’s offense continued to push forward as Brock scored followed by Nathan Glander feeding Clay Malensek in transition.

The pace of the game eventually slowed down, but by no means did Western lose its momentum. The Wolves’ defense continued to cause problems for the Whitman team that was just not used to such aggression as Western forced countless turnovers. The third quarter closed with Iliyn scoring his second of the game to give Western the 11-1 lead.

The Wolves were hit with several penalties in the game, two of which came at the same time. This left the Western defense two men down and it was too much to keep Whitman off the scoreboard. Western bounced back with two quick goals by Malensek and Andrew Cox before giving up a third and final goal of the game. Western was able to maintain control in the end, tallying two late goals to win 15-3.

In the championship game, Western squared off against the young and up-and-coming University of Portland.

Wasting little time, Western looked to impress its dominance by scoring off the opening faceoff. Shortly after, the Wolves were attacking again and it was Dan Hochspeier from Iliyn who scored on a beautiful outside shot fired low. The Wolves looked to slow the game down a little, up 2-0, and it was Hochspeier who found Malensek open in a designed play for the tally.

With close to two minutes left in the first quarter, the Pilots were able to score on a great individual effort that beat the Western defense. However, wanting to give no momentum to the young Portland squad, Western scored off the ensuing face with Malensek netting his third of the game.

Portland clawed back within two to start the second on a deflected shot. Tournament MVP Matt Frutiger scored on a beautiful dodge to maintain the three goal lead for the Wolves. Western traded goals again with Portland,

but at 6-3 the wheels started to come off for the Pilots as Western rattled off five unanswered goals, capped off by long stick midfielder, Justin Cox, scoring to close out the half up 11-3.

The second half turned out to be all Western as the depth and talent was just too much for Portland and while the Wolves’ defense pitched a successful second half shutout, the offense continued to roll. Both Ian and Jacob Bohince abused the Pilots man-down unit and Hochspeier was able to find open cutters through the set offense. Western was able to close out its fourth championship win, 17-3.

By winning the PNCLL, Western earned an automatic bid to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA)National Tournament where the Wolves will try to win four games in five days to be crowned national champions. Western has a tough road ahead. Entering the tournament seeded No. 7, the Wolves will square off with No. 10 seeded Westminster, a rematch from earlier this season on Tuesday, May 17.

May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

SPORTS 11

am now one of the oldest athletes on the team, I prepare for my races with a whole lot of icing and ibuprofen to quiet down my aching and aging body.

“But, seriously,” he went on to say, “I try to stay relaxed the whole week before my race by eating right, getting plenty of sleep and not worrying too much about the upcoming race. I’ve learned from my years of running to just go out there and compete and have fun doing it.”

In addition to his other highlights, Snook earned eighth place in conference history and moved from sixth to fourth place on Western’s top 10 list.

“I was pretty excited to see my time after the race,” Snook stated. “I knew I was on a pretty good pace and I just wanted to use that race as a tune up/rust-buster for conference in a week. I was even more excited to see my two teammates finish behind me with huge PRs and NCAA provisional times as well. I think we – WOU track and field – will be ready to go this [upcoming] weekend after what we accomplished this [past] weekend.”

Hot on his heels, Chapman earned fourth

place with a time of 9:12.74. Alongside his NCAA provisional qualifying standard, this race marked a career-best for Chapman as the athlete improved upon his previous record by 12 seconds and moved from 10th to fifth place in school history.

Completing the trio of NCAA provisional qualifiers for the event, Sprinkle came in eighth place with a time of 9:19.30, moving to seventh place among Western’s top 10.

“It felt so amazing when I finally saw my official time,” Sprinkle stated.

“I had actually fallen face-first into the water pit during my race, just because I slipped off the barrier, so I was pretty scared that I messed up too badly to actually run a decent time,” he explained. “When I saw my time, I just started laughing and couldn’t stop smiling. I was injured most of this year, so I wasn’t sure I really had a shot at running well.”

Having beaten the odds during this run, Sprinkle is ready to take on the GNAC championships.

“I’m definitely excited for the conference meet now,” he stated. “If I can get a provisional time after taking a nose-dive, I want to try and get a much faster time at conference.

My top priority is scoring as many points as possible of course. I plan on racing with Brandon Snook and Ryan Chapman, so we can just help each other through the race and beat some people. If all goes well, hopefully it won’t be the last race of our season.”

All three athletes have allowed the Wolves to claim three of the GNAC’s top six spots for this event.

In addition to Snook, Chapman and Sprinkle, sophomore Connor Kasler flew through the men’s 800-meter run, coming in seventh with a time of 1:51.74 and earning himself an NCAA provisional qualifier, seventh place in GNAC history and the second seat on Western’s top ten list for the event. Among the NCAA performance standards, Kasler stands at No. 9.

Senior Kyle Larson came in seventh among the athletes who competed in the men’s 1,500-meter run, gaining his own NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a time of 3:52.14. This achievement secured Larson a fourth place standing in the GNAC and sixth place among Western’s top 10.

Senior Chris Reed’s fourth-place finish in the same race gave him a provisional mark as well, although his time of 3:50.81 was not an improvement

onhis previous time.Senior Jason Slowey

earned the Wolves their seventh and final NCAA provisional standard when he came in second in the discus throw at 168-8 (51.41m). Staying strong in his third place standing among school history, Slowey eclipsed his previous career-best by .01 meters and retained his spot in both the GNAC and NCAA performance standings.

Other noteworthy achievements among the men’s team included sophomore Matt Kaino’s fourth place mark in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.45, freshman Kyle Lane’s third place earning in the long jump at 6.48 meters and Slowey’s claim to the No. 1 spot in the men’s shot put at a distance of 16 meters.

Western’s track and field teams are now preparing to once again run on their home turf as they host the 2011 GNAC Championships for the second year in a row. Held at McArthur Field, the competition will take place on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14.

Last year, in the 2010 GNAC Championships, the men’s team placed third out of eight teams with 167.5 points and the women’s team placed fourth out of eight teams, with 115 points.

runs on four hits. Back-to-back two-run doubles gave the hosts a seemingly insurmountable 6-0 lead.

Western responded with a third inning that saw SMU’s lead cut to 6-3.

The Wolves tacked on another run in the fourth with a solo homer from George, narrowing the margin to 6-4.

While Western was making its comeback, senior Jessica Wood was giving the Saints all kinds of fits in the circle. After SMU’s six-run second inning, Wood held the Saints to just four hits, only one of which went for extra bases. She ceded two walks in the final five innings, striking out three.

Western was able to take advantage of Wood’s efforts, notching three runs in the top of the seventh, the last of which proved to be the game-winning run. Hallmark, the school’s all-time RBI leader, lived up to her ranking, providing a double to left that drove in both junior Danyelle Hutchinson and Cuba, tying the game at 6-6.

With two outs,

Rueck’s at-bat produced a chopper that SMU’s third baseman could not handle, allowing Hallmark to reach home, putting the Wolves up 7-6.

The Saints tried to get a rally going in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with just one out, but consecutive fly outs ended any hope for a comeback.

Wood (5-19) got credit for the win in her 10th complete game of the season.

Saturday’s nightcap saw SMU play spoiler, using a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to emerge with a 6-5 victory.

Much like the day’s first game, both squads could not generate any early offense. The Wolves took a 1-0 lead in the third when an error by SMU’s third baseman allowed Hallmark to score.

Western scored two more runs in the fourth thanks to an RBI single and a fielding error.

SMU responded with a two-run fourth, using a home run to trim Western’s lead to 3-2. SMU took its first lead at 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth behind a pair of RBI singles and a sacrifice fly.

Hallmark led off the Wolves’ final frame, driving a shot over the left-center wall for her 15th home run of the season and 45th of her career, another school record. Rueck’s at-bat produced a single before a sacrifice bunt from George advanced her to second. Hutchinson was then called on to pinch hit, reaching first base on a fielder’s choice that also failed to get Rueck out, putting her on third.

During freshman Ashley Cashin’s at-bat, Hutchinson broke for second base. In an attempt to get the pick-off, SMU’s catcher committed her team’s sixth error, giving Rueck a chance to score and tie the game at 5-5. Hutchinson reached third on Cashin’s ground out before being tagged out in a pickle on the third-base line.

SMU loaded the bases with just one out thanks to two walks and a single. A fielder’s choice resulted in an out at home plate, but the host’s next batter was hit by a pitch, forcing in the game-ending run.

Hillmick (7-12) took the loss in 1.2 innings of relief.

SOFTBALLFROM PAGE 10

Junior Dan Sprinkle (pictured on April 9) came in eighth place and earned an NCAA provisional standard in the steeplechase on Saturday, May 7.

TRACK & FIELDFROM PAGE 1

Senior Jessica Hallmark leaves Western as the all-time RBI leader with 144 RBIs and also holds the school record of 45 home runs in her career.

Photo by | Emily Laughlin

Photo by | Emily Laughlin

2011 SOFTBALL GNAC STANDINGS

W = Win L = Loss PCT = Percentage GB = Games Back * Standings as of press time.

Softball W L PCT GB W L PCT Central Washington 27 8 .771 -- 33 14 .702 Western Washington 24 11 .686 3 36 14 .720 MSU Billings 23 13 .639 4.5 28 20 .583 Northwest Nazarene 16 19 .457 11 17 30 .362 Simon Fraser 12 19 .387 13 16 24 .400 Western Oregon 10 24 .294 16.5 13 33 .283 Saint Martin’s 8 26 .235 18.5 9 30 .231

The Western baseball team played one of their last series of the regular season against Northwest Nazarene (NNU). This was the Wolves’ first home series since April 10. Western won the series, 3-1 (6-5, 1-4, 4-0, and 2-1).

The Wolves (33-13 overall, 23-5 conference) are having an outstanding season this year. They currently reign over the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) with the best record. Last weekend, Western was on an 11 game winning streak and moved into the No. 2 spot in the West Region poll. The Wolves’ winning streak was snapped by Central Washington last week; however, Western responded by scoring 18 runs after the loss.

Northwest Nazarene (31-17 overall, 16-16 conference) came into this series on a hot streak and was in third place in the GNAC. After losing a series to Western in the beginning of April, NNU has answered back by winning their last three series.’ NNU is coming off of a dominant series

win against the second best team in the GNAC, St. Martin’s. They won the series, 3-1.

By winning the series, Western clinched first place in the GNAC and are the conference champions for the 10th straight season. This remarkable streak started when Western moved into Division II in 2002. This year was particularly difficult to win the conference because the Wolves were in second place throughout the season until they swept the first place team, Saint Martin’s, in dominant fashion. Ever since Western won that series, it has been sitting alone at the top of the conference.

“This team definitely deserved the league title,” said head coach Jeremiah Robbins. “It is a tough conference this year, and they grinded through it this year.”

On Thursday, May 5, the teams started off the series with a doubleheader. They split the doubleheader, 6-5 and 1-4.

The first game of the doubleheader was an

instant classic that resulted in a walk-off win for the Wolves. Even though there was a total of 11 runs, both starting pitchers had a duel. They each pitched eight innings and never gave up the game.

Senior Michael Ward (6-4) for the Wolves allowed nine hits and struck out six batters. J.T. Brodrick (7-3) of NNU permitted 11 hits, three walks and threw six strikeouts.

Western’s offense had to mount a comeback to pull out the victory. In the fourth inning, Western was trailing 3-1. In this exciting inning, Western managed to wake the bats up by recording two doubles and scoring three runs. NNU took the lead in the sixth inning, but Western tied the game in the seventh inning after an RBI from senior Michael Chiarelli.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the game was in a deadlock. It was the strength of the seniors that pulled out the win. Senior Grant Glover started off the inning by being walked. Then another senior, Aaron Headrick, reached first base on an error that advanced

Glover to third base. The final batter of the game, senior Daniel Dillard, drilled a pitch down the left side to drive in Glover for the walk-off win.

The second game of the doubleheader was another pitching battle and only five total runs were scored. The star of the game was NNU’s starting pitcher, Sean McDonald (5-1). He pitched the entire game and held Western scoreless for six innings. In addition, he allowed five hits and struck out two.

Senior Cam Nobles (6-3) pitched a total of 5.2 innings and struck out three batters and allowed five hits. The Crusaders scored their first run in the second inning when Drew Drlik hit a two-run home run. NNU then scored a run each in the sixth and seventh innings.

Western tried to pull out another comeback in the final inning when senior Miles Kizer hit a double. A pinch runner replaced

Kizer and he advanced to third after a single. He scored after the pitcher made an illegal pitching motion that allowed the runner to advance to home. However, that would be the only run of the game for the Wolves. Glover struck out and Headrick flied out to center field to end the game.

The teams concluded their four-game series with another doubleheader on Friday, May 6. The Wolves swept the day, 4-0 and 2-1. By sweeping the doubleheader, Western officially clinched first place in the GNAC.

Junior Grady Wood (7-4) put on a pitching clinic in the first game of the day en route to his seventh straight win. He pitched all nine innings and had a shutout. Wood only allowed one hit and struck out six batters. He also threw 15 ground-ball outs. NNU’s only hit came in the fourth inning and, after that, he retired the next 17

of 18 batters.The GNAC champions

finished off the series with a thrilling 2-1 victory. Junior Kirk Lind (6-1) pitched very well, allowing only one run. In 5.2 innings pitched, he struck out seven batters and allowed six hits.

The offense only managed three hits and scored its only two runs in the fourth inning. NNU dug itself an early hole, allowing Western to load the bases with no outs. After the catcher made an error, Dillard reached home for the first run. Chiarelli hit a sacrifice bunt to make the score 2-0.

Western concludes its season with a four- game home series against Montana State Billings. The series starts on Friday, May 13.

“To achieve the goal of the conference title was definitely a feather in our cap,” concluded Robbins. “Now we are going onto our next goal and that is to continue our season.”

May 11, 2011

www.westernoregonjournal.com

12 SPORTS

Wolves earn GNAC top honors for 10th straight year

Senior Michael Ward allowed only nine hits and had six strikeouts in the Wolves’ first game of the series against Northwest Nazarene University.

Photos by | Emily Laughlin

Western’s powerful pitching leads to 3-1 series win over GNAC No. 3 Northwest Nazarene

Matthew Curran | Freelancer

Junior Grady Wood earned the shutout against Northwest Nazarene in the third game of the series. He allowed only one hit and had six strikeouts.

Baseball W L PCT GB W L PCT Western Oregon 23 5 .821 -- 33 13 .717 Saint Martin’s 21 11 .656 4 25 22 .532 Northwest Nazarene 16 16 .500 9 31 17 .646 MSU Billings 9 19 .321 14 18 25 .419 Central Washington 7 25 .219 18 14 32 .304 W = Win L = Loss PCT = Percentage GB = Games Back

* Standings as of press time.

2011 BASEBALL GNAC STANDINGS