By Alexa Wilkins
Staff Writer

From early season meets anxious about what’s to come, to qualifying for the state championships; the Clackamas Cougars track and field team turned up the heat this year meet by meet.

The Cougars took part in various events at the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) Track and Field Championship at Mt. Hood Community College on May 19 and 20. In last year’s championship, the college had a solid experience as well and placed in almost every event.

In the 2025 championship the men’s bracket placed fourth overall and the women’s bracket placed sixth overall.

The track and field team won a total of 32 medals, one of which being gold. Despite being a freshman and weighing just about 195 pounds, Ethan Aman out threw his competitors in shot put. His second throw of the event was a personal record of 16.23 meters, which secured him first place.

Aman said, “I kinda shut it down in the beginning of the series, yeah, I’m very excited with my performance.”

Clackamas remains the reigning shot put champs following last year’s shot put champion Henry Buckles. Confident, Aman said, “It was good to go out there and do my job,” having faith in bringing home the gold for the Cougars.

That wasn’t his only thing he held pride in. Aman expressed his gratitude for his experience in being able to throw for CCC, saying it was “good to put on a show for my guys,” referring to the throwing team that was there for support, celebrating his win.

Aman even made a shout-out to Izraiah Fletchner for being a good friend of his since middle school when they first started playing track together. Friends and family have been an important theme for this team as they push each other to do their best not only for themselves but for the team. Fletchner placed fifth in long jump with a 6.46 meter stretch.

Izraiah Fletchner sliding in the sand during the long jump event. Photos by Quinton Prudhomme

Three people placed second in their events including sophomore Treyson Wakefield in the 100 meter, recording a time of 10.9 seconds. Sophomore Kalil Irby participated in the high jump and hit his season best with a 1.92 meter jump. Finally, freshman Hayden Slaughter recorded a distance of 46.01 meters in men’s discus throwing.

Treyson Wakefield with various competitors approaching the finish line in the 100 meter dash.

CCC earned three third place finishes as well, including sophomore Talbot Friesen in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:54.51. Although not his personal best, Friesen has had an amazing season. Friesen placed first overall for the 2025 NWAC season when he ran a personal record finish at the Larry Byerly Invitational of 9:48.52.

The Cougars took third in the men’s shot put, not leaving Aman alone on the podium. Sophomore Karch Kipp earned his placement by throwing 14.58 meters.

The last CCC athlete to earn third place was also the only woman to place top three; redshirt sophomore Brenna MacPherson-Cearns threw 41.69 meters in the women’s hammer throw.

Outside of MacPherson-Cearns, Emma Longfellow placed fourth, Alyssa Aune placed fifth, and Nabaa Hussein placed seventh in the women’s hammer throw.

The Cougars have made big changes this year. Since COVID they have been struggling with keeping a new head coach since Keoni McHone left that position in2020.

Bridgette Carpenter, previously the hurdles and sprint coach, stepped up at the end of the 2024 season as the new head coach. The team seems to be very grateful for it, as Andrea Goulet, one of the track and field team captains said, “As soon as Coach Carpenter took over, it was like an instant change, like, we all became a family, we all started doing team bondings.”

Carpenter said she is working with each athlete’s strengths.

“My goal/philosophy as a coach has always been to build well rounded athletes. I didn’t just want them to succeed on the track, but in school and build character as they start their adult lives,” Carpenter said. “One of the hardest things about being a head coach, especially for a bigger team, is knowing each athlete is unique, they all require different training plans, specialized recovery and take feedback and criticism differently.”

The team shows their gratitude not just for their head coach, but for coaches that specialize in sprints, jumps and more.

Goulet said, “I wouldn’t be anywhere without Coach Greene and Coach Carpenter. Their support, love and belief in me is what has motivated me and allowed me to believe in myself.”

Tanner Hardley pushing himself over the line during a pole vaulting competition.

LOS ANGELES – Head Coach John Mayer has promoted Angela “Benny” White to Associate Head Coach following two highly successful seasons with the LMU Beach Volleyball Program.
 
“We’ve been so fortunate to have Benny in our program these past two years,” said Mayer. “She has been the perfect fit for our team as she is caring, thoughtful, creative and most importantly she’s a learner. Benny has been incredibly committed to every aspect of this program and has helped us raise the level in so many facets of our team. She is an outstanding coach and she’s an exceptional role model as a mom and person for our LMU student athletes. I’m glad we can honor her hard work with this promotion!”
 
In just two seasons working with the Lions, Coach White has teamed up with Coach Mayer to advance to the National Title game this past May and be only one of five programs nationally to win four or more NCAA Tournament games over the last two seasons. White has been a part of 66 total duals won, at a winning percentage over 75 percent, and helped LMU set a new program record for total wins in a season with 38 in 2025. White has not lost a conference game since arriving in Los Angeles, helping the Lions win the last two West Coast Conference Championships.
 
“I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity and deeply honored for Craig, Ashley and especially John’s belief in me,” said White. “The LMU community and this team are truly something special—the energy, the support, and the sense of family make it feel like home. John has built an amazing program and I’m beyond grateful to be a part of it and excited for the future.”
 
As a mentor, White has helped coached Michelle Shaffer (2024 First Team and 2025 Second Team), Vilhelmiina Prihti (2024 First Team), and Chloe Hooker (2025 Second Team) to AVCA All-American seasons. Five pairs have earned AVCA Top Flight Awards since the 2024 season. The Lions have also claimed back-to-back WCC Pair of the Year recipients, back-to-back WCC Defensive Players of the Year, 11 members of the All-WCC First Team, five members of the All-WCC Second Team, six members of the WCC All-Academic Team, and five members of the WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention Team.
 
In December of 2023, White was named one of a Volleyball Magazine’s College Coaching Hotshots.
 
Born and raised in Plano, Texas, White played collegiately on the indoor team at LSU before starting her professional career both on the court and in the sand. Her stops as a professional player include playing indoor in Italy before transitioning to beach volleyball with the AVP and USA Volleyball.
 
Prior to arriving at LMU, White served as Assistant Director of Silver Beach Volleyball Club in Austin, Texas where she was named 2022 AVCA Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year. Previous coaching experience includes time with East Coach Power in Philadelphia, Penn., The Winward School in Mar Vista, Calif., and Elite Beach Volleyball Club in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
 
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West Virginia University’s (WVU) Student Life team has a program — Mountaineer Connections — aimed at addressing student loneliness and providing engaging late-night programming on campus. While one long-standing event series has been successfully held at our downtown campus for several years, the geographic spread of WVU presents challenges in reaching students residing on other parts of campus. 

To help bridge this gap, WVU Campus Recreation was tasked with launching a new initiative during the spring semester to better serve students at a separate campus location. Leveraging available space and our programmatic strengths, we introduced Midnight Mountaineers, a monthly event series designed to offer dynamic and inclusive activities for students. 

Each Midnight Mountaineer event featured a variety of high-energy, organized activities such as archery tag, laser tag, dodgeball, climbing wall and inner tube water polo. To appeal to students seeking a more relaxed experience, we also hosted pop-in activities including bracelet-making, Nintendo Switch gaming, canvas painting and poolside movie screenings. Additionally, students had the opportunity to participate in a community-focused art project by painting bowls for Empty Bowls — a local fundraiser that supports food insecurity initiatives in Morgantown. 

To further enhance student engagement, we offered free food and held raffle giveaways every 30 minutes throughout the night. 

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Each event attracted over 200 students with participation spanning across residential areas and academic levels from first-year undergraduates to doctoral candidates. Many students expressed appreciation for having large-scale events to look forward to outside of our traditional Up All Night programming on the Downtown campus. 

To continually improve the experience, we conducted brief surveys after each event to gather feedback and assess overall satisfaction. Below are some of those testimonials: 

“The Midnight Mountaineer event was a new exciting experience for me to get involved at Campus Rec and indulge in electrifying activities with my friends. No greater feeling than getting a walk-off arrow catch in archery tag to win the game!” 

“I really love midnight Mountaineer! It’s such a cool opportunity to spend time playing games with friends, get moving, and spend your time doing something good for your body and fun. I like that there are games and crafts, and the food is always a plus!” 

“The Midnight Mountaineer series has been an incredible way to build community and unwind with fellow students. One of my favorite parts of the Midnight Mountaineer series was the simple joy of relaxing in a hammock. Playing bingo with everyone brought unexpected fun and laughs, especially with the quirky prizes and friendly competition. Please keep organizing these events! They offer a unique blend of fun, connection and relaxation that’s much needed in the academic hustle.” 

“I loved the food at Midnight Mountaineer. It was so good. I also loved the hot tub being open later with a movie option. This is seriously one of my favorite activities that I have attended as a WVU student.” 

“I loved getting to meet new people! Having club sports run the games made it almost more inviting and helped me make new friends” 

“I really enjoyed the Midnight Mountaineers event. It was a great way to take a break from classes and connect with other students. One of my most memorable moments was just relaxing by the pond with friends, listening to music and hanging out in the hammocks. It created such a chill and welcoming atmosphere. I also liked how many different activities there were. Everyone could find something they enjoyed, whether it was playing games, making crafts or joining the raffles. It felt like a good balance of fun and community, and I even met a few new people during the event. I definitely think WVU should keep doing this series. It helps bring students together in a positive way and gives us something fun to look forward to during the semester.” 

We were thrilled with the positive outcomes of the Midnight Mountaineer event series. WVU Campus Recreation — in collaboration with Student Life — is excited to continue this initiative after witnessing firsthand the meaningful impact it has had on our students. Feedback from participants highlighted not only increased student engagement and physical activity, but also the development of social connections. Students shared that these events provided a fun and welcoming environment to spend time with current friends while also meeting new people, helping to foster a stronger sense of community across campus. 

AUGUSTA, GA — The Peach Belt Conference has released the 2024-25 women’s Track & Field Team of Academic Distinction, presented by Barnes & Noble College.  The team is a part of the PBC’s larger initiative to celebrate the academic achievements of PBC student-athletes.  This team includes both indoor and outdoor track & field athletes.

To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility. The Peach Belt Conference Sports Information Directors oversee the program.

Barnes & Noble College currently operates more than 1,400 campus bookstores and their school-branded e-commerce sites, serving more than 6 million college students and faculty nationwide. As a strategic partner, Barnes & Noble College is a retail and learning company. The company is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.