VANCOUVER, Wash. - The Clark College track program heads into the 2025 spring season with the highest expectations in over 20 years. A loaded freshman class arrives to partner with several returning All-Americans to make up the deepest and most talented roster in a really long time.  Coming off a year where the women earned a trophy in third place and then men were the most improved team in the conference after jumping from eighth place in 2023 to fifth place in 2024, the Penguins used that momentum to springboard into 2025. Third year head coach Owen Frasier was clearly excited about the 2025 season . "Obviously this team is loaded with talent. We've got quite a few potential event champions, there are athletes in every event, and our coaching staff is finally full enough to give our best to each athlete," Frasier outlined. "Every weekend is going to be a show. Each meet another school record is going to go down, multiple people are going to hit qualifying marks, and we're going to end the season with a lot of hardware."

There are so many team members to learn about. Let's meet the teams, starting with the men. Clark College completes its full reinstatement of the track program with the addition of two men's throwers for 2025. Though it's just a start, the Penguins couldn't ask for two better athletes to build the throws program around. Shot putter Wyatt Galipeau capped off a stellar career at nearby Prairie High School with a fourth place finish at State in a personal best throw of 55'8.25". Galipeau ended the year ranked the number seven senior shot put thrower in all of Washington! Wyatt also already won his first indoor event at Portland State earlier this season.  Nico Valdez improved his shot PR to 45'3" and qualified for the District Championships his senior season in the shot put. In the discus, Valdez threw a personal best 154'7" at Districts to qualify for the State Championships.

The men's jumpers are a deep and talented group with a mix of returners and freshman.  Evan Davis earned NWAC All-Conference in the triple jump last season and will also be a force in the long jump. His 44'2 personal best in the triple and over 20' in the long make him a dual threat.  Hayden Day was one of the top high jumpers in the NWAC last season and finished third at the Southern Regionals. His personal best jump of 6'2.75 was 5th in the conference.  Nathan Shafir finished 10th in the high jump at NWACs last season and also earned All Conference in the 4x100 relay.  J'Quan Collins was focused on the sprints his freshman season but has already excelled in the jumps this winter. His first indoor event he passed 21' to finish fourth overall in the long jump at the George Fox Invitational. He will be one of the top overall athletes in the NWAC this season.  Transfer Connor Olmstead was the high jump State Champion in high school and transferred to Clark from Division II St. Martin's University where he finished 7th at the GNAC Championships. Kegan White and Taeven Hill were both accomplished jumpers in high school but are working through injury in the early season. Both will add depth to the program when they return.

With all due respect to the other event groups and to the rest of the hurdlers past and present in the NWAC, this is without a doubt the best collection of hurdlers that have ever set foot not only on Clark's campus, but on one NWAC team…EVER. The Penguin hurdle squad has multiple potential event champions, All-Americans, and Top 10 All Time performers. Do not be surprised to see a couple school records go down this spring.  Jackson McQuain is already one of the best 110 hurdlers in Clark history. He will look to cement that legacy by winning an NWAC title and chasing the school record. Four year colleges all over the country can't wait to get a chance to sign this young man.  Freshman Koynn Williamdyke is the 400 hurdle version of McQuain. A state 300 hurdle champion, Williamdyke will look to win a title and secure a school record of his own.  Williamdyke and McQuain's biggest competition may come from teammate Max Ensinger. Max is the best combination hurdler of the group and is the only one who will be a threat in both hurdle events. He had huge success in high school at both distances. Freshman Poki'i Waiwaiole is also strong in both events and will push for an All-American spot in each as well. He looked great in the indoor season.  Ryan Mungai will add depth to the team when he returns from injury.

We conclude our preview of the Clark 2025 men's track and field team with an introduction to our men's distance. Most of these men made up the Southern Region Runner-Up and fourth place NWAC cross country team this fall. With two solid additions to the group, look for the men to score big points for the Penguins this spring.  Three event All-Conference athlete Tim Bradshaw returns to lead the distance squad. He will be back to focusing on middle and distance events after running the steeplechase and 400 hurdles last season.  Ryan Koenninger was also All-Conference in the steeplechase last spring and could narrow his focus there for this season or look to pursue more distance events.  Dylan Stevenson was fourth at the Southern Regionals in the 5K and tenth at NWACs in the 10K last season. He will likely be the Penguins top performer in those events again this year.  Newcomer Jake Beck looks ready to push Bradshaw in the 800m and 1500m. Beck had a great indoor season after sitting out the fall.  Logan Puppo helped the Clark soccer team to a second place NWAC finish this fall but makes his way back to track where he had major success in high school in the middle distances. He may dabble in the hurdles and steeple as well.  Freshmen Ben Carter and Hayden Davis, along with sophomore Kyle Williams will all look to make their mark on the distance events too.

We begin our preview of the women's team with an introduction to our jumpers. This is a by far the best jumps group in recent memory and potentially the best group of women's jumpers Clark has ever had on one team.  Jaden Leonard leads the Penguin returners after having a solid freshman season. Leonard finished third in the Southern Region in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump last spring before capping her season with an 11th place finish in each at the NWAC Championships.  Leading the crop of freshman is Mia Hicks-Oliver. Mia won three consecutive State triple jump championships, which included a personal best mark of 38'2 while also finishing top three in the long jump and 100m as well.  Not far behind will be Avery Ness. Ness was the District Champion in the triple jump with a personal best mark of 34'0.75" as well as District Runner-Up in the long jump, highlighted by a jump of 16'10". Ness could also be one of the top hurdlers in the conference as well.  Breyelle Box was the GSHL champion and a State qualifier in the long jump and could also score in the high jump as well. Box also qualified for State in the hurdles and has potential in the heptathlon.  April Cruz boasts a personal best in the long jump of 16'8" and a triple jump of 33'4.5". She may contribute on the 4x100 team as well. Nico Field will be one of the top contenders to win the high jump this spring due to hitting 5'0 in the event in high school. Nico's 9'1 pole vault personal best would also put Field in a position for All-Conference honors in that event as well.  Penguin Volleyball player Sally Gould is returning to track where she hit 16'5" in the long jump as a senior in high school. Gould is learning the other jumps and may contribute there as well.

The Penguin women return their top thrower Jaelyn Sayler from last season after she had a great freshman year and finished 13th in the NWAC in the shot put. Sayler already improved her PR by two feet this indoor season with a mark of over 37'. Lucille Ware leads the freshman class after earning First Team All-League as a senior. In the discus, Ware finished second at the District Championships and qualified for Regionals. There, Lucille produced her best throw of her career 109'11" to qualify for the State Championships. Sophia Martin was new to track as a senior but competed in all three throws events and finished Top 10 at the District Championships in each. Jessica Richardson is transitioning into a full time thrower after competing in many events in high school. Some top marks for Jess include 91'8 in the javelin and 24' in the shot put. Both Jess and Sophia will continue to improve.

The sprints will be the smallest of the event groups, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in talent. All four women should compete for All-American spots and partner with some hurdlers and jumpers to make for two really quality relay teams. The Penguins have earned All-American honors in both relays each of the past two seasons and that shouldn't change this spring.  Sydney Allen returns for the Penguins after earning All-American recognition in both relays and All-Conference in the 400 meters last season. She has only gotten better in the last 12 months and is ready to lead the event group.  Mallory Davenport has been the most impressive Penguin newcomer after working extremely hard this off-season. Davenport has already run under 13 seconds in the 100m and could push for a Clark All-Time Top 10 spot.  Emily Peabody just completed her basketball season where she led the Penguins to a winning record. Her 12.6 100m personal best would already be one of the top times in Clark history and she has the range to contribute in other sprints as well.  Emilee Van Buren was one of the top 400m runners in Washington last season before a hamstring injury ended her senior year early. If she can come back later this season, she adds a big punch to the Penguin sprint group.

Just like the men, the women's hurdle group is loaded. Returner Lacie Westervelt led the 1600 meter relay team to All-American honors and just missed the Clark All-Time Top 10 in the 400 hurdles as a freshman. She plans to add the 100 hurdles as well this spring.  Newcomer Sarah Money was one of the top hurdlers in Oregon before signing with Division I University of Hawaii. Now a Penguin, Money will be one of the NWAC favorites in both hurdle events.  Freshman Mandy Richeson had a stellar senior season and would have pushed for a top spot at State had a concussion not ended her season. She is talented enough to earn All-Conference in the 400 hurdles as well.  Basketball player Miranda Gonzales will be a solid addition once she gets back on the track too!

We conclude our preview with our women's distance runners. Most of these women made up the Southern Region Championship and second place NWAC cross country team this fall. With the heart of that group back, look for the women to score a ton of points again this track season.

Sophomores Dani Buttrell and Soleil Bianchi earned both an All-American and All-Conference nod last spring. Buttrell in the steeplechase and 5K, and Bianchi in the 10K and 1500 meters. They both have their eyes on NWAC Titles.  The Penguins have dominated the 10K in recent years. Look for sophomores Mollie Miller and Emma Cortez to partner with freshman Taylor Souders and Vaughn Shimko to battle for points in that event and also run the 5K distance. All of them had great cross seasons, highlighted by Shimko earning All-Conference recognition.  The middle distances may be the strength of Penguin women's distance. NWAC cross country champion Mia Beightol actually prefers the 800/1500 combo and will be the favorite in both events. Her 2:15 personal best from high school is already better than most of the Clark Top 10 all time.  Kennedy Taylor and Sadie Schierscher have put up All Conference times in those same events and are perfect candidates to excel in the steeplechase. Both are tough, strong, and athletic runners. Expect to see them in the Penguin All Time Top 10 by season's end.

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