Promising results comes out of this season’s track team, gaining bright hope for future season

Throw all of the past success out the window. What happened earlier this season no longer matters. Every track and field athlete trains for the moment and opportunity to compete in the regional and conference meet at the end of the season and hopes to be good enough to qualify for nationals.

With the track season coming to a close, the Clackamas track and field team is looking for a strong finish to the season.

They were able to take 19 men and women athletes to the Southwest Regional Championships in Eugene at Lane Community College on Saturday, May 14. The team is also sent close to half of the team to the NWACs last weekend.

Head track and field coach Keoni McHone likes the way that the season has gone. “The season has gone well. The athletes are rounding into shape. We have been seeing many lifetime and season best in the last few weeks,” McHone said.

When it comes to some adversity, McHone also likes how the team has overcome a little bit of that to be successful as a team.

The strange weather that Clackamas Community College has experienced recently impacted the athletes’ performance. Two weeks ago there were summer like temperatures, then followed with mid 60 degree temperatures with a mix of rain and thunderstorms.

For Clackamas sophomore athlete Kyle Anderson, who participates in the long jump, pole vault and decathlon, the weather wasn’t exactly what he wanted to compete in.

“Last weekend wasn’t as great because of the weather that we had wasn’t very cooperative, but I was still able to qualify for the NWACs,” Anderson said.

This was Anderson’s first full season back since he participated in high school after an ankle injury forced him to redshirt last season at Clackamas.

Freshman AJ Smith strives to be the best that he can be. Coming into the season he felt that the transition from the high school level to college level was a lot more than he expected.

Smith participates in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, discus and decathlon.

Smith mentioned “It’s a lot more demanding and work that you have to put in to training.”

When it comes to training Smith also likes to put it on himself.

“I’m a very competitive person. When I lose it’s time to go into a grind mode to work harder.”

Both Smith and McHone like the way that things will go next season.

Smith said, “Next season I have bigger plans. We have more steps moving forward.”

“We have already signed some really good recruits and return quite a few of good freshman and redshirt athletes,” McHone said.

Results: At the Southern Region Championships, the men’s and woman’s Track and Field teams took second place respectively. The men had a total of 114 points and the women had 183 points.

At the NWAC championships, the men’s and woman’s teams finished strong. Both of the teams took third place out of ten schools. The Men’s team scored a total of 90 points, as well as the woman’s team scoring a total of 104 points. Great job by our Clackamas Track and Field athletes at the NWAC Championships at Mt. Hood Community College.