State champs among recruits for 2013 track and field team

The Saints track and field competitors will be dusting off the spikes this weekend as they begin their 2013 season with the Eric Anderson Icebreaker meet on Saturday at Linfield College.

The team will have some shoes to fill this year, as last year the Saints brought home four individual NWAACC titles, including the 4×100-meter relay title, long jump, 400-meter hurdles and the shot put. Both the men’s and women’s squads fiished in the top three overall, as well.

With a good crop of talented returners and some former state champions lined up in this year’s roster, building upon last year’s success may not be too difficult of a task.

“We’ve got a really talented freshman group and a much larger group than we had last year,” said head track coach Matt Hart.

Hart said that among the new recruits is Caitlyn Safley, the 2012 200-meter Oregon state champion from Sandy High School; Safley’s teammate, McKenzie Warren, who was the 2012 state champion in the shot put; and the 2011 state champion in the long jump, Zechariah McLaurin.

On top of their usual group of fresh high school recruits, Hart said the team has several walk-ons and people new to track who are bringing their talents to MHCC.

Among the returners is the current NWAACC champion in the shot put, Tori Dixson.

On the men’s side, sophomore Tyler Callahan will return to action this year after taking the 2012 season off due to health reasons. Callahan holds the MHCC record in the javelin.

“He’s throwing awesome in practice, so chances are he’s going to break his own school records,” said Hart.

“We’re expecting a lot of good things,” Hart said of the full roster.

In total, the MHCC track and field team has 12 meets lined up this season, though they only are hosting one home meet, the Mt. Hood Multi Meet on March 29-30.

Hart said that the reason they are not hosting more home meets this year is simple: the poor condition of the track.

“Our track has taken some wear and tear. It’s 18-19 years old. It’s exponentially worse now,” said Hart. “It’s time for a new one.”
Fortunately for the team, the 2013 Student Finance Council recently approved funding to resurface the track and is currently awaiting final approval by the MHCC president’s executive cabinet.
“Everyone in our neck of the woods is excited,” said Hart.
Besides having the physical talent to compete at a high level, Hart said that this year’s roster is full of strong academic athletes as well.

“I’m looking forward to having several NWAACC All-American members on the team,” said Hart.

He added that coaching is another aspect of this year’s team coming together really nicely.

“We’ve got some veteran coaches that are immediately making an impact on the program,” said Hart. “The coaching staff is a lot stronger and a lot more consistent.”

After debuting at the Eric Anderson Icebreaker, the track and field team will take a bye next week. Then, those athletes who qualify will head to the Oregon Preview meet in Eugene on March 16.