The first meet of the season isn't until Feb. 26, but training for the Clark College Track and Field athletes has already begun.
"We meet two days a week right now," said head coach Amber Moore. "Next month, we meet four days a week."
Although the team only practices together two days a week, Moore said she requires her athletes to work out six days a week. The athletes can be found either out on the track or in the weight room every day.
Moore's team is working hard to make sure the season is as successful as or more successful than the last. Three Penguins placed first in their respective track and field categories last season in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship meet, and two of them are returning for another season.
Josh Smith, the NWAACC champion in the 200-meter last year, transferred to University of Oregon to continue his studies.Javelin star Justin Hansen and high-jump champion Ty Lane are back with the Penguins. Lane is very confident about his fellow jumpers as well as the whole team this year.
"We have a couple new jumpers here at Clark," Lane said. "Everybody that's returning looks good."
Sophomore Ricky Garcia, who has decided to run the 800-meter race this year instead of the 200-meter and 400-meter, says the team is in good shape.
"A lot of us are healthy this year," Garcia said. "We just gotta stay healthy and I think we can go for that NWAACC title."
The men's team has many returning stars. The women's team, however, only returns one athlete from last season.
13 freshmen currently occupy the women's roster this year.
Freshman hurdler Laniece Luster believes the women's team, though young, is making quick progress.
"Everybody's working out hard," Luster said, "and we're getting it done in a timely manner."
Moore returns Ryan Hovde as her assistant coach. Hovde is also the head coach of the cross country team, for which Moore serves as an assistant coach.
The Penguins and their coaches have a couple potentially tough meets ahead of them this season. One of the toughest meets of the season will undoubtedly be the Oregon Relays on April 22 and 23. The host team, University of Oregon, and University of Washington will be participating in the event.
The first meet is an inner-squad meet on Feb. 26 at Hudson's Bay High School. The first NWAACC regular season meet is on March 5, as the Penguins travel to McMinnville, Ore. for the Linfield Icebreaker.
Moore is confident that the upcoming season will be a success, no matter how tough the schedule is.
"Last year we had three NWAACC champions," Moore said. "This year I think maybe we'll have double."
Contact Dan Ellertson at d.ellertson@students.clark.edu.
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