The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Running

  • Border Battle 2017 – “Chumboldt” Versus Oregon

    Border Battle 2017 – “Chumboldt” Versus Oregon

    By Andre Hascall

    Oregon and California clash at Humboldt State University. It is called the Border Battle due to the participating schools from Humboldt, Chico, Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech. Humboldt State and CSU Chico teamed up to represent California, Oregon was represented by Southern Oregon University and Oregon Technical Institute. Many of the top performers of the weekend were competing for Humboldt.

    Brendan Roderick, sophomore Kinesiology Major, finished in second place in the triple jump, gaining points for the California team. Roderick is originally from Springfield,Oregon, but he lived in southern california before coming up to Humboldt State. “Its one of my favorite meets because it’s california versus oregon,” Rodrick said. “So we got Chico and Humboldt, also known as Chumboldt, versus Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.”

    Caitlyn McCoy, junior, runs the 100 and 400 meter hurdles. McCoy placed second in the 100 meter hurdle. McCoy mentioned that hard work all season built this team for success. “We have made huge progress I remember back in the first practice everyone was dying and out of shape,” McCoy said. “Now we can run our events and get first, second or third.”

    Roderick was amongst one part of the successful men’s team that featured plenty of runners and throwers who performed well. Corey Berner, a sprinter on Humboldt Men’s Track. Berner gave his fellow relay runners a strong finish to cement a win. He did this, of course as an anchor being the last runner in the relay. “It was back and forth we got the baton at the same time, and I could see him in the corner of my eye,” Berner said. “I’m pretty sure he took the lead for a moment but I told myself to relax and then I pulled forward, it was close, but we got it.”

     

  • 13 Jacks qualify to two prestigious Division I track meets

    13 Jacks qualify to two prestigious Division I track meets

    By Erin Chessin

    Track and field coaches Sarah Ingram and Scott Pesch were frustrated to find that very few of the athletes they entered into two Division I track meets made it.

    They entered  a total of 13 HSU athletes into two prestigious Division I track meets; the 90th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and the Stanford Invitational.

    “The ones we entered who didn’t make it had very strong marks,” Ingram said. “It’s really surprising.”

    Four women, Ariel Oliver, Alyssabeth DeJerez, Marisa McCay and Kori Gilley, qualified for Texas Relays, hosted by University of Texas in Austin. No men qualified for Texas Relays.

    Ingram and Pesch entered in the same four women they had entered into Texas Relays into Stanford Invitational as a backup in case their entries were rejected. Three more women were entered into Stanford Invitational. Two high jumpers, Ellie Earl-Rouse and Brailee VandenBoom, qualified.

    Ingram said distance events at Division I tournaments, such as the 800, the 1500, the 5k and the 3000 meter steeplechase, are highly competitive and are tougher to get into. When junior Tatiana Gillick did not qualify in the 1500 meters with her impressive 4:31, Ingram and Pesch were shocked.

    “That was like a slap in the face,” Ingram said. “If you have a better mark than somebody, you deserve to be there.”

    Both coaches expressed that division 1 track and field meets often favor division 1 over division 2 athletes when they receive the entries.

    Luckily, six males and four females made it into the entries for Stanford Invitational.

    Mario Kaluhiokalani, a sprinter on HSU’s track team, will be racing for the second year in a row at Stanford Invitational this weekend.

    “Last year I only made it for the 110 meter hurdles,” Kaluhiokalani said. “I’m hoping to get a provisional mark in both my events this weekend.”

    Kaluhiokalani will be running the 110 meter hurdles and the 400 meter hurdles at Stanford Invitational.

    While ten athletes will be competing in Palo Alto and three in Austin, Texas the rest of the track and field squad will be competing in San Francisco at the 2017 San Francisco Distance Carnival.

    The meet will be hosted by San Francisco State on Friday, March 31 through Saturday, April 1, 2017.

    One athlete is actually competing at both Stanford Invitational and San Francisco Distance Carnival. Junior transfer Corey Berner said he is looking forward to running the 100 and the 200 meters at Stanford and the 4 by 100 meter relay at San Francisco.

    “It’s definitely going to be a busy weekend. There’s going to be good competition at both meets,” Berner said.

    The sprinter is aiming to get pulled to fast times in his events since he will be running up against Division I athletes.

    “Stanford will definitely be my main focus,” Berner said. “The competition is there at Division I tournaments.”

     

    Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays

    1. Alyssabeth DeJerez led the way with another strong performance in the 400m hurdles. She finished 10th against top level division one competition. DeJerez finished in a time of 58.96.
    2. Ariel Oliver placed tenth in the Shotput throwing 44-00.00.
    3. Marissa McKay ran a 14.59 in the 100m hurdles
    4. McKay Placed 14th in the High Jump clearing 5-05.00.
    5. Kori Gilley saw her outing cut short when she was injured in the 300m steeplechase trying to avoid a fallen runner.

    Stanford Invite

    1. Teigan Eilers placed 5th in the Javelin throw with a toss of 56.05m.
    2. Also placed 13th in the High Jump, clearing 1.91m.
    3. Calvin Herman placed 13th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 54.26.
    4. Mario Kaluhiokalani placed 24th in the same event coming in at 56.29.
    5. Corey Berner placed 24th in the 100m dash with a time of 11.22.
    6. Ellie Earle-Rouse placed 6th in High Jump clearing 1.60m.
    7. Bailee VandenBoom finished 9th.

     

  • Slippery slopes at the Arcata Community Forest Run

    Slippery slopes at the Arcata Community Forest Run

    By | Erin Chessin

    Runners were lucky enough to experience dry conditions and no weather delays at the Arcata Community Forest Run hosted by the Six Rivers Running Club on March 26.

    Many competed in either a 2-mile race or a 5.5-mile race at 10 a.m. that day. The course started and ended at Redwood Park and took runners on a journey through the redwoods. Runners were challenged with steep, muddy hills due to consistent rainfall over the past couple of weeks.

    The Six Rivers Running Club arranges and hosts races in the most scenic areas of Humboldt County. The club strives to encourage locals and adolescents to run competitively and noncompetitively as a community.

    The race director and Mckinleyville resident, Matthew Kidwell, said the meet went well overall despite the precarious slippery, steep hills.

    “People were slipping on the downhills, thankfully no one was injured,” Kidwell said.

    Kidwell is a long distance runner for the Six Rivers Running Club and has been a meet director of the club’s various events for over four years. He will be competing in the Boston Marathon in three weeks.

    The Arcata Community Forest Run course map, found on the Six Rivers Running Club’s website at www.6srrc.com. | Erin Chessin
    The Arcata Community Forest Run course map, found on the Six Rivers Running Club’s website at http://www.6srrc.com. | Erin Chessin

    Kidwell knew rain was not going to be a problem at the event because he is also a meteorologist.

    “I work for the National Weather Service,” Kidwell said. “So I was semi-confident that the rain would hold off for the run.”

    In the men’s division of the 5.5-mile race, Aaron Campbell placed first at less than 36 minutes, followed by Jasper Severn and Ben Davenport.

    “It’s a great course. The hills are tough, but I ran a personal best today,”Davenport said. Davenport is an active member of the Six Rivers Running Club. He is a long distance runner for the club who competes in anywhere from 5-mile races up to marathons.

    Tami Beall was the first woman to cross the line at almost 42 and a half minutes, followed by Kristal Mendez and Ivy Price.

    There were some standout youth in the 2-mile race. In the boy’s division, Mathias Severn finished in first just above 14 minutes, followed by Everett Halikas and Ian Letts.

    People of all ages competed in the Arcata Community Forest Run. Sheri Culver, 52, was the first woman to finish in the 2-mile event at almost 17 minutes, followed by Annie Lanning who was only 9 years old, and Iris Mohany.

    Retired Chief of Police for the Humboldt State University, Tom Dewey, was first in his age division for the 5.5-mile race.

    “The race was a hard one but a good one,” Dewey said.

    Dewey is also a member of the Six Rivers Running Club.

    Members of the Six Rivers Running Club often participate or compete in the Six Rivers Running Club Circuit, which comprises of six signature races. The Avenue of the Giants Marathon and the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon are the club’s most well known races, both of which attract various runners from all over the country.

    The club hosts dozens of races all year around and welcomes Humboldt County residents and people of all ages to compete.

    Race results and photos can be found at the Six Rivers Running Club’s website. Registration and information about upcoming races in Humboldt County can also be found on the club’s website.

  • Green and Gold Open Kicks Off Track Season

    Green and Gold Open Kicks Off Track Season

    By Keaundrey Clark

    Grace Hall, HSU sprinter, running her hardest on her second lap during the women’s 800 meter race on Saturday Feb. 18, 2017. | Juan Herrera

    Humboldt State’s track and field began the 2017 season with the annual Green and Gold Open Saturday at the Redwood Bowl.

    The intrasquad scrimmage, which hosts visitors from College of the Redwoods and local participants, gave the Lumberjacks an opportunity to tune up before the Kim Duyst Invitational in Turlock, Calif., on March 4.

    HSU’s Gold Teams won the event  versus the Green Teams. The Gold Women outscored the Green Women 45-35 and the Gold Men narrowly beat the Green Men 33-29. The top three finishers in each event were awarded points with first place earning 4 points, second place 2 points and third place 1 point.

    Highlights of the event included the return of decathlete Teigan Eilers. Eilers finished first in the long jump and javelin, second in the 400m dash and fourth in the discus. His 7.18m distance in the long jump was his personal best, while his 56.69m toss in the javelin is one of the top eight performances in program history. Eilers returned from an injury that cost him the 2016 season.

    After representing the Green and Gold at NCAA Outdoor Nationals last season, Alyssabeth DeJerez showed she was ready to return  this season with Saturday’s times. DeJerez earned first place finishes in the 200m dash (24.96) and the 800m (2:17.49),

    Tatiana Gillick and Dustyn Salomon were top finishers in the women’s and men’s 3200m races, respectively. Marissa McCay held the top spot in the javelin, 100m hurdles and high jump and second in the 200m dash and shot put.

  • LeDesma twins strive for greatness

    LeDesma twins strive for greatness

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    By Keaundrey Clark

    We all know about sibling rivalries. We’ve all felt like we had to compete with our brothers or sisters. It’s apart of life.

    Juniors Catie and Andie LeDesma are twin long distance runners for the Humboldt State’s Track and Field team. The sisters exemplify what it means to have a sibling rivalry. The amazing thing about these sisters is that they are actually apart of a set of triplets. Their other sister is attending college at Sacramento State.

    “It’s great we’ve been running together all our lives,” Catie LeDesma said.

    The sisters started running at the age of five. Their father, who ran track in college at San Diego State, has been a big help along the way.

    Catie didn’t start out at HSU, she transferred from Minot State University in 2015 after deciding she wanted to add a second major on top of Applied Math and a grueling athletic schedule.

    “The school didn’t offer physics as a major,” Catie Ledesma said. “I knew HSU did, also I knew my sister was here, so after to talking to coach (Pesch) I ended up running at HSU.”

    Catie isn’t just double majoring; she’s also minoring in Chemistry. Catie recently competed in the International Mathematical Contest in Modeling. Catie does off the track, she’s just as amazing on it. Catie has one of the top ten best times in the 5,000 meter run at HSU.

    Andie LeDesma, not to be outdone by her sister, is excellent in her own right. She has the third fastest 3,000 meter steeplechase time in HSU history.

    As long as she’s been running, she has had her sisters running with her stride for stride.

    “It was nice running with them, having someone to run with,” said Andie LeDesma.

    The LeDesma sisters share a bond that is deep. Running is apart of that bond. So is the competitive nature they share on the field.

    “When we were little we were running a road race, and I passed Catie up. She tried to tackle me when I went by her,” said Andie LeDesma. “She said never again, and I’ve only beaten her a few times ever since.

    They have helped the Lumberjack Track and Field program since they’ve been on campus with top 10 finishes at CCAA Championships since they’ve been here.

    Head Coach Scott Pesch knows he has two great athletes on his hands.

    “Overall the success of being a student athlete is being great on and off the field,” Pesch said.