WRESTLING TEAMS WRAP UP SEASON
SOFTBALL, TRACK & FIELD SEE SUCCESSES
The Knights battled through a few injuries throughout the season. Junior point guard Kadeem Strickland led all WP Knights in scoring with 16.7 points a game. The Knights headed into the playoffs with a No. 7 seed, getting knocked out in the first round by Southern Oregon University and finishing with a 14–16 record. Two Knights, both juniors, were named to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Honorable Mention Team for the 2019–20 season. Miles Brown, a junior from Big Bend Community College, averaged 12.3 points for the Knights while shooting 47 percent from the field, with a 36 percent 3-point field goal percentage. Kadeem Strickland, the Knights’ leading scorer, averaged 15 points and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 37 percent from the arc. Strickland scored a career-high 37 points against Corban University. With these two players having another year at WPU, they will provide a strong foundation for the squad next season. “We had some good wins, but ultimately we were disappointed with the on-court results,” said head coach Jared Valentine. “With some hard work in the spring and fall, and lots of talent returning, we are optimistic for next season.” With some big wins under their belt against Eastern Oregon and Northwest Christian, the squad has some momentum to build on heading into the recruiting season for next year. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our seniors and am looking forward to seeing many of them earn diplomas in May,” Coach Valentine noted about the class of 2020. ▪
Warner Pacific University Men’s Wrestling Team competed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament on February 22, 2020. At the end of the tournament, two Knights had placed. Zachary Sias, a junior from Arizona, finished sixth in the 149-pound weight class, and Austin Wallace-Lister placed second in the 133-pound weight class. With a second-place finish, Wallace-Lister qualified for a spot at the NAIA National Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The junior out of Portland held the No. 1 ranking in the nation for five weeks before receiving a No. 6 seed at Nationals. Wallace-Lister moved quickly through his opponents in Wichita, defeating two before making it to the Championship. The National Championship match was a repeat of the Cascade Collegiate Conference where Wallace-Lister was hoping to get revenge; however, he fell 0–2 in the match and was named the 2020 NAIA 133-pound National Runner-Up. In his spectacular junior season, WallaceLister was named to the NAIA All-American team, just the seventh Knight wrestler to reach the milestone. Of his losses over the season, only two came against NAIA opponents—both at the hands of Blaysen Terukina of Menlo College, who won the Championship match. Senior women’s wrestler TajDestiny Vierra from Waianae, Hawaii, was invited to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Wrestling National Invitational on March 13, 2020, in Jamestown, North Dakota. Vierra spent weeks training and working out for this prestigious opportunity. However, upon her arrival in Jamestown, the NAIA made the difficult decision to cancel the remaining of all winter sport championships due to COVID-19, and Taj-Destiny’s run was cut short. Nevertheless, the senior 147-lbs weight class wrestler received the honor of nationals qualification. ▪
In their inaugural season as a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the Warner Pacific University Softball team was led by Coach Nathan Ohta. “I love the game of softball and am blessed to be able to continue my coaching career where I am surrounded by people whose goal is to help each athlete be the best they can be in all aspects of life,” said Ohta. “There are exciting days ahead for Warner Pacific Softball, and I am excited to be a part of them.” The Knights started the season with a 10–3 record. Devinne Amesquita was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Red Lion Player of the Week after just the opening weekend of conference play. The junior third-baseman out of Lake Oswego, Oregon, and teammate Rebekah Roe led the team in home runs, with five each. The Knight’s season may have ended abruptly due to COVID-19, but they are excited to get back on the field next season and make their mark in the conference. As the outdoor Track & Field season prepared for the first shotgun of the 2020 season, junior triple-jumper Brittany Coleman qualified for the NAIA National Indoor Track & Field Championships. In the first meet of the indoor season, Coleman jumped 11.52m, placing fourth overall. The jump was good enough to automatically qualify for nationals, not to mention the No. 2 mark in WPU history. At the National Indoor Championships, which took place in Brookings, South Dakota, Brittany jumped a personal-best 11.61m but came up two inches short of making the finals and getting her chance at All-American status. Last Spring, Coleman ended her outdoor season with a fourth place. The WPU Track & Field team was unable to complete the schedule they had anticipated this spring but, they plan to return stronger and faster in 2021.
Five Track & Field WPU Athletes earned U.S. Bank of America Academic All-CCC Honors. Brittany Coleman, Jackson Cooley, Mya Kirzy, Lindsay MacKenzie and Isaac Swillie were recognized for their performances on and off the playing surface. To earn recognition as a CCC scholarathlete, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and sophomore standing. ▪
k n i ghts ’ tales
MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM LOOKS AHEAD
SPRING ATHLETIC SEASONS SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19 In alignment with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and the guidance and orders issued by the Governors of Oregon and Washington, the Cascade Collegiate Conference and Warner Pacific University suspended the spring athletic competition beginning March 12, 2020. The Conference’s decision was followed by that of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) when on March 16, the remainder of the spring season was canceled. The NAIA announced that, “in an effort to provide relief, no spring sport student-athlete will be charged with a season of competition. Any spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be awarded two additional semester terms of attendance.” ▪
t h e mag azine o f Warner Pacif ic University
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