E AST O REGONIAN
TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
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A10
BRANCHING OUT
Vanguard
University is the
next stop for
Heppner’s Finch
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
H
Hermiston High School/Contributed Photo
Hermiston’s Caden Hottman, left, placed second in the
shot put with a throw of 57-9 at the 3A State Track and Field
Championships on Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Tacoma, Wash-
ington. Ryker McDonald, right, placed fi fth with a mark of
48-7 ¾. With them is throws coach David Faaeteete.
Hermiston brings
home three gold
medals from state
Young wins
two titles, while
Hottman wins
the discus
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
TACOMA — Caden
Hottman put an exclama-
tion point on Hermiston’s
trip to the 3A State Track
and Field Championships at
Mt. Tahoma High School.
Hottman won the discus
with a toss of 169 feet, 3
inches on Saturday, May 28,
adding a gold medal to the
silver he won in the shot put
on Thursday.
“It feels amazing,” he
said. “It has been on my
mind for three years now.
I’m thankful for everyone
in Hermiston who kept us
involved through everything
happening in the world.”
Hottman led the compe-
tition from the start with
a throw of 159-5. Four of
his fi ve legal throws would
have won the competition. It
wasn’t his best series of the
year, but the weather wasn’t
exactly ideal.
“We threw in the rain,
then you add in the cold
weather and the wind,” Hott-
man said. “It adds another
element to the throw.”
The Hermiston boys
finished tied for ninth in
the team standings with
22 points — all of which
were earned by Hottman
and Ryker McDonald, who
placed fi fth in the shot put
(48-7).
Walla Walla won the
team title with 66 points.
“We are putting Herm-
iston back out there,” Hott-
man said. “In the throws
world, Hermiston is the real
deal. That comes from the
coaches.”
Washington State Univer-
sity is the next stop for Hott-
man, who leaves Hermiston
with the discus (182-1½) and
shot put (57-9) school records.
He also holds the school
hammer record at 203-41⁄5,
which he threw at the Oregon
Relays on April 22.
ON THE SLATE
Schedule subject to change
TUESDAY, MAY 31
Prep softball
5A state semifi nals: Dallas/
Falls City at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
“I have all the school
records I can have,” he said.
McDonald is second in
the Hermiston record books
in the 100 meters at 11.08
seconds, and eighth in the
shot put at 51-1¼.
Senior Bailey Young,
who won the state discus
(134-5) and shot put (46-8¼)
titles, fi nished 16th in the
javelin with a throw of
102-8.
Young earned all 20 of
the Bulldogs’ points, and
fi nished tied for 10th in the
team standings. Capital won
the team title with 54 points.
Young, who has signed
to throw at Eastern Wash-
ington University, leaves
Hermiston with the school
record in the shot put at 47-1,
and is ranked third in the
discus at 134-5.
Softball
PENDLETON — Pendle-
ton punched its ticket to the
5A state semifi nals Friday,
May 27, with a 10-0 six-in-
ning win over The Dalles.
“In all honesty, we didn’t
swing the bats well in round
one (Wednesday), but we
did well with timely hits
with two outs today when
we really needed it,” Pend-
leton coach Tim Cary said.
“I thought we played very
well today.”
The top-ranked Bucks
(26-2) will host Dallas/Falls
City on Tuesday. The Drag-
ons defeated Silverton 3-1
to advance.
Pe nd leton pit che r
Sauren Garton never gave
the Riverhawks a chance
to get their off ense going.
She threw a one-hit shutout,
striking out 16.
“She was absolutely
lights out today,” Cary
said. “She was focused. She
was bound and determined
today. She got it done.”
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EPPNER — Life moved
pretty fast for Hannah
Finch during the week of
May 16.
The Heppner senior signed a letter
of intent to run at Vanguard Univer-
sity on Monday, and on Friday, she won
the 2A state 800-meter title in a school
record time of 2 minutes, 24.52 seconds
at Hayward Field in Eugene.
“I’m still trying to process it all,” she
said. “I came into high school thinking
I was a sprinter. If you told me I would
be winning a state title in the 800, it
was something I didn’t think I would
do. Cross-country has prepared me for
long distances.”
Finch had her fair share of success in
the 800 during the season, but the 400
was her signature event.
“At the beginning of the year, my
main focus was the 400, and I wasn’t
even thinking about the 800,” she said.
“When I fi rst broke the (800) record,
I wasn’t even concerned about that. I
got close in the 400. I ran a 1:01.20 and
the school record is a 1:00.30. I was
disqualifi ed at district for a false start.
It was very disheartening, but it opened
the door to the 800. It was a blessing in
disguise.”
Finch broke Madelyn Nichols’
school record of 2:25.90 in the 800 on
May 13 with a time of 2:25.64, then
bettered her own time at state.
“I have been so focused on the 400,
but maybe now I will be in the running
for the 800,” Finch said.
Her times from last year caught the
attention of the coaches at Vanguard.
“I wasn’t exactly recruited,” she
said. “I was getting some emails from
them, and I sent in a recruiting form.
I went down to visit in February. I am
a preferred walk-on, but I will have
the chance to get into the scholarship
zone.”
Vanguard University, a private
Christian university in Costa Mesa,
California.
The Lions compete at the NAIA
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Heppner’s Hannah Finch wins the 2A state 800-meter title May 20, 2022, after
passing Averie Peterson of Santiam at Hayward Field, Eugene. Finch won in a
time of 2:24.52 and will continue her running career at Vanguard University.
level. The women’s track team won
the Golden State Athletic Conference
Championship in April.
“I would hope to compete right
away,” Finch said. “The whole college
thing is something I am feeling it out
as I go along. I’m not sure if I will run
cross-country. I’m still talking to the
coach about that. I am thinking about
being a heptathlete. It will be nice to
try diff erent things I haven’t gotten to
do here.”
Finch also played basketball for the
Mustangs, fi lling out her three sports
seasons.
The good small-town life
Going to a small school affords
students the opportunity to participate
in many sports and other school activi-
ties. Finch immersed herself into what-
ever she could fi t into her schedule.
“It’s so nice living in Heppner,” she
said. “There are a few downsides to
going to a small school, but you get to
do a lot of things. I’m in the drama club.
I helped write the play this year and
direct it. That’s something you only get
to do in a small school. This year’s play
is an adaptation of Gravity Falls (Disney
show). I get to play the villain (Bill).”
She’s also involved in the Tech-
nology Student Association (TSA)
program. She is the Oregon president
after serving as vice president for two
years.
“It involves anything tech wise,” she
said. “Things you can build, and some
art things.”
Finch is going to Grapevine, Texas
from June 26-July 1 for the National
TSA Conference. This year’s theme is
“Discover Your Journey.”
“I am doing a music production
down there,” she said. “I wrote a 2-3
minute song. You record it and turn it
in and the judges go over it. I didn’t use
any real instruments in the song. I was
going for a more digital feel. It was defi -
nitely a challenge to learn all that with
a computer.”
Finch taught herself to play the piano
in the seventh grade. She also plays the
saxophone, fl ute, viola, drums, guitar
and the big xylophone.
All of that plays into her major.
“I am going to school to study writ-
ing and music,” she said. “I want to
write scripts and music for fi lms and
video games. My major is kind of risky.”
BMCC players earn NWAC East honors
Powell, Marshall
are Gold Glove
recipients
East Oregonian
Marshall
PENDLETON — Pendle-
ton punched its ticket to the
5A state semifi nals Friday,
May 27, with a 10-0 six-in-
ning win over The Dalles.
Powell, an outfi elder from
Athol, Idaho, had 87 putouts,
three assists and just one
error on the season for a 99%
fi elding average.
Marshall, a right-handed
pitcher from Meridian,
Idaho, had four putouts, nine
Powell
assists and zero errors on the
season.
The Timberwolves, who
fi nished the season 2-26 in
East Region play, and 4-44
overall, did not have any
players named to the all-re-
gion team.
Big Bend’s Brandham
Ponce was named the East
Region MVP, while Ryne
Webb of Spokane was named
Robertson
Coach of the Year.
NWAC softball
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College freshman
Kennedy Robertson was
named to the East Region
second team as a utility player.
An infi elder from Idaho
Falls, Idaho, Robertson had
a .942 fi elding percentage,
including 47 putouts and
66 assists. Off ensively, she
had a .398 batting average
with 39 hits, including 11
home runs and 34 RBIs in
34 games.
T he Ti mb e r wolve s
fi nished the season 5-27 in
the East standings and 5-33
overall.
Walla Walla’s Kate
Hopkins was named the
East Region MVP, while
Coach of the Year honors
went to Walla Walla’s
Logan Parker.
18 th Annual
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
JUNE 16 TH • 6PM
Kennewick Ranch-&-Home
June 3 rd - 5 th In Roy Raley Park
JUNE 18 TH • 9AM
Hermiston Ranch-&-Home
Multi-State $ 80
Oregon Included No Fee
Oregon Only $ 45
MULTI-STATE
Valid 35-States, including Washington
Shaun
Shaun Curtain
Curtain 360-921-2071
360-921-2071
or or email:
email: ShaunCurtain@gmail.com
ShaunCurtain@gmail.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com
| www.ShaunCurtain.com.com
Admission is FREE and open to the public