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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 19, 2015 11A Polk County Sports COLLEGE SOCCER Wolves hope to take the next step Western Oregon looks for a return trip to conference tournament By Lukas Eggen WOU Soccer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — When senior Makena Pundyke ar- rived at Western Oregon as a freshman in 2012, the West- ern Oregon women’s soccer team was in a state of transi- tion. Head coach Steve An- cheta, then in his second season, was building the start of what he hoped would be something special. Entering the 2015 cam- paign, and the Wolves are hungry to realize that poten- tial in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. “I’ve seen a lot of progress from when I was a freshman to now,” Pundyke said. “I t h i n k our best year is to come.” Whether the squad real- izes that potential may come down to one big area. — At first glance, WOU’s biggest strength in 2014, its defense, should receive a boost this fall with the re- turn of senior Brooke Stein- berg. Steinberg started 18 of 19 matches in 2013 before knee injuries forced her to miss the 2014 campaign. She figures to give anoth- er steady presence to a back line that recorded seven shutouts, tied for third most in the conference. The defense’s biggest question mark will be at Head coach: Steve An- cheta (fifth season). 2014 record: 6-8-4 overall; 4-6-4 Great North- west Athletic Conference, fifth place. Key returners: Makana Pundyke, sr., midfielder/for- ward; Brooke Steinberg, sr., defender; Taylor Higa, jr., forward/midfielder. Newcomers to watch: Phoebe Hendry, jr., mid- field/forward; Dacia Alexander, fr., midfielder; Chelsea Hartnett, fr., mid- fielder; Danielle Payne, soph., midfielder/de- fender; Morgan Roan, fr., midfielder; Sydney Tho- mas, fr., midfielder/de- fender. Significant stat: 7 — The number of shutouts the Wolves recorded dur- ing the 2014 season. Itemizer-Observer file Makana Pundyke (right) and Taylor Higa return to help lead the Wolves in 2015. goalkeeper, after losing Amanda-Rose Johnson to graduation. Lindsey Mabin- uori, the lone goalkeeper re- turning from last year’s ros- ter, played in two games in 2014. The Wolves hope to com- bat any growing pains at goalkeeper with an im- proved offensive. Pundyke, who led the team in goals (four) and shots (38) during the 2014 season, will be called upon to help spur an attack that ranked sixth out of eight teams in goals scored in 2014 with 16, less than half of what GNAC Tournament champion Seattle Pacific (38) recorded. “We need to lay our hat on something early on and that will be our defense,” Ancheta said. “But we have to score more goals, there’s no question.” While Pundyke and Stein- berg will be two of the squad’s most experienced leaders, some new faces could have a major impact on the team’s fortunes, in- cluding Phoebe Hendry a junior transfer from Mendo- cino College in California. Hendry scored 10 goals and recorded 13 assists as a sophomore and is one of the reasons why players believe its offense is ready to break out. “I think we played well against good teams because we played good defense against them,” Steinberg said. “I’m excited this year that we have so much talent and can move the ball better and play against people, in- stead of playing defense and hoping that we’re going to score.” Entering their final sea- s o n w i t h t h e Wo l v e s , Pundyke and Steinberg have their eyes set on a trip to the GNAC tournament. After finishing fifth in 2014, players know that it won’t be easy — Seattle Pa- cific and Western Washing- ton both qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. “Our league is tough,” An- cheta said. “It’s going to be really tight and there are going to be a lot of close games. That’s not going to change. It’s only going to get tougher.” Now, players are eager for a chance at a conference title. “This is my senior year, so this is it for me,” Pundyke said. “With how much we have accomplished so far, I believe we can get to the final four and past it to the NCAA tournament.” Heat: Coaches promote all day hydration Continued from Page 10A “We dictate the pace as it heats up,” Cirino said. “We use the standard of going about 30 seconds per mile slower for every 5 degrees. So, if you’re run- ning a 7-minute mile and its 80 degrees, if it reaches 90 degrees, you should be running an 8-minute mile.” Other measures taken in- clude planning out routes closer to Central’s campus and having ice water sta- tions that runners are re- quired to stop at, as well as monitoring heart rate and increased recovery time dur- ing workouts. “We try and make it fun, let the kids run through the sprinklers or have more cold water stations,” Cirino said. “If you cool off in between reps, you can almost make the heat irrelevant.” For football, which re- quires players wear protec- tive gear, the OSAA requires coaches ease the players into a new season. “Part of the rules has to do with getting the kids accli- mated to the heat,” Dallas football coach Tracy Jackson said. “(On Monday) and Tuesday, we practiced with helmets only. Today, they’ll have shoulder pads on and Thursday we can go full pads.” The heat is affecting prac- tices at the collegiate level as w e l l . We s t e r n O r e g o n women’s soccer coach Steve Ancheta said excessive heat means every practice is run as efficiently and safely as possible. “You have to control your practices,” Ancheta said. “We really shorten our train- ing parts down to 10 min- utes, have more water breaks and days that we do double workouts, maybe your practice isn’t as long. You have to be careful and not slow things down, but have high intensity in short- er periods of time, and you can still get a lot out of them.” Aside from keeping a close eye on athletes during practices, coaches at all lev- els are also hoping to teach their athletes to make healthy choices when it comes to food and drinks. “Caffeine is a no-no for athletes right now,” Jackson said. “Caffeine dehydrates you, and that can be danger- ous with this heat.” Encouraging their ath- letes to get rest and stay hydrated are also impor- tant keys to being able to practice in the summer heat. “I tell my kids they have to hydrate throughout the day and not try to tank up at the last minute,” Cirino said. “They have to take care of themselves, includ- ing eating and drinking well. Eating well might not be that big of a deal when its 70 degrees and you are hydrated. At 90 degrees, that’s going to show up real well. This is a good oppor- tunity to educate them on the little things.” As Polk County athletes begin their 2015 campaigns, the first opponent they are facing isn’t anther school — it’s the heat. “You make sure you’re taking care of them and that they feel safe,” Jackson said. “That’s what we can offer as coaches.” Ready For Some Football? PREP SWIMMING Martin steps down as coach By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Cen- tral’s swim program is in search of a new coach. CHS Athletic Director Shane Hedrick announced on Thursday Shawn Martin is stepping away as coach of the Panthers’ swim program. Martin accepted a new job in Newport. The job is unrelated to swimming. Martin coached Central for the past three seasons. “I think they have a good foundation for the girls,” Martin said. “They have young girls stepping up and the good swimmers are get- ting older and more experi- enced. The boys have Daniel (Glade) and some others who are setting up pretty nice. They will have oppor- tunities to continue to do well.” Most recently, Nathan Glade qualified for the 2015 state swim meet under Mar- tin’s guidance, reaching the finals in the 100-yard breast- stroke. The Panthers also saw its 200 medley relay team of Nathan Glade, Daniel Glade, Ryan Rosas and Orion Waight qualify for state as well. Martin also pushed for Central swim practices at Western Oregon University during the 2014-15 season, allowing the team to offer workouts in the mornings and evenings, as well as making it easier for swim- mers to get to and from practice. Previously, the Pan- thers practiced at Dallas Aquatic Center. “I think it helped the par- ents a lot,” Martin said. “The parents were able to help at our home meets more than I know they were previously able to because their time was spent carpooling to and from practices. And having the kids have two practices a day made a big difference. We had more records broken this year than any other year.” Hedrick said the school opened its search for a new coach immediately. Martin’s tenure at Central is something he won’t soon forget. “It’s been really nice work- ing with the kids, seeing them grow into adults and having them come back and see where they’re at,” Martin said. “It’s been fun to see the impact swimming might have had on their lives. I’m hoping for the best for the program. It’s been a big part of my life. Those kids gave me more than I gave them.” LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer High school football players take part in a drill during Central’s football camp on Friday afternoon. Central hosted two camps, one for high schoolers and one for younger students, last week. The Panthers opened offi- cial practices on Monday. Central finished 7-3 overall and 6-1 in Mid-Willamette Conference play during the 2014 season, the team’s first in Class 5A. 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