Polk County
Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 3, 2017 11A
SCHEDULE
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3
Baseball: Central at
South Albany, 4:30 p.m. Dal-
las at Crescent Valley, 3 p.m.
Boys golf: Central at Re-
gionals (at Quail Valley in
Banks), TBA.
Boys tennis: Silverton at
Dallas, 4 p.m.
Softball: Crescent Valley
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at
Corvallis, 4:30 p.m. Perrydale
at Amity, 4:30 p.m.
Track and field: Falls City
at Horizon Christian, 3:30
p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 4
Baseball: East Linn
Christian at Perrydale, 2:30
p.m. Northwest Nazarene
at Western Oregon (DH), 1
p.m.
Boys tennis: Central at
Silverton, 4 p.m. Dallas at
Lebanon, 4 p.m.
Girls tennis: Silverton at
Central, 4 p.m. Lebanon at
Dallas, 4 p.m.
Softball: Great North-
west Athletic Conference
Championship: No. 4 West-
ern Oregon vs. No. 1 Central
Washington (at Lacey,
Wash.), 2:30 p.m.
Track and field: Falls City,
Perrydale at Sheridan, 3:45
p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 5
Baseball: South Albany
at Central, 4:30 p.m. Cres-
cent Valley at Dallas, 4:30
p.m. Western Mennonite
at Perrydale, 4:30 p.m.
Northwest Nazarene at
Western Oregon (DH),
noon.
Softball: Lebanon at
Central, 6:15 p.m. Silverton
at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Western
Mennonite at Perrydale,
4:30 p.m. Great Northwest
Athletic Conference Cham-
pionship (at Lacey, Wash.):
Western Oregon vs. TBA,
TBA.
Track and field: Western
Oregon at Oregon Twilight,
all day.
SATURDAY, MAY 6
Softball: Great North-
west Athletic Conference
Championship (at Lacey,
Wash.): TBA vs. TBA, noon.
Track and field: Central at
Dick Baker Invitational, 11:15
a.m.
MONDAY, MAY 8
Baseball: Perrydale at
Santiam Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Girls golf: Central, Dallas
at Regionals (Trysting Tree),
11 a.m.
Softball: Perrydale at
Santiam Christian, 4:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, MAY 9
Baseball: Central at
Lebanon, 4:30 p.m. Dallas
at Corvallis, 4:30 p.m. St.
Paul at Perrydale, 4:30 p.m.
Girls golf: Central, Dallas
at Regionals (Trysting Tree),
11 a.m.
Softball: Dallas at Cen-
tral, 4:30 p.m. St. Paul at Per-
rydale, 4:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10
Baseball: Central at
Lebanon, 4:30 p.m. Corval-
lis at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Great Northwest Athletic
Conference Championship
(at Portland): Western Ore-
gon vs. TBA, TBA.
Boys tennis: Central,
Dallas at Mid-Willamette
Conference District Cham-
pionships (at Timberhill
Tennis Club, Corvallis),
TBA.
Girls tennis: Central,
Dallas at Mid-Willamette
Conference District Cham-
pionships (at Timberhill
Tennis Club, Corvallis), TBA.
Softball: Central at Cor-
vallis, 3 p.m.
—
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
Polk Pedalers
meet Saturday
DALLAS — The Polk
Pedalers will meet Satur-
day at 8 a.m. at Courtyard
Coffee House, 156 SE Mill
St., Dallas.
The group will take part
in a road cleanup day. A
round-trip ride from Dallas
to Independence (25 miles,
easy) will be made.
All ages are welcome,
but children must be ac-
companied by an adult.
Helmets are required.
There is no cost to at-
tend.
For more information:
503-623-6533.
www.polkio.com
Wandering Wolves
Baseball, softball programs deal with life on the road
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon’s baseball and softball teams have yet to play a game at home because of weather.
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — The last
time Western Oregon’s soft-
ball team played in Mon-
mouth was April 20 — 2016.
As the Wolves defeated
Central Washington in a
doubleheader on Sunday,
WOU thanked its “home”
crowd — in Corvallis.
The game, held roughly
22 miles away from Mon-
mouth, was the closest
thing to a home game the
Wolves have sniffed all sea-
son long.
In an average year, soft-
ball coach Lonny Sargent
said the Wolves play be-
tween 12 and 14 home
games.
That number was zero this
season, as the softball squad
traveled to Nevada, Hawaii,
Washington, California,
Idaho, Montana, British
Colombia, Portland and
Hillsboro with travel miles
totaling more than 14,500 ac-
cording to Sargent.
The result has been a sea-
son that has presented a
number of challenges on and
off the field.
COSTLY CANCELLATIONS
It’s a situation that’s all too
familiar for Sargent and
baseball coach Kellen Walk-
er, whose team hasn’t played
at home since May 7, 2016,
during the spring.
Sargent is on the phone.
He’s not talking to family or
friends. He’s scrambling to
get a postponed game
moved to a new date and lo-
cation.
“I get on the phone (with
the opposing coach) and we
find the best possible date
By The Numbers
0
2
49
The number of
home games
Western Ore-
gon’s softball
team had during
the 2017 season.
The number of
countries the
Wolves have
played in (United
States and
Canada).
The total num-
ber of games the
softball team has
played so far
during the 2017
season.
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer file
Western Oregon’s softball team didn’t play a home game in Monmouth in 2017.
we can play at,” Sargent
said. “We balance what’s
best for us and what’s best
for them. The big thing, es-
pecially this time of year, is a
lot of places are booked, so
finding a place to play can
be difficult.”
Moving a home game af-
fects the Wolves beyond fans
losing a chance to see them
play.
Each move requires find-
ing a date that works for
both teams and a new loca-
tion — that can lead to extra
travel costs and fees to rent a
facility, and it’s up to the
coaches to work it out.
“In some cases, other
programs have helped us,”
Sargent said. “Northwest
Nazarene helped us with
bus costs, even though we
had to take vans because
there were no buses avail-
able. The extra trip up to
Western (Washington), they
helped us with hotel costs.
Sometimes, like going up to
Portland to Concordia, we
had to cover all of the costs,
and against Simon Fraser,
we had to cover transporta-
tion and renting the facili-
ty.”
Those costs can add up
quickly.
Final budget totals won’t
be calculated until after the
season is over, but Sargent
said travel expenses could
be signficantly more than
during a normal season.
Walker said he did not have
estimates ready.
How those funds will be
handled remains to be seen.
“It’ll be interesting to see
how it pans out, I’m not
sure,” Sargent said.
The athletics department
declined an interview re-
quest to discuss budgets.
TAKING A TOLL
Money isn’t the only cost
of losing home games. Addi-
tional travel means more
time on the road — and less
time in the classroom for the
student-athletes.
See WOLVES, Page 12A
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
Altamirano, Burgett stay on track
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Central track
and field coach Eli Cirino had seen
junior Bethanie Altamirano run
cross-country in middle school.
Though she was solid, she was
unimpressive.
“As a distance runner, that’s not
her strength,” Cirino said.
During her eighth-grade year,
Cirino saw Altamirano run a 400-
meter race in 63 seconds — and his
perception changed.
“It blew me away,” he said. “I had
never seen that aggressiveness from
her as a runner. I don’t care what age
you are, 63 is a solid number.”
Cirino reached out to Altamirano
after that race.
“He told me that I had chance to
be able to achieve something special
if I worked hard,” Altamirano said.
“He told me I can do more with my-
self, but I had to train harder.”
There was a noticeable difference
in the way she approached the 2017
season. In the past, she took four
weeks off after cross-country.
She cut that down to two — and
only because Cirino made her take
time off in between seasons.
She also hit the weight room to do
squats, adding strength to her legs.
Track meet
• Central’s boys track and field
team defeated Dallas 99-45 on April
26. The girls lost 72-70.
• Isaac Burgett won the 400 in
51.26. Matt Raines won the 1,500
(4:22.76) and 3,000 (9:57.78). Jaydon
Aydelotte won the 110 (16.17) and
300 hurdles (42.85). Kyle Aklin won
the shot put with a throw of 42 feet,
1 3/4 inches. Isseah Kamis won the
javelin (134-7 ½) and the high jump
(5-8); James Rand took first in the
pole vault (11-6); Peter Mason
placed first in the long jump (20-6),
and Cody Baldwin won the triple
jump (36-1 ½).
• Bethanie Altamirano won the
girls 100 (13.44) and 200 (26.90).
Bailie Hartford took first in the 800
(2:31.30) and 1,500 (5:16.86). Diana
Nye placed first in the 3,000
(12:22.54). Rachel Stanley took first
in the pole vault (6-0). Sophia Henke
won the high jump (4-10) and triple
jump (32-1).
“When we added squats to her
routine, her strength levels blew up,”
Cirino said. “I think that can be the
difference between kids at the next
level in her events.”
Rain or shine, Altamirano was
fully dedicated to her training.
“I felt stronger,” she said. “I know
my starts are way stronger. It
she said. “I think about what I’m
was freezing during the
going to do, what I’m racing for
winter, but it was worth it.
and who I’m racing for. I think
I’m way more in shape this
about everyone who supports
year.”
me. I pray to God before I run
my race and I think, ‘I’m
As a sophomore, her
doing this for you
first 400 time was
mom.’”
65. This season,
—
she began the
Junior Isaac
year with a 61
Burgett was
and has gotten
always attract-
faster each race,
ed to the 400. He
most recently fin-
viewed the race as
ishing in 59.64 sec-
one of, if not the, most
onds at the John
difficult events in
Oliver Invitational on
track and field — and
April 21. She’s taken first
he wanted to conquer
each time she has raced
it.
the 400, and is ranked first
“In my opinion, it’s the
in 5A as of Monday.
hardest race,” he said. “You
Altamirano has all
know you’re good if you’re
the physical tools, but
good at the hardest thing.”
what separates her
As a sophomore, he
from others is her
qualified for state in the
drive.
400, but was disap-
“She has this look when
pointed with his per-
she competes,” Cirino said.
formance.
“She doesn’t like to lose and
“Last year, it
doesn’t accept anything less than
didn’t go so
her best. She’s like that when she’s
well,” Burgett
training in December.”
said. “It was a
That intensity is because every
little scary.”
time she steps on the track, she’s
See TRACK,
racing for more than herself.
Altamirano
Page 12A
“Before a race, I get into a zone,”
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