Eastern Oregon Volleyball and Menlo Wrestling Earn Inaugural Les Schwab Team of Character Honors
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University volleyball and Menlo College wrestling have been named the recipients of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Les Schwab Champions of Character Team award, the league office announced.
The inaugural award, recognizing one male and one female team, is voted on by the conference athletic directors based on nominations from schools.
“On our member school campuses athletic teams throughout each of the athletic departments are engaged in activities that exemplify the NAIA core values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership,” stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. “These newly minted awards serve as a way to celebrate the efforts.”
The Eastern Oregon volleyball team, under the guidance of veteran coach Kaki Morehead, spent the 2018-19 season getting it done on the court, in the classroom and in the community. The Mountaineers, co-champions of the conference regular season, advanced to the NAIA final site for the fifth straight year making it into the round of 16. Hailee Ackerman, Meagan Bunn and Kiley McMurtrey were All-Conference selections with Ackerman and Bunn earning AVCA Northwest Region honors.
Collectively, the squad maintained a cumulative 3.8 GPA for the academic year with eighteen individuals earning Dean’s List recognition between fall and winter terms. Six student-athletes were U.S. Bank Academic All-Conference selections which requires sophomore standing and a 3.2 GPA. Ackerman and Sarah Carpenter received Daktronics Scholar Athlete honors having met junior status and at least a 3.5 GPA.
Over two-hundred hours of service to the community was logged by team members this past year. Always willing and eager to lend a hand, the Mountaineers took part in a number of projects including; sexual assault awareness activities, community/campus clean-up days, elementary student reading buddies’ program, walk for warmth coat drive, Special Olympics and adults with disabilities weekly fitness activities, EOU safety fair and math nights in local elementary schools.
The Menlo men’s wrestling team, led by head coach Joey Martinez, had an equally impressive year.
On the mat the Oaks placed second in the CCC championships with 131.5 points. Blaysen Terukina (133) and Anthony Orozco (184) won individual titles with four other grapplers earning All-Conference recognition with top three finishes. At the NAIA Championships the Oaks placed 8
th which was tops for the CCC. Orozco was named the NAIA Most Outstanding Wrestler and was the national champion at the 184-weight class.
Academically eight team members earned U.S. Bank Academic All-Conference accolades with five being named NAIA Daktronics Scholar Athletes.
The 2018-19 team also undertook an impressive array of Servant Leadership endeavors.
Partnering with local businesses Base Camp Fitness and LifeMoves, a Bike-a-thon was organized that raised over a thousand dollars for displaced and homeless families in San Mateo County. Working with the Redwood City Police and Fire Department, the team participated in a Holiday toy drive for children in the community who might not otherwise have any gifts during Christmas. Team members assisted in raised money purchasing, wrapping and presenting gifts. The second year of “Wrestling for the Community” clinic was conducted in which local youth were exposed to the sport of wrestling. Technique demonstrations, as well as, question and answer sessions were provided. During the annual Red Cross Blood drive held on campus the team donated twenty-one pints of blood. In addition, twenty-seven pairs of new and used wrestling shoes were donated to the Cartagena State Wrestling team in Bogota, Columbia through the Diaspora Wrestling Foundation.
One of the most impactful projects the Oaks started was dubbed “Moving for the Community.” Seeing a need among local senior citizen and veterans, the team partnered with local senior living facilities and Careful Movers, a powerhouse in the moving industry, to provide assistance and support to those needing to relocate. The project ran from January through March with over one-hundred fifty service hours provided. The team completed five total moves from start to finish saving residents approximately twenty-thousand dollars in moving costs.
Other female team nominees: Corban-Basketball, Walla Walla-Basketball, Providence-Soccer, Southern Oregon-Soccer, British Columbia-Softball, Northwest Christian-Cross Country
Other male team nominees: Corban-Track/Field, Walla Walla-Soccer, Northwest Christian-Soccer