Dominic Baez
Managing editor

Students dribbled, blocked and shot for the top spot in a three-on-three co-ed basketball tournament Dec. 7 in an effort to raise money for the Alternative Spring Break program to Guatemala in March 2009.
Sophomore Halle Hyatt and senior Carly Kummerlowe were the masterminds behind “Hoop Jam.”
“The idea came out of thin air,” Hyatt said. “We were tossing around ideas, and we wanted an athletic event to get students excited about service.”
The duo, with the help of the rest of the alternate spring break students, started planning the basketball extravaganza in October, totaling nearly 40 hours of work. Event planning included requesting money from the Associated Students of Linfield College activities fund, securing the gymnasium and recruiting teams.
The $386 ASLC granted went to buying prizes, including Portland Trail Blazers’ tickets for the top team in each bracket and gift cards to local businesses, the Gatorade provided to the players and to offset other costs so all profits would go toward the charity.
The next phase of work dealt with recruiting students to play basketball for charity. The Spring Break team went from residence hall to residence hall, informing residents of the game and hanging fliers. The group also invested time encouraging members of Greek Life and Linfield athletics to play.
“This was more of a collective effort between athletes, Greeks and those who strongly believe in volunteering their time for charity,” Hyatt said. “This was an event that gave students who normally don’t have the chance to get involved in service.”
Players from the men’s basketball team, along with head basketball coach Larry Doty, served as referees for the tournament, which Hyatt said was a tremendous help to the group.
During the day, Hyatt and company kept everyone up to par by maintaining a highly organized tournament and keeping the bracket updated consistently. The original plan was for a single-elimination style tournament, but it was changed to double-elimination so there could be more games for participants to compete in.
“It was beyond my wildest dreams,” Hyatt said.
The end result was more than the group had hoped for.
“It was extremely fun,” she said. “Just the sense of community and the spirit of fun was amazing by itself. People who wouldn’t normally do this kind of event did this year. It was a huge success, and everyone was pleased. [The players] just wanted to have fun; they didn’t even care about the Blazers tickets, and that was awesome.”
The tournament, with 33 participating teams, scored nearly $500 for the group, which Hyatt said is a definite start. The goal of the event was to raise awareness of not just the group but also of Habitat for Humanity.
“It is a great asset for the school and for us to have a connection with such a great cause,” Hyatt said.
She said she is more than willing to try this again next year, and wants to keep “Hoop Jam” in the Alternative Spring Break fundraising family.

Septembre Russell
Copy editor

Through an opportunity made possible by the Bonneville Power Association, McMinnville Power & Light asked Linfield to embark on an energy efficiency project to insulate apartment complexes on campus, Wes Thomas, a representative from McMinnville Power & Light, said.
“There is a tax credit available for these projects,” Thomas said.
The state implemented a pass-through program, allowing companies simultaneously wanting tax write-offs and energy efficient projects to buy these tax credits from institutions such as Linfield College.
Thomas said funding from McMinnville Power & Light comes directly from its general funds and is reimbursed to the company from the Bonneville Power Association.
“We have taken the position that we want to pass through 100 percent of the dollars that are made available to us as a reimbursement to the college because that enables the college to get the best bang for its buck, and it also really ensures that the project will get completed,” he said.
Thomas said the Legacy, White, Green and Red apartment complexes are the four major buildings set to be insulated.
Hall said he is excited about the undertaking.
Part of the insulation project was completed during Thanksgiving Break.
“We [insulated] some of the buildings underneath where we could get into the buildings without having to get into the rooms,” he said.
The rest of the installations are scheduled to take place between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2, Hall said.
“Most of the students are going to be gone, so we’ll have some international students and people that are just around the campus, but that’s a very small number of folks,” he said.
Hall said he has been at Linfield for 10-11 years and has been involved with most of the energy conservation projects completed on campus.
“This is the first one, though, that we’ve gotten fully funded by other people,” he said.
Hall estimates the college will save 300,000 kilowatts of energy each year, which is equivalent to
having more than 4,000 100-watt light bulbs on for a month.
“It’s the right thing to do for sustainability; if we can conserve and not use as much energy-especially electrical energy-we’re going to lower our carbon footprint,” he said.
The project will also save the college operational dollars. Hall said the college could save up to $17,000.
“We’re doing the right things as stewards of the land, and we get the side benefit of decreasing the amount of money that we spend on electrical energy,” he said.

Katie Armes
Review staff writer

Jackson Miller, associate professor of theater and communication arts and director of the Linfield forensics team, will give the commencement address for the fall graduation ceremony Dec. 21 in Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
Miller was chosen to speak partly because this is his first year serving as the Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, Dean of Faculty Vicki McGillin said.
“He is, in many ways, the voice of the faculty,” McGillin, who officially invited Miller to speak at the ceremony, said.
Approximately 400 people are expected to attend the commencement ceremony, which will cover free speech and civil rights.
While there are not strict guidelines as to choosing commencement speakers, the speakers are generally determined by President Hellie and members of the office of Academic Affairs.
“I believe it has been a tradition that a faculty member be selected as a commencement speaker in December,” McGillin said.
As of Dec. 9, 111 students are expected to graduate, including students from the Adult Degree Program and the Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing.
“It’s a wonderful, kind of intimate ceremony,” McGillin said.
More people are expected to attend the ceremony this year because the pinning ceremony for Nursing graduates from the Portland campus will take place directly after commencement, McGillin said. In this ceremony, which usually takes place the day following commencement in Portland, graduates receive a pin indicating their completion of their Nursing degree.
“[Nursing students] don’t have to worry about which [ceremony] they’ll pull their family members to,” McGillin said.
The ceremony is important to the staff at any college because, McGillin said, it is the faculty’s “last chance to plant one last seed.”
Most agree that the purpose of a commencement address is to connect with the graduates.
“It’s got to be interesting and engaging, and it should relate to the graduates in some way so they’re hooked,” said Fred Ross, senior adviser and assistant to President Hellie.

Katie Paysinger
News editor

A producer and camera crew from Oregon Public Broadcasting were on campus Dec. 9 shooting footage for an annual program set to air in either January or February.
The program focuses on the process of acquiring financial aid and is targeted to high school upperclassmen and their parents.
Dean of Enrollment Services Dan Preston is one of the show’s panelists who will answer questions and explain the process of getting financial aid. He has been part of the show for the last 15 years.
Steve Amen of Oregon Field Guide will host the show.
Kate McMahon, the show’s producer, graduated from Linfield in 1998 with a major in mass communication. She has previously worked for ABC Nightline. In 2006, one of the films she worked on, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The footage McMahon and her crew shot will be featured in the show to give examples of various colleges in the state, McMahon said. They filmed Associate Professor of Health and Human Performance Janet Peterson’s Nutrition class, Assistant Professor of English Anna Keesey’s Iraq War Across the Genres INQS, KSLC student-powered radio and captured general footage of the campus.
“We talk about going off to college in the show, and Linfield really captures the look and feel of a college,” McMahon said. “Unlike other campuses, I had a better idea of where to shoot, so we didn’t have to scout the location.”
The program normally broadcasts live on OPB, with a phone bank set up for viewers at home to call in with questions. This year, the panel discussion will be filmed ahead of time, but the phone bank will still be available during the broadcast, with financial aid administrators available to answer questions.
“It is good for us as a college to be a part of a program like this,” Director of Public Services Mardi Mileham, said. “Anything we as educators can do to educate the general public about things like financial aid is beneficial to us, as well as to them because financial aid can be a very complex issue.”
Linfield is a member of the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the program is made in conjunction with the OASFAA and OPB.
Preston became involved with the program because he has been a member of the association since 1987 and was once its president. The association’s current president is Linfield’s Director of Financial Aid Crisanne Werner.
“I seem to do a little above-average in public speaking,” Preston said. “So they said, ‘We need to keep you a part of this.’”
This year, the program will feature information on the aid that is still available, despite the current economic crisis. High school seniors are likely already accepted and enrolled in college and financial aid programs, but juniors and their parents are facing more of a struggle with finding aid. The show hopes to emphasize that there is still money available, McMahon said.
Because the program is aimed at incoming college students, Preston encouraged all those who are currently students at Linfield and need financial aid assistance to seek guidance in the Financial Aid office in Melrose Hall.

Amber McKenna
Editor in chief

Cases of disrespect toward students by Linfield Campus Safety officers have been circulating campus, prompting Interim Director of Campus Safety William Curtin to take action.
“I’m writing some new policies that are in the formulative stage,” Curtin said.
Numerous students have reported to the Review that they feel LCS officers have been acting unconventionally toward them this semester. The most common complaint is of students not being told why they were “pulled over” by LCS when either stopped while in a vehicle or on foot.
Curtin, who took over for Mike Dressel last month, said he is planning a training for the eight officers to take place during the break between semesters. The training will focus on tactical communication skills, report writing, patrol techniques and general security training.
Other areas of improvement Curtin aims to work on include making LCS more present on campus and integrating it into the campus community.
“Campus Safety officers are private security providers, not police officers,” Curtin said.
LCS officers are on campus to serve and protect the Linfield community, but they do have limitations on what they can and cannot do, Curtin said. Their main role is to uphold the Student Code of Conduct, which can be found in the Linfield Student Handbook.
For example, officers cannot detain people or limit their movement, but if an officer is a witness to a crime, he can detain the criminals until local authorities arrive.
Students also told the Review they felt too great an emphasis has been placed by officers on writing citations and not protecting students.
“We want students to complain to us; we think it makes us better,” Curtin said. “It is very hard to deal with rumors.”
Curtain said he wants to make sure officers are behaving properly and guarantees every complaint made will be investigated by him.
“I want to talk to people,” he said. “I don’t want the way we engage the community to be disrespectful.”
Curtin pressed that he is willing to talk to students whenever and wherever.
Students can also file comments or complaints online by going to linfield.edu/safety/contact and filling the form.

SPORTS COMMENTARY
Jordan Jacobo
Sports editor
With the fall season wrapped up and winter basketball and swimming action on hiatus for finals week, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to recognize a few of Linfield’s most outstanding
fall athletes.
This list is by no means flawless, but it is my interpretation of the people who had the largest role on each team in helping his or her group find success or persevere through frustration.
Men’s cross country:
junior Shawn Fisher
One of the most seasoned runners on the team, Fisher was a consistent performer, and his blistering time of 26 minutes, 39.44 seconds at the Linfield Open set a new course record. Fisher
finished in 6th place at the West Region Championships and 112th in the national championship race.
Women’s cross country: junior Marci Klimek
She carried the load early on in the season, winning her first four races. Klimek was untouchable before she fell to Willamette University senior Maddie Coffman at the Willamette Open. She placed 13th at regionals before moving on to nationals for the second year in a row, where she finished 45th, the highest finish ever by a Linfield woman at nationals.
Football: senior defensive end Taylor Summers
The plague of quarterbacks around the conference, Summers was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year by the Northwest Conference.
While the team struggled to find an offensive rhythm, Taylor’s tenacious pass rush kept the opposition at bay. He totaled 36 tackles this year, including 12 sacks, eight quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Men’s golf: junior
Tyler Nelson
After helping the ’Cats win their first conference title in more than four decades last year, Nelson’s proved himself to be a reliable and motivational co-captain. His fine-tuned stroke helped the team win all of its meets this fall; Nelson finished second with 145 strokes over 36 holes at the NWC Fall Classic.
Women’s golf: sophomore Brynn Hurdus
She placed second at the NWC championships as a freshman, and she has continued to shine this season. Highlights for her include a double eagle at the Linfield Invitational that helped the team place second and finished fifth with an 88 at the fall finale.
Men’s soccer: junior
forward Kurtis Wong
A solid offensive threat, Wong put pressure on the opposition’s defense almost every game. He scored nine goals, second-most in the conference, four assists and always made his presence known on the pitch with leadership and offense.
Women’s soccer:
sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Hasselblad
With a conference-best 149 saves, Hasselblad kept the ’Cats within striking distance consistently. While the offense struggled to score, the team was never quite out of it with Hasselblad in the net. She allowed an average of 1.77 goals per game, and she started all 20 contests.
Volleyball: junior middle blocker Emily Vuylsteke
Earning All-America recognition in the process, Vuylsteke led the conference with a .325 hit percentage and posted a team-best 212 kills. Her performances helped the team recover after a slow start to go on to a five-game win streak at the end of the season.
Freshmen of the fall:
volleyball outside hitter Samantha Lau and men’s soccer forward Kyle Wallace
Lau successfully filled the role left open after standout Katelyn Baker graduated last year. Lau totaled 166 kills throughout the season and started 19 of 20 games.
Wallace switched from midfielder to forward at the start of the season, and he found his niche in the process. He went from setting up goals to scoring them. Wallace was second-best on the team with six goals, also providing one assist. His fiery, tough play helped him score a lot of goals this year, but it also made him draw a handful of yellow cards.
Team of the fall:
Men’s golf
Without so much as a single faltering moment on the links, the team made good on its anticipated first-place finish. They won all the competitions they participated in and set themselves up to finish off the rest of the NWC and win a second-straight conference championship in the spring.
Coach of the fall:
Shane Kimura
In his 31st year as head coach of the volleyball team, not much rattles Kimura. Faced with the prospect of replacing several all-conference athletes from last year, his team struggled early on but came to life in the end. The team won five of its six final games to finish 13-7 overall, notching Kimura’s eighth winning season in the past nine years. It was a bright end to a hard-fought season.

SPORTS COMMENTARY
Grant Lucas
Review staff writer
It’s a little more than halfway through the NFL season, and I’m already exhausted. It’s hard to keep up with everything that is happening, and I don’t mean on the scoreboard.
Adam Jones won’t ever play in the league again. Nope, changed our minds; he’s reinstated, and here is a contract from the Cowboys. O.J. was arrested again and sent to prison. Jones was cuffed once more. Cheddar Plax shot himself in the leg.
Worst of all, the league is dishing out fines and suspensions as if it’s trying to help the Detroit Lions achieve their first win.
Because of the excessive involvement by the league, I thought it would be useful to look at the most ridiculous fines from this season.
After losing to the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphin linebacker Joey Porter made a statement: He said the referees made a wrong call in the fourth quarter.
On a play the officials ruled incomplete, Porter believed he stripped the ball, which the Dolphins recovered.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apparently heard enough. The league slapped Porter with a $20,000 fine for inappropriate comments on the officiating.
Goodell said, “Criticism that unfairly attacks the integrity of the officials is prohibited.”
A player questioning a call? I’ve never heard of such a thing. For those who don’t know, Porter has been known to run his mouth and call people out. It’s kind of his specialty.
I would understand this penalty if Porter called the referee incompetent, but all he said was that the official made a bad call. If the league is going to start fining people for making such statements, players will soon be broke.
Let’s move on to Steeler linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Woodley jumped over a cut block attempt and sacked Redskin quarterback Jason Campbell. It was a clean hit, and no flag was thrown. Good for Woodley for getting Pittsburgh’s fifth sack of the half.
But wait, the league said, that wasn’t a clean hit at all. A few days later, Woodley was issued a $10,000 fine for “throwing Campbell down in an intimidating manner.”
This is professional football. Hard hits happen. Players wear pads for a reason. Besides, if Woodley was trying to give Campbell a 280-pound hug, it would still be intimidating.
In a game against the Cowboys, New York Giant defensive end Justin Tuck was able to break into the backfield. Just as quarterback Brooks Bollinger released the ball, Tuck wrapped up and drove Bollinger back. On the way down, Tuck released his grasp and fell on top of Bollinger. Tuck was flagged on the play for driving Bollinger into the turf.
The league further penalized him, charging Tuck $7,500 for unnecessarily driving the quarterback to the ground.
Unnecessary? Unnecessary would be if Tuck stood up and gave Bollinger a good old-fashioned elbow drop. Unnecessary would be if Tuck wrapped up the mascot and drove him to the ground. Luckily, the NFL Players Union appealed the fine, and it was lifted.
Ryan Clark, Steelers safety and former teammate of the late Sean Taylor, was docked $5,000 for writing the number “21” in his eye black. Goodell said this broke the NFL’s uniform code. He said every player on the team needed to draw “21” somewhere in order for it to fly.
“We’re a team game, and we represent the NFL,” Goodell said. “So when we do something, as we did with Sean Taylor last year, we do it collectively.”
I could understand Goodell’s reasoning if Clark had sewn a patch onto his uniform somewhere. This is different. The number was over his eye black. Players have tattoos honoring fallen friends, family and teammates. Others write messages on their wrist tape. Are they going to be fined? I doubt it.
The league needs to quit nitpicking, charging for little things and for on-the-fence incidents. It should focus on infractions such as late hits, thrown punches or events that happen off the field.
If Goodell wants to be so involved, have him put on a jersey and try to “unnecessarily” drive someone to the ground.

Jordan Jacobo
Sports editor

When it comes to prioritizing athletics and academics at Linfield, administrators, coaches and athletes agree: The classroom comes first.
According to the college’s institutional self-study for accreditation, “[The] intercollegiate athletics program exists to further the college mission by striving for regional and national athletic excellence while maintaining high academic standards and upholding academic integrity among student athletes.”
While it may be a mouthful to say, the athletics program here looks to its coaches as proponents of this message. They monitor weeknight study table sessions, remind athletes to keep up with their homework and try to instill the sentiment that school should trump sports when the two are in conflict.
As a Division III school, Linfield is not allowed to offer any athletic scholarships, and so student-athletes must truly be students first.
“Obviously, academics come first,” athletic director Scott Carnahan said. “If students have a class or lab, it’s required that they go to that instead of practice.”
Carnahan added that all Northwest Conference schools monitor the number of classes athletes miss because of away games. Certain sports, football in particular, miss more days than others, but the priority is minimizing scheduling conflicts, he said.
When the men’s basketball team set its sights on achieving a 3.0 team grade point average this season, head coach Larry Doty said he thought it was funny.
“I kind of laughed about that, and I said, ‘You know guys, that’s down 0.2 points from last year,’” he said.
When you consider that the men’s basketball roster has 28 names, a 3.2 GPA is an impressive number, Doty added.
Part of the school-first mentality comes from the message that is reinforced frequently and from many angles. When student-athletes are recruited, the coaches make them well aware that they come here to be students first, athletes second.
“We try to get them to understand that athletics is a short-term deal,” Doty said. “Even though they are passionate about it and spend a lot of time training, it’s still going to be a small fraction of their lives.”
Senior Martha Inouye, an anthropology major and a defender on the women’s soccer team, has merged her two passions while at Linfield. Inouye is currently working on an anthropology project that examines team cohesion and role ambiguity on sports teams.
Inouye, who also competes in lacrosse in the spring, said she hasn’t felt the need to compromise between her responsibilities on the field and in the classroom.
“I think it’s just about setting your priorities, figuring out what you want and how much effort you are willing to put in,” she said. “Soccer and lacrosse are things that I love to do, so I make them a priority.”
Sophomore education major and wide receiver Mikey Lemon said that during football season, it can be a real test to find the time to
get schoolwork done. With practices running from 3-6 p.m., and with evening meetings ending at 9:30, homework at the end of an exhausting day can seem like a chore.
“We’re expected to get up and go to class every day,” Lemon said. “We’re trying to do a good job representing the football team. It’s been said that the only reason we’re good is because we only recruit athletes, but we’re trying to disprove that.”
The football team began its underclassmen workout regimen again this week, a testament to the notion that the season doesn’t mean the end of the commitment.
With 35 percent of men and 16 percent of women at Linfield participating in intercollegiate athletics, it is safe to say the goals of the athletic department are not far removed from those of the rest of the college.
“All students at Linfield College undergo the same admission, academic, degree and financial aid procedure and have equal access to institutional services,” the college’s self-study found. “No preference is given to student-athletes.”
Carnahan said the college has found that retention rates for freshmen who compete in athletics are better than those who do not. He added that the athletic department believes that student-athletes are able to learn from their experiences in competition and practice.
“We think athletics are a classroom,” Carnahan said. “They are learning success-based skills, learning how to get along with others. They learn things that they are going to use in everyday life: strong work ethic, integrity, playing within rules and dealing with adversity.”

Will Hermens
Review staff writer

Senior post Whitney Honn has defined her college basketball career by overcoming adversity.
This year, Honn transferred into the Linfield program after attending Seattle University last season and Yakima Valley Community College before that.
She played significant minutes off the bench last year at Seattle but left the program because, Honn said, some players quit the team, and the team kept losing, leaving players unhappy.
“I have played with my best friend since freshman year, and I left her,” Honn said. “I wanted to play senior year with her.”
Honn comes into the program as the lone senior this year, with only two juniors and two returners from last year’s team.
Honn feels as if she puts more pressure on herself because this season will be the last of her career; she said she feels compelled not to waste her final year.
The transition into the Linfield program has been easy for Honn, she said. The adjustment to Linfield’s offensive and defensive styles has gone well for Honn because of the similarities in playing style at her previous school.
With 12 newcomers in the program, the majority of the team had to start on the same low comfort and familiarity level.
“It wasn’t so hard like a program that was set,” Honn said. “It makes me more comfortable as a leader.”
Honn’s leadership has been by example. As the team’s comfort level increases, she said she expects to become a vocal, dominant player on the court who her teammates can rally around.
Four games into the preseason, Honn continues to work on improving on-court communication with teammates.
“I’m trying to be more vocal this year,” Honn said. “We all need to talk and communicate with each other.”
Understanding the significance of communication with her teammates, Honn also said she realizes how important playing with poise will be for her final year.
“I just want to come in and play with confidence,” Honn said.
Honn has made this her personal goal this year. She said she believes becoming a better player and teammate will come from establishing a strong self-assurance in all game aspects. As for a team, Honn says the goals should be to considerably improve each practice and game as the season progresses.
After four preseason games, Honn has established her presence at the basket with a team-leading five blocks and 11 steals. She also leads the team in rebounding at four per game, while averaging seven points per game, good for third-best on the team.
However, Honn said she recognizes the need to make improvements and changes in her game.
“I need to attack the basket,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing it more this year.”
Honn said she understands that the younger players look up to her to set the tone both offensively and defensively. She has worked on attacking and being more aggressive each game, which she said she hopes will rub off on the play of her teammates.
Asked who has had the most significant impact and been the biggest supporter of her basketball career, Honn quickly pointed out her mother.
Her mother passed away during Honn’s freshman year at Yakima Valley, but Honn plays in her remembrance for all the times she pushed her to develop herself as a person and a player.
This year Honn said she found a new home at Linfield, with the spotlight on her.
In her final collegiate season, Honn said she has her goals in sight and hopes to accomplish those with 13 new teammates, as well as coaches, fans and family.
“It takes a long time to adjust to everything,” she said. “I just don’t get discouraged.”

Rachel Mills
Review staff writer

Despite a slow start for the women’s basketball season, with four losses in the first two weeks, 11-year head coach Robyn Stewart said they are not backing down.
“We are focusing on ourselves and our performance,” Stewart said. “We’ve really improved in a lot of ways since our last games.”
Junior post Kelsey Forrest said this improvement is the reason for the preseason games.
“Our goal for the preseason isn’t necessarily to win,” Forrest said. “We want to improve and prepare ourselves for our [Northwest] Conference games.”
With a 10-day rest between games, many coaches would have found it difficult to keep the players motivated and working hard.
But Forrest said the rest was beneficial and allowed the team time to focus on its game and fix mistakes.
However, she said 10 days is a long break.
“I’m definitely ready for a game,” Forrest said.
Team practices during the last two weeks have focused on areas the team has struggled with. Stewart said the primary issues are communication and team cohesiveness.
With only three of 14 players returning to the team, the players have struggled to get to know one another’s playing styles.
“It’s been one of our growing pains,” Stewart said. “The girls have had to learn where others like to play, what they like to do when they get the ball, where they will be when they want a pass. It’s been tough.”
But Stewart said the break provided the players with time to come together as a team.
“Our communication has really improved, which is important for us,” she said.
Forrest said communication was an issue the team worked to address.
“We are a quiet team, so we had to concentrate on speaking to one another more,” Forrest said. “I think we’ve grown more comfortable with one another over the break.”
Despite the losses, Stewart said she saw a lot of
positive performances from her players.
“We shot well for the most part,” Stewart said. “We had some good moments on defense and offense both. Now we need to take these good times and sustain them.”
Stewart is looking at the team’s ability to play by reaction. She said she wants her players to be able to get the ball and know what to do with it.
She also said she wants the players to know where to go without pausing and thinking, a skill that ties back into team unity.
The Wildcats’ coming games may push their team cohesiveness even further as they play three home games in a row tonight, and on Dec. 14 and 15 against Corban College, Chapman University and Northwest Christian University.
“Each of these teams has a very different playing style,” Stewart said. “It will be a good challenge for us.”
Stewart said Corban College has a large team with a good program. Overall, she believes the Wildcats will match up well against them.
Corban comes into the game tonight with a 3-5 record.
The Wildcats will play the Chapman University Panthers on Dec. 14, a team with a 6-3 record.
“Chapman is very different from Corban,” Stewart said. “They are a small and quick team that relies on their penetration and speed. They are always a good challenge for us.”
The Panthers have a slight advantage with their experienced team, Stewart said.
Their roster includes eight sophomores and juniors and six seniors, two of whom were Division III All-Independent selections. However, Stewart said she is confident the Wildcats will be able to handle them.
Linfield‘s Dec. 15 opponent, Northwest Christian University, will come into the game with four wins and six losses.
“They are all good teams,” Forrest said. “It will be a tough weekend, but it will be good for us. No one is looking at us as contenders this season because we’re a young team and a new one, but I think we’re going to surprise people.”
The Wildcats will hit the road after Christmas for the UPS Division III Challenge in Tacoma, Wash., on Dec. 27 and 28.