Jordan Jacobo

Sports editor

For a program that through the decades has become synonymous with winning, watching the last two seasons end on a sour note has been a letdown.

Call it a symptom of the streak. Call it the pressure of tradition. At Linfield, football seasons are expected to include the postseason. Anything else is cause for concern.

But head coach Joe Smith and his Wildcats have redemption on their minds. On Sept. 13, they get a chance to start off on the right foot with a third installment of the Hardin-Simmons rivalry that has brought explosive plays and high-octane offense for the last two seasons.

The ‘Cats face off against the Cowboys in Abilene, Texas, at noon with the promise of starting the year anew and new names appearing on the depth chart, eager to push Linfield to the top of the Northwest Conference.

Adding to the anticipation of Linfield’s first contest of the season is the showcase of a quarterback battle that has been playing out since the end of last season. Junior Aaron Boehme and sophomore Cole Franklin spent training camp trying to distinquish themselves from one another, but Smith said both players have impressed him.

Although Boehme will be the official starter, Smith said Franklin will also have a chance to lead the team down the field in several drives.

“They are both very capable leaders,” Smith said of the two men. “They are poised, confident and hard-working. When things aren’t going well, these are the type of players who take it on their shoulders and see it as their responsibility to try and motivate the team.”

Several key positions will feature new starters being tested for the first time, as no official starters from last year’s roster are returning.

Junior cornerback Bubba Lemon, who last season registered three interceptions, is the anchor of a position that will otherwise be counting on relative newcomers.

Though last year the job of leading the ground game fell upon senior wide receiver-turned-tailback Travis Masters, he should spend considerably less time in the backfield this season.

Seniors Reggie Ford and Dan Lever and sophomore Simon Lamson will be the main forces of the ground game, Smith said.

Last year, Lamson and Lever combined for five touchdowns and gained nearly 300 yards of offense as secondary parts of the running game.

Ford, a transfer student from Central Washington University, has the promise of a feature tailback, Smith said.

“[Ford] had tremendous vision, patience and acceleration,” he said.

Masters said the offense’s biggest strength this year is its versatility and depth. He added that his play will be primarily as a wide receiver, though he may go in motion into the backfield on some occasions.

“I think we’re a lot more dynamic this year,” Masters said. “We can throw the ball. We can run the ball.

It’s definitely going to be a tough offense for teams to stop.”

With the speed and agility of Boehme, Masters and Ford all placed into consideration, the football for the ‘Cats will be in the hands of a player with big game-breaking ability on most plays.

Hardin-Simmons’ senior slot receiver Mychal Carillo, who last week helped the Cowboys win their season-opener with 87 yards receiving and a touchdown, will be a threat for Linfield’s defense.

Junior linebacker Alex Tkachuck said the defense will be keyed in on containing Carillo and adjusting its schemes to try and keep the ball out of his hands.

Tkachuck said the ‘Cats are hoping to learn from close losses experienced last year against Willamette University, Whitworth University and Western Oregon University.

“Those games could have gone either way based on the breaks,” he said. “This year we really need to keep our composure when we get into the crunch time. We need to not let up mentally and avoid those simple mistakes.”

For all the tests that Linfield faces in this first game, the results will likely set the tone for the remaining
contests.

They have been predicted to finish first in each of the last eight NWC preseason coaches’ polls, and as the perennial team-to-beat, the ‘Cats are set to face the best efforts from their opponents in all nine of their regular season games this year.

“That’s what we like,” Masters said. “That’s why a lot of people came here. They wanted to be a part of that winning tradition. I think everyone’s playing with a chip on their shoulder because it’s extremely disappointing to not make the playoffs two years in a row.”

By Dominic Baez

Managing editor

With a core group of proven returning runners and a bounty of freshmen to bolster its forces, the women’s cross country team is off to a fast start this year.

Leading the pack is junior Marci Klimek, who powered through the Whitman Invitational on Sept. 6, earning first place and securing a fourth place finish for the team. She ran the four-kilometer race in 14 minutes, 30 seconds.

Freshmen Nelly Evans, Brooke Keudell, Shanna Peaden and Lindsey Thomas, also ran for Linfield.

Evans finished 14th with a time of 15:39.

Klimek also excelled at the Summer’s End Invitational, hosted by Western Oregon University on Aug. 29.

Klimek placed first, winning the meet with a time of 18:39 for the 5K course. She finished the race with a 20-meter lead, a distance not easily surpassed by the runners behind her.

Klimek also placed 68th at the NCAA championships last year.

However, she is not the only standout returning athlete on the team.

Junior Frances Corcorran said she is looking forward to racing this season, as she was injured for both the cross country and track seasons last year. She has goals for herself and the team.

“For the team, I am looking forward to hopefully competing in the conference and regional championships as a whole team,” Corcoran said. “Everyone is working hard, and so we just need to keep doing that and then we will be able to get stronger and faster and work on closing gaps between our runners.”

Because of the larger-than-normal freshman class this year, the team is jam-packed with freshmen.

“There are a lot of freshmen on the team on both the girls’ and guys’ sides,” Corcorran said. “That brings new talent to the team and just an overall new team dynamic, both of which have been very positive for us this year. I am really excited about the women participants on the team. We have a lot of potential.”

Also returning is junior Amanda DeHass, who earned All-Region acclaim in 2005.

The core of freshmen running behind Klimek’s leadership and strong performances shows promise for the cross country program.

Placing a dissapointing sixth in the NWC last year, it’s likely that the team will finish near the top of the conference this fall, stacked with raw talent and under the direction of head coach Gary Killgore.

Next, the Wildcats will travel to the Lewis & Clark Collegiate Invitational Saturday, Sept. 13.

After that, they host the Linfield Open, which is open to anyone who enters the $50 team fee, on Sept. 26 at Joe DancerPark.

By Rachel Mills

Review staff writer

The off-season has been hard on the men’s cross country team.

“We lost a lot of guys,”  junior Shawn Fisher, a 2007 All-Region performer, said. He said that the 2007 team of nine only graduated three men but lost two others before the season began.

The team has only four returning runners, but seven freshmen are stepping up to fill the empty spots.

“We’re a young team,”  freshman Scott Gage said. “But I think we have a lot of potential.”

Head coach Gary Killgore is planning to tap into that potential.

“We work very hard early in the season to set us up for success in the championships,” he said, adding that the hard work will pay off.

Killgore, in his 20th season with the team, said he believes that Fisher and junior Chris McIssac both have an excellent chance to compete well at the national level this year.

 “I think we will be strong competitors this season,” assistant coach Greg Mitchell said. “The team can challenge for the conference title if they put forth the effort. It will be tough to make it as a team to nationals, but we will definitely be sending some individuals.”

But for now the coaches are keeping the team focused, Fisher said.

“[Killgore] focuses on conference and regional meets and on the end of the season. He knows which meets we can skip and which ones are really important for us to do well in,” he said.

The Wildcats already competed in two meets and will be competing in five more before regionals. The team took fifth at their first meet, the Whitman Invitational, with an average of 26 minutes, 29 seconds for the eight kilometer race.

Individuals, however, fared better. Fisher led the team, taking seventh overall with a time of 25:20. Both Fisher and Gage landed in the top 20 at their second meet, running the 6k in 19:57 and 20:34 respectively.

Mitchell is pleased with the runners’ individual performances.

“Shawn had a solid start at Western,“ he said.

Despite the bumper crop of freshmen this year, Fisher said the experienced runners would ensure there would be no stumbles during the course of the season.

The coaches said that Fisher and junior Tyler Davis will lead the inexperienced team this year, along with teammate McIssac when he returns from injury. “All of them are strong competitors,” Mitchell said. “They are good role models who work hard and compete hard.”

Killgore said Gage and freshmen Eric Weinbender and Arian Anderson will likely round off the top five in his group of runners.

Jordan Jacobo

Sports editor

Armed with a new coaching staff and a program record of 27 athletes on its roster, the women’s soccer team has two challenges this season: competing in a conference loaded with talent across the board and trying to figure out its identity.

Bouncing back from a two-loss road trip in California where head coach Yi Lin Liu saw his offense-heavy 3-4-3 formation produce just two goals, the ‘Cats stepped up their game and surpassed expectations by knocking off Division II Western Oregon University in overtime.

Struggling to keep possession of the ball and managing just six shots on goal, Linfield fended off the WOU attack with the help of nine saves by sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Hasselblad. As the second half wore on with the score tied nil, Hasselblad came up with save after save to leave the Wolves reeling despite keeping the ball in their attacking half for much of the game.

It took just five minutes of overtime for Linfield to score the golden goal. From the left wing, senior Kate Franklin snuck past a WOU defender and lofted the ball toward the goal, where it was met by the foot of senior forward Kelli Gillespie. When the shot bounced off the goalkeeper, senior forward Emma Triplett sent a quick shot into the open net for the game-winner.

Triplett celebrated by running to the corner of the field with her arms extended toward the raucous home crowd. She was met by all 10 of her teammates on the field, including Hasselblad, who ran from the other goal to hug her
excitedly.

Next up for the ‘Cats is the conference opener against Whitworth University on Sept. 20. The weekend home game is followed by another match against Whitman College the following day.

The win came at a time when it seemed most needed. Since winning its first game against Northwest Christian College on Sept. 1, Linfield has struggled to find its schematic fit. The lack of definition in this team’s own self-identity is fueled by veterans accustomed to former head coach Melanie Langley’s style of coaching, an on-the-job learning process by Liu and the 11 incoming freshman who are catching up to the rigorous college game.

“[Linfield] has been new to us,” Liu said of the hurdles he and assistant coach Kelly Baker face. “This is a totally different system, but we have a good team with the potential for lots of improvement.”

Liu, who spent 11 seasons at Hanover College in Indiana, is accustomed to turning mid-level teams into elite competitors.

He led the women’s soccer program at Hanover to two consecutive conference titles just six years after taking over. When Langley stepped down from her job at Linfield to take a position at Portland State University, the ’Cats needed someone to revive the team, and Liu seemed to be the right fit.

During the last three weeks, the focus has been on figuring out where everyone would best be suited to get the team to its full potential.Though the job of redefining a team of both veterans and newcomers can be almost endlessly complex, Liu’s mantra is a simple one: Play hard. Play smart.

Triplett said the biggest adjustment for many seniors on the team has been changing the style of play.

Under Langley, the team was focused on defense. Under Liu, the offense has seemed to take on a larger role than expected.

“It’s just up to us to trust our coach and get the freshmen to support him,” Triplett said. “We’ve all played here. We all know the game. To adjust, we have to break out of some of our old
habits.”

Triplett is the only player with more than one goal through the first four games. Her performance has been a bright spot for an offense that has been tepid at best, managing just five goals.

Stepping up to keep the games low-scoring, and therefore always within striking distance for the ‘Cats, has been Hasselblad in front of the net. She has allowed just four shots to get past her while logging 31 saves.

“It’s been a battle,” said Hasselblad, who has likely seen the biggest increase in responsibility since Liu’s decision to move to a 3-4-3 formation. “They want to focus on offensive structure more than defensive
structure.”

Despite the challenge of adjusting to a new style of play, a new coach and a supporting cast filled with new faces, Hasselblad said it is up to the leaders to make the plays, make the effort and motivate this team to improve upon its sixth-place conference finish from last season.

“The returners are stepping up the way we need them to,” she said. “When we’re all out there together, we have a great team chemistry.”

Septembre Russell

Copy editor

The women’s volleyball team competed against Cascade College at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 in the Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The ’Cats took the win in three matches, scoring 25-18, 25-19 and 25-20 to add to their previous record of 4-0.

Service from Cascade sophomore Katie Schmidt caused Linfield to give up points at the start of the opening match. Shakiness left the ‘Cats open to error with loose passes and blocked hits, but once the team found its momentum their athleticism was difficult to top.

Senior libero Meghan Flink pushed the ‘Cats through an 11-11 tie while the team continued to facilitate excellent communication and remained active both in foot and mind.

The ‘Cats kept it tight at the net, utilizing quick-sets that added power to their already forceful hits, while the Thunderbirds spread their offense out, putting them at a disadvantage.

“Everyone has to be ready to play, everyone has to be ready to hit the ball,” senior middle blocker Kelsey Habura said. 

Junior setter Stephanie Purser dominated in the third match, resulting in a game-high 15 kills by junior Emily Vuylsteke and another 11 from senior Kelsey French.

Freshman outside hitter Samantha Lau contributed to the win with great serves and five kills. Lau said she didn’t feel too much pressure; instead she was just nervous about her first time playing college volleyball.

The Wildcats held their ground defensively, as well. Purser, French and senior defensive specialist Rachel Rahn achieved double-digit defensive digs of 10, 18 and 11 respectively while middle blockers Habura and Vulysteke were all hands in the second game.

Head coach Shane Kimura led the team to place third in the Northwest Conference last season, and they finished the season with a 15-10 record. The loss of All-American Katelyn Baker will not affect the team adversely, as the returners and new players will step up to fill her spot.

“There’s not just one person we go to, we have to include everybody,” Habura said. “We all know what we need to do to improve.”

This season they are planning to concentrate on being consistent and working perfectly as a team although there is not any immediate pressure to match last season’s outcome, Lau said.

“We’d all like to come higher than third in the Northwest Conference,” she said.

Kimura said the team’s goal this season is to win the conference championship.

“Our ball control could be better, but we’re off to a good start,” he said.

Lau and Habura said they are ready to work together as a team this year.

“We’re excited to see what happens,” Habura said.

Because of weather conditions influenced by Hurricane Ike, the River City Classic tournament in San Antonio, Texas on Sept. 12 and 13 has been cancelled.

The Northwest Conference season will begin Sept. 19 and 20 in Tacoma, Wash.  Linfield will compete with University of Puget Sound on Sept. 19 and last season’s NWC champion Pacific Lutheran University on Sept. 20. Both games will take place at 7 p.m.

COMMENTARY

Jordan Jacobo 

Sports editor

In intercollegiate athletics, coaching matters most. Whether it is a newcomer or a storied figure within the sport, the coaching position is always surrounded by a certain mystique of seasons passed.

Sure, you can load up a team with former high school state champions, all-league stars and coveted transfers, but that will only get you so far. You need organization, conditioning and leadership.

A great coach fills all of those roles, and finding a coach as dedicated to his players and program as head volleyball coach Shane Kimura is a daunting task.

Kimura first inherited the program in 1975. Let’s put that into perspective: In 1975, Gerald Ford was president, a stamp cost 10 cents and gasoline was 53 cents per gallon. Needless to say, he has seen the waters ebb and flow. Kimura has won with all levels of talent and proved himself in the process.

In Kimura’s first year, the volleyball team finished just 3-12. By the end of the next season, it had improved to 8-14, good enough for second in the conference.

During the next two years, as Kimura stepped down to assistant coach, his contributions helped push the team to its first conference championship in 1978, amassing a 27-8 record.

That’s quite a turnaround for a program in just four short years.

One more thing: All the while Kimura was working toward his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Linfield as an undergraduate, which he received in 1978.

Today, Kimura can still be found on the volleyball court. He is ever-present and patient. He doles out constructive criticism with a natural confidence and humility that he gained over the past three decades at the helm.

When I met Kimura on my first story assignment for the Review last year, I didn’t know what to expect.

I did my research and learned about the team’s strong tradition and winning legacy. From that knowledge I formed an image of Kimura as a strong-mouthed, swaggering, cocky coach.

I could not have been more wrong.

Kimura was quiet but engaging. He was busy but relaxed. He seemed to put real thought into the questions I asked of him and his team, which was not out of courtesy but out of passion for a sport he has worked to master for much of his life.

In the midst of last year’s early-season success, Kimura was still searching for something more, something just short of perfection.

In short, he saw room for improvement from all of his players, not because of
some unreachable expectation but because of his genuine belief in hard work that has allowed him to flourish as head coach.

Kimura came into this season riding massive expectations. He entered with a career record of 565-391 and stands among the most experienced coaches in Linfield history.

So far, so good. Kimura’s players have stepped up to fill the shoes of standouts like Katelyn Baker, Lisa Brocard and Molly Taylor, who all graduated last spring.

With a 4-0 record, winning each of their matches in three straight games, there is not much more one could ask for thus far. 

It seems there is only one thing that can slow Kimura down: Mother Nature. On Sept. 10, Linfield canceled its trip to the River City Classic in San Antonio, Texas, because Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall along the eastern part of the state with winds as fast as 130 mph.

The tournament was set to feature some of the nation’s premier teams. It was the  last chance to get into form before the conference opener Sept. 19 against Pacific Lutheran University. Kimura, it seems, will have to make due without that last chance to fix any kinks on the court.

Players come and go but coaches remain. Winning seasons seem to arrive at the hand of some tempestuous deck of cards, one that brings talent, leadership, health, drive and, ultimately, success.

If the test of an athletic program is consistent success over time, Kimura has been immaculate.

Through the yearly graduation of high-performance
athletes, a new crop of freshmen always finds itself at the ready, eager for success, with a sincere love for volleyball. Kimura is the one who shows them the path to winning and to building themselves up as leaders on the court.

One test remains for Kimura: Can he string together back-to-back conference championships for the ‘Cats?

It didn’t happen last year, on the heels of a 2006 conference title. For this season, the goal is clear: another Northwest Conference championship and a long run into the postseason.

Kimura and the women’s volleyball team have their eye on great heights, and with five seniors stepping up to lead the way, they have a real shot at winning the conference.

Linfield, ranked third in a recent NWC coaches’ poll, will have to go through Pacific Lutheran University and University of Puget Sound to do it.

With Kimura  at the helm, it’s not a stretch to think they will.