The Lewis & Clark College Department of PE & Athletics is preparing to welcome in a class of talented first-year student athletes. With more students committing to Lewis & Clark every day, the Pioneers already have 102 recruited student-athletes who have paid deposits to attend the school in the fall. This is over a 100% increase above the number of new student-athletes that arrived on Palatine Hill last fall. In addition to these 54 female and 48 male recruits, there are another 70 non-recruited students who will also be attending the College who have expressed an interest in participating in one of the Pioneers’ 19 varsity sports.

The incoming student-athletes have a very impressive academic and athletic profile and come from 28 different states and the District of Columbia. Among the 102 recruited athletes, there are eight valedictorians and thirteen with a 4.0 GPA. On average, this group is in the upper 20% of their class, has a grade point average of 3.6 and scored nearly 1280 on the SAT.

The student-athletes have collectively earned 47 first team all-league, 11 second team all-league, and 27 all-district honors. They also have 12 all-state designations, 11 conference MVP awards. 17 received scholar-athlete awards. In a leadership role, the incoming class has 43 terms as team captain and 25 team MVP’s among them.

The Pioneer men’s sports are going to be getting a boost from the incoming class. 24 of the male recruited athletes are football players and ten are heading to the Huston Sports Complex to play baseball. The reigning NWC champion men’s basketball team have two incoming transfers, both projected to make an immediate impact on the team.

On the gridiron, the Pioneers will have a very different look next season. Head Coach Chris Sulages and his staff are bringing in some very talented athletes to create something that was almost non-existent in last year’s offense: a running game. Carsan Mills, his league’s offensive player of the year at Okanagan High, was a running back and full back in high school, as well as a linebacker. Harrison Keller, an all-league and all-county running back as well as an MVP, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., led the county in all-purpose yards. He also logged 185 yards rushing and 111 yards receiving in a single game his senior season. Josh Kohansamad, a tailback from Santa Barbara, Calif, had roughly 1000 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns his senior season with multiple 100+ yard rushing games. Locally, Rex Putnam High’s Joevonte Mayes was a first-team all-league running back in Milwaukie and was a starter in this summer’s Les Schwab Bowl high school all-star game at PGE Park. Fellow Putnam High grad Paul Stirneman is also headed to Palatine Hill. Stirneman, the second team all-league wide receiver, is one of a handful of new targets for junior quarterback AJ Brown. Ryan Kostecka will also be joining the Pioneer receiving corp. Kostecka was all-league and all-county as a wide receiver and kick-return specialist at Napa High School in California. Disan Suarez was all-league and All-Imperial Valley first team offense as a wide receiver at Calipatria High in Calipatria, Calif Vying to fill the vacant tight end position is all-league TE Kai Watts from Seaside. Watts was also a two-time league discus champion and plans on participating in both sports at L&C. Rob Holmes, a two time honorable mention TE from Klamath Falls is another candidate for the spot.

The Pioneers add more size on the line, getting some help in that area from a trio of locals. All-PIL lineman Eric Randall comes to the Pioneers from Benson High. Matthew Gartrell was all-conference as a lineman and a fullback at Centennial High in Gresham. NWOC 5A first team all-league down lineman Angus Blair was an honorable mention all-state selection at St. Helens High. Also coming in is Scott Langevin, a second team all-league offensive lineman from Ygnacio Valley High in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Tyler Carter from Newport.

Other players who have committed to Lewis & Clark Football: Second team all-league QB and utility player Tucker Lawrence (Henry Gunn Senior High—San Martin, Calif.); Blake Riddell (Robert Paschal High, Fort Worth, TX);Patrick Chang (The Overlake School, Redmond, Wash.); Joe Morris (Capistrano Valley High, Mission Viejo, Calif.) was the Cougars leader, he played QB, DB and whatever else the team needed; Chance Martinez (Clackamas High, Clackamas, Ore.) has a big frame and athletic ability that will help us right away; Devon Baker (Beaverton High, Beaverton, Ore.) is a big athletic LB who played in the toughest league in Oregon; and David Murray (New Trier High, Wilmette, Ill.) with his size and ability will have an immediate impact on the Offensive Line. There are also three transfers this year; Shawn Kelly (Oregon State University -LaSalle High, Clackamas, Ore.); Edward Pallett (UC San Diego - Punaho High, Honolulu, HI); David Ladouceur (Clackamas Community College - The Dalles High, The Dalles, Ore.).

Fall sports get underway on August 18th when the football team reports for pre-season camp. The women’s soccer team plays the first competition of the year, an exhibition game against Simon Fraser in British Columbia on August 27th. The Pioneer volleyball team has the first home event of the year, hosting Corban College on September 4th at 7pm in the Pamplin Sports Center. The football team opens up at home against Occidental on September 8th before going on the Road to Pomona College and the University of Chicago. The cross country team travels down the road to Western Oregon for their first race on August 31st.