Adam Elwell The Advocate MHCC showed up at their first track and field meet with the largest team they have had since 2020 last Saturday, March 7 at the perennial Erik Anderson Icebreaker in McMinnville.  While the season is still young, spirits are high. Both head coach Fernando Fantroy and teammates cited men’s hurdler River McClure and women’s field Ava Hanson as standout athletes to watch for the season. Fantroy nominated both for NWAC athlete of the week after last week’

Photo from MHCC Softball Adam Elwell The Advocate MHCC’s longtime athletic dynasty is off to another hot start. The softball team is 13-1 so far this season, despite — or maybe because of — a majority-freshman roster. Only four players returned from last year’s team; the remaining 17 are freshmen.  Softball assistant coach Taylor Gould gave credit where it was due. “Historically at Mount Hood, I think softball has always been one of the more dominant sports… A lot of recruitm

The 24-25 MHCC softball team in the NWAC championship where they came up just short. The Saints have appeared in the past two championships Columbia Basin College Location: Pasco, WA Mar. 1st | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM  Centralia College Location: Gresham, OR Mar. 14th | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM  Umpqua Basin College Location: Gresham, OR Mar. 20th | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM  Southwestern Oregon Community College Location: Gresham, OR Mar. 21st | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM  Grays Harbor College Locatio

The perennial grudge match leaves the saints teetering at 7-7 Clif Wegner, FORMER coach OF MHCC AND CLACKAMAS, Remembered SeaJay McConville The Advocate The evening of Jan. 7 was chilly with light rain outside, but inside Yoshida Events Center, the Mt. Hood Community College men’s basketball team was warming up for a heated rivalry against the Clackamas Cougars. The game was special for both colleges as they played in honor of Clif Wegner, who died July 22. Wegner coached at

Adam Elwell The Advocate The 2014 MHCC Saints softball team was one of the most dominant in program history, and this year the NWAC Hall of Fame committee voted to recognize their accomplishments. Alongside the entire team, standout athlete Teauna Hughes is also being inducted for her exceptional performance during the 2014 season.  The Saints went 40-3 that year and captured the championship. It was possibly the high-water mark of then-head coach Meadow McWhorter, who has al

This 2025 season was quite a journey for Mt. Hood volleyball team. After training hard the whole year and giving everything they had on the court, the Saints finished their year with a thrilling 3 sets to 1 win against visiting Chemeketa Community College on Nov. 5. Both teams battled, point after point, but the Saints showed great teamwork and energy in their final home game. The whole season was full of growth, great moments and a strong effort put in by each and every play

Photo by Catherine Green Last year, the Mt. Hood Community College softball team had an incredible championship season. I’ll admit – I knew nothing about softball at the time. But when I heard the Saints had a shot at another title run this year, I knew I had to be there to see it for myself. On the first day of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) championship tournament – played in north Portland’s Delta Park – I was hooked. The energy coming from the Saints’ dugout was

Women’s Basketball Preview The MHCC women’s basketball season has started off swiftly: The team has a handful of games under its belt so far, while its first Northwest Athletic Conference league game is still roughly a month away, on Jan. 4 at home against Umpqua Community College. Saints team captains – sophomores Savanah Burke, a forward, and Laci Pentzer, a guard, and freshman center Joselyn Scammell – all had positive things to say about the young season. Asked how they f

Photo by Jeff Hinds It’s been a while, but the Saints cross country men’s team has MHCC back in the running in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). Head coach Fernando Fantroy hasn’t been able to field a full squad for competitions since before COVID hit – it takes five runners for a team to record a qualifying score in NWAC events – until this fall. The year 2019 “was the last strong team we had,” said Fantroy, who also is head coach of the Saints track and field team.

How has the new NCAA double-touch rule affected women’s volleyball? A key part of volleyball play is different this season, something players and coaches are adjusting to, but coming to appreciate. Setting is a pivotal part of volleyball, and mastering the skill is difficult and important. A team only has three touches from receiving the ball to sending it back over the net to its opponent. The “set,” typically the second touch, is used to align the ball in a way that an atta

Standouts from this Season Molly McCoy Photo by Jeff Hinds There are many different labels that can be used to describe Molly McCoy: volleyball player, setter, No. 8, captain, student-athlete, and many more. But beyond these titles and the many feats she has accomplished so far, she shines as a leader, a role model, and, most of all, as a friend. McCoy is a sophomore setter on the Mt. Hood Community College volleyball team, which has had an impressive season so far. Individua

If you are a big-time basketball or football fan like me, it can be hard to find sports events to watch or attend this summer, since both the NBA and NFL take place in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. When the weather is nice and sunny, you might even be tempted to try out some personal outdoor sports like disc golf, kayaking, or rock climbing. But if you want to experience a top-level professional sporting event during the warmer months, the Pacific Northwest does have

After a hard-fought weekend of game-securing (game-clinching?) home runs and crucial strikeouts, the Mt. Hood softball team is the 2024 Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) champions – the Saints’ second title in three years. This journey was by no means easy, with a few close games and, as expected, some large wins for the team. The Saints’ playoff path started on Thursday, May 16, at Delta Park in north Portland. In their first game at 10 a.m., No. 2 tournament seed Mt. Hoo

The Mt. Hood Softball team is the 2024 Northwest Athletic Conference champion. With a regular season record of 46-4 and an undefeated post-season, the team battled their way to the championship game held on Sunday, May 19, at 11:00 a.m. The playoff tournament stretched from Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, May 19. In the championship game, the Mt. Hood Saints defeated the North Idaho Cardinals eight to five, with Mt. Hood scoring four runs in the first inning. View photos from the

College athletics are a major way for students to hone their skills and compete against comparable talent while obtaining an education. Athletes come from all over the West Coast to play at Mt. Hood Community College. But it wasn’t always like this, especially when junior colleges were not organized into conferences or leagues like we see today. MHCC’s athletics program really started in 1968-69, two years after the college was built. This was when Clackamas, Lane, Mt. Hood,

Photos by Andrew Hull

Coming off a double header sweep of Chemeketa Community College on April 24, The Advocate caught up with the Saints’ baseball team captain, sophomore catcher/outfielder Isaiah Chacon, who wears No. 8. We learned about his early life in Texas, what the Mt. Hood team means to him, and more. In 32 games played this season as of April 30, Chacon is batting .262 with 115 at-bats – but got hot in April, batting .326 for the month. That’s much improved from the .190 batting average

Photos from MHCC You don’t have to be on one of Mt. Hood Community College’s intercollegiate sports teams to be physically active on the Gresham campus. MHCC offers many opportunities to be physically active, and many of them are free to students. From our popular 25- and 50-meter swim pools to our widely unknown racquetball courts, there is something for everyone. Mt. Hood’s Physical Education (PE) facilities stand separate from the main Academic Center. From the main classr

Mt. Hood Community College has an awesome softball pitcher this year, in freshman Bella Carazo, who covers first base for the Saints when she’s not pitching. Carazo grew up in Bonney Lake, Washington, not far from Tacoma. This is her first year playing in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) and she is already making standout performances for her team, tied for first place in the South division entering the last two weeks of the season. Carazo won NWAC “pitcher of the wee

Photos of the MHCC Baseball game against Chemeketa Community College on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Photographer: Andrew Hull