Sports in Perspective

Balance was important to volleyball player Jessamy Holland as she searched for the “right” college. An accomplished, three-sport athlete from Honolulu, Hawaii, Jessamy made a commitment to choose a college where she could be both a student and an athlete. “I didn’t want athletics to be my whole college experience,” she says. “I chose Lewis & Clark because I could play volleyball, have a network of friends, and still put time into my studies.”

Jessamy immediately felt at home. “I established a sense of family with my teammates that I wouldn’t have been able to find if it weren’t for volleyball.” In addition to volleyball, Jessamy, a psychology major, is active in campus life and the Hawaii Club. She is also preparing to study in France next spring.

And balance? “Playing volleyball has been great, and living in the multicultural hall has enabled me to expand my relationships,” she says. “I’ve put a lot of effort into widening my social circle.”

Athletic opportunities at Lewis & Clark range from varsity sports to club teams and intramurals, each offering a different level of competitiveness and commitment. All, however, share the goal of developing mind, body, and spirit—a whole human being. Sports in perspective is a concept that encompasses the entire athletic program at Lewis & Clark. Participation in athletics is part of the academic and intellectual experience, not something separate and an end unto itself. Lewis & Clark fosters an environment of excellence and competitiveness in its classrooms and on the fields and courts.

Lewis & Clark is a member of the NCAA Division III and fields varsity athletics teams in men’s and women’s basketball, crew, cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, and track and field, as well as women’s softball, soccer and volleyball and men’s baseball and football.

Life After Sports

Here is what a few of Lewis & Clark’s
former standout student-athletes are doing today.

Erik Gerwick ’07 Physics
Sport: Football
Honors: Second team All-NWC, two-time All-NWC honorable
mention, ESPN magazine Academic All-District VIII team
Currently: Pursuing a Ph.D. in particle physics theory at the
University of Edinburgh

Theresa Likarish ’07 Music and English
Sport: Swimming
Honors: Four-year letter winner, team captain
Currently: High School teacher, Teach For America

Max Spector ’06 Biology
Sport: Rowing
Honors: Four-year letter winner, two-year captain
Currently: Research assistant, Oregon Health
& Science University stroke research lab

Talia Hristou ’05 Communication
Sport: Basketball
Honors: Four-year letter winner, two-year team captain
Currently: Account manager for PepsiCo’s Quaker, Tropicana,
Gatorade team

Neil Weare ’04 International Affairs
Sport: Cross Country and Track
Honors: NWC Champion (Cross Country), NWC 5,000-Meter Run
Champion (Track), Guam 2004 Olympic Team
Currently: Attorney, Constitutional Accountability Center, Washington, D.C.

Sticking With It

A competitive lacrosse player since junior high, Kelsey Rogers from Denver, Colorado, knew she wanted to attend a college where the sport would continue to be a part of her life. Now a senior at Lewis & Clark, Kelsey, along with two classmates, leads the women’s club lacrosse team. “I’ve loved my involvement with lacrosse at Lewis & Clark,” says Kelsey. “I came out for the first practice my freshman year, and the seniors were all great and very supportive. We all had so much fun together and became really close friends—and remain so to this day.”

Club sports are run by the students, who form their own teams, find their own coaches, purchase equipment with financial assistance from the Associated Students of Lewis & Clark, and compete against other schools and city programs. In addition to women’s lacrosse, club sports include women’s Ultimate Frisbee and spring indoor soccer; men’s lacrosse, rugby, soccer and Ultimate Frisbee; and coed teams in martial arts, sailing, and table tennis.

As a biochemistry and molecular biology major, chemistry department tutor, and biology lab assistant, finding time for athletics isn’t always easy for Kelsey. “Lacrosse has always been important to me, though, so I make time for practice and tournaments. The commitment has definitely been worth it,” she says.

Neighborly Competition

Intramurals are open to anyone on campus, with coeducational teams representing a wide range of groups, from residence halls to clubs, faculty, students, and staff. Intramural sports include volleyball, basketball, kickball, softball, badminton, tennis, running, table tennis, and dodgeball.