High school graduation won’t be the end of the road for a trio of local student-athletes who recently announced plans to continue competing in their respective sports when they begin college in the fall.
Charis and Corinne Childers
Inseparable since birth, the Childers twins plan to stick together and run cross country and track for the Hustlin’ Owls of Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls next school year.
The duo announced the decision at a signing event at Roseburg High School in January.
“We’re pretty excited,” Charis Childers said. “It’s nice that we both get to run together.”
Choosing the same school wasn’t a must-have for the identical twins, but OIT worked out because it offered academic programs for both.
“I always kind of wanted to go to the same college as her,” said Corinne Childers, who plans to study stenography. “We were just both trying to find out personally for ourselves what we were going to do, but it just ended up working that we got to go to the same place.”
Charis Childers said she wants to go into the dental hygienist program.
As runners, the Childers were second team All-Southwest Conference selections during the fall cross country season. The Roseburg girls team finished 13th in the Class 6A state meet. Individually, Charis placed 63rd and Corinne 70th.
They plan to compete in numerous events in track this spring for RHS. Charis will do the 1,500 meters, 800 and 4×400 relay races along with the long jump. Corrine plans to do the 400 and 800 meter as well as the 4×400 relay.
Once in Klamath Falls, the Childers will run for newly hired head coach Mike Anderson. Anderson was the interim cross country coach in the fall and led the men’s and women’s teams to fourth-place finishes at the Cascade Conference Championships. His men’s team placed 21st at the NAIA Championships, with two athletes earning All-America honors.
Isaac Veale
Roseburg senior Isaac Veale signed in January to play men’s lacrosse at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
“It’s really exciting because since middle school I’ve been dreaming about playing college lacrosse and maybe even pro, but once everything actually finally came together it was like all my hard work has finally paid off,” said Veale, who has been playing lacrosse for seven years.
The NNU program is in its second season as a full member of the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League and starts the 2023 spring season ranked 21st in the national Division II preseason coaches poll.
Veale said he visited NNU last summer and knew right away he wanted to become a Nighthawk.
“The biggest thing is that it’s a Christian school and also that it’s in Idaho and I love it out there. And when I went to one of their practices all of the guys out there were so nice. They’re just really inviting and it seemed like they wanted me to be there,” Veale said.
Veale, a midfielder and face-off specialist with the Roseburg lacrosse team, said that he hopes to finish his high school career with a berth in the championship playoff bracket.
The Roseburg boys went 3-10 last spring and reached the Cascade Cup playoff, where they lost to Hood River in the first round.
“We want to make it to the real playoffs. That would be amazing,” Veale said. “Ever since middle school we’ve honestly never really been on a winning team and I think that would just be amazing.”
The Roseburg boys lacrosse season begins March 15 at Corvallis.
