Ken Trapp led the Lady Penguins to the first of his two titles at Clark in 1989. The team went 27-6 and defeated Highline Community College 73-66 in the NWAACC Championship game. (Courtesy of Clark Penguins)
By Brody Voge in Sports
Clark has had its fair share of extraordinary athletes and coaches in its 80 years but only 13 people and five teams are enshrined in the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Last Saturday at 5 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center, two people and three teams were scheduled to join this exclusive club for the third annual induction ceremony.
The teams, the 1994 and ‘95 men’s track and field teams and ‘97 men’s soccer team all won the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Championship in their respective sports.
Ken Trapp, head coach of women’s basketball in 1992, led his team 33-0 en route to the championship. During his time at Clark, Trapp recorded a total of 299 wins to 69 losses. “I could say a lot more about those 69 losses than I could say about those wins,” Trapp said.
Although credited for the wins, Trapp praised his players and coaching staff for trusting his system and philosophy during the games.
“We wanted to come into every gym with the impression that the other team was in for a bad day,” Trapp said. “I guess you could say we came in with a bit of a swagger to us.”
Trapp appeared in four final fours and won two NWAACC Championships. His team made history in 1992-93, becoming the first team to go undefeated while knocking off two top ten nationally-ranked teams in the same season.
Dori Hawkey, head coach of volleyball from 1979-88, was awarded coach of the year twice and won an NWAACC Championship. Her lifetime win-loss record is 304-90.
Hawkey expected her players to remain focused daily. If one of them yawned at practice, they would spend the rest of practice running, Hawkey said.
“Fundamentals will take you places,” Hawkey said. In nine seasons at Clark, she said none of her teams ever missed a serve.
Before coming to Clark, she coached at Ridgefield High School where she won back-to-back state titles.
