Despite the constant rain and cold temperatures, the HCC woodsmen's team rebounded late in the day from last place to finish 3rd in the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet held at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Competition was fierce as Penn State Mont Alto successfully defended their overall Mid-Atlantic title and Dabney S. Lancaster finished in 2nd place. Forestry senior Jason Jones made strong showings in the single-buck sawing event and underhand chop and "cut wood good!" with his freshman teammate, James Bentley, in the men's crosscut and pole fell events which put a lot of HCC points on the board. Teammates Heather Johanssen and Brooke Banks took first place in the women's crosscut event and incoming student Kendawa Ruckman placed second in men's bowsaw. Max Cox placed third in the men's axe throw after a "throw-off" with four other competitors. Footage from this years competition will be aired on ESPN-U in July.
Jay Blackburn Qualifies for Intercollegiate Championship
Forestry senior Jay Blackburn will travel again to Stillwater, Minnesota to represent the college in Stihl's Intercollegiate Timbersports Championship. Jay finished first place in each of the qualifying events--underhand chop, single-buck saw, and stocksaw--to secure a more than 20 second lead over the next best competitor. As a freshman in last year's intercollegiate event, Jay placed third overall and this year hopes to improve his times to secure a bye into Stihl's Timbersports Series.
