This week...
Sat., Mar. 10, 10 a.m. -- TRACK & FIELD at SALZMAN INVITATIONAL, Pacific Lutheran University, Parkland, Wa.

Complete Women's Track Schedule

Complete Men's Track Schedule

The gang's all there...
Practically every small college team in the state plus Washington will toe the line along with the Seattle Pacific University men's and women's track & field teams at the Salzman Invitational, the first scored meet of the season Saturday (Mar. 10). Next week the Falcons take part in the Oregon Preview in Eugene.

Second to one...
If not for the Huskies crashing the party the past two years, the Falcon women would've been runaway winners at the Salzman meet. SPU finished with 139 1/2 points to host Pacific Lutheran's 74 in 2000 and two years ago the margin was 155-87 1/2. Washington won with respective point totals of 265 1/2 and 248. Seattle Pacific is the defending Pacific West Conference champion. The men were seventh at Salzman a year ago with 46 points. Among the other schools expected to send complete teams are PacWest members Central Washington and Western Washington, plus local Div. III programs Puget Sound and Whitman.

Gangbusters to start...
Coach Jack Hoyt (2nd year) said his team's outdoor debut at the Husky Invitational was the strongest in the past several seasons. In all, the SPU women posted six NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks, won two events and were runner-up in nine more. One school record fell and there were two personal-best performances.

She's already on her way...
Not since the days of Swedish triple jumper Karin Grelsson back in 1992 has Seattle Pacific seen an opening-day performance worthy of a top five all-time mark. Such is the significance of Rachel Ross's (Jr., Kennewick, Wa.) 800-meter race at the Husky Invitational. Coming on the heels of a 2:11.19 time in her final indoor run two weeks earlier, Ross ran even stronger in the clear, cold conditions of Husky Stadium. Her second-place time of 2:09.76 was a PR of 0.81 seconds and lifted her to No. 5 on the school's all-time list. Although it just missed the new automatic qualifying standard of 2:08.00, it's probably good enough to get her to the NCAA meet for the third year in a row. Ross took sixth nationally as a freshman in 1999 and was ninth as a sophomore. She is the defending PacWest champion in the 800, 1500 and cross country.

Pole position...
Hoyt had high hopes that his freshman pole vaulter, Ally Studer (Redmond, Wa./Redmond), would make the grade nationally. Well, she didn't waste any time. Studer smashed the school record and went past the provisional standard by clearing 11 feet, 3 3/4 inches to take second place. The old school record of 10-6 was set last season by Alena Schlumpf. Studer had vaulted 11-6 indoors in February. The automatic qualifying standard in the pole vault is 13-1 1/2.

Put them on the list too...
Joining Ross and Studer with provisional marks were two past All-America athletes, a veteran relay and another freshman. Stephanie Huffman (Jr., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie), the NCAA heptathlon silver medalist in 1999, returned from her redshirt season to throw the javelin 135-7, less than five feet off her PR. Karen Summers (Sr., Bremerton, Wa./Seattle Christian) bolted out of the gate on the intermediate hurdles, placing second in 1:02.56. Summers took seventh at the NCAAs in a similar time last May. Summers also ran the leadoff leg of the 4 x 400 relay which won in a provisional split of 3:52.96. Comprising the other three legs were Sarah Kraybill (So., Seattle, Wa./Ballard), Cyrena Bell (Sr., Kent, Wa./Christian Faith) and Ross. They handily defeated Washington by 4.6 seconds. It was the third relay win over the UW in the last five races, dating back over a year. In addition to Studer, another freshman served notice of great things to come. Jamie Witt (Fr., Folsom, Ca.) ran the best 3000 by an SPU woman in the past two seasons, finishing fifth in 10:06.21.

Nat's a triple threat...
The only other winner besides the relay was Natalie Dorow (Sr., Billings, Mt./West), who has become the premier triple jumper around these parts. Dorow, won six meets in 2000, was some two feet under her PR at 36-4 3/4. Her nearest competition was teammate Amber Rose (Fr., Olympia, Wa./Capital) at 35-0 1/2. Others who were runners-up were Morgan Ranta (Jr., Kent, Wa./Kentridge) in the long jump (18-0 1/2), Abby Harris (Sr., Auburn, Wa./Auburn) in the high jump (5-3), Bell in the 400 (58.05) and Dionna Anderson (Jr., Lynnwood, Wa./Edmonds-Woodway) in the shot put (41-0 1/4).

Guy talk...
There was good news on the men's front as well. Paul Mach (Fr., Seattle, Wa./King's) was clocked in a respectable 56.86 seconds in his 400 hurdles debut, finishing fifth, just ahead of Trevor Sharp (Sr., Bala-Cynwyd, Pa./Delaware Christian) in 57.18. Andrew Steiner (So., Edmonds, Wa./Sno. Cty. Christian) achieved a near seven-foot PR in the discus with a best throw of 125-6. Neal Fryett (Jr., Pullman, Wa./Logos) nearly hit his PR in the 800, taking sixth in 1:56.89.

Fractions...
Amy Cowden (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Christian) long-jumped a PR of 17-2, placing third...Laura Widman (Jr., Colfax, Wa.), still gaining strength after a bout with mononucleosis, entered three events, finishing with a fourth-place shot put of 38-9, a fifth-place 200 time of 26.01 and a 100 hurdles time of 17.36...Kelsey Backen (Jr., Yakima, Wa./East Valley) was 12th in the 1500 in 4:04.34.

SPU women's track rosters & season best marks...
Yr Hometown (High School) Event/Best '00 Marks (bold indicates PR)
Dionna Anderson Jr Lynnwood, Wa. (Edmonds-W'way) Sp/41-0 1/4
Hailey Armstrong Fr Pocatello, Id. (Pocatello) 5000
Schaylee Baumgertner Jr Quincy, Wa. (Quincy) 1500/ 3000/
Cyrena Bell Sr Kent, Wa. (Christian Faith) 200/ 400/58.05
Kirsten Bjork Fr Olympia, Wa. (Black Hills) 1500/ 3000/11:05.14
Dana Cantrell Jr Bellingham, Wa. (Sehome) 1500/ 3000/
Amy Cowden Sr Seattle, Wa. (Seattle Christian) Hj/5-1 Lj/17-2
Natalie Dorow Sr Billings, Mt. (Billings West) Tj/36/4 3/4 Lj/
Amber Farthing Sr LaConner, Wa. (LaConner) 800/2:20.00
Christie Goering Sr Boulder, Co. (Fairview) 800/ 1500/ 3000/
Jawea Harder Jr Port Townsend, Wa. (Pt. Townsend) 200/26.81 400/60.82 400H/
Abby Harris Sr Auburn, Wa. (Auburn) Hj/5-3
Ruth Hawkinson So Roy, Wa. (Yelm) 3000/11:06.97 5000/ 10k/
Stephanie Huffman Jr Brush Prairie, Wa. (Prairie) 200/ 800/ 100H/ Hj/ Lj/ Sp/30-8 1/4 Jt/135-7 Hep/
Lauren Kooy Fr George, Wa. (Quincy) Dt/115-0 Jt/99-9
Sarah Kraybill So Seattle, Wa. (Ballard) 400/ 800/2:15.81
Sarah Lyne So Kelseyville, Ca. (Kelseyville) Pv/
Annie McCabe So Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 1500/ 3000/11:06.09
Lindsey Northwall Fr Omaha, Ne. (Ralston) 3000/ 5000/
Candy Owens Fr Ridgefield, Ct. (Ridgefield) 3000/
Erica Owens So Normandy Park, Wa. (Mt. Rainier) 800/2:28.93 1500/
Rachae Probst Jr Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 3000/ 5000/ 10k/
Morgan Ranta Jr Kent, Wa. (Kentridge) LJ/18-0 1/2 TJ/
Mackensie Rogers Fr Otis Orchards, Wa. (East Valley) Pv/
Amber Rose Fr Olympia, Wa. (Capital) Lj/15-10 1/4 Tj/35-0 1/2
Rachel Ross Jr Kennewick, Wa. (Kennewick) 400/ 800/2:09.76 1500/
Nicole Seana So Carnation, Wa. (Kamiakin) 3000/11:02.71 5000/ 10k/
Ally Studer Fr Redmond, Wa. (Redmond) Pv/11-3 3/4
Karen Summers Sr Bremerton, Wa. (Seattle Christian) 100H/15.29 400H/62.56
Laura Widman Jr Colfax, Wa. (Colfax) HJ/ LJ/ Shot/38-9 200/26.01 100H/17.36 Jav/ 800/ Hept/
Jamie Witt Fr Folsom, Ca. (Folsom) 3000/10:06.21 5000/

SPU men's track rosters & season best marks...
Yr Hometown (High School)
Kelsey Backen Jr Yakima, Wa. (East Valley) 800/ 1500/4:04.34 5000/
Nathanael Castle Jr Gooding, Id. (Gooding) 800/ 1500/
David Denniston So Laguna Hills, Ca. (Laguna Hills) 400/
Neal Fryett Jr Pullman, Wa. (Logos) 800/1:56.89 1500/
Brandon Littlefield Fr Selah, Wa. (Eisenhower) Pv/
Paul Mach Fr Seattle, Wa. (King's) 400/ 100H/ 400H/56.86
Tim Marston Fr Pullman, Wa. (Logos) 1500/ 5000/
Ryan Nash Jr Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 1500/ 5000/
Trevor Sharp Sr Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. (Delaware Chrstn) 400H/57.18
Zeph Shepard Fr North Easton, Ma. (Oliver Ames) 200/ Lj/
Andrew Steiner So Edmonds, Wa. (Sno. Cty. Chrstn) Shot/34-6 1/4 Disc/125-6
Zach Starr Fr Bend, Or. (Bend) 5000/15:51.26
Scott Van Hess So Salem, Or. (McKay) 800/
Blake Witman Fr Lynden, Wa. (Lynden) 400/52.46