This week...
Sat., Mar. 17, 10 a.m. -- TRACK & FIELD at OREGON PREVIEW, Hayward Field, Eugene, Or.

Complete Women's Track Schedule

Complete Men's Track Schedule

Going separate ways...
Following final exams this week, the Seattle Pacific University track & field teams will scatter for the next two meets. The largest contingent, some 10-12 men and women athletes, will compete Saturday (Mar. 17) at the Oregon Preview in Eugene. A handful will be in action Mar. 24 at the UC Davis Quadrangular.

One and done for Laura...
The bad news is that the Falcons have lost their two-time team MVP for the rest of the season. The good news is that Laura Widman (Jr., Colfax, Wa.) will now be around through the 2003 season. Widman, a two-time All-America in the heptathlon, will claim a medical hardship for this season while recovering from a midwinter bout with mononucleosis. In a obviously weakened condition, she competed for SPU in the Mar. 3 Husky Invitational. Last week, Coach Jack Hoyt (2nd year) suggested that Widman concentrate on restoring her strength this season. She was 2000 NCAA Division II runner-up in the heptathlon and the high scorer at the Pacific West Conference Championships, winning three events and scoring in two others.

Stewart returns to fold...
While Hoyt is losing his most versatile athlete, he has recouped one of his top sprinters. Lindsey Stewart (So., Shoreline, Wa./King's) has rejoined the team after taking a break during winter quarter. Stewart was PacWest champion in the 100 as a freshman and was a member of the 4 x 400 relay which qualified for nationals, finishing ninth.

Ross runs to 2 wins...
A week after bolting into the record books with a breakout performance in the 800-meter run, Rachel Ross (Jr., Kennewick, Wa.) ran amuck at the Salzman Invitational. Ross won both the 800 and 1500, eclipsing her PR in the latter with a provisional national qualifying time of 4 minutes. 35.5 seconds. And her time of 2:12.51 wasn't too shabby. Further, Ross anchored the 4 x 400 relay which finished second to Washington in 3:54.36. She has won 15 races of 800 and 1500 meters during her career. She also took first place in four of eight cross country races last fall.

Witt gets 2nd provisional...
Ross isn't the only SPU runner whose name appears on NCAA qualifying lists for two events after just two meets. Jamie Witt (Fr., Folsom, Ca.) won the Salzman 5000 in 17:43.82--more than 16 seconds under the provisional cutoff. Witt had opened the outdoor campaign with a provisional time in the 3000. In all, the Falcon women posted six provisional marks (four new and two improved) last week, and they have nine altogether.

Salzman in a nutshell...
For the third year in a row, Seattle Pacific proved to be the class of the small-college teams at the Salzman, only to be overwhelmed by Washington's shear numbers. The Huskies finished with 469 points to the Falcons' 207. The next team in the combined scoring was Central Washington with 183. Intermediate hurdler Karen Summers (Sr., Bremerton, Wa./Seattle Christian) easily won that race in 1:01.1--just three-tenths of a second off her PR set at nationals a year ago. The other new provisional mark came from high-jumper Abby Harris (Sr., Auburn, Wa./Auburn), who went over the bar at 5-5 3/4--her best clearance since 1999--for second place. Triple-jumper Natalie Dorow (Sr., Billings, Mt./West) won her fourth straight, dating back to last season, with a mark of 36-6 1/4. Other collegiate runners-up were Stephanie Huffman (Jr., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie) in the long jump (17-6 1/4) and javelin (128-7), Ally Studer (Redmond, Wa./Redmond) in the pole vault (10-11 3/4), Dionna Anderson (Jr., Lynnwood, Wa./Edmonds-Woodway) in the shot put (39-3 1/4) and both women's relays (49.41 and 3:54.36).

Guy talk...
For the men, pole-vaulter Brandon Littlefield (Fr., Selah, Wa./Eisenhower) was high scorer, taking fourth at 12-11 3/4. Thrower Andrew Steiner (So., Edmonds, Wa./Sno. Cty. Christian) hit a discus PR for the second week in a row, at 126-1, and took sixth. On the track, three runners were seventh: Blake Witman (Fr., Lynden, Wa./Lynden) in the 400 (52.17), Nathanael Castle (Jr., Gooding, Id.) in the 5000 (15:22.46) and Paul Mach (Fr., Seattle, Wa./King's) in the 400 hurdles (57.10)

Fractions...
Among the tentative entries for this week are Ross in the 800, Dorow in the triple jump, Witt in the 3000, Harris in the high jump, Huffman in the javelin and Studer in the pole vault...Those expected to race in Davis, Ca., are Ross and Witt...Widman, competing unattached, threw the shot, long-jumped and ran the 200 in 25.92...Kelsey Backen (Jr., Yakima, Wa./East Valley), running unattached until next quarter, was third in the men's 1500 in 4:02.28.

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) 5000/19:45.47
Schaylee Baumgertner Jr Quincy, Wa. (Quincy) 1500/ 3000/
Cyrena Bell Sr Kent, Wa. (Christian Faith) 200/25.95 400/58.05
Kirsten Bjork Fr Olympia, Wa. (Black Hills) 3000/11:05.14 5000/19:08.87
Dana Cantrell Jr Bellingham, Wa. (Sehome) 1500/ 3000/
Amy Cowden Sr Seattle, Wa. (Seattle Christian) Hj/5-1 3/4 Lj/17-2
Natalie Dorow Sr Billings, Mt. (Billings West) Tj/36/4 3/4 Lj/17-0
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/1:05.3
Abby Harris Sr Auburn, Wa. (Auburn) Hj/5-5 3/4
Ruth Hawkinson So Roy, Wa. (Yelm) 3000/11:06.97 5000/18:59.49 10k/
Stephanie Huffman Jr Brush Prairie, Wa. (Prairie) 200/ 800/ 100H/15.94 Hj/5-1 3/4 Lj/17-6 1/4 Sp/30-8 1/4 Jt/135-7 Hep/
Lauren Kooy Fr George, Wa. (Quincy) Dt/118-1 Jt/99-9
Sarah Kraybill So Seattle, Wa. (Ballard) 400/ 800/2:15.81
Sarah Lyne So Kelseyville, Ca. (Kelseyville) Pv/8-0
Annie McCabe So Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 1500/ 3000/11:06.09
Lindsey Northwall Fr Omaha, Ne. (Ralston) 3000/ 5000/20:00.89
Candy Owens Fr Ridgefield, Ct. (Ridgefield) 3000/ Erica Owens So
Normandy Park, Wa. (Mt. Rainier) 800/2:28.93 1500/5:11.8
Rachae Probst Jr Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 3000/ 5000/ 10k/
Morgan Ranta Jr Kent, Wa. (Kentridge) LJ/18-0 1/2 TJ/34-5 3/4
Mackensie Rogers Fr Otis Orchards, Wa. (East Valley) Pv/8-6
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 1500/4:35.3
Nicole Seana So Carnation, Wa. (Kamiakin) 3000/11:02.71 5000/19:50.81 10k/
Lindsey Stewart So Shoreline, Wa. (King's) 100/ 200/
Ally Studer Fr Redmond, Wa. (Redmond) Pv/11-3 3/4
Karen Summers Sr Bremerton, Wa. (Seattle Christian) 100H/15.11 400H/61.1
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 5000/17:43.82

SPU men's track rosters & season best marks...
Yr Hometown (High School)
Kelsey Backen Jr Yakima, Wa. (East Valley) 800/ 1500/ 5000/
Nathanael Castle Jr Gooding, Id. (Gooding) 800/ 1500/ 5000/15:22.46
David Denniston So Laguna Hills, Ca. (Laguna Hills) 400/
Neal Fryett Jr Pullman, Wa. (Logos) 800/1:56.89 1500/4:11.87
Brandon Littlefield Fr Selah, Wa. (Eisenhower) Pv/12-11 3/4
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/126-1
Zach Starr Fr Bend, Or. (Bend) 5000/15:51.26
Scott Van Hess So Salem, Or. (McKay) 800/
Blake Witman Fr Lynden, Wa. (Lynden) 400/52.17