Looking ahead...
Apr. 11-May 15 -- NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNING PERIOD

Complete Schedule

They'll be back...
Rarely can a college basketball program lose its starting frontline to graduation yet show signs of coming back even stronger the next season. However, that's exactly the scenario for the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team coming off a conference championship, 24-5 record and fifth straight NCAA Division II tournament appearance in 2001. And based on the cast of returnees, plus the strongest recruiting class ever, the Falcons could go even further in 2002.

The end of the road...
A single point and only one second separated the Falcons from their second trip to the Elite Eight in four years. Eventual NCAA champion Cal Poly Pomona averted an upset by scoring a last second, game-winning basket in the West Regional championship and eliminated 19th-ranked SPU 63-62 Mar. 10. The loss ended a heroic drive down the stretch in which, despite playing with as a few as eight players, Seattle Pacific won 13 of 15 games. Cal Poly proceeded to the Elite Eight where the Broncos defeated Pace (NY), Columbus State (Ga.) and North Dakota, the latter in overtime of the national championship game, to claim the NCAA title.

She'll be here...
Although he will have to replace his top scorer, Coach Gordy Presnell (14th year) need not spend too much time recruiting this spring. The Pacific West Conference coach of the year has six strong recruits signed already, including Kelley Berglund (Jr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa.), the starting center for Washington State as a sophomore this past season. Berglund averaged 9.2 points and led the Cougars with 5.5 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots per game but announced her intention to transfer Mar. 19. She was named Pac-10 honorable mention all-freshman team in 2000. Presnell expects to sign at least one more recruit during the spring signing period.

Moving on...
Transfers and all, seven new faces will help to fill the holes left by five departures. Gyongyver "Gus" Balogh (Sr., 5-11, Szombathely, Hungary), Jana Holme (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Wilson) and Liz Guppy (Sr., 6-3, Beaverton, Or./Westview) comprised the starting frontline this season and combined for 199 starts altogether. Reserve guard Kirsten Daniel (Sr., 5-7, Florence, Or./Siuslaw) was a three-year letterwinner. Balogh ended her career as one of the most decorated players in SPU history. Already a first team Academic All-America, she was named honorable mention All-America team and earlier was voted the PacWest Conference player of the year. Balogh topped the team at 17.8 points.

Reload, not rebuild...
Joining Balogh on the all-conference team was sharpshooting guard Stephanie Urrutia (So., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa.). Urrutia averaged 12.4 points and led the team in rebounds (5.6). Point guard Kerie Hughes (So., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa.), who received all-conference honorable mention despite missing eight of the final 12 games with a torn ACL, will return, along with another starter and potential all-conference pick who missed the majority of the season due to knee surgery. Kristin Poe (So., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) led the team in rebounding (8.3) and was the No. 2 scorer in the first six games. She will petition the NCAA to have her sophomore season of eligibility restored.

Gustafson all-tourney...
After coming off the bench to score 31 points and pull down 12 rebounds in the two NCAA postseason games, Valerie Gustafson (Fr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) earned all-West Regional distinction. Gustafson averaged 9.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 19.2 minutes in her first season a game. Another key frontline reserve returning is Stacie Lukkes (So., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentwood), who was particularly effective on the boards down the stretch.

Also coming aboard...
The majority of Presnell's recruits were signed last fall but their stature only increased during their final prep seasons. For instance, Emily Faurholt, a 5-11 post from Kennewick High School, was named Washington's 4A state player of the year, and Michelle Beaumont, a 5-11 wing, led Bellingham's Sehome High in scoring (20.2) and rebounding (5.0). The other three earliy signees were Ashley Cadotte, a 6-0 pivot from Oregon City, Mackenzie Duffin, a 6-2 center from Kent-Meridian and Angie Wells, a 5-11 wing from Portland's Westview.

New year, new league...
Next season the Falcons will join the new 10-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference, a league comprised of the eight current West Division members of the Pacific West Conference, plus Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks from the Pacific Division. Conference play begins Dec. 6 and Central Washington replaces Western Washington as the SPU travel partner. Next year's nonconference schedule includes a trip to Hawaii in mid-December for the Coconut Classic and a rematch with Cal Poly Pomona on the road later that month.

Reads like a broken record...
Balogh exits as the school's first ever four-time all-PacWest selection, a three-time all-district choice and its first Academic All-America. She definitely leaves her name throughout the school record book. Balogh posted the No. 10 mark for points scored in a season (515) and the No. 5 mark for season free-throw percentage (.800, 60-75). On the career charts, she is No. 1 in free-throw percentage (198-249, 80%), No. 3 in three point percentage (62-161, 39%) and No. 4 in scoring (1662, 14.3). Elsewhere individually, Guppy became Seattle Pacific's all-time shot blocker, totaling 214 over four years. Guppy also ranks eighth in career rebounds (582). The team obliterated the record for fewest opponent field goals allowed (8) vs. Seattle University.

Put-backs...
Guppy, Balogh, Holme and Daniel are the first four athletes in school history to qualify for the NCAA playoffs each of their four years of eligibility...Over her career, Holme won three PacWest titles, went to the Elite Eight in '98 and made the nation's Sweet Sixteen twice...Brianne Prescott (Jr., 5-7, San Jose, Ca./Mitty-San Jose CC), who led the Falcons in 3-pointers (59) while averaging 8.6 points, plans to transfer following spring quarter. As a consequence, next year's squad will have no seniors.

S-P-U on the W-E-B...
You can follow Seattle Pacific via the world wide web. The Falcons Online features weekly releases, rosters, schedules, updated results, histories and coaching profiles for all 12 varsity sports. You're already here!

PacWest Conference Standings

Personnel notes...
No Player Yr-Exp Hgt '00 -01 stats Hometown Notes
12 Becka Beard So-1V 5-4 2.8/ 2.3 ast Bremerton, Wa. Played all 29 games, 4th in assists
20 Kerie Hughes So-1V 5-6 8.0/6.0 ast Mount Vernon, Wa. Underwent knee surgery in late March
22 Kirsten Daniel Sr-2V 5-7 2.0/1.2 reb Florence, Or. Graduates having been to NCAA's four times
23 Brianne Prescott* Jr-TR 5-7 8.6/2.4 reb San Jose, Ca. Led team with 59 3-ptrs; plans to transfer
24 Stephanie Urrutia* So-1V 5-9 12.4/5.6 reb Sunnyside, Wa. All-Pacific West Conference
30 Stacie Lukkes So-1V 6-0 3.7/4.4 reb Kent, Wa. Key returnee in 2002
31 Kristin Poe So-1V 5-8 12.5/8.3 reb Enumclaw, Wa. Underwent knee surgery in December
32 Jana Holme* Sr-3V 6-1 5.5/5.4 reb Tacoma, Wa. Graduates having been to NCAA's four times
33 Gus Balogh* Sr-3V 5-11 17.8/5.3 reb Szombathely, Hungary Member of both All-America teams
40 Liz Guppy* Sr-3V 6-3 7.4/5.3 reb Beaverton, Or. Career leader in blocked shots
42 Valerie Gustafson* Fr-HS 6-0 9.2/4.1 reb Olympia, Wa. All-West Region Tournament
* starters
Coach: Gordy Presnell (Northwest Nazarene '83) 14th year (283-116) PacWest coach of the year in '97, '98, & '01