Just the beginning...
If they looked good this year, just wait for the 2002 edition of the Seattle Pacific University women's track & field team. The Falcons, who finished tied for ninth in the NCAA Championships, lose only one national scorer and will be fortified by the return of two All-America athletes plus the arrival of at least two promising recruits next season.

Nationals in a nutshell ...
For the first time in eight years, SPU broke back into the nation's top 10 at the national meet, scoring 27 points. As expected, it was the duo of Rachel Ross (Jr., Kennewick, Wa.) and Stephanie Huffman (Jr., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie) which accounted for most of the scoring, combining for 20 of the points and four top-five finishes. Huffman finished third in the javelin and fourth in the heptathlon for 11 points. Ross ran fourth in the 1500 meters and fifth in the 800 for nine points. For the third year in a row an SPU freshman produced points with Ally Studer (Fr., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) placing fifth in the pole vault at 11-9 3/4. Karen Summers (Sr., Bremerton, Wa./Seattle Christian) was a repeat All-America in the 400 hurdles, improving on last year's seventh-place effort by running sixth in 1:01.40.

Well done, ladies...
On the eve of the season, Coach Jack Hoyt (2nd year) believed his team had top-10, perhaps even top-five potential. The fact that the Falcons could still manage to fulfill that promise despite losing two standouts for the season and third for nationals was a testimony to both the squad's depth and the quality of its leaders. Huffman was voted the outstanding athlete of the Pacific West Conference while Ross has been running to the front of nearl every race since last fall, when she was PacWest cross country champion. This spring she added the 800 and 1500 titles and became the first runner to score in two events at the NCAAs since Charlotte Jensen in 1992.

The rest of the story...
Seattle Pacific might have finished a couple notches higher in the NCAA with a couple breaks. Two days before leaving for Edwardsville, Ill., Jamie Witt (Fr., Folsom, Ca.) was pulled out due to a nagging back injury which had sidelined her for all but one meet since March. Witt had planned to run the 3000 and had also qualified in the 5000. At the national meet, a poor exchange early in the 4 x 400 relay took the Falcons out of qualifying contention in the prelim. Also unable to advance to finals were sprinter Cyrena Bell (Sr., Kent, Wa./Christian Faith) in the 400 and Sarah Kraybill (So., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) in the 800, taking 14th and 20th, respectively.

NCAA recap...
400--Cyrena Bell, 57.90 (14th)
800--Rachel Ross, 2:08.52 prelim, 2:13.90 final (5th)
800--Sarah Kraybill, 2:16.81 (20th)
1500--Rachel Ross, 4:39.97 prelim, 4:5.91 final (4th)
400 Hurdles--Karen Summers, 1:01.13 prelim, 1:01.40 final (6th)
1600 Relay--Bell, Ross,Kraybill, Summers, 3:54.77 (13th)
Pole vault--Ally Studer, 11-9 3/4 (5th-tie)
Javelin--Stephanie Huffman, 149-10 (3rd)
Heptathlon--Stephanie Huffman, 4898 (4th)

Updating the records...
There was a modest amount of movement within the record book. Studer accounted for the only new standard, raising the pole vault bar three times before finally resting at 12 feet, 2 inches‹an improvement of 20 inches over the old record of 10-6. Natalie Dorow (Jr., Billings, Mt./Billings West) improved her No. 2 mark in the triple jump to 38-2 and Morgan Ranta (Jr., Kent, Wa./Kentridge) moved into the top five at 36-6 1/4. In the running events, Ross arrived at No. 3 in he 800 (2:08.05) while Bell broke in to the 200 table at No. 5 (25.19). For the men, Paul Mach (Fr., Seattle, Wa./King's) blazed to No. 3 all-time in the 400 hurdles (54.69). In the 1500, Kelsey Backen (Jr., Yakima, Wa./East Valley) and Nathanael Castle (Jr., Gooding, Id.) are now Nos. 4 (3:56.01) and 5 (3:56.03), respectively.

It won't be the same...
Next season promises a makeover, particularly with respect to the sprints, relays and jumps. Summers and Bell had been members of both relays the past three seasons, and Bell went with quartets to nationals each of her four years. Bell won the PacWest 200 and 400 this season and Summers was first in the 100 and 400 hurdles. Dorow and Christie Goering (Jr., Boulder, Co./Fairview) both have eligibility remaining but are expected to earn their degrees and not return. Abby Harris (Sr., Auburn, Wa./Auburn), a former NCAA qualifier in the high jump, also graduates. The men's team loses Trevor Sharp (Sr., Bala-Cynwyd, Pa./Delaware Christian), team captain and No. 5 all-time in the 400 hurdles.

Recruits look ready...
Already signed and sealed for next year are three women who placed at last week's Washington state 4A meet. Amanda McClary of Shelton finished seventh in the 400 and ran on the championship 4 x 200 relay and the 4 x 400 which was runner-up. Bremerton's Josie Lavin took 14th in the 1600.

Fractions...
Backen was named to the Verizon Academic All-District VIII team for spring at-large sports last week...Laura Widman (Jr., Colfax, Wa.) has already received her medical hardship, restoring her eligibility for two more years. Widman, the NCAA runner-up in the heptathlon in 2000, suffered from mononucleosis in the winter and competed in only one meet for SPU...Jennifer Pyeatt (So., Graham, Wa./Bethel), eighth at nationals in the 400 hurdles as a freshman, missed the spring with a back injury and plans to begin training next month...Saint Augustine's (N.C.) repeated as NCAA women's team champion with 80 points...Next year the Falcons will compete for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown. All of the PacWest schools with track teams will move into the GNAC. Alaska Anchorage will host the GNAC cross country championships Oct. 13.

SPU women's track rosters and season best marks...
Women Yr Hometown (High School) Event/Best '01 Marks
Women Yr Hometown (High School) Event/Best '01 Marks (bold indicates PR)
Dionna Anderson Jr Lynnwood, Wa. (Edmonds-W'way) Sp/43-2 1/2 Dt/97-9
Hailey Armstrong Fr Pocatello, Id. (Pocatello) 5000/19:45.47 10,000/40:53.86
Schaylee Baumgartner Jr Quincy, Wa. (Quincy) 1500/5:17.6 3000/12:02.86
Cyrena Bell Sr Kent, Wa. (Christian Faith) 100/12.6 200/25.19 400/56.35
Kirsten Bjork Fr Olympia, Wa. (Black Hills) 3000/11:05.14 5000/19:03.5 10,000/39:49.30
Dana Cantrell Jr Bellingham, Wa. (Sehome) 1500/4:56.12 3000/10:45.53
Amy Cowden Sr Seattle, Wa. (Seattle Christian) Hj/5-3 Lj/17-4 1/4
Natalie Dorow Sr Billings, Mt. (Billings West) Tj/38-2 Lj/17-1
Amber Farthing Sr LaConner, Wa. (LaConner) 800/2:20.00
Christie Goering Sr Boulder, Co. (Fairview) 1500/4:44.14 3000/
Jawea Harder Jr Port Townsend, Wa. (Pt. Townsend) 200/26.81 100H/15.43 400H/1:04.5
Abby Harris Sr Auburn, Wa. (Auburn) Hj/5-5 3/4 Ruth Hawkinson So Roy, Wa. (Yelm) 3000/10:50.56 5000/18:28.68 10k/
Stephanie Huffman Jr Brush Prairie, Wa. (Prairie) 200/26.81 800/2:33.33 100H/15.00 Hj/5-1 3/4 Lj/17-11 1/4 Sp/35-5 Jt/151-4 Hep/4935
Lauren Kooy Fr George, Wa. (Quincy) Dt/127-2 Jt/109-0
Sarah Kraybill So Seattle, Wa. (Ballard) 400/59.19 800/2:13.89
Sarah Lyne So Kelseyville, Ca. (Kelseyville) Pv/8-0
Annie McCabe So Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 1500/4:55.86 3000/11:00.15
Lindsey Northwall Fr Omaha, Ne. (Ralston) 5000/20:00.89
Candy Owens Fr Ridgefield, Ct. (Ridgefield) 1500/5:04.35
Erica Owens So Normandy Park, Wa. (Mt. Rainier) 800/2:28.93 1500/5:08.56
Rachae Probst Jr Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 3000/ 5000/ 10k/
Morgan Ranta Jr Kent, Wa. (Kentridge) Lj/18-3 Tj/36-6 1/4
Mackensie Rogers Fr Otis Orchards, Wa. (East Valley) Pv/8-6 1/4
Amber Rose Fr Olympia, Wa. (Capital) Lj/16-3 3/4 Tj/36-3 1/2
Rachel Ross Jr Kennewick, Wa. (Kennewick) 400/ 800/2:08.05 1500/4:30.71
Nicole Seana So Carnation, Wa. (Kamiakin) 3000/11:02.71 5000/19:50.81 10k/
Lindsey Stewart So Shoreline, Wa. (King's) 100/12.59 200/26.08
Ally Studer Fr Redmond, Wa. (Redmond) Pv/12-2
Karen Summers Sr Bremerton, Wa. (Seattle Christian) 200/25.67 100H/15.00 400H/1:01.1
Jamie Witt Fr Folsom, Ca. (Folsom) 3000/10:06.21 5000/17:29.62

SPU men's track rosters and season best marks...
Yr Hometown (High School) Event/Best '01 Marks
Kelsey Backen Jr Yakima, Wa. (East Valley) 800/1:57.33 1500/3:56.01
Nathanael Castle Jr Gooding, Id. (Gooding) 1500/3:56.03 5000/15:20.69
Travis Danner Fr Eugene, Or. (Elmira) Pv/11-0
David Denniston So Laguna Hills, Ca. (Laguna Hills) 400/55.12
Neal Fryett Jr Pullman, Wa. (Logos) 400/52.4 800/1:53.95 1500/4:11.07
Brandon Littlefield Fr Selah, Wa. (Eisenhower) Pv/13-9 1/4
Paul Mach Fr Seattle, Wa. (King's) 400H/54.69
Tim Marston Fr Pullman, Wa. (Logos) 1500/4:12.9
Ryan Nash Jr Spokane, Wa. (Mead) 1500/4:05.5 5000/16:02.22
Matt Peterson So Lynnwood, Wa. (Sno. Cty. Chrstn) Lj/21-6 3/4
Trevor Sharp Sr Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. (Delaware Chrstn) 400H/56.17
Zeph Shepard Fr North Easton, Ma. (Oliver Ames) Lj/21-5 1/4
Andrew Steiner So Edmonds, Wa. (Sno. Cty. Chrstn) Shot/34-6 1/4 Disc/130-8
Zach Starr Fr Bend, Or. (Bend) 5000/15:51.26
Scott Van Hess So Salem, Or. (McKay) 800/2:02.29
Blake Witman Fr Lynden, Wa. (Lynden) 100/11.86 400/51.47

Complete Women's Track Schedule

Complete Men's Track Schedule