Bellingham for beginners. With just one exhibition contest in the books, the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team faces what promises to be one of the toughest challenges on the early-season docket. The Falcons, ranked 15th in two NCAA Division II preseason polls, face No. 18 North Dakota State (3-0) in the opening game of the Lynda Goodrich Classic in Bellingham Friday (Nov. 22). SPU is pitted against Colorado Christian (0-0) Saturday (Nov. 23). After crossing Lake Washington to face Northwest College (1-2) Nov. 27, Seattle Pacific hosts the Falcon Classic Nov. 29-30.

Toughest ever? Perhaps not since the Nels Hawkinson era of short-sleeved jerseys have the Falcons (or the Lady Falcons as they were then known) faced such a formidable opponent on opening night. North Dakota State definitely rates as the best opening foe Gordy Presnell has faced in his 16 seasons as head coach. SPU has won 14 of 15 openers under Presnell. In 1985-86 Hawkinson scheduled Washington State for the debut and the next season the Falcons hosted Simon Fraser, which was then comprised of several Canadian national team players. NDSU has the luxury of playing three games already; the Bison won the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic by beating No. 13 Bentley in the title game.

Good as advertised. For their part, the Falcons lived up to their billing last week. In their only preseason exhibition they dominated Portland from tip-off to final buzzer, winning 72-63. Center Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State) led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds while Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) added 10 points. SPU dominated the Division I Pilots inside and on the boards, winning the latter battle 50-37. Nineteen caroms came off the offensive boards, including four by Berglund. The only downside was 25 turnovers and just 3-16 shooting on treys.

Signed and sealed. Presnell returns all five starters this season, but with four seniors he's not going to be so lucky at this time next year. His recruiting began in earnest this week with the signing of point guard Beth Christensen to a national letter of intent. Christensen, a senior at Enumclaw High School, helped lead the Hornets to a 24-4 record and quarterfinal advancement in the state 4A tournament, averaging 5.7 assists, 7.8 points and 2.9 steals.

Solid cast. Presnell has a strong cast this season, led by Berglund. An all-region selection and the GNAC newcomer of the year, she led the team in scoring (16.0) and established school records for field-goal percentage in a season (.569) and single game (14-14). Berglund also hauled down 7.9 rebounds per game. Her fellow frontliners aren't too shabby either. Kristin Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) is perhaps the team's best all-around athlete, top rebounder (8.1) and strongest on-ball defender. Gustafson returns in the best shape of her career at the power forward slot. In the backcourt, Kerie Hughes (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mt. Vernon) and Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa./Sunnyside) have built a reputation as one of the most respected tandems in the region over the last two years. Hughes, the point guard, enters this season as the career leader in free-throw percentage (.818) and with a good chance to finish among the top five in assists, steals and three-point shooting. Urrutia, a fixture on the wing, could possibly crack the top 10 all-time scorers.

And there's precious little dropoff when Presnell goes to his bench. Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome), an exceptional perimeter shooter, is coming off a sensational freshman season in which she averaged 8.5 points in 16.4 minutes per game. Trisha Hermanson (So., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River), expected to become eligible in January, averaged 2.4 assists in her first year as understudy to Hughes. For the first few weeks that role belongs to Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-7, Port Angeles, Wa./Port Angeles). On the front line, there's plenty of size and experience. Stacie Lukkes (Sr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentwood) collected four boards and had six points at Portland. Freshman Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian), the two-time state B level player of the year, finished with eight points in 13 minutes vs. the Pilots. Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak./Wasilla) is poised to become a contributor off the bench, albeit in spurts at first. Kroon received a liver transplant last spring and did not resume playing until midsummer. Mackenzie Duffin (So., 6-2, Kent, Wa./Kent Meridian) played 10 minutes in the preseason outing.

Put-backs. The Falcon Classic, held over Thanksgiving weekend, brings Pacific Lutheran, Westmont and Western Washington to Brougham Pavilion...There will be a 34-day break between home games as the team is on the road for all five games in December. GNAC play begins Dec. 5 at Humboldt State...Poe begins the year needing only 68 rebounds to break into the career top 10.

SPU Coaches. Coach Gordy Presnell reached the 300-victory milestone last season and has never registered a losing season in 15 years at the helm of the Seattle Pacific University basketball program. He took a team that had not recorded a winning record in nine seasons or earned a trip to the postseason and transformed it into a Division II powerhouse. During his tenure, the Falcons have averaged more than 20 wins per season and qualified for the playoffs 11 times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1998. Joining Presnell's staff this season are two former University of Oregon players. Lindsey Dion served as a volunteer graduate assistant last season when the Ducks won the WNIT title. She played on Oregon's Pac-10 championship team in 2000 and was co-captain of another NCAA tournament team in 2001. Jamie Craighead completed her career last season as Oregon's leader in three-pointers and started all 35 games, averaging 7.9 points.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.