The great indoors. Out of the winter slumber comes the sport of track & field as a slate of six indoor meets begins Saturday (Jan. 18) as the Seattle Pacific University sends it men and women across town to the Husky Indoor Preview. The Falcons are emphasizing the indoor campaign more and more, and they hope to send some qualifiers to the NCAA Division II Championships in mid-March. SPU will be involved in at least three meets at the University of Washington and three others in Boise. Outdoor activity begins March 1.

Featured Falcons. On the men's side, the Falcons feature miler is Nathanael Castle (Sr., Gooding, Id./Gooding), who took eighth in the NCAA 1500 meters last spring. Castle will be completing his collegiate eligibility during the indoor season with his target being 4 minutes, 10 seconds in the mile. The school indoor record-holder (4:18.15) in that event, he is bidding to become the school's first male NCAA indoor qualifier since 1994, when Mike Olson took third in the shot put. The women lost thrower Dionna Anderson, their sole qualifier, to graduation. Anderson finished eighth in the indoor shot put and went on to take seventh outdoors. Ally Studer (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) made the indoor provisional standard in the pole vault last season although she did not make the final cut. Studer, whose SPU indoor record is 11-9 3/4, tied for seventh outdoors and has been consistently vaulting over 12 feet in training.

Please come to Boston. Two months from now, Coach Jack Hoyt hopes to bring along a handful of athletes to the NCAA Championships in Boston. Typically, Hoyt places a higher priority on the outdoor season, rarely tapering training during the indoor portion of the schedule. But with the indoor season growing in profile both in Division II and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, he is placing more and more emphasis on the winter meets. Altogether, there are at least 10 individuals who are within reach of provisional standards. On the oval, there's 800 runner Sarah Kraybill (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard), Tim LeCount (Fr., Battle Ground, Wa./Battle Ground) in the mile and hurdlers Jennifer Pyeatt (Jr., Graham, Wa./Bethel) and Paul Mach (Jr., Seattle, Wa./King's). Kraybill, the GNAC 800 champion last spring and two-time outdoor qualifier in that event, ran a solid 600 late in fall training. LeCount was the GNAC cross country freshman of the year. Mach is a two-time conference champion in the 400 hurdles while Pyeatt won both hurdles titles in 2000. Each is concentrating on the 60 hurdles. The top prospects from the field include Laura Widman (Sr., Colfax, Wa./Colfax) in the shot put and newcomers Danielle Ayers-Stamper (Fr., ) in the long jump, Allie Hedges (Fr., Richland, Wa./Richland) in the pole vault and Dianna-Rose Grossglass (Fr., LaConner, Wa.) and Chris Randolph (Fr., Lone Tree, Co./Denver Christian) in the high jump. Widman is focusing on a throw of near 45 feet. Ayers-Stamper needs to reach around 18-9, her prep PR. Hedges is vaulting 11 feet consistently. Grossglass, who resumes jumping following a year off, went 5-5 in high school while Randolph cleared 6-6.

Indoor plants. Seattle Pacific athletes have won three NCAA indoor championships, including two by triple-jumper Karin Grelsson (1993-94) and Olson (1993)...The GNAC membership is considering the addition of an indoor championship in 2004.