Ayers-Stamper Wins 3 Events, SPU Women 15 in Opening Meet
March 2, 2003

TACOMA (Mar. 1) -- Freshman Danielle Ayers-Stamper won three events as the Seattle Pacific University women's track & field team dominated its first outdoor meet, claiming 15 of 19 events at a triangular meet with Puget Sound and Lewis & Clark College Saturday at Baker Stadium.

Laura Widman (Sr., Colfax, Wa.), Sarah Kraybill (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) and Linda Blake (Fr., Richland, Wa.) each took first in two events for the Falcons, who finished with 121 points--well ahead of Puget Sound 41) and Lewis & Clark (33).

In the men's meet, SPU won eight competitions but was overall runner-up to the Loggers, 95-54. The Pioneers were third (35).

Ayers-Stamper (Fr., LaCrosse, Wa./LaCrosse-Washtucna), hopeful of qualifying for the NCAA Division II indoor championships in the high jump later this month, did not enter that event but won three of the four in which she did. Her best mark was a javelin throw of 130 feet, 8 inches. She also won the long jump (16-10) and the 100-meter hurdles (15.44 seconds).

Widman blazed to victory in the 200 dash (26.87) and the shot put (38-0).

Kraybill, an automatic qualifier in the NCAA indoor 800, raced past the field in the 400 (58.71) and 1500 (4:51.67). Blake captured the high jump (5-1 3/4) and 400 hurdles (1:07.11).

Another solid mark was a first-place pole vault of 11 feet by Allison Hedges (Fr., Richland, Wa.).

The strongest first-place marks for the men came from Paul Mach (Jr., Seattle, Wa./King's) in the 400 hurdles (54.55) and Micah Kellcy (Sr., Lakewood, Wa./Clover Park) in the 400 dash (50.70).

The next outdoor meet is the Salzman Invitational Mar. 15. Qualifiers for the NCAA indoor championships will be announced later this week with competition Mar. 14-15 in Boston.