Midnight tolls. Following the most impressive regular season in the history of Seattle Pacific University athletics, the Falcon women's basketball team came within 20 minutes of a trip to the Elite Eight before midnight tolled on their magical season. Along the way, SPU accumulated enough newspaper clippings, trophies and memories for two seasons. Seattle Pacific won a record 29 games, captured the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship without a single loss and sat atop the NCAA Division II rankings for five consecutive weeks. The players and coaches also made hundreds of new friends as well, and more than 1,500 were on hand to share tears and words of encouragement following the final game, their only loss.

How 'bout them Falcons? Numbers best tell the story of the wild, wild ride that was the 2002-03 season. The Falcons dominated opponents, winning 29 games in a row from November through mid-March. The average margin was nearly 22 points per game. Their regular season win streak reached 33 games and the home streak was extended to 35 before Cal State Bakersfield came from behind to end it in the championship game of the NCAA West Regional, 85-80, Mar. 17. In the final coaches poll, SPU was ranked No. 8 despite finishing with the best winning percentage (.967) in Division II and fifth-best overall in all of collegiate basketball (Div. I, II, III and NAIA).

On top of the world. The Falcons' numerous amazing feats did not go unnoticed at the national level. Gordy Presnell was voted the 2003 Russell Athletic/Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II. Presnell accepted his honor in Atlanta, during the NCAA Final Four and WBCA National Convention. Earlier he had been named both conference and regional coach of the year. "This is certainly an honor but it's an award to be shared with the team and the university," said Presnell. In 16 years at the helm of the program, Presnell, with a record of 336-123, has averaged 21 wins per season and guided the team into postseason play 11 times, including eight of the last nine NCAA tournaments.

Leaving their mark. Graduating seniors Kelley Berglund (Sr., 6-3, Port Angeles, Wa./Washington State), Kerie Hughes, (Sr., 5-6, Mount Vernon, Wa./Mount Vernon), Stephanie Urrutia (Sr., 5-9, Sunnyside, Wa.) and Stacie Lukkes (Sr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentwood) leave some big shoes to fill. Berglund, a two-time all-region and all-conference center, will go down as one of the most dominant forces in program history. She owns the school records for single game, season and career field-goal accuracy. Hughes finished a spectacular four-year tenure by earning the GNAC player of the year award and joining Berglund on the all-conference and all-region selections. Hughes finished fourth in career steals and assists and is the career leader in free throw accuracy. The versatile Urrutia completed her four years at No. 9 in scoring and No. 7 in foul line percentage. Lukkes appeared in 108 games as a reserve center and was a two-time academic all-conference selection.

New beginnings. Even before Presnell completes his recruiting for next season, he could send a formidable starting five onto the court this spring. Returning to the fold are Kristin Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw), Valerie Gustafson (Jr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) and Michelle Beaumont (So., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome)-all of whom were regular starters at least at one point this past season. Poe, who will be a fifth-year senior, has started 44 times. She totaled 15 points and 10 boards in the Bakersfield game. Gustafson was solid at power forward, averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and shooting 56 percent from the field. Beaumont set an GNAC record with 35 points in one of her first starts and she was among the conference three-point leaders, hitting 47 percent. Trisha Hermanson (So., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) has started six career games at point guard. In addition, Carli Smith (Fr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian), who had four double-doubles and averaged 7.3 rebounds, was the GNAC freshman of the year; Mandy Wood (Fr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa./Port Angeles) led the league in three-point shooting (.480) and Brittney Kroon (Fr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) was the team leader in blocked shots (1.21).

Calling all campers. Along with recruiting, Presnell and his staff are preparing for the annual summertime Falcon Basketball Camps. Camp sessions are June 23-26 and July 21-24 and the cost is $150. Space is already limited in the first session. Click here for registration forms.

Mark your calendars. Presnell's 2003-04 schedule is quickly taking shape. The Falcons are involved in three tournaments, including hosting of the Falcon Hoop Classic. Tentatively, UC San Diego and Southwest Baptist (Mo.) provide opposition for that season-opening tourney. The following weekend, in a high-powered tournament at Northwest Nazarene, SPU meets Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Stanislaus. All four teams were involved in this year's NCAA West Regional. Finally, the annual CCAA/GNAC Challenge moves to L.A. and will be contested prior to Christmas, with games against Cal State L.A. and Cal Poly Pomona. Among the non-conference games is a Dec. 6 home date with Chico State, this year's first-round playoff opponent, coached by ex-player and assistant coach Lynne DeYoung. The team visits Warner Pacific and Oregon Tech during December.

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.