First final exam. Winter quarter final exams begin next week in the Seattle Pacific University classrooms, but in the forum of track & field they begin Friday (Mar. 12), when the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships open in Boston. The Falcons are sending three athletes to the east Coast while the rest of the squads return to the Tacoma area Saturday (Mar. 13) for the Salzman Invitational. Following finals, select members of the team will train and compete in the Sacramento area during spring break.

Going for the gold. For the second year in a row, SPU is sending a cadre of three to Boston. Pole vaulter Ally Studer (Sr., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) is making her second trip to indoor nationals and it will be her fifth NCAA meet, counting outdoor appearances. Studer owns the No. 6 qualifying mark (12 feet, 4 inches) and was fourth a year ago indoors. Paul Mach (Sr., Seattle, Wa./King’s) becomes the first male to represent SPU indoors since thrower Mike Olson in 1994. Mach ran the 800-meter field’s fifth-fastest time, a school-record 1:51.49, in winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. Jennifer Marsh (Fr., Kirkland, Wa./Juanita) is No. 9 in the women’s 800 field (2:13.55). Last season, Sarah Kraybill finished fourth in the 800. The last Falcon to win an NCAA indoor crown was Karin Grelsson in the 1994 triple jump.

Meanwhile, on the road to Pomona. While Coach Jack Hoyt has Mach, Marsh and Studer wrapping-up the indoor season, two of their teammates are already on the road to the NCAA outdoor championships in May. Sara Johnson (Jr., Kennewick, Wa./Kennewick-Spokane Falls CC) let go with a javelin throw of 147-7 last week at the triangular meet in Tacoma to go more than 13 feet beyond beyond the provisional qualifying cutoff in that event, and pole vaulter Allie Hedges (So., Richland, Wa./Richland) made the minimum provisional height of 11-6. Both were winning marks, and Johnson earned GNAC athlete ofthe week for her effort.

Flexing muscles in first outing. The first outdoor meet was a team success story as well. The women won their triangular handily over host Puget Sound and Lewis & Clark. Seattle Pacific won 15 of 19 events and finished with 128 points. Puget Sound had 38 and the Lewis & Clark 28. Sprinter Jean Kolb (So., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) bolted to wins in the 100-(12.91) and 200-meter (26.66) dashes; Linda Blake (So., Richland, Wa.) took the 100 hurdles (15.66) and high jump (5-1 3/4) and Lauren Kooy (Sr., George, Wa./Quincy) made first-place throws in the shot put (34-11) and discus (128-8). Kooy’s latter mark was a collegiate best and she also placed second in the hammer (124-9).

Men at work. The SPU men, without Mach, finished second (64 points) to the Loggers (75.5) while the Pioneers had 59.5. Eddie Strickler (Fr., Richland, Wa.) captured both the 400 (50.00) and 800 (2:01.79) and ran a leg of the winning 4 x 400 relay. Chris Randolph (So., Lone Tree, Co./Denver Christian) took first in the 110 hurdles (16.02) and discus (134-0), and ran on both relays. His throw was a personal record of more than 26 feet and he was runner-up in the javelin with a PR of 162-1. In all, the men won nine events.