A sensational season. And to think they should be stronger next season. That might qualify as the biggest upside to a sensational cross country campaign by Seattle Pacific University. Together, the men’s and women’s squads earned a top-20 national finish and a conference championship and runner-up. Individually, the Falcons lay claim to a couple Great Northwest Athletic Conference winners plus an All-American. Better still, not only is just about everyone eligible to return in 2005, but these harriers are bound to improve.

Real goals, high achievement. None of the eight SPU competitors who ran at the NCAA Division II Championships had previously been involved in a national meet, yet they set some lofty goals for themselves. Then they went out and surpassed them. Coach Doris Heritage huddled with her women’s star, Karen Dickson (So., El Dorado Hills, Ca./Oak Ridge), and together they aimed for a top-five finish. Dickson did that one better, dueling with the eventual winner for much of the race and ultimately placing fourth. It was the highest finish by an SPU runner in 16 years. Meanwhile, the men’s team was determined to break the top 20. They were 19th–the best-ever placement by a Seattle Pacific men’s team.

Pacesetter. Dickson kept pace with defending NCAA and regional champion Chelsea Smith of Brigham Young Hawaii, but then lost ground and was eventually overtaken just before the finish chute by two other runners. Still, she became the Falcons’ first All-American in five seasons. “Karen ran as hard as she could,” said Heritage. “The conditions were slippery, muddy and difficult, and she’s still got another two years to come back here.” Smith completing the 6-kilometer course in 21 minutes, 33 seconds. Dickson’s time was 21:43. The last time a Falcon finished among the top five was Bente Moe, a runner-up in 1987 Dickson becomes the 21st All-American for the women’s program.

Man-o-man. Seattle Pacific was making its first NCAA men’s team appearance and taking its first trip to a national meet in 43 years. The Falcons, who were ranked No. 23 nationally, were once again led by Tim LeCount (Jr., Battle Ground, Wa.). He finished 73rd overall and ran the 10k in 34:16. Nicodemus Naimadu of Abilene Christian out-leaned Western State's Oliver Bodor, both earning a time of 31:38. Western State (Co.) regained the national title from rival Adams State (Co.), 39-76. SPU, the GNAC champion, totaled 512 points. Adams State retained its women’s team crown, easily distancing itself from second-place Edinboro (Pa.), 31-106.

Just around the corner. Before long, members of the cross country teams will once again step to the start line. The indoor track & field season starts Jan. 15 at the University of Washington. Five weeks after that are the GNAC Championships, which the SPU women won in 2004. Paul Mach (Sr., Seattle, Wa./King’s), the No. 4 scorer this fall, is the defending 800 champion and a national qualifier. Finishing second in the league were LeCount (mile), Dickson (5000) and Victoria Perkins (So., Kent, Wa./Kentwood) (800). The NCAA indoor meet is Mar. 11-12, the same weekend which marks the commencement of outdoor competition.

NCAA Championship results.

Men's Team Scores: 1-Western State 39; 2-Adams State 76; 3-Abilene Christian 137; 4-Chico State 144; 5-Harding 196; 6-Grand Valley State 213; 7-Edinboro 231; 8-Hillsdale 246; 9-Lock Haven 256; 10-Kennesaw State 271; (14 others)14-Cal Poly Pomona 344; 19-Seattle Pacific 512.
Individuals (10,000 Meters): 1-Nicodemus Naimadu, ACU, 31:38.1; 2-Oliver Bodor, WSC, 31:38; 3-Kelly Christensen, WSC, 31:52; 4-Peter Kosgei, HAR, 32:02; 5-Joshua Merrick, ASU, 32:08.
SPU finishers: 64- Tim LeCount, 34:16.0; 100-Bjorn Bostrom, 34:58.5; 105-Doug Gibson, 35:02.8; 117-Brian Cronrath, 35:22.3; 126-Paul Mach, 35:42.3; 143-Eddie Strickler, 36:17.4; 154-James Rosser, 36:54.2.

Women: Team Scores: 1.-Adams State 31; 2-Edinboro 101; 3-Western State 134; 4-Grand Valley State 171; 5-Kennesaw State 215; 6-Chico State 219; 7-Northern Michigan 234; 8-Tampa 242; 9-Harding 277; 10-Central Missouri 322; (14 others)17-UC San Diego 382; 21-Alaska Anchorage 489.
Individuals (6,000 Meters): 1-Chelsea Smith, BYUH, 21:33.0; 2-Allison Kreutzer, CSU, 21:3666 3-Alisha Williams, WSC, 21:42; 4-Karen Dickson, SPU, 21:43.4; 5-Victoria Martinez, ASU, 21:46.

Coaching staff. Coach Doris Heritage (27th year) has guided the SPU women to 10 top-10 national finishes and conference titles in six of the last nine years. In 1996 the Falcons won the West Region and her teams finished as high as second in the AIAW (1979, ‘80) and third in the NCAA (1983, ‘86) championships. Nineteen harriers have been All-America, including two national champions. The world’s premier distance runner of the Sixties, she won five consecutive world cross country titles from 1967-71, and was a member of the 1968 and ‘72 U.S. Olympic teams. Heritage has coached the U.S. world cross country championship team, served as an assistant at many international meets, including the 1988 Olympics, and is a six-time women’s conference coach of the year at SPU. In January of 2003 she was inducted into the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame Heritage was already a member of the National Distance Running, U.S. Track & Field and U.S. Track Coaches halls of fame. Assisting Heritage as coaches again this season will be Erika (Botha) Daligcon and Lane Seeley. Daligcon ran for the Falcons from 1995-96. Seeley is a physics professor at Seattle Pacific.

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.