Return visit. It’s been a long, 365-day wait and it’s a long way to go, but Seattle Pacific University is back in the NCAA Division II women’s basketball Elite Eight. The Falcons (28-2), champions of the West Region and ranked No. 3 nationally, face No. 9 Grand Valley State (28-5) of Michigan in a quarterfinal round contest Wednesday (Mar. 23) in Hot Springs, Ark. The winner advances to the Thursday (Mar. 24) semifinal, to face either St. Cloud State (23-9) or Merrimack (28-5). The NCAA championship game is Saturday (Mar. 26) and will be shown live on ESPN2. All SPU games can be heard live on the Internet
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Tipsy bracket. Of the nation’s top-10 teams, seven were eliminated in last week’s regionals, including defending champion California (Pa.) and top-ranked Drury (Mo.). Five No. 1 seeds remain, and four are in Seattle Pacific’s half of the bracket. The other half features new No. 1 Shaw (NC), No. 2 Washburn (Ks.), local favorite Central Arkansas and Charleston (WV). The Falcons will have the longest flight, with 2211 miles separating Seattle from Hot Springs.

Will experience count? This is the third trip to the Elite Eight for SPU since 1998, and the second in a row. Experience could prove to be a vital edge. Eight of the players were on last year’s squad which was eliminated by Drury in the quarterfinal round in a premature matchup of the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams. In six of the last seven years, the NCAA champion has been a team which had advanced to the Elite Eight the previous year. The only other returnee in ‘05 is Merrimack. SPU lost a quarterfinal game to Northern Michigan in 1998. Grand Valley is taking its first trip to the Elite Eight.

How the West was won. For the second year in a row, the Falcons won the West in convincing fashion. Playing all three games at home, they prevailed by an average margin of 20.7 points. True to form, Seattle Pacific overwhelmed the opposition by pushing the ball upcourt and, with its quality depth, hitting foes with fresh legs, wave upon wave. Mandy Wood (Jr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) was voted the tournament’s most outstanding player after averaging 14.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.3 steals. Wood scored 17 points, leading six players in double figures during the 85-70 title game win over Chico State. Joining her on the all-tournament team were backcourt mate Amy Taylor (Sr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) and power forward Carli Smith (Jr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian). Smith posted her 10th double-double, with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the final game while Taylor had 13 points and seven assists.

Numbers not important. Taylor has gotten the attention of opponents and coaches for her game management and ability to make key plays, not for her statistics. She is a finalist for the WBCA All-America team and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference player of the year, yet doesn’t appear among the league’s top 10 scorers or top five playmakers. While this could well be the best team in Seattle Pacific history, its top scorer (Taylor, at 12.5) will likely average under 13 points for the first time in 25 years. It’s symbolic that the only major team record in jeopardy is for season assists. Seven players average between 6.0 and 12.5 points, and 11 play at least 10.9 minutes.

The one constant. Gordy Presnell is the common factor in each of the Falcons’ three runs to the Elite Eight. The reigning two-time national coach of the year, Presnell has guided his teams to a record of 87-4 over the last three seasons, going 53-1 in conference play and 8-2 in the postseason. He’s built his teams from homegrown stock, and SPU has kept improving despite graduating a league MVP each of the last two seasons and three of the last four. Eleven of the 12 active roster players hail from Washington high schools.

It takes a village. Shutting down Seattle Pacific ain’t easy. The offense is in constant motion and since 70 percent of all baskets are set-up by assists, the most dangerous player does not necessarily have the ball. In the opening game of the regional, Michelle Beaumont (Sr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) came off the bench to stroke four 3-pointers and score 18 points in 15 minutes of the 71-47 beating of Montana State Billings. Beaumont is a former conference scoring record-holder and has more than 1000 career points. Wood, who had not reached double figures in her three previous games, erupted 16 first-half points in the 86-63 semifinal win over Saint Martin’s–the last team to defeat the Falcons. Jenny Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) came to the fore vs. Chico State, hitting 5 of 6 shots and dishing five assists. Defensively, SPU made 14 steals and center Brittney Kroon (Jr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) blocked six shots to hold the Wildcats 19 points under their average. Kroon ranks No. 4 nationally in blocks, averaging 3.80 per game. She’s also the league leader in field goal percentage (.574). Smith, a first team all-conference pick, leads the GNAC in rebounding and could become the first SPU player in 13 years to average a double-double. She’s No. 2 in GNAC shooting percentage (.546).

Put-backs. This is Seattle Pacific’s 10th trip to the NCAA tournament and the ninth straight...Only two games have been decided by fewer than 10 points this season. The 24-point margin vs. MSU Billings was the biggest in SPU postseason history...Only one opponent (Drury, in last year’s quarterfinal) has shot 50 percent or higher vs. the Falcons in the last 73 games...Taylor was named to her second all-region team last week by the WBCA...Kroon, whose 11-block performance vs. Bemidji State ties for the most in Div. II this season, is a finalist for the V Foundation Comeback Award for the second year in a row. She underwent a liver transplant prior to her freshman season...Quinn Brewe (Fr., 6-1, Edmonds, Wa./Meadowdale) contributed 19 points and 15 rebounds in the first two regional victories...During the regional, SPU made 44 of 52 free throws. It was a plus-15 on the boards and a plus-8 in turnovers... Nationally, the Falcons rank No. 3 in scoring margin (21.1); No. 7 in rebounding margin (9.0), free-throw percentage (.773) and field-goal percentage defense (.341); No. 9 in scoring (79.3), No. 14 in 3-point percentage (.369) and 19th in field-goal percentage (.457). The rebounding and free throw figures rate the highest among the Elite Eight field...Besides Kroon and Smith, Taylor leads the GNAC in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.84)...Seattle Pacific will depart for Hot Springs Sunday (Mar. 20).

Coaching Staff. For the second straight year, Gordy Presnell was voted the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for 2004, along with conference and regional coach of the year honors. He has never registered a losing season in 17 years at the helm of the Seattle Pacific University basketball program, including back-to-back perfect records during the regular season the past two years. Presnell 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 21 wins per season and qualified for the playoffs 12 times, including Elite Eight appearances in both 1998 and 2004. Returning to Presnell’s staff for her third season is former University of Oregon player Jamie Craighead, who completed her career in 2002 as Oregon’s leader in three-pointers. During her final season, she started all 35 games, averaging 7.9 points.

Tickets, please. General admission tickets for all SPU home women’s basketball games are priced $5, with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Reserved seating for doubleheaders with men’s games are $7 and $6. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by calling 206-281-2085 in advance.

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.