The Falcons Online -- Seattle Pacific University Athletics

Vernacchia: It’s All About The Team This Week
Women Seek 6th Straight Title; Now 10 Qualifiers
March 29, 2005

2005 Men's Schedule/Results

2005 Men's Roster

2005 Women's Schedule/Results

2005 Women's Roster

Fractions

The SPU women finished second to Central Washington at the Peyton Invitational Mar. 12 in Tacoma. The Falcons were missing several key performers, including both Dickson and Ayers-Stamper, that weekend due to indoor nationals...Paul Mach (Sr., Seattle, Wa./King’s) turned in an impressive double in his return after sitting out the indoor campaign. Mach finished first in the Husky Preview 800 in 1:55.67 and also was seventh in the 1500 (3:56.62). Unfortunately at Stanford he was pushed and fell in the 800. Doug Gibson (So., Yakima, Wa./Riverside Christian) was bumped on the second lap of the steeplechase and hit the barrier. He was unable to continue...Jason Childress (Fr., Arlington, Wa.), in his first decathlon, finished with 5433 at Cal after not making a height in the high jump...Likely multi-event entries this week are Kristin Janney (White Salmon, Wa.) in the heptathlon and Phil Bayley (Sr., Seattle, Wa./King’s) in the decathlon...Ayers-Stamper, whose first heptathlon will come at Azusa, Ca., Apr. 13-14, will throw the javelin and shot this week. She cleared 5-5 3/4 in the high jump at Stanford...Other wins at the UW came from Ayers-Stamper in the hurdles; Brandi McCoy (So., Richland, Wa.) in the steeplechase, in a PR of 11:59.23; and Studer (Sr., Redmond, Wa.) and Harris, both matching Washington’s Myrriah Swango in the pole vault, which was halted due to inclement conditions after the bar had been raised from 11-3 3Ž4...Sara Johnson (Sr., Kennewick, Wa.) is likely to miss one and possibly two meets. Johnson, an All-American in the javelin, has been hindered by a muscle strain...Several key performers were rested over the break due to injuries, illness or fatigue over the break, including sprinter Kenyatta Leonhardt (So., Petaluma, Ca./St. Vincent), pole vaulter Allie Hedges (Jr., Richland, Wa.), long sprinter Eddie Strickler (So., Richland, Wa.), javelin thrower Molly Hornbuckle (So., Burien, Wa./Highline) and middle distance runner Jose Lavin (Jr., Bremerton, Wa.)...Former Rainier Beach prep standout Virginia Powell, now a junior at USC, won the Stanford hurdles final in 12.95–the world’s top time this year. Lauve owns the SPU record of 13.65, with Sartin next at 13.5...Joining the javelin throwers this week will be Amy Taylor (Sr., Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood), who was the GNAC player of the year in basketball. Taylor, who helped lead the Falcons to a regional crown and runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament, threw a best of 130-2 in high school...Jewell owns the top GNAC times in the 100 and 200. Other male leaders are Mach (1500), Gibson (steeple) and Randolph (decathlon). Women’s leaders are Jean kolb (Jr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) in the 400, Sexton (800), Dickson (10k), Ayers-Stamper (100H, long jump), Studer and Harris (pole vault), VerMulm (javelin) and Cooley (heptathlon).

Hey, Vern. With the weather forecast foreboding this weekend, it’s probably a good thing that the focus of the Seattle Pacific University track & field teams is scoring points rather reaching specific performance marks at the Vernacchia Team Classic in Bellingham. The 9-team scored meet gets underway Friday night (Apr. 1), with the majority of events Saturday’s (Apr. 2). Meanwhile, the Spring Forward Multi-Event meet will be conducted in and around the Vernacchia this weekend. Next week features a rare Friday evening competition with the Pelluer Invitational Apr. 8 at Cheney, Wa.

Motley crew. Although more than half of the Vernacchia field is comprised of Great Northwest Athletic Conference brethren, it’s a diverse bunch being brought together, with Canadians (Simon Fraser, British Columbia), Division III (Pacific Lutheran) and NAIA (Northwest College) programs also in the fold. Last year SPU did not clinch a 103-97 decision over Central Washington in the women’s standings until the final race, the 1600-meter relay. It was Seattle Pacific’s fifth straight title. The men took sixth while host Western Washington easily won. The other GNAC teams are Seattle University, Saint Martin’s and Alaska Anchorage.

Stupendous spring break. Given the injuries to key athletes and the inclement weather which has plagued California, Coach Jack Hoyt could not have envisioned his team’s impressive performances over spring break. Apart from a blustery first day of the Cal multi-event meet, the conditions were seasonable and the Falcons took full advantage. There were six new NCAA Division II qualifying marks, four Great Northwest Athletic Conference records were broken and a total of five all-time top five outdoor school entries.

It’s automatic. It’s been awhile since a Seattle Pacific athlete surpassed an automatic NCAA qualifying standard, and it’s been a good 17 years since a women completed 25 laps around the track in less than 35 minutes. So when Karen Dickson (So., El Dorado Hills, Ca./Oak Ridge) ran the 10,000 in 34:40.59 at Stanford it was special. Dickson’s time obliterated her old GNAC mark by 86 seconds and she is now No. 2 on the school’s career list, trailing only Bente Moe, who set the Div. II record of 33:05.80 in 1987. Dickson, who was racing for the first time since taking second place in the NCAA indoor 5000, finished second in the race.

Body of work. After Danielle Ayers-Stamper (Jr., LaCrosse, Wa.) hit the finish line in a 100 hurdles provisional time Mar. 19 at Washington, Hoyt opted not to fill-out the necessary paperwork. He figured she would do better. She did. Twice. Ayers-Stamper broke her own GNAC records on successive days at Stanford, first running a 14.08 in the prelim and then 13.93 in a formidable final where she was eighth. She joins Anita Sartin (1987) and Karen Lauve (1992) as the only Falcons to be clocked under 14 flat. Ayers-Stamper also erased her old conference record in the long jump, covering 19 feet, 6 1/2 inches to place fifth. It was the No. 4 all-time mark in school history and the best mark in the nation yet this season. Ayers-Stamper’s best event is the heptathlon, where she’s a two-time All-American. She was also the national indoor high jump champion. Ayers-Stamper and Dickson shared the GNAC athlete of the week award.

Wait, there’s more. What makes the feat of Lauren VerMulm (Fr., Mount Vernon, Wa.) so remarkable is that she’s only just begun. Before this season, VerMulm had thrown 138-7. She experienced a breakthrough, throwing 141-11 to win her second meet. At Washington she added a couple more feet. But at Stanford, VerMulm went wild, with several throws in excess of 140, including a big-time bomb of 154-3 which is a GNAC record and leaves her just short of a spot on the SPU all-time top five.

Multi-talented. In between the Husky Preview and Stanford Invitational the Falcons picked up a couple more qualifiers at Cal. Chris Randolph (Jr., Lone Tree, Co./Denver Christian) came on strong during the second day to finish second in the decathlon and become the first male on the list. Randolph , who had been in sixth place after the first day, threw for a PR of 148-4 in the discus and also had solid marks in the javelin (166-10) and 1500 (4:35.39). He finished with 6996 points–just 34 points fewer than last season, when he was third nationally. In the heptathlon, Kelsey Cooley (Fr., Missoula, Mt./Hellgate) scored 4524 and took 11th in Berkeley. Linda Blake (Jr., Richland, Wa.), the defending conference champion, had a non-qualifying score of 4357. Bridgette Sexton (Fr., LaCenter, Wa.) scored 4369 but nearly met the 800 qualifying standard, running 2:15.28.

No longer unlisted. Amy Harris (Jr., Corvallis, Or./Crescent Valley) got her name on the pole vault provisional list with an outdoor PR of 11-11 3/4 and placing fourth. Ally Studer (Sr., Redmond,Wa.), who had qualified at the same height earlier, vaulted 11-5 3/4 and was ninth. On the men’s side, Ryan Jewell (Fr., Olympia, Wa./Olympia) moved onto the school all-time list in the 200. His time of 22.41 ranks No. 5. Jewell also finished the 100 in 11.30.

SPU Coaches. Jack Hoyt is now in his sixth season as head coach after succeeding the legendary Ken Foreman. His teams have won two outdoor conference titles and this year’s GNAC indoor crown. Hoyt is a former All-America decathlete at SPU and served as an assistant to Foreman for seven years. Heritage, the coach of cross country and track runners from 800 meters up, is a member of eight halls of fame for both athletes and coaches. Algerian Hart, former Long Beach State star, is in his third year as hurdles/sprints coach. Among the other assistants are Kelly LaBounty, a two-time Olympian in the heptathlon, and Laura Widman, a two-time All-America in the heptathlon.