SEATTLE (Feb. 16) ­ Possessing quality but lacking in quantity, Seattle Pacific University faces a difficult task in trying to win its third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's indoor track and field championship.

The Falcons and their fellow GNAC members will converge on Jackson's Track at the Idaho Center Sports Complex in Nampa for Saturday's meet. SPU took first in both the 2004 inaugural meet and again last year. The men were fourth last season.

Individually, Seattle Pacific packs plenty of punch. Chris Randolph (Sr., Lone Tree, Co.) was the male athlete of the meet a year ago while Teona Perkins (Jr., Kennewick, Wa.) has the top entry marks in two women's events.

"You can see from the entry lists that we have a chance to win quite a few events," said first-year SPU coach Karl Lerum. "Still, we're outnumbered overall, which will make it tough."

Central Washington and Western Oregon, the runners-up the past two seasons, feature big squads, along with Western Washington.

Perkins owns a season-best time of 58.85 seconds in the 400 meters, plus a high jump of 5 feet, 5 inches. She¹s also running at least one relay.

Other Falcons with No. 1 entry marks are Mary Moriarty (Fr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) in the 5000 (18:05.03), Linda Blake (Sr., Richland, Wa.) in the 60 hurdles (9.35) and Amy Harris (Sr., Corvallis, Or.) in the pole vault (12-1¼).

Randolph will defend his GNAC titles in the high jump and long jump, where he is nearing the NCAA Division II qualifying standard. He has top marks in that event (22-11), along with the hurdles (8.39), and is No. 2 in the high jump (6-5½) and No. 4 in the pole vault (14-11).

The reigning NCAA decathlon champion, Randolph has already qualified for the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in the heptathlon.