Once more around. Figuratively speaking, the Seattle Pacific University track and field teams have begun the bell lap of their regular season. This weekend’s 20th annual Ken Foreman Invitational represents the final chance to post qualifying marks for the NCAA Division II Championships. Competition begins at 3 p.m. Friday (May 12) with the heptathlon and steeplechase, and the main meet is Saturday (May 13) at West Seattle Stadium. Field events start at 9 a.m. and races at 10:30. Admission is free.

In or out. A final determination of accepted entries for the NCAA Championships will be made May 16 and the national meet is May 25-27 in Emporia, Kansas. So far, the Falcons have a total of 14 male and female qualifiers on the provisional list. Chris Randolph (Sr., Lone Tree, Co./Lone Tree) is the lone automatic qualifier in the decathlon. Swirling winds at Husky Stadium helped prevent any new or improved qualifying marks at the 2005 Foreman, but in the previous three years at least four marks were produced each year at the meet.

Drawing the line. Generally, the NCAA accepts 12-14 competitors per event, although last year one of the SPU entries came from the No. 18 hole. In addition to Randolph, high-jumper Teona Perkins (Jr., Kennewick, Wa.), javelin thrower Lauren VerMulm (So., Mount Vernon, Wa.) and heptathlon standout Kelsey Cooley (So., Missoula, Mt./Hellgate) are virtually assured of making the cut. All are among the top five of their respective events, and Linda Blake (Sr., Richland, Wa.) enters the week at No. 8 in the heptathlon. Those closest to the bubble are steeplechasers Karin Rohde (So., Bellingham, Wa./Mount Baker) and Brandi McCoy (Sr., Richland, Wa.), at Nos. 11 and 18, javelin thrower Molly Barnes (Jr., Burien, Wa./Highline) and pole-vaulter Amy Harris (Sr., Corvallis, Or./Crescent Valley). Barnes is No. 17 and Harris No. 18. A year ago, eight athletes (11 entries) traveled to nationals.

In good hands. The GNAC women’s outdoor title was brought back to the Queen Anne campus for the first time in four years last week as the SPU middle-distance and distance runners anchored a balanced effort. The Falcons finished with 203 points to wrest the crown from host Western Oregon (188), the three-time defending champion. Paced by wins from Rhode in the steeple and Mary Moriarty (Fr., Seattle, Wa./Ballard) in the 3000, Seattle Pacific picked up 79 points in races covering between 800-10,000 meters. Harris was at the top of a 1-2-3 sweep of the pole vault, and VerMulm, like Harris, repeated as champion. It was the sixth GNAC team championship this season, with three (cross country, indoor and outdoor) coming from the programs of coaches Karl Lerum and Doris Heritage.

Chris eclipses again. Over the last month, Randolph has seemingly conducted an all-out assault on the record book. First he broke the 36-year-old decathlon standard, then came the No. 2 marks in the 110 hurdles, pole vault and discus. At the GNAC meet, he shattered the record for the 400 meters, set back in 1968 by John Glancy. Randolph raced around the oval in 48.27 seconds to win his first conference outdoor title. Glancy’s record had been 48.5. Randolph also placed second in the conference long jump and third in the discus. Eddie Strickler (Jr., Richland, Wa.) won the 800 in a provisional time of 1:52.52–just missing the school’s all-time top five at that distance. Overall, SPU was seventh among GNAC men’s teams with Central Washington first.

Winners’ circle. Moriarty coasted to a comfortable win in the 3000 in 10:22.8 and Rohde ran a stadium record 11:09.21 to finish ahead of McCoy’s season-best 11:15.00 in the steeple. Rohde was also fourth in the 5000 and Moriarty fifth in the 1500. Harris, Monica Anderson (So., Bremerton, Wa.) and Allison Hedges (Sr., Richland, Wa.) all vaulted 11-2 1/4, with Harris prevailing by virtue of fewer misses. VerMulm’s best throw was 144-7. Blake, competing in five events, including last week’s heptathlon, led SPU with 24 points and Cooley had 23. Blake and Cooley ran 2-3 in the 100 hurdles. Rounding out the list of all-conference (top-three) honorees were Suzie Strickler (Fr., Richland, Wa.) in the 800 (2nd, 2:18.46), Nikki Jensen (Jr., Portland, Or./Saint Mary’s) in the 10k (3rd, 39:12.13) and Perkins in the high jump (3rd, 5-4 1/2).

Meet details. Most of the GNAC teams and several from the local Div. III and NAIA ranks are expected at the Foreman Invitational. Friday’s steeplechase races will be held at 6 p.m. at Nathan Hale High School in the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle. This is the third different location in as many years for the meet, and it’s the first home event at West Seattle Stadium since 1976. Results will be available online Saturday evening at the Falcons Online (spu.edu/falconsonline) and accepted entries will be posted late Thursday. A tentative meet schedule is available online and on page 2 of the PDF version of this release.

SPU Coaches. In October, Karl Lerum became just the fifth person to take the helm of the Seattle Pacific program’s 56-year existence. A former assistant coach and past All-American in the decathlon, Lerum succeeds Jack Hoyt, who resigned after six seasons. This is the first head coaching position for Lerum after four seasons as an assistant, including two at Trinity College, and serving under Hoyt at SPU during 2000 and again in 2003. Lerum was a four-time All-American from 1995-98 at Pacific Lutheran. He finished second in the NAIA decathlon in 1997 and ’98 and third in ’96... Doris 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. The other assistants are Duncan Atwood, Aaron Bass, Cyrena Bell and Howie Kellogg.

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 Website.