The Falcons Online -- Seattle Pacific University Athletics

Indoor Track Season Starts Saturday at UW
Women Seek 4th Straight GNAC Title; Falcons Add Speed
January 10, 2007

Fractions

The annual Row ‘n’ Run on Homecoming Saturday (Feb. 3) has been canceled due to Fremont Bridge construction...Pixler is slated to run at the trials for the U.S. Junior National cross country team Feb. 10 in Boulder, Co. If she qualifies, the world championships are Mar. former NCAA heptathlon champion and holder of three outdoor school records, Anita Sartin Behrbaum will be inducted into the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame Feb. 2. She was a three-time All-American from 1986-87 and later represented the U.S. in international competition. Randolph set three SPU men’s indoor records a year ago and Mary Moriarty broke both the mile and 3000 marks for the women. Moriarty, the No. 2 scorer in cross country, elected to transfer to Washington following fall quarter. Jewell set records in the 60 and 200 as a freshman. Rohde ranks No. 2 in the mile and 5000 and Cronrath is second in the men’s mile...After this weekend, there are two more chances to qualify for conference, Jan. 27 and Feb. 10-11.

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It’s warm inside. Neither cold snap nor incessant rain will deter Seattle Pacific University and other collegians from getting to the start line for Saturday’s (Jan. 13) track and field meet. That’s because this and the next six meets through February will all be conducted indoors. All but the two championship meets will take place at the University of Washington’s Dempsey facility, a few miles from the SPU campus. The Falcons go after their fourth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s crown Feb. 19 in Nampa, Id., and the NCAA Division II Championships are Mar. 9-10 in Boston. Outdoor meets begin Mar. 3.

A different take. A lot has changed since the singlets were put away last spring. The men will encounter life after Chris Randolph while the women undergo a transition to a broader foundation, thanks to an influx of quality sprinters. Indoors, Randolph set five school indoor records during his career and outdoors he was a three-time All-American and NCAA decathlon champion in 2005 and ‘06. He is now an assistant coach. The women are attempting to complete another perfect cycle in the GNAC; in 2005-06 they won the cross country, indoor and outdoor titles. They repeated their cross country championship in the fall.

The greats indoors. Among the returnees for Coach Karl Lerum is last year’s lone indoor All-American, high-jumper Teona Perkins (Sr., Kennewick, Wa.). Perkins is also the defending GNAC champion and she was second in the 400 meters. Pole-vaulter Monica Anderson (Jr., Bremerton, Wa.), miler Karin Rohde (Jr., Bellingham, Wa./Mount Baker) runner and long-jumper Kelsey Cooley (Jr., Missoula, Mt./Hellgate) were also conference runners-up. Cooley finished sixth in the heptathlon and both Perkins and Rohde (steeplechase) qualified for the NCAA outdoor meet. For the men, back is 800 GNAC indoor silver medalist Eddie Strickler (Sr., Richland, Wa.).

Sudden impact. The Falcons’ improved footspeed cannot be understated. Nyema Sims (Fr., Portland, Or./ Jefferson) won the Oregon 4A championships in the 100 (12.04) and 200 (24.66), and along with her come Latasha Essien (Fr., Portland, Or./Reynolds), Jessica Hinton (Fr., Lake Stevens, Wa.) and Anna Walters (Fr., Spokane, Wa./North Central). The men may also get a jump-start with the return of Ryan Jewell (So., Olympia, Wa./Olympia), the 2005 league indoor 200 champion.

Still got it. A staple of all SPU teams has been their middle-distance and distance runners and that will continue to be the case. Jessica Pixler (Fr., Sammamish, Wa./Eastlake) won the GNAC and West Region cross country titles and took 10th nationally. She won the state 4A 800 and was second in the 1600 last spring. Rohde, Suzie Strickler (So., Richland, Wa.) and Jane Larson (Fr., Fall City, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) were also members of last fall’s top five in cross country. Lason won state 1A crowns at 800, 1600 and 3200. Brian Cronrath (Jr., Battle Ground, Wa.) was fourth in the GNAC indoor last winter.

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.