Meet Heat Sheets

SEATTLE (Feb. 16) -- If not for the "Seattle Pacific" emblazoned on their chests, they may not be recognizable to their rivals. Bearing little resemblance to the Falcons of old, Karl Lerum's young women's squad is running with a faster crowd, so to speak.

"Every team creates themselves anew each year," said coach Karl Lerum. "These freshmen have absolutely changed the dynamic and strengths of our team."

SPU brought aboard some sensational sprinters and will once again be the team to beat for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference indoor crown. The meet is Monday (Feb. 19) at the Idaho Sports Center Complex in Nampa.

Falcons own the top entry mark in eight individual events, including six of the seven on the track. Nyema Sims is No. 1 in both the 60 (7.63 seconds) and 200 meters (25.21), with fellow freshman Latasha Essien right behind. Sims is No. 2 in the long jump.

Another freshman, Jessica Pixler, is first in the mile and second in the 800. She won the GNAC cross country title in the fall.

"We've been good in the middle distances and now we're adding that sprint dimension, where we could dominate the conference," said Lerum.

So green are the Falcons that they only feature one defending league champ, high-jumper Teona Perkins. She is coming off an automatic national qualifying leap of 5 feet, 8 3/4 inches. Karin Rohde (Jr., Bellingham, Wa./Mount Baker) aims to reclaim her 5000 corwn of '05.

Altogether, SPU has 16 of 39 top three individual seeds.

The men will be challenged to match their fourth-place finish a year ago. They are paced by Eddie Strickler (Sr., Richland, Wa.), the top entry in the 800 (1:54.74), and Justin Felt (Jr., Eugene, Or./Churchill), owner of the top long jump (22-8).

Defending indoor champion Western Washington and outdoor winner Central Washington are likely to be locked in a close duel.