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Ever rising. They are good, they’re young and it’s likely that the Seattle Pacific University women’s track and field team will only become stronger in 2008. The Falcons won two more NCAA outdoor individual titles and achieved their highest national finish in 14 years with a squad featuring underclassmen. Meanwhile, the men produced national indoor and outdoor qualifiers, and, together, the programs totaled 11 top-10 NCAA placements.

Champions deux. For the first time in 14 years the Falcons brought home multiple individual titles from the NCAA Championships. In a matter of mere minutes, Jessica Pixler (Fr., Sammamish, Wa./Eastlake) won the 1500-meter run and Teona Perkins (Sr., Kennewick, Wa.) emerged victorious in the high jump. Those two feats–plus the surging second-place finish by Pixler in the 800–vaulted SPU to seventh in the final national standings, making it the best placement since 1993. Pixler became only the second SPU athlete to win both an NCAA indoor and outdoor title in the same year. Karin Grelsson did so in 1993.

See the world. Pixler is going places and soon. She finished second in last week’s USA Juniors 1500 (4:20.93) to earn a berth in the Junior Pan American Games, July 6-8 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jordan Hasay, a 15-year-old phenom who won the junior cross country crown in February, ran a 4:16.98 to break a 30-year-old meet record. Meanwhile, SPU assistant coach Chris Randolph booked himself a trip to Germany. The NCAA decathlon winner in ‘05 and ‘06 while competing for the Falcons, Randolph finished sixth (7723 points) in the USA Championships. His 5-second PR in the final event, the 1500, clinched a spot on the American multi-event squad which competes Aug. 18-19 in Bernhausen, Germany.

She’s unbelievable. And to think she’s only a freshman. Pixler will need a truck to haul home her trove of trophies from the past year. In addition to her pair of NCAA titles (she also won the indoor mile), she was voted all-sports Athlete of the Year by both SPU and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It was the first time a frosh had won either. Over the course of the year, Pixler won five individual and three team GNAC titles in track and cross country. She set new conference records in the indoor mile and outdoor 800, 1500 and 3000. Pixler was the GNAC indoor and outdoor track and field athlete of the year and the West Region track athlete of the year.

More awards. Others earned conference hardware as well. Karl Lerum was voted coach of the year by his peers. That’s now three such awards for Lerum in his two years. He was previously the ‘06 outdoor and ‘07 indoor coach of the year. Brittany Bekins (Jr., Everett, Wa./Cascade) was newcomer of the year. She owns the league’s top marks in the javelin and heptathlon this season.

Exclusive club. Perkins completed a exclusive treble by following her national title with a place on the Academic All-America first team and earning an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A European Studies major with a 3.70 grade point average, Perkins was a three-time All-American in two seasons and won two conference championships. She was the West Region indoor field athlete of the year this past winter. The only other SPU track athletes to win a national title and make Academic All-America in the same year are Bente Moe (1990) and Grelsson (1993-94), and only Moe received an NCAA scholarships as well.

Got smart. Earlier, Perkins, Karin Rohde (Jr., Bellingham, Wa./Mt. Baker) and Eddie Strickler (Sr., Richland, Wa.) were voted to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII teams. Rohde was the GNAC champion in the indoor 5000 meters and the steeplechase outdoors, the latter for the second year in a row. She was also All-America in the indoor mile (fifth) and distance medley relay (8th). Rohde is a nursing major with a 3.82 GPA. Strickler claimed GNAC 800 indoor and outdoor titles and was All-America indoors, taking eighth at nationals. He finished ninth in the NCAA outdoor meet.

NCAA points. Three athletes accounted for all the Falcons’ points at nationals. Pixler fought off a late challenge in the 1500, and Perkins followed shortly thereafter with her dramatic victory in the high jump. With the rest of the competitors eliminated, Perkins was the last to attempt a jump at 5-10 (1.78 meters), and she cleared the bar cleanly. She leapfrogged four competitors and also broke the GNAC record and tied for No. 4 all-time at SPU. Perkins had never gone 5-10 before, even in training. Pixler went to the front of the 1500 on the second lap, extended the lead and then withstood a kick from Adams State’s Tanya Gaurmer in the final 200. Pixler was timed in 4:22.23 and Gaurmer in 4:24.10. An hour later, Pixler began her bid to become only the second freshman in meet history to double in the 800 and 1500. She blazed from the back to overtake six runners, but was unable to catch Venessa Lee (2:07.08) of Pittsburg State, last year’s runner-up. Still, Pixler came across in GNAC-record 2:07.90. The Falcons’ first points of the meet came from Bekins, who bounced back from a disappointing ninth in the heptathlon to take fifth in the javelin. Plagued by pain in her back and ribs, she bypassed practice throws and then took the early lead by sending the spear 138-1.

Final recall. Strickler ran his best race but was just nudged from a place in the 800 final. His 1:50.59 ranks No. 2 all-time in the GNAC and fourth at Seattle Pacific. Battling pain, Bekins was incapable of matching her heptathlon qualifying effort. Her total of 4747 points was 197 off her best. Jane Larson (Fr., Fall City, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) was eliminated in the prelims of the 3000, taking 13th overall in 10:11.62. NyEma Sims (Fr., Portland, Or./Jefferson) ran 13th and 20th in the 100 (12.09) and 200 (24.86), respectively. Rohde struggled in the steeplchase qualifier, running 16th (11:27.34). Molly Barnes (Sr., Burien, Wa./Highline) did not make finals, taking 17th (121-6) in the javelin.

Near miss. SPU should be in the running for NCAA trophies next year, given their cast of returnees and the continued flow of quality recruits. Of the indoor and outdoor national qualifiers, only Jennifer Marsh (Sr., Kirkland, Wa./Juanita) and Barnes graduate, and returning from injury will be two-time javelin All-American Lauren VerMulm (Jr., Mount Vernon, Wa.). Brian Cronrath (Jr., Battle Ground, Wa.) and Justin Felt (Fr., Eugene, Or./Churchill), the GNAC runners-up in the 1500 and long jump, respectively, lead the men.

Got next. Seattle Pacific’s recruits were also making some noise on Memorial Day weekend, winning two state 4A titles. Brittany Aanstad of Lake Stevens successfully defended her javelin title and later added the heptathlon crown. She was third in the high jump. Gig Harbor’s Melissa Peaslee took first in the pole vault. Earlier, Jacqui Mattson (Hood River Valley) won the high jump and Andrew Matschiner (Jesuit) the shot title at the Oregon 6A championships. Jeeni Schantin, who will be a junior at SPU, won the the NWAACC crown with a huge mark of 164-9, and later took 17th at the USA Championships. Among the other recruits, Jennifer Pike (Skyview) took seventh in the 4A 100 hurdles, Jeff Dull of King’s was fourth and fifth in the 1A 1600 and 3200, and his brother Evan was seventh in the 800.

For the record. One of the longest-standing women’s records was broken this season, and Pixler erased a section of the GNAC book. Sims went to the top of the 200 list (23.99) for both the school and league; Anita Sartin’s mark of 24.31 had stood since 1987. Sims is also No. 2 on the SPU 100. Pixler set new GNAC standards in the 800, 1500 and 3000, and is now No. 2 on the school 1500 and third on the 800 lists. Perkins tied for No. 4 in the high jump and broke the conference mark. Other than Strickler’s No. 4 800, Cronrath made it to fourth in the 1500. During the indoor season, Sims (60), Pixler (mile), Rohde (3000) and the distance medley relay wrote new records.

Be a camper. Lerum’s Falcon Track & Field Camp is July 2-3 & 5-6 on Wallace Field, and Doris Heritage’s Falcon Running Camp is July 22-27 at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. For information, call (206) 281-2085 or download a registration form at the Falcons Online (www.spu.edu/falconsonline).

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.