THE SCHEDULE:
Friday-Saturday, May 11-12 Seattle Pacific at GNAC Championships
Friday: Field 2 p.m.; running 2:45 p.m.
Saturday: Field 9:30 a.m., running 11 a.m.
McArthur Field / Monmouth, Ore.
Live results
Heat sheets Meet schedule Preview
Weekly release, with updated performance lists (PDF)
SEATTLE – It's go time.
A season that started two months ago in Tacoma arrives at its red-letter days on the calendar this weekend when the Seattle Pacific Falcons pack up for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
Competition begins Friday afternoon at 2 for field events and 2:45 for running. On Saturday, field events get going at 9:30 a.m., with races on the track starting at 11 a.m.
The Falcons women are going for their third consecutive team championship, but figure to have a tough fight on their hands with Alaska Anchorage. The men are coming off a 63-point performance last year, their second-highest total ever at a GNAC meet.
This year's schedule has been moved up to earlier start times – and, as a result, earlier finish times. Friday's last event is the men's 10,000 and is set for 6:45 p.m. – two hours earlier than last year. On Saturday, the meet concludes at 1:55 p.m. with the men's 4x400 relay, 90 minutes ahead of the 2011 schedule.
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Fans who can't make the trip to Monmouth can follow the action live by clicking on
this link or by visiting the
GNAC home page. In addition, results will be posted ASAP after each event at www.gnacsports.com.
FALCON WOMEN TAKE THE LEAD
SPU has an early jump on the rest of the women's field, thanks to last week's performance at the GNAC Multi-Event Championships in Ellensburg.
Ali Worthen's second straight victory in the women's heptathlon and a seventh-place finish by freshman
Maliea Luquin gave the Falcons 12 points. Alaska Anchorage, with a second-place heptathlon finish from Kelsea Johnson, is close behind with eight points.
The men also have eight early points, those coming from
Nate Johnson's second-place finish in the men's decathlon. Central Washington, which placed four in the top eight of the decathlon, is on top with 17½ points.
WARM WEATHER IS EXPECTED
It'll actually feel like spring – and darn near like summer – this weekend in Monmouth. The forecast for Friday calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. On Saturday, it gets even warmer, with an expected high in the low 80s. There's no chance of rain, and wind conditions should be relatively calm at 8 to 10 mph. Saturday morning could start off a bit cool coming off of night-time lows in the upper 40s.
WORTHEN IS GNAC ATHLETE OF WEEK
Ali Worthen, who set established two meet records in the conference multi-event championships last week, has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference female Athlete of the Week for track and field.
The Seattle Pacific senior racked up 5,199 points in winning the heptathlon last Tuesday in Ellensburg. That was well beyond the previous GNAC mark of 5,053 set in 2006. Along the way, Worthen (Coos Bay, Ore.) won two of the seven events, including a meet-record run of 14.30 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles.
Worthen now has been honored six times as Athlete of the Week – twice outdoors and four times indoors. Two of those indoor awards came this past winter.
SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Coach
Karl Lerum says:
(On what figures to be a very close women's meet): “Conference championships are always exciting, but I think this year, it will be fun for every single kid to know that their contribution is so important. This meet is going to come down to a few points. It'll be fun to be able to take a team that's hungry and ready and fairly healthy and go after it.”
(On the mindset of his athletes): “I think they understand there's a challenge ahead. It's a fine line of giving it your best shot and not getting so tied up that you don't do what you trained to do.”
(On which event or events might be critical): “Every event is key. If you look at the rundown, pretty much every event we have people scoring points in, Anchorage also is in hose same events. We both have big blank spots throughout the rest of the meet. They have increased their speed, and it has made them more competitive.”
SCOUTING THE GNAC WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
No one said it would be easy to win a third straight team title. That certainly will be true for the Falcons this weekend, as Alaska Anchorage – and not SPU – comes to Monmouth as the favorite to claim the crown.
Based on the entry times (and factoring in last week's multi-event results), the Seawolves are on track for 202 points. Seattle Pacific is seeded for 180. No one else is even close, with Western Washington solidly in third (seeded for 135).
Of the 20 events to be contested this weekend, the Falcons have No. 1 seeds in five of them: senior
Ali Worthen in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump, senior
Brittany Aanstad (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) in the javelin, and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Anchorage also has five No. 1's, those being in the 200, 1,500, 5,000, 10,000, and 400 hurdles. SPU has 13 seeds among the top three; UAA has 18.
As was the case last year, sprints are a strong suit for the Falcons. They're seeded for a combined 54 points from the 100, 200 and 400, despite not having a top seed in any of the three races. Sophomore
Kishia Mitchell (Puyallup, Wash./Rogers HS) is the defending champion in the 100 and 200. She comes in No. 2 in the 100 with a 12.24 (Madison McClung of Western Oregon is at 12.16) and No. 3 in the 200 at 24.96 (Grace Morgan of Anchorage is No. 1 at 24.89).
The 200 could be a sea of maroon and white, with five SPU runners ranked among the top eight. Along with Mitchell are No. 2
Myisha Valentine (Mountlake Terrace, Wash./North Sound Christian HS) at 24.94, and a 6-7-8 combination of freshman
Tasia Baldwin (25.25), sophomore
BryAnne Wochnick (25.28) and senior Worthen (25.47).
In the 400, No. 2 Valentine at 56.47, No. 4
Emily Quatier (Portland, Ore.) at 57.03, and No. 5
Jasmine Johnson (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way HS) at 57.56 are poised for points. Quatier won the 400 as a freshman in 2010.
Sophomore
McKayla Fricker (Canby, Ore.), the GNAC indoor 800 winner, has a shot at the outdoor crown, as well. She's the No. 2 seed at 2:11.57, close to Simon Fraser's Sarah Sawatzky at 2:10.61.
Two of the more intriguing field events will be the long jump and the javelin. In the former, Worthen is second-seeded at 18-11 ½; Western Washington's Emily Warman is No. 1 at 19-2. At the GNAC indoor meet in February, Warman had the lead at 18-6 ½, and Worthen was down to her final jump. She made it count, going 18-9 ¾ to win it.
In the jav, Aanstad is the national leader at 161-11, a distance she reached on April 7 in Spokane. But lurking close behind is Western Oregon's Amanda Schumaker at 158-11, which she threw on April 21 at the Beach Invitational in Norwalk, Calif.
SCOUTING THE GNAC MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Falcons already have eight points from
Nate Johnson's second-place finish in the decathlon last week, and are seeded to score in the 40-point range by the time the final event is done on Saturday.
SPU comes into the weekend with one top seed: junior
Nate Seely (Lynden, Wash./Lynden HS) in the 800 meters. Seely has won three straight conference indoor titles in the 800. In his two previous GNAC outdoor 800s, he has finished fourth (2010) and fifth (2011). Seely comes in with a 1:51.95; Western Oregon's Chris Olsen is right behind at 1:51.99.
Winning the title won't be Seely's only motivation. His 1:51.95 has him on the NCAA provisional qualifying list, but it currently ranks No. 29. Assuming 16 or 17 make the nationals, Seely will be aiming for a 1:51.40 or faster to get above the current cutoff line.
Seattle Pacific has one defending champion this weekend in senior pole vaulter
Ray Zoellick (Bothell, Wash./Cedar Park Christian HS). He pulled off the upset win last year by clearing 14 feet, 11 inches. His season best so far in 2012 is 14-9 on March 31 at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational in Bellngham, and that has him in the tie for the No. 6 seed coming into Monmouth. Western Washington's Cal Rosenberg, last year's runner-up, is the top seed at 15-9.
Junior
Seth Pierson (Cashmere, Wash./Cashmere HS) is the No. 3 seed in the 1,500 at 3:50.48, trailing Anchorage's Alfred Kangogo (3:46.74) and 2010 champion Micah Chelimo of UAA (3:48.49).
Western Washington is a big favorite to win the team title, seeded for 202 points based on entry marks. The closest challenger to the Vikings is Anchorage at 148. Western Oregon won last year with 203, but is seeded for just 106.
IF NCAA'S STARTED TODAY …
With the occasional exception, the NCAA typically accepts at least 16 entries for each event at nationals. Automatic qualifiers advance regardless of where they are on the list. The rest of the field is filled by highest-ranked provisional qualifiers who have declared for their respective events.
The Falcons have posted 16 NCAA marks this spring – two automatics, 14 provisionals. Here's where they stand as they head to Monmouth and what time, distance or height they need to get above the current top 16 cutoff line:
--
Brittany Aanstad: No. 1 in javelin, 161-11 (automatic).
--
Carly Andrews: No. 25 in javelin, 136-0 (provisional, current cutoff 140-2).
--
AJ Baker: No. 30 in 3,000 steeplechase, 9:17.36 (provisional, 9:06.30).
--
McKayla Fricker: No. 16 in 800 meters, 2:11.57 (provisional, 2:11.57).
--
Katy Gross: No. 22 in javelin, 136-8 (provisional, 140-2).
No. 27 in heptathlon, 4,513 points (provisional, 4,832).
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Nate Johnson: No. 16 in decathlon, 6,537 points (provisional, 6,537).^
--
Seth Pierson: No. 23 in 1,500 meters, 3:50.48 (provisional, 3:48.80).
--
Natty Plunkett: No. 27 in 10,000 meters, 36:29.55 (provisional, 35:46.60).
--
Terra Schumacher: Tie No. 27 in pole vault, 11-9 ¾ (provisional, 12-0½ ).
--
Nate Seely: No. 29 in 800, 1:51.95 (provisional, 1:51.40).
--
Ali Worthen: No. 3 in heptathlon, 5,199 points (automatic)
Tie No. 17 in high jump , 5-7¾ (provisional, 5-8)
Tie No. 29 in long jump, 18-11 ¾ (provisional, 19-3½)
No. 37 in 100 hurdles, 14.30 (provisional, 13.98).
--
Women's 4x400 relay: No. 42, 3:49.58 (provisional, 3:45.20).
^ In 2011, just 12 entries were accepted for the men's decathlon.
Click on
this link for a look at national qualifiers. Click on
this link for a look at GNAC leaders.
ENDING A RELAY DROUGHT? MAYBE
At last Friday's Western Washington Twilite meet in Bellingham, the Seattle Pacific women's 4x400 relay team of
Myisha Valentine,
Emily Quatier,
Jasmine Johnson and
McKayla Fricker sped around the Civic Stadium oval in 3 minutes, 49.58 seconds to get onto the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying list. Heading into the week, that puts SPU in the No. 42 spot nationally, which is way below the cutoff line.
Getting into the top 16 will take at least a four-second improvement – a big drop, to be sure, but not necessarily out of the question, given that the Falcons had no one close to them last week. (Runner-up Olympic College finished 22 seconds later.) The last time SPU had a relay at nationals was in 2001 when
Cyrena Bell,
Rachel Ross,
Sarah Kraybill and
Karen Summers finished 13th in the 4x400 in 3:54.77.
NEWCOMER RUNNING LIKE A VETERAN
It was barely more than a month ago that juniorbasketball player
Katie Thralls (Livermore, Calif.) ran in her very first college track meet. Last Friday at the WWU Twilite, Thralls guaranteed herself a spot in this weekend's GNACs with a strong run in the 5,000 meters, taking second place in 18 minutes, 21.26 seconds. That got her under the GNAC automatic mark of 18:25.00 with room to spare. She also will run in the 1,500.
PACKED SCHEDULES FOR WORTHEN, JOHNSON
The heptathlon and decathlon are already done, but neither
Ali Worthen nor
Nate Johnson will have many quiet moments this weekend. Both are entered in five events.
On Friday, Worthen's 100 hurdles preliminaries are at 3:15, and from there, she'll immediately head to the long jump at 3:35. When she's done with that, it'll be the 200-meter prelims at 5:30. On Saturday, Worthen is penciled in for the 4x100 relay at 11 a.m., with the hurdles finals at 11:30. The high jump starts at 12:15, and it's possible she might have to take a quick break from that to run in the 200-meter finals at 12:40 if she's among the qualifiers from Friday's preliminary heats.
Johnson run in the 110 hurdles prelims at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The high jump starts at 4, and the long jump gets going shortly thereafter at 4:15. On Saturday, the pole vault begins at 11 a.m., with the hurdles finals at 11:40 if he qualifies. He's also penciled in for the meet-ending 4x400 relay at 1:55 p.m.
BLINK, AND YOU MIGHT MISS FRICKER
Come to enough track meets, and you know that you'll typically see
McKayla Fricker (Canby, Ore.) take two laps around the track in the 800 meters. But this sophomore clearly has some footspeed for the shorter stuff, too. In the Twilite meet, she zipped to a PR time of 56.88 in the 400 meters, a whopping drop from her previous best of 58.41 on April 7 at War V in Spokane. That made her an automatic qualifier for GNAC, although she's not going to run that while she focuses on the 800. (Her time would have made her the No. 4 seed in the 400).
But Fricker wasn't done yet. In the last race of the night, she anchored SPU's 4x400 relay team and ran a split in the 57-second neighborhood to help the Falcons make NCAA provisional in 3:49.58. She is slated to run the relay again this weekend.
FAMILIAR PLACE FOR AANSTAD
Brittany Aanstad will have some extra motivation to be at her best in the javelin this weekend. In last year's GNAC meet,
Aanstad (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) came in as the national leader, but had to settle for second place behind Western Washington's Monika Gruszecki. The same thing happened at nationals, as Gruszecki prevailed, with Aanstad in second place.
Gruszecki graduated, but Aanstad is back. Once again, she's the national leader off of her 161-11 performance on April 7 at War V in Spokane. But lurking close behind in third nationally (and second in the GNAC) is Amanda Schumaker of Western Oregon at 158-11. In between them is Makayla McPhail of Fort Hays State (Kansas) at 159-4.
ONE FAB FRESHMAN
No guarantees, of course, but it's possible that SPU's
Tasia Baldwin (Tacoma, Wash./Foss HS) could run and jump right into contention for another GNAC Freshman of the Year award. She already has one such honor for her performance at GNAC indoors in February. This weekend, she is entered in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump. While other frosh from different schools also have three events, Baldwin is the only one who is seeded to get into the points in all three. She's No. 4 in the 100, No. 6 in the 200, and No. 6 in the long jump.
Also with an excellent shot at it is Alaska Anchorage's Grace Morgan, who's third seed in the 100, top seed in the 200, and 10
th seed in the 800.
AND THE WINNER IS …
Altogether this spring, Seattle Pacific has won 36 event titles at various meets – 26 for the women, 10 for the men. The most
prolific have been senior
Myisha Valentine (Mountlake Terrace, Wash./North Sound Christian HS) and junior
Ryan Endresen (Portland, Ore.) with five wins apiece for their respective women's and men's teams. Valentine also has run on four of SPU's six winning 4x400 relay teams. Senior
Ali Worthen has four victories for the women, and senior
Brittany Aanstad has three.
In addition to five for Endresen (all in the 400-meter hurdles) on the men's side, junior
Seth Pierson has two wins, both in the 1,500 meters.
BOUND FOR THE TRIALS
A pair of former Seattle Pacific stars have punched their tickets to Eugene for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, which are scheduled for June 21-July 1 at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Jessica Pixler Tebo has bettered the 'A' qualifying standard in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15 minutes, 19.43 seconds at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford on April 29. That currently ranks No. 9 in the world and No. 5 in the U.S.
Chris Randolph has bettered the 'B' standard in the men's decathlon with 7,840 points at a meet in Santa Barbara on March 4. That ranks 15th in the world and is No. 3 in the U.S.
POLLING PLACE
The Seattle Pacific women are No. 25 in this week's
USTFCCCA national rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Falcons have 47.45 points. They were No. 22 last week. Grand Valley State of Michigan is on top for the second week in a row.
Seattle Pacific is No. 6 in the
West Region rankings with 283.53 points, a drop of one place from a week ago. Grand Canyon remains No. 1 with 391.23, and Alaska Anchorage stayed No. 2 with 351.35.
AROUND THE GNAC
Click on
this link for a look at news, notes, schedules and results from around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
UP NEXT
All that's left now is the NCAA meet. The nation's best in Division II will gather at the Neta and Eddie Derose ThunderBowl at Colorado State University-Pueblo, on May 24-26. Click on
this link for a look at the national championship home page and a link to the meet schedule.
