THE SCHEDULE                 Seattle Pacific at PLU Invitational
                                                Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019
                                                Men's 8K, 11:00 a.m.     Women's 6K, 11:45 a.m..
                                                PLU Meadows / Tacoma, Wash.
                                                No live Webcast or live results
 

        Weekly release (PDF)

SEATTLE – The soccer and volleyball teams have been competing for three weeks.
 
Now, the Seattle Pacific cross country teams get to join the action.
 
The Falcons will open their 2019 season on Saturday when they take a quick trip to Tacoma for the PLU Invitational.
 
Races at the on-campus Pacific Lutheran Cross Country Course – which is a former golf course – are at 11:00 a.m. for the men's 8-kilometer and at 11:45 a.m. for the women's 6-kilometer. Those will be the third and fourth races of the day, as high school boys will run at 9:30 a.m. and high school girls at 10:15.
 
This is the first of four regular-season weekends on the schedule. It is one of the latest-ever starts for the Falcons, and is a full week later than last fall, when they raced for the first time on Sept. 15.
 
NICE DAY FOR RACING
SPU runners should find the conditions just about perfect on Saturday, especially given the late-morning start time of the races. The forecast calls for partly sunny, with highs pushing toward the upper 60s. No rain is expected.
 
GETTING THERE
The course is located near the PLU athletic facilities – baseball diamond, tennis courts, and track – on the southwest corner of the campus. It is approximately 40 miles from Seattle Pacific.
 
Click on this link for driving directions as if leaving from SPU. Click on this link for a campus map. On the map, locate the Columbia Center and the Ivy parking lot. The start and finish lines are next to the Columbia Center.

WOMEN TABBED AS GNAC FAVORITES
For the first time in the history of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason cross country coaches poll, the Seattle Pacific women are in first place.
 
The Falcons received five No. 1 votes and 101 points to grab the poll's top spot in voting by the 11 GNAC coaches.
 
However, according to the voting, it essentially is a three-team race for the championship. Alaska Anchorage, the four-time defending champion that has won nine of the last 10 team titles, collected four place votes and 99 points. Simon Fraser got the other two first-place votes and 96 points. Western Washington is fourth with 83.
 
The Seattle Pacific men were voted for a sixth-place finish, picking up 61 points. The top three men's teams are every bit as tight as the top three on the women's side. Alaska Anchorage is the ever-so-slight favorite with four first-place votes and 101 points. Simon Fraser polled three firsts and 99 points, while Western Washington earned four firsts and 98 points.
 
A FOND FAREWELL TO COACH AUDRA
Audra Smith, who joined the Seattle Pacific track and cross country programs in August 2013, has announced her resignation to become the assistant coach at Fresno State of the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference.
 
 

The graduate of Idaho State who was a successful multi-event athlete in college immediately took charge of the cross country team upon her arrival here and helped guide that group to the national meet. She later shifted to coaching the sprints for indoor and outdoor track. And, she became SPU's first designated strength and conditioning coach.
 
"While I am sad that Audra will no longer be part of this team, I am also very thankful for her work over the years and very excited for her and her family to have this new adventure and challenge in Fresno," athletic director Jackson Stava said in a note to the athletics staff.
 
Smith will coach the multi events and the jumps at Fresno State.
 
SCOUTING THE PLU INVITATIONAL
Seattle Pacific will be the only GNAC team in Tacoma, as five others are racing in a meet at Western Oregon on Friday, and one is in Seattle on Saturday.
 
For the veteran-laden Falcon women, it will be their first opportunity to show why they are so highly regarded both within the GNAC and on the national level.
 
That starts at the front with the All-American duo of sophomore Kaylee Mitchell (cross country) and senior Kate Lilly (track). Mitchell will be going for a season-opening victory for the second year in a row, having won her college debut at the Central Washington Invitational last September in Ellensburg. But Lilly also will be going for that 'W', which, if she gets it, would be her first in a college cross country race.
 
Also on the course will be All-West Region senior Katherine Walter, and NCAA outdoor track double-qualifier Dania Holmberg, now a junior.
 
One thing SPU's women are looking forward to is testing themselves this early in the season on a full 6K course. Last year, their first three meets (the CWU Invite, the Charles Bowles Invite, and the Inland Empire Championships) were all 5 kilometers. Their first 6K didn't come until the regular-season finale at the Western Washington Classic in Bellingham in mid-October.
 
The Falcon men have been showing steady, gradual improvement, and Saturday's meet could be an indicator of how that trend is progressing.
 
A trio of men have a legitimate chance of emerging as the lead runner
 
Sophomore Colby Otero led the way for the first three regular-season meets in 2018, with a top-10 finish at Central Washington and a top-25 at the Bowles. Junior Colin Boutin, who thrives at longer distances, was the pacesetter at the WWU Classic and at NCAA West Regionals, both of which are 10K. Fellow junior Elius Graff was the first Falcon in the finish chute at GNAC, making the top 25.
 
A handful of newcomers will be looking to make an early impression. That group includes a top-10 state finisher (Jacob Allmaras 9^th in Oregon's large-school meet last fall), a top-20 (Rory McClelland 14th in Washington's medium / small school meet in 2018), and a top 40 (Sheamus Mahoney 39th in the 2018 Washington large school meet).
 
SCOUTING THE 2019 FALCONS
It's not often that an entire NCAA-qualifying team gets to come back for another shot at it.
 
But that's exactly what the Seattle Pacific women have heading into the 2019 season.
 
All seven Falcons who raced to a top-half-of-the-pack 15^th-place finish at last year's NCAA Division II cross country nationals in Pennsylvania will be lacing up their racing shoes again this fall, with their sights clearly set on a trip to Sacramento on the Saturday before Thanksgiving for this year's NCAAs..
 
Expected to lead the way for SPU are a trio of All-West Region runners, two of whom also have All-American honors.
 
 

Sophomore Kaylee Mitchell was at the front of the Falcons' pack for most of 2018. After winning her college debut race in mid-September at the Central Washington Invitational, Mitchell went on earn three significant postseason honors: Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year for placing third in the conference meet, All-Region for a 16^th-place performance in that competition, and  All-American for crossing the finish line in 35^th place at nationals in Pittsburgh.
 
 

Senior Kate Lilly also was an All-Region pick for her team-leading 10^th-place run at the West Region meet in Billings. That came on the heels of a personal-best 12^th-place finish at GNAC. In addition to the cross country nationals, Lilly went on to race at the NCAA indoor and outdoor track meets, earning second-team All-America for the indoor mile and first-team All-America for a fifth-place finish in the outdoor 5000 meters.
 
 

Senior Katherine Walter is SPU's other returning All-Region performer, having placed 19^th in Billings last November. Walter also was the third Falcon in the GNAC finish chute (13^th overall) and was the No. 2 Falcon (85^th overall) at nationals.
 

Dania

Holmberg, a junior, had a breakout spring on the outdoor oval in 2019. She made it to NCAAs in both the 1500 and the 5000, joining Lilly in both of those races. She will be looking to carry that momentum into the fall.
 
Also returning to give the Falcons a quality pack are senior Sedona McNerney, junior Elizabeth Thompson, and sophomore Krystal Oien (Kaufman). Thompson scored for the Falcons at GNAC and West Regionals as the team's No. 5 finisher in each race, and Kaufman scored at nationals at No. 4. McNerney was among the top 7 all year and is coming off a big spring, which included an All-GNAC third-place finish in the 10,000 meters.
 
Redshirt freshman Kelsey Washenberger did not run cross country last year, but became a solid steeplechaser on the outdoor track, placing sixth at conference. Freshman Libby Michael was a two-time top-10 finisher in the Class 1A (small school) Washington state meet while at Deer Park High School.
 
Of the six SPU men who raced at the 2018 regionals, five are returning. Collectively, they put together the Falcons' best season since 2012, with a seventh-place finish and sub-200 score at GNAC (183), and a 14^th-place finish at West Regionals.
 
 

At the front are sophomore Colby Otero, and juniors Elius Graff and Colin Boutin. Otero was Seattle Pacific's pacesetter in the first three regular-season meets, which included a top-25 finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational. Boutin had a strong second half of the season, leading the Falcons across the line in the Western Washington Classic and at West Regionals.
 
 

Graff was consistent from start to finish, running No. 2 for the team in three regular-season meets and at Regionals, and leading the way with a top-25 performance at GNAC. Boutin led the team at West Regionals, placing 61^st. He also was No. 2 for Seattle Pacific and 29^th overall at GNAC.
 
Juniors Shad Galloway and sophomore Brayden Schultz both scored for Seattle Pacific at regionals. Schultz also was a scorer at GNAC.
 
Jared Putney, a redshirt freshman, did not race last fall, but did compete during the indoor and outdoor track seasons, snagging an eighth-place finish outdoors in the 3000 steeplechase at GNAC.
 
Among the newcomers, Jacob Allmaras was a top-10 finisher in the Class 6A (large school) Oregon state meet for North Medford High School last fall, and Rory McClelland was among the top 15 in the Class 2A (medium-small school) Washington state meet for Liberty High.
 




ASSISTANT COACH CHRIS REED SAYS …
(On the women's team)
"We feel really good about where we're at. We're pretty healthy right now, and we have a lot of runners doing a great job at the moment. If we can maintain that, I think there are going to be some exciting results upcoming."
 
(On what makes the team so highly regarded)
"They've been in big situations. Every returner we have scored at the outdoor conference (track) championships. We're coming off a high-momentum track season. They've made such gains physically and mentally. Probably more than anything else, this team believes in each other. It's a group that is unified, has high aspirations, and has every intent to achieve the things they set out to achieve."
 
(On being the slight favorite to win the GNAC)
"Anything can happen, and that's the thing about these races: On any given day, any team that's ready to do it can take the crown. We're excited the coaches have picked us first. It's a vote of confidence, for sure. … It's going to come down to doing the little things right and being consistent."
 
(On the men's team)
"Our men's side has improved so much – it's a far cry from where we were a few years ago. Some of the upperclassmen have taken the next step. They've made some huge gains over the offseason."
 
(On what factors into the big improvement for the men)
"One of the themes the guys have talked about is that in the past we have felt like a collection of individuals. The past few years, it has been a collection of individuals, but those individuals have been better, so have had better results. But now, they really feel like a team and they're doing it for each other and encouraging each other in workouts. The guys are extremely motivated by what the team is capable of achieving. It's just driving everything."
 
POLLING PLACE
Not only are the Seattle Pacific women ranked atop the GNAC poll, they're also high up the ladder on national lists.
 
The highest-profile of those is the set of rankings put out by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The preseason list, released on Aug. 28, had the Falcons at No. 9.
 
Now, the first regular-season rankings have come out, and even it hasn't raced yet, SPU is up to No. 8. As was the case on the preseason list, it is part of a cluster of West Region teams in the top 10: Chico State (No. 6 now, No. 6 preseason), Alaska Anchorage (No. 7 now, No. 7 preseason), and Simon Fraser (No. 17 now, No. 8 preseason).
 
Western Washington is in that top 25, as well, sitting at No. 15 after being No. 17 in preseason.
 
On the USTFCCCA West Region list, the Falcons moved up one place to No. 3. Chico State and Alaska Anchorage remained 1-2.
 
SPU's women are ranked No. 6 nationally in the preseason by The Stride Report. That same Website ranks Kaylee Mitchell at No. 20 among its national top 25.
 
In addition, the Falcons are No. 5 on the preseason list published by FloTrack.org
 
EYES ON THE PRIZE
If a Falcon runner should be first across the line in either race on Saturday … well, that certainly wouldn't come as a surprise.
 
The SPU women have had a regular-season meet winner for two years in a row. Alyssa Foote won a season-opening dual meet against Northwest University in 2017, and Kaylee Mitchell beat all others to the line last year in Ellensburg.
 
In fact, the Falcons have had at least one regular-season winner for 14 of the past 17 seasons.
 
The most recent Falcon men's winner was Jordan Wolfe at the 2011 Apple Ridge Run Invitational in Yakima.

AROUND THE GNAC
Click on this link for the latest news, results, and notes from around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons have a couple of split weekends coming up on the schedule. The women will race next Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento. It will be on the same Arcade Creek course that will host the nationals in November. As such, the West's top teams and some from other parts of the country are expected to be there when the starting gun fires at 10:30.
 
The men will return to racing on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the John Payne / Curtis Invitational. It will take place at Chambers Bay Regional Park in Tacoma. It has a rare afternoon start time, going off at 3:30 p.m.