SEATTLE – Dania Holmberg had to get it done on her own.
 
Elizabeth Thompson and Ellie Rising had each other.
 
Either way, it was a winning formula for the Seattle Pacific distance running trio on Saturday morning.
 
Falcons senior Holmberg won the women's 5000 meters with a national-leading time, fellow senior Thompson took the 1500 meters, and freshman Rising notched her first college victory in just her second meet, capturing the 800 meters at the fifth annual Doris Heritage Track Festival.
 
Running under cloudy skies and in first-day-of-spring temperatures that were pushing toward 50 degrees, Holmberg completed her 12½ laps around the West Seattle Stadium oval in 17 minutes, 4.76 seconds.

As of Saturday evening, she has the second-fastest time this spring in all of NCAA Division II. The only one ahead of her is Fatima Alanis of Queens (North Carolina), who went 16:56.29 on Friday at the Charlotte 49er Classic.
 
 

"I was just so impressed with what she did," associate head coach / distance coach Chris Reed said. "We knew it was going to be difficult to run a fast 5K by herself, first time this year, not sure what the conditions would be. She was a little off the pace of what we were thinking for most of the race, but she finished so well – and she ran every step of that race by herself.
 
"She has her eye on an NCAA qualifier, and we don't quite know what it's going to take this year, but it's a good start," Reed added. "Now we know she has the confidence and is capable of doing it."
 
Thompson and Rising were right with each other through most of the 1500, with Thompson slightly ahead. That's how it stayed at the finish line, with Thompson clocking 4:45.20 and Rising right behind in 4:46.07. It was a season best of six-plus seconds for Thompson and a career best of nine-plus seconds for Rising from the season-opening efforts two weeks ago at the PLU Open.
 
The 800 played out much the same way around the final lap. But this time, the finish order was different as Rising closed with a surge down the final 75 meters and won in 2:16.18. Thompson was next in 2:17.16. Both were PRs, as Rising beat 2:20.04 from March 6, and Thompson beat 2:18.28 from May 2019.
 
"I talked to them afterward and I said, 'Too bad you didn't get to watch your own race from the outside because from the outside, it was so neat," Reed said. "It was so obvious to everyone watching what they were trying to do – and what they were trying to do was go 1-2 in both events. It was cool that they each got to have a win, and they helped each other so much."
 




A LOT OF MAROON AT FRONT OF SPRINTS
 

Led by junior Jenna Bouyer, SPU took four of the top five spots in the women's 100-meter dash, including the top three. Bouyer and senior Grace Bley had identical times of 12.28 seconds, although the win went to Bouyer. Peace Igbonagwam, a junior, was third in 12.32, and senior Julia Stepper took fifth in 12.44.
 
In the 200, Bley and Bouyer went 2-3 in 24.95 and 25.92, respectively. Stepper was seventh in 26.26.
 
Freshman Jeff Gordon made his debut in the men's 100-meter dash, clocking 11.10 seconds for fourth place. He was sixth in the 200 in 22.51.
 
CAI IS 2 FOR 2
For the second meet in a row to start the season, senior Scout Cai won the pole vault competition. She cleared 11 feet, 9 ¾ inches.
 
Cai ranks No. 4 nationally on the NCAA Division II list with her provisional qualifying mark of 12-11 ½ from March 6 at the PLU Open. The current top mark is 13-9 ¼ by Amanda Fassold of Azusa Pacific.
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
 

-- Junior Brayden Schultz continued with his solid early-season performances. For the second straight meet, he set PRs in both the 800 and 1500. Schultz was fourth in the former with a 1:57.65, battling a trio of Seattle University runners down the homestretch. Ansel Pendley-Griffin won in 1:57.13, but all four of them were within 52 hundredths of a second at the wire. In the 1500, Schutlz was fifth in 4:02.55. His previous PRs at the PLU Open on March 6 were 1:58.47 and 4:03.36, respectively.
 

-- Freshman Austin Weese ran the 5000 for the first time and was 10^th in 15:08.61. That time would have placed eighth and scored a team point at the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet. In that same heat of the 5K, Colin Boutin came on strong in the back half of the race and wound up with a monster PR of 15:14.45. That was 14 seconds better than his previous best of 15:28.44 set on March 9, 2019 at PLU.
-- A total of 42 men started the 5000, which was divided into three heats. Weese, Boutin, and senior Elius Graff were all in the 16-runner first heat, which had the fastest entry times. "Our guys were up to the task and they proved they belonged in that race. They mixed it up very well," Reed said.
-- The men's pole vault was canceled by rain shortly after it began. The only person to clear a bar was SPU freshman Brad Bowman, getting over the opening height of 11-11 ¾. Just four others in the field of 17 even got to take an attempt before it was first delayed, then ultimately shut down for the day.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons, who started the season in Tacoma two weeks ago, return there  next weekend, only this time, it's to the University of Puget Sound's Baker Stadium for the Ed Boitano Invitational. Events both on the track and in the field begin at 11:00 a.m.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Doris Heritage Track Festival
Saturday, March 20, 2021
West Seattle Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
100 – 1, Jenna Bouyer (SPU) 12.28. Other SPU – 2, Grace Bley 12.28; 3, Peace Igbonagwam 12.32; 5, Julia Stepper 12.44; 11, Aniya Green 13.21; 13, Abby Kauffman 13.22.
200 – 1, Olivia Ribera (UW) 24.79. SPU – 2, Grace Bley 24.95; 3, Jenna Bouyer 25.52; 7, Julia Stepper 26.26; 20, Charisma Smith 27.57; Aniya Green DNF.
400 – 1, Carlie Hurley (WWU) 57.62. SPU – 4, Charisma Smith 1:02.81.
800 – 1, Ellie Rising (SPU) 2:16.18. Other SPU – 2, Elizabeth Thompson 2:17.16; 6, Libby Michael 2:24.05.
1500 – 1, Elizabeth Thompson (SPU) 4:45.20. Other SPU – 2, Ellie Rising 4:46.07; 7, Libby Michael 4:58.38; 14, Annika Esvelt 5:10.93.
5000 – 1, Dania Holmberg 17:04.76#. Other SPU – 3, Belle Brandenfels 18:22.96; 5, Kelsey Washenberger 18:53.96.
400 hurdles – 1, Dahrian Mills (UW) 1:00.60. No SPU.
4x100 relay – 1, Seattle University 48.42. SPU – 4, Seattle Pacific (Jenna Bouyer, Julia Stepper, Peace Igbonagwam, Grace Bley) 50.83.
High jump – 1, Hannah Rusnak (UW) 5-7 / 1.70m. No SPU.
Pole vault – 1, Scout Cai 11-9 ¾ / 3.60m. Other SPU – 3, Lizzy Daugherty 10-10 / 3.30m; 11, Emily Northey 9-10 / 3.30m.
Long jump – 1, Lauren Heggen (UW) 18-3 ¾ / 5.58m. SPU – 6, Kellie May 17-0 ¾ / 5.20m; 9, Abby Kauffman 16-4½ / 4.99m.
Shot put – 1, Ida Eikeng (UW) 43-8 ½ / 13.32m. No SPU.
Hammer – 1, Meagan Smallbeck (CWU) 160-5 / 48.90m. No SPU.
Javelin – 1, Ida Eikeng (UW) 164-7 / 50.17m. No SPU.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
Doris Heritage Track Festival
Saturday, March 20, 2021
West Seattle Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
Team scores – Not kept.
 
100 – 1, Isaiah Payne (Seattle U) 10.91. SPU – 4, Jeff Gordon 11.10; 12, Michael Gabelein 11.71.
200 – 1, Evan Malfilas (UW) 21.85. SPU – 6, Jeff Gordon 22.51; 15, Evan Carpenter 23.95; Michael Gabelein DNF.
400 – 1, Enrique Campbell (UAA) 49.75. SPU – 12, Evan Carpenter 53.27.
800 – 1, Ansel Pendley-Griffin (SU) 1:57.13. SPU – 4, Brayden Schultz 1:57.65; 12, Jon Owen 2:02.43.
1500 – 1, Ansel Pendley-Griffin (SU) 3:59.20. SPU – 5, Brayden Schultz 4:02.55; 8, Jon Owen 4:12.70.
5000 – 1, Callahan Warren (WWU) 14:16.17. SPU – 10, Austin Weese 15:08.61; 11, Colin Boutin 15:14.45; 14, Elius Graff 15:20.62.
400 hurdles – 1, Julian Body (UW) 53.60. No SPU.
4x100 relay – No race.
High jump – 1, Trent Kibler (WWU) 6-4 ¾ / 1.95m. No SPU.
Pole vault – Canceled – rain.
Long jump – 1, David Sramek (UAA) 21-3 ¼ / 3.48m. No SPU.
Shot put – 1, Ben Malquist (WWU) 50-2 / 15.29m. No SPU.
Hammer – 1, Jayden White (UW) 198-2 / 60.40m. No SPU.
Javelin – 1, Dalton Sugg (UW) 202-9 / 61.79m. No SPU.