THE SCHEDULE                 Seattle Pacific at NCAA Division II Championships
                                    Thursday-Saturday, May 27-29, 2021
                                    Grand Valley State T&F Stadium / Allendale, Mich.
                                    THURSDAY: Field events 11:00 a.m.  Track events 11:30 a.m.
                                    SPU: 1500 prelims, 2::35 p.m.  Pole vault, 2:45 p.m.
                                    FRIDAY: Field events 11:00 a.m.   Track events, 11:45 a.m.   No SPU
                                    SATURDAY: Field events, 6:30 a.m.   Track events, 10:00 a.m.
                                    SPU: 1500 finals 2:25 p.m.
                                    All times Pacific

LIVE WEBCASTS:   Thursday     Friday     Saturday 
LIVE RESULTS  


SEATTLE – One last time for Scout Cai.
 
One last time – maybe two – for Dania Holmberg.
 
That's what the pair of Seattle Pacific senior track and field stars are looking ahead to this week as they get ready for the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships.
  Cai and Holmberg will step into Grand Valley State Track & Field Stadium in Allendale, Michigan, on Thursday afternoon, with their respective events beginning just 10 minutes apart.
 
Holmberg will be up first, running in the preliminaries of the 1500 meters at 2:35 p.m. Pacific time. She is in the first of two heats, The top four finishers in each heat, plus the next four fastest times regardless of heat will advance to Saturday's finals, which are set for 2:25 p.m. PDT.
 
Then at 2:45 p.m., Cai will begin the pole vault. She is one of 17 in the field. The competition will continue until only one remains.
 
This is the first of two straight years that the meet will be hosted by Grand Valley State. It also was the venue for nationals in 2014 and 2015.
 
KEEPING TRACK OF THE ACTION
Live coverage of the meet will be available all week. The appropriate video links can be found at the top of this story. Note that each of the three days has its own link. The live results link also is at the top of this story. That same link will work for all three days.
 
MIDWEST VENUE, NORTHWEST WEATHER
They might be 2,100 miles away from SPU, but chances are that Scout Cai and Dania Holmberg will feel right at home when it comes to the weather conditions in which they'll compete. Thursday's forecast calls for partly sunny with the possibility of an afternoon shower and temperatures in the mid 60s. Neither one will be in action on Friday when rain is likely and temps no higher than the mid 50s.
 
For the 1500 meters final on Saturday, it's expected to be clear and sunny, with highs pushing toward the upper 60s.
 
SCOUTING REPORT
Twice this season, Dania Holmberg posted personal-best times in the 1500 meters – and essentially, she did it running by herself. The first one was as 4:29.73 on April 30 in Spokane. She won by nearly eight seconds. The second one was 4:27.31 at the GNAC Championships on May 15 in Monmouth, Oregon. She won by 10 seconds.
 
 

Imagine the possibilities when she has some competition with which to contend. Holmberg will have plenty of it on Thursday. As the 16^th and final entrant in the field, there are 15 others who have gone anywhere from a few hundredths to almost 10 seconds faster – and she's eager to go chasing after them in pursuit of one of the 12 spots available for Saturday's final.
 
Holmberg is in the first of two heats. Among the other seven in that heat is No. 1 seed Stefanie Parsons, a sophomore from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She comes in at 4:17.76, one of two sub-4:20s in the meet. (Natalia Novak, a junior from Academy of Art in San Francisco, is in Heat 2 with her 4:18.60.) Aside from the 4:20.95 of Celine Ritter from Lee University in Tennessee, all of the other times in the first heat range from 4:23.37 to Holmberg's 4:27.31.
 
 

Scout Cai comes into the pole vault with the No. 16 seed off her clearance of 13 feet, 3 inches at the Buc Scoring Invitational on April 30. Prior to that day, she had never gotten over a 13-footer – and then did it twice within a matter of minutes. Her first one was 13-2½, which gave her the Great Northwest Athletic Conference record, followed by the 13-3.
 
The top seed is Virgi Scardanzan of Washburn in Kansas. At 14 feet, 3¼ inches, one might think she would be the big favorite. But right behind her is fellow sophomore Journey Gurley of North Georgia, who comes in at 14-2½.
 
It likely won't take a 14 to snag a top-8 podium spot. But it could take well into the 13s. The No. 8 entry mark is 13-6½ by Morgan England of Findlay (Ohio).
 
It's a noticeable step up quality across the country this year. In 2019, Cai made that podium at 12-8¾. The winning height was 14-0½, and 13-0 ¾ was good for the next four spots. This year, 12-8 ¾ was 33^rd on the national list, and it took a 13-2¼ just to get squeeze into NCAAs.

FALCON QUALIFIERS

SCOUT CAI
Pole vault (No. 16 seed; 13-3 / 4.04m     PR: 13-3 / 4.04m (4/30/2021)
Year – Senior.
Hometown – Colfax, Wash. (Colfax HS).
Major – Exercise science.   Postgrad: Physical therapy.
How she made the NCAAs – Got onto the provisional qualifying list at the season-opening PLU Open on March 6 in Tacoma, clearing 12 feet, 11½ inches. … Improved that to 13-3 at the Buc Scoring Invitational on April 30 in Spokane.
Previous national appearances – Outdoor track: 2 (7^th in heptathlon, 8^th in pole vault in 2019; 9^th in heptathlon in 2018).  Indoor track: 2 (17^th in pole vault, DNF in heptathlon in 2019; 5^th in pentathlon, tie 16^th in pole vault in 2018).
Storylines – Her 2019 NCAA podium finish was with a mark of 12 feet, 8¾ inches. … Had never cleared a 13-footer until doing it twice just minutes apart on April 30 in Spokane, going 13-2½, then 13-3. In essence, both of them were Great Northwest Athletic Conference records. The old mark had been 13-1¾, set in 2017. … Won her second straight GNAC outdoor pole vault title on May 15, clearing 12-3½. … During her career, has done 10 of the 18 individual events on the outdoor list. Also did 7 of the 14 on the indoor list.
 

DANIA HOLMBERG
1500 (No. 16 seed, 4:27.31)   PR: 4:27.31 (5/15/2021)
Year – Senior.
Hometown – Eagle, Idaho (Eagle HS).
Major – Psychology.
How she made the NCAAs – Posted a provisional qualifying time of 4:29.73 at the Buc Scoring Invitational on April 30 in Spokane. … Lowered that to 4:27.31 in winning the GNAC championship on May 15.
Previous national appearances – Outdoor track: 1 (18^th in the 1500, 18^th in the 5000 in 2019).  Indoor track: 1 (Accepted for the 3000 and 5000 in 2020, but meet was canceled because of coronavirus).  Cross country: 2 (No. 1 for SPU, No. 21 overall in 2019; No. 5 for SPU, No. 176 overall in 2018).
Storylines – Also made the NCAA provisional qualifying list in the 5000 meters. … Won her first two GNAC titles within a few hours of each other on May 15, first taking the 1500 meters and then the 5000. … Ran the 1500 five times this spring, and won all five, going from her season-opening time of 4:41.15 all the way down to her current time of 4:27.31. … Her winning margins in those five races have been 10, 10, 8, 11, and 10 seconds. … Won two of her three races in the 5000 and one of her two in the 800. … Holmberg's 2019 time in the 1500 at nationals was 4:46.26.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- This will be the 39^th straight year that Seattle Pacific has sent at least one qualifier to the NCAA women's meet. That streak began in 1982.
-- In the 38 NCAAs prior to this one, the Falcons have scored team points in 37 of them. The one exception was 2017.
-- Seattle Pacific tallied seven points in the 2019 meet, good for 32^nd place among 67 teams.
-- The Falcons have enjoyed some success in the previous two meets at Grand Valley State. In 2014, McKayla Fricker won the 800 meters, Lynelle Decker was 14^th in that race, and the 4-by-400 relay finished 12^th. In 2015, Decker moved to an All-American 7^th in the 800, and Anna Patti placed 19^th in the 5000 meters.
-- This will be fifth nationals for both Scout Cai and Dania Holmberg. All of Cai's have been in track (three outdoors, two indoors).Holmberg is making her second appearance outdoors and also has raced twice at cross country nationals.
-- Holmberg's fifth nationals would have been the 2020 NCAA indoor meet, as she was accepted for the 3000 and 5000 meters. Holmberg was actually inside The CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama the day before the meet when it was canceled because of the coronavirus.
 
CAI, HOLMBERG LEAD ALL-REGION PICKS
Not only are they going to nationals, but Scout Cai and Dania Holmberg also led the way for Seattle Pacific's All-West Region selections, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
Cai had the second-best mark in the pole vault. Holmberg was No. 2 in the 1500 and No. 3 in the 5000.
 
SPU senior Renick Meyer joined Holmberg as a double nominee, having the No. 4 marks in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.
 
Senior Kate Lilly earned a place on the team with the fourth-best time in the 3000 steeplechase. Freshman Ellie Rising made it with the fourth-fastest time in the 800 meters.
 
Sophomore David Njeri was part of the men's All-Region team. He ranked No. 3 in the triple jump.
 
The regional awards are presented to the top five in each individual event, and to the top three relays.
 
18 FALCONS MAKE THE GNAC GRADE
Led by fourth-time honorees Scout Cai and Kate Lilly, Seattle Pacific placed 18 athletes – 12 women and six men – onto the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic track and field team.
 
Included in that group are seven athletes – Grace Bley, Dania Holmberg, Kellie May, Renick Meyer, Julia Stepper, Elizabeth Thompson, and Elius Graff – who earned their third All-Academic award. All are seniors.
 
Madison Licari, Emily Northey, Kelsey Washenberger, and Brayden Schultz are on the team for the second time. Making it for the first time are Brad Bowman, J.R. Hentges, David Njeri, Jared Putney, and Libby Michael.
 
Nominees must have a grade-point average of 3.20 or higher to be on the team.