SEATTLE - This week in Seattle Pacific University Athletics, men's and women's basketball open their seasons on the road, women's volleyball plays its final home weekend of the regular season, and men's soccer hosts an NCAA Tournament match against Regis on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Nov. 14 - 3:00 p.m.
vs. Regis - live stats - watch - NCAA Championship Info
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FROM THE COACH
"The boys have been amazing all year long," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "Saturday was a special day and I thought we put together a great performance to earn this opportunity to host and compete in the NCAA tourney. That's something we should be proud of, but we also recognize there's a lot more in front of us. We've worked all season to put ourselves in this position, and now it's about making the most of the opportunity we've earned. This group is motivated to take the next step as a program and we are all excited for what's ahead."
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ABOUT THE FALCONS

• For the second consecutive season and the 38th time in program history, the Falcons will play in the NCAA National Tournament, starting with a second-round match against Regis on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Interbay Soccer Stadium. ​
• Last weekend, the Falcons won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament by defeating Simon Fraser 2-0 in last Thursday's semifinals before taking out Western Oregon 3-1 in last Saturday's Championship match.
  • Owen Swartout played a role in all three of the Falcons' goals, scoring the first two before assisting on the third on his way to being named the GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player.
  • Swartout led a group that included Harper Sabari, Lucas Witthauer, JP Guzman, Brady Reed, Victor Cabanas, and Kasey Toevs on the GNAC All-Tournament team.
• Cabanas was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection on Nov. 4.
  • Cabanas was joined by Guzman, Judah Straight, and Rafael Lucio as unanimous First Team All-GNAC selections.
  • SPU had four more All-GNAC selections, including Second Team members Isaac Ketcham, Kasey Toevs, and Willem Ficek. 
  • David Ochoa joined the All-Conference honorees as a GNAC Honorable Mention this season.
• The Falcons helped Sakuda earn his third GNAC Coach of the Year award in 2026.
  • He has guided the Falcons to a 17-3-1 record going into the NCAA Tournament.
  • 17 wins are the most in a single season since 1993, when Cliff McCrath led the Falcons to an 18-2-1 record.
  • SPU finished the 1993 season as the NCAA DII National Champions.
• ​In 2026, the Falcons led the GNAC with 53 goals scored for an average of 2.524 goals per game.
  • 53 goals are tied for second in the country this season.
  • SPU leads the GNAC and ranks fourth in the country with 148 points scored in 2026.
• Defensively, the Falcons have allowed only 21 goals this season, the fewest in the conference.
  • The Falcons are tied for fifth in the country with a goal differential of 32 this season.​

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Nov. 12 - 7:00 p.m.
vs. Alaska Fairbanks - watch - live stats - tickets
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Saturday, Nov. 14 - 2:00 p.m.
vs. Alaska Anchorage - watch - live stats - tickets
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FROM THE COACH
"We are excited for our seniors to finish their GNAC careers at home so that we can fully celebrate them and all their contributions to our program," head coach Jason Rhine said. "Sophia, Avery, and Christina represent a special class to me because they are the first 3 recruits that started at SPU after I arrived, and they are my first class to go from freshman all the way through senior year.  Beyond their contributions on the court in practices and games, we have spent a lot of time together over the past four years, and I have had the privilege of getting to know each of our seniors and how they are unique and the different strengths that they bring to our team and also to their friends and families and jobs outside of SPU.  Avery, Christina, and Sophia will all be missed in our program, but we are also excited for what's next for them. In the meantime, we look forward to competing hard together to finish the season and celebrating each of them in small ways throughout this week and especially on senior day on Saturday."
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ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The Falcons are 17-7 going into the final weekend of the regular season.
• SPU's 12-4 conference record has them tied for third place with Alaska Anchorage in the GNAC standings.
• Seattle Pacific ranks third in the GNAC in points, averaging 17.02 per set.
  • Megan Omlid ranks sixth in points at 3.55 per set, while Amaya Evans is in eighth at 3.39.
• The Falcons rank third in hitting percentage at .234, with 1,184 kills, 411 errors, and 3,308 attempts.
  • Audra Rose is fifth in the GNAC in hitting percentage at .315, and Evans is sixth at .307.
• Seattle Pacific is second in the conference in assists, averaging 12.21 per set.
  • Peyton Ensign ranks fourth in assists, averaging 7.77 per set, with 699 for the season.
• The Falcons are third in kills at 13.16 per set (1,184).
  • Omlid ranks eighth in kills at 3.11 per set (252), followed by Evans in ninth (2.98, 268).
• Seattle Pacific ranks fifth in blocks, averaging 2.18 per set with 196.0 total.
  • Rose is seventh in blocks at 1.03 per set; Brooke Williams is 11th at 0.95.
• Lopez is fifth in digs, averaging 4.19 per set (377), and Omlid is 16th at 2.81 (228).

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, Nov. 13 - 3:00 p.m.
at Cal Poly Pomona - watch - live stats
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Saturday, Nov. 14 - 3:00 p.m.
at Chico State - watch - live stats
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FROM THE COACH
"We are excited to officially begin our season," head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "This group has been working hard, and we are excited for the opportunity to see who we are at this time of the year. We get to play two really good opponents in the region. Teams that are usually NCAA tournament qualifiers. November is a very interesting time in college basketball these days, so we hope we can execute our game plan, trust our process, and compete together."
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ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The GNAC announced its Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 15, with the league's coaches ranking the Falcons eighth.
• SPU is coming off a 14-12 regular season in 2025-26.
  • The Falcons beat fourth-ranked Point Loma 80-73 at Royal Brougham on Nov. 29 and advanced to the GNAC Championships last season.
  • Off the court, the Falcons won the GNAC Team Academic Championship and placed eight players on the GNAC All-Academic Team.
• Nine players return from last season's roster, led by senior guard Theo McMillan, who was named to the GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team on Oct. 20.
  • He averaged 9.4 points per game, shot 53.2 percent from the field, and made 50.0 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2025-26.
  • McMillan also pulled down 6.4 rebounds and dished out 5.6 assists per game, leading SPU in both categories.
  • He led the conference in assists per game and ranked fifth in rebounding, making him the only player in the league's top five in both categories.
• McMillan leads the group of returners that includes Connor Drinkwine, David Zachman, Cole Holum, Brant Heppner, Aengus Sutherland, Yoav Ziklik, Sebastian Arius and Nirvaan Misra.
  • Drinkwine gave the Falcons a perimeter threat, shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from the 3-point range (28-for-74) last season.
  • Last season, Heppner averaged 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game.
• Fazio added eight Pacific Northwest natives in the 2026 signing class, five first-year student-athletes and three transfers. 
  • Brandon Tagle, Josiah Bowman, Jackson Whitaker, Lucas Stevens, and Ryder Zanon will get their first experience in collegiate basketball this season. 
  • Will Landram, Logan Stempniak, and Malcolm Clark join the Falcons as transfers for 2026-27.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, Nov. 13 - 5:00 p.m.
at Cal State LA - watch - live stats
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Saturday, Nov. 14 - 1:00 p.m.
at Dominguez Hills - watch - live stats
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FROM THE COACH
"I am really looking forward to playing against other DII teams," head coach Karen Byers said. "Both teams we play have aggressive guards, which we have been preparing for, and I am excited to see how we compete in that environment. It's going to be a fast-paced game, and we are all about that."
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ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The GNAC announced its Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 16, with the Falcons slotted for a ninth finish by the league's coaches.
• Layne Kearns was named to the GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team on Oct. 22.
  • She averaged 12.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2025-26, up from 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds the year before.
  • Kearns set a career high with 32 points against Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 24, going 14-for-18 from the free-throw line.
  • Last season, she was named GNAC Honorable Mention and earned GNAC All-Academic honors for the second time.
• Kearns leads a veteran core of returners that includes Haylie-Anne Ohta, Naomi Hotchkiss, Grace Mertes, Grace Turley, and Emma Voellger.
  • Ohta averaged 6.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while logging 33.2 minutes per contest.
  • Hotchkiss appeared in 27 games with nine starts during her first season at SPU in 2025-26, averaging 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game.
• Byers welcomes three newcomers to the program: Tessa Orcutt,  Finley Wichers, and Natalie Durbin.
  • Orcutt arrives from Borah High School in Boise, Idaho, where she earned All-State honors as a freshman and sophomore and helped her teams reach the state semifinals in all four seasons.
  • Wichers comes from Edmonds-Woodway High School, where she earned WESCO South Second Team All-Conference recognition as a junior and senior.
  • Durbin returns to the Seattle area after competing at the University of San Diego.

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