SEATTLE – This week in Seattle Pacific University Athletics, the SPU men's basketball team competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in Bellingham, Wash., outdoor track & field competes in its first meet, and women's rowing opens its season on Saturday.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
March 5 – 7:30 p.m.
vs. #4 Central Washington – watch – live stats – tickets – GNAC Championships Info
 
March 6 – 7:30 p.m.
vs. #1 Saint Martin's – watch – live stats – tickets – GNAC Championships Info
 
March 7 – 7:30 p.m.
GNAC Championship Final – watch – live stats – tickets – GNAC Championships Info
 
FROM THE COACH
"March is such a fun time for basketball fans," head coach Keffrey Fazio said. "This time of the year is all about having urgency in the moment. Everyone knows each other well, so the team that plays the hardest and stays together the longest has a great chance to come out on top. It's a new season. Everyone is 0-0. For us, GNACs are at the forefront of our minds, but the NCAAs are also a possibility. I think if we could win two, we'd be in. If we only win one, we would need some help. Our guys know this. Excited to see what we can do."
 
ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The Falcons secured their spot in the GNAC Championships with an 87-85 victory over Montana State University Billings last Saturday.
  • The Falcons went 30-for-52 (57.7 percent) from the field for the game, including an 11-for-20 (55 percent) performance from 3-point range.
  • Henry Sandberg went 8-for-13 from the floor on his way to leading the Falcons with 19 points.
  • Julian Mora scored 17 points, powered by three 3-pointers.
  • Grant Coleman scored 16 points while going 4-for-6 from 3-point range and tied with Theo McMillan for a team-high six rebounds.
  • Trace Evans scored 13 points while going 4-for-6 from the field, while grabbing five rebounds.
  • McMillan scored nine points and tied an MSUB player with a game-high nine assists, along with tying for a team-high in rebounds with six.
• The Falcons finished the regular season leading the GNAC in team field goal percentage, making 49.9 percent of their attempts this season.
  • They also lead the conference in 3-point field goal percentage, connecting on 40.1 percent of their attempts this season.
• McMillan leads the league in assists (5.6 pg), ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (53.9), and sixth in the conference in rebounding (6.5 pg).
• The Falcons have now advanced to 14 of 15 GNAC Championships since the tournament began in 2011
  • SPU owns the record with five GNAC Tournament Championships.
    • The Falcons three-peated from 2013-15 and took home titles in 2019 and 2025.

TRACK & FIELD
March 6-7
at The Ed Boitano Invitational

ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The Falcons last competed at the GNAC Indoor Championships on Feb 16-17, where they collected two individual championships and seven all-conference honors.
• Hannah Chang came through in the closest race of the weekend for the Falcons, winning the 60-meter hurdles by .01 with a time of 8.52.
  • Chang beat out Alaska Anchorage's Liv Heite for the conference championships.
  • Chang's time was a new personal best and a new program record in the 60-meter hurdles.
  • Chang's 8.52 ranks 16th nationally in NCAA DII this season.
• Tawaf Aboudou earned his first GNAC crown in the long jump with a leap of 23 04.50.
  • He became the third Falcon and first since 2007 to win the event at the indoor championships, joining Justin Felt (2007) and three-time gold medalist Chris Randolph (2004-06).
  • Aboudou had a strong performance in the triple jump, clearing 47-07.75 on his way to a second-place finish.
    • Aboudou earned a silver medal and All-Conference honors in the triple jump with a leap of 47-07.75.
  • He also earned a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.84 in the finals.
    • Aboudou was the top-point earner among male competitors at the GNAC Indoor Championships.
• Andrew Bell had an outstanding run in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking an 8.18 and earning a silver medal in the event.
• Maya Ewing took second place in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:24.14.
  • Teammate Anna Prussian took third in the same event, finishing with a time of 17:28.76.
• Mikel Saxon earned third place in the pole vault, clearing 14-09.00.
• The men's 4x400 relay team of Robert Joshua, Justin Brooks, Alex Venable, and Aboudou earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 3:20.38.
  • The men's 4x400 meter relay team set a new school record with a time of 3:20.48.

WOMEN'S ROWING
March 7 – 8:45 a.m.
at American Lake Sprints – live results

ABOUT THE FALCONS

• The Falcons open their season this weekend at the American Lake Sprints in Lakewood, Wash.
• Kenzie Waltar enters her first season as head coach of the Falcons.
• The Falcons return to the water after a solid 2025 season.
  • SPU qualified for NCAA Nationals for the fourth consecutive time last season.
  • The Varsity 8+ took fourth in the grand final, while the Varsity 4+ won the petite final.
  • The results led to a fourth-place finish for the Falcons at NCAA Nationals last season.
• Returners from the varsity 8+ squad include coxswain Aleksia Haugen, Amelia Pape, Emma Jones, Solanes Capps-Mace, Bella Lisenby, Grace Combs, and Gem Gatmaytan.
  • The Falcons' lone all-conference loss from last year was Audrey Rekedal.
• Back in the varsity 4+ boat for SPU are coxswain Lexi Roybal, Emmerson Spencer, and Brittan Dalberg. SPU is under new leadership this season.
• The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association announced its preseason poll on Feb. 11, with the Falcons selected in fourth place.
  • Embry-Riddle (FL) received five first place votes and owns the top spot in the poll.
  • GNAC members Cal Poly Humboldt and Western Washington are second and third.
  • The University of Central Oklahoma was slotted one spot behind the Falcons in fifth.
• The GNAC announced its Preseason Coaches Poll on Feb. 26, with the Falcons slotted for a third-place finish by the league's coaches.
  • Cal Poly Humboldt received all four first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll, totaling 16 points to top the rankings.
  • Western Washington was second in the poll with a dozen points.
  • Central Oklahoma is fourth with five points. 

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