The Seattle Pacific outdoor track and field team met thrice in California during the week between Friday, March 22, and Friday, March 29, while rowing hosted the Falcon Regatta down at Ship Canal in Seattle, Washington.
At the Falcon Regatta on March 23, SPU welcomed three other teams: the University of Washington Huskies, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos and the University of California Polytechnic Humboldt Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks were the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II champions in 2023. The Lumberjacks and the Bronchos scored second and third on the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s first national weekly poll.
The Falcons rowed eight races on Saturday, winning four: two in the Open 4+ races and two Varsity 4+ races. The Bronchos won both Varsity 8+ races, while the Huskies won both JV 8+. SPU’s 7:56.2 time for their first Varsity 4+ at 8:15 a.m. was especially noteworthy as the only 4+ of the day to finish under eight minutes. SPU’s second Varsity 4+ finish was 8:05.5, while their two Open 4+ finishes were 8:29.9 and 8:19.4.
SPU’s Open 4+ lineup comprised senior Lucy Sandahl, sophomore Racquel Wesley, junior Addie Clark, junior Mary Goodhew and sophomore Brittan Dalberg. The Varsity 4+ lineup had Clark, sophomore Alexia Haugen, freshman Emmerson Spencer, junior Emma Ely and senior Megan Rouse.
The day before, the track and field team met for the Mangrum Invitational in San Marcos, California. Senior jumper David Njeri placed first in the men’s triple jump with a distance of 48.5 feet, a personal best for Njeri. He also placed second in the men’s long jump with a distance of 22.81 feet. Njeri has previously won Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles for the men’s triple jump in 2022 and 2023.
Freshman hurdler and jumper Sophie Mock scored a personal best, with a distance of 17.73 feet in the women’s long jump, earning her fifth place. Junior pole vaulter Emily Thomason also scored a personal best, with a height of 12.21 feet and second place in the women’s pole vault.
Sophomore pentathlon/heptathlon runner Hannah Chang placed fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.79 seconds.
The next day, the track and field team visited San Diego for the Point Loma Nazarene University Invitational. Chang set a personal record in the 100-meter hurdles, running it in 14.37 seconds, winning first place by almost a full second. Junior sprinter Johanna Brown also scored a personal record with a 57.86-second finish in the women’s 400-meter dash, getting fourth place.
A week later, on Friday, March 29, track and field competed at the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California. Senior distance runner Annika Esvelt was the only Falcon competing, but she excelled at 16:18.94. This was the seventh-place finish in her section but was fourth place among all Division II schools that weekend.
The track and field team’s next meet is on Friday, April 5. They will host the Doris Heritage Invitational at Renton Memorial Stadium in Renton, Washington. Rowing’s next event is the Pioneer/Pilot Invitational in Vancouver, Washington on Saturday, April 6.
