The good news is that the Seattle Pacific University women's volleyball team
earned an NCAA playoff bid for the second year in a row. What concerns Coach
Kellie
Radloff is trying to replace four of her six starters in 2002.
SPU went 20-8 to take second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
behind
Western Washington. In the regional tournament, the Falcons were eliminated
by
defending national champion Hawaii Pacific.
Leah Wiiest, who was later voted to the all-region team, and Leilani
Kamahoahoa,
the career leaders in both kills and digs, are among the graduating seniors.
Cathleen Price, the GNAC newcomer of the year, and setter Katy Higgins
promise
to form the nucleus of next year's squad.
This fall, Nathanael Castle became the first SPU cross country runner to
qualify
for the NCAA Championships. The women's team, plagued all autumn by
injuries,
failed to qualify for nationals for only the second time in the last eight
years.
In soccer, the men's team narrowly missed the playoffs despite fielding a
starting
lineup that featured seven freshmen and sophomores. It was the first time
the
Falcons (10-8-1) were excluded from the postseason since 1989. Next season
nine
starters will be back as Cliff McCrath has an opportunity to become college
soccer's
all-time leader in coaching wins.
The first-year women's soccer team finished 8-10-1 and entered the final day
of
the season with a chance to clinch the GNAC championship before falling to
Western
Oregon 2-1 in overtime. Coach Bobby Bruch loses two of his top players,
defender
Erin Roberts and striker Andrea Larsen, to graduation. All-conference
midfielder
Michelle Sanders is due to return.
Homecoming Weekend offers a great chance to see two nationally ranked
basketball
teams. Both the Seattle Pacific University women's (11-2) and men's (12-1)
teams
got off to fantastic starts and were ranked among the top 10 programs in
NCAA Division II.
The Falcon men reeled off 12 consecutive victories, including a
double-overtime,
101-100 verdict at Central Washington. The Wildcats will be the opponent for
the
Homecoming game February 2.
Unlike the past few years when the Falcons scored points aplenty, SPU is
concentrating
on defense and rates among the national leaders, allowing just 63.4 points
per game.
Newcomer Yusef Aziz and senior guard Nick Johnson lead a balanced offense.
The Seattle Pacific women continue to emphasize scoring and surpassed 100
points
in four straight early-season games. Kelley Berglund, a transfer from
Washington
State, has led the team in both scoring and rebounding through mid-January.
The
Falcons will try to avenge their only loss when Northwest Nazarene visits
January 31.
SPU's squad will then take on St. Martin's during the Homecoming
doubleheader on
February 2.
Gyongyver "Gus" Balogh, who graduated in 2001 after leading the team to a
conference
title, has been named a finalist for the 2001 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sports
Star of the Year. Balogh was conference player of the year and first-team
academic
All-America. Past winners of the award include SPU coaches Doris Heritage
and
Cliff McCrath.
Seattle Pacific University gymnastics hosts the first of three consecutive
home
meets January 18 in Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons are coming off a
third-place
national finish in 2001, and school record-holder Alison Siegel-McAfee
headlines
the cast of returnees. SPU hosts San Jose State at 8 p.m. on Homecoming
Saturday,
February 2.
In track and field, Seattle Pacific initiated indoor meets January 12, with
outdoor
action starting March 2. The Falcons are two-time defending women's
conference
champions and should be even stronger with the return of two 2001 redshirts,
All-Americans Laura Widman and Jennifer Pyeatt.
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