Growth can come in many different forms, and Head Coach Tim Boyce hopes that those forms can translate into improved performances for the 2013 Pacific track and field program.
The numbers of the program keep growing, which is providing some good depth for a squad that lost a number of key scorers from the 2012 Northwest Conference Championships. “This year's roster is pretty young, but it shows in growth in every area,” Boyce said. “We have some areas where are numbers aren't as big as they have been in the past, but the quality of those groups is better, which will give us a better chance to score points at the end of the year.”
Where those numbers have grown will only strengthen the Boxers as they look to improve in their NWC finishes. Pacific appears strong in the sprint events and feature the largest throws corps that the squad has had in recent history. The Boxers lose some number in the hurdles, but appear ready to make up for that with talented newcomers.
Pacific will also look to improve in the distances, where the Boxers scored only one point last year. They should be helped by the infusion of some talented performers who had breakout performances during the cross country season.
Just as big of a change as the increased numbers is the increased practice time and competition that team has had entering the Mar. 2 opener at the Linfield Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker. Pacific officially fielded indoor track and field teams for the first time this winter, providing as many as four meets prior to taking their first strides outdoors. The increased schedule has paid dividends both in terms of training and morale.
“For one thing, it has broken up the training monotony,” Boyce said. “When you get opportunities to test yourself against outside competition, that gives you a realistic view of where you are in preparation for the season. We now have more time to spend with our athletes and we've seen them competitive situations, which will definitely help us going into the outdoor season.”
SPRINTS
Once a weak spot over the years, Pacific returns a lot of experience and scoring potential in the sprinting events. It is also one of the event areas that most benefited from the addition of indoor with nearly 20 athletes competing over the winter in events of 400 meters or shorter.
Kelli Aken-Pagdilao (Jr., Makakilo, Hawaii) tops the list after finishing third at the NWC Championships in the women's 100 meters, setting a new school record of 12.67 seconds in the process. She just missed making the conference finals in the 200 meters and played a key role on both the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams.
Emily Tuffey (So., Valencia, Calif.) is expected to be a top contributor in the 200 meters and 400 meters after a solid winter of training. She ran 28.39 seconds for 200 meters and the team's top time of 1:05.32 at 400 meters during the indoor season. Hayley Palmer (So., Sisters, Ore.) qualified for last year's NWC Championships in both the 100 and 200 meters, just missing the finals in both events. Palmer's season best of 27.09 seconds is fifth fastest in school history.
Among the newcomers, Alexis Damo (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) has the biggest chance for an immediate impact. Damo qualified for the Hawaii state championships in all the 100, 200 and 400 meters and owns a personal best in the 400 meters under 60 seconds. She ran a best of 27.65 seconds at 200 meters during the indoor season.
For the men, the Boxers are hoping that a healthy Michael Zane (So., Honolulu, Hawaii) will lead the squad. Zane's time of 11.03 seconds in the 100 meters was Pacific's second fastest in over 30 years and would have won the NWC Championships, but an injury kept him out of the lineup after March. “We have taken a conservative to his training, but everything looks good so far,” Boyce said. “If he is 100 percent or close to it, he will be one of the top sprinters in the NWC.”
Sean Valente (Jr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii) qualified for the NWC Championship in both the 200 and 400 meters, placing sixth in the 400 meters in a lifetime best 50.80 seconds. He also ran the leadoff leg of the Boxers' 1,600-meter relay team. Vince Mull (Sr., Beaverton, Ore.) hopes to make a return to the 100-meter final after working through hamstring injuries. Mull qualified in the 100 meters last year and placed fourth at the 2011 NWC Championships.
Matthew Dodier (So., Portland, Ore.) and Spencer Wilson (So, La Pine, Ore.) are also returning conference meet qualifiers and have shown growth over the winter. Wilson qualified in both the 200 and 400 meters and ran season bests of 23.21 seconds and 51.45 seconds, respectively. Dodier qualified in the 100 meters and ran a season best of 11.39 seconds in the preliminary heats.
Newcomers Hayden England (Fr., Creswell, Ore.) and Conner Pappas (Fr., Heppner, Ore.) both have the potential to be impact sprinters in their first season. Pappas was a Oregon 2A state meet placer in 2012 in both the 100 and 200 meters while England owns a lifetime best of 11.21 seconds in the 100 meters. Both made appearances for the Boxers during the indoor season. Stefan Lemak (Fr., Los Altos, Calif.) will also contribute with a lifetime best of 51.02 seconds in the 400 meters.
DISTANCES
With the talent the Boxers had in the distances, their finish during the 2012 season was a disappointment. The Boxers scored just one point in running events over 400 meters at last year's NWC Championships, and will need more scorers in those events if they want to move up in the conference standings.
After a tremendous cross country season, Tyler Shipley (Fr., Forest Grove, Ore.) stands poised to lead that charge. Shipley qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in the fall after earning All-West Region and Second Team All-NWC honors. During the indoor season, Shipley ran a lifetime best of 8:42.68 for 3,000 meters. He is expected to concentrate on the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
Dan Flora (Sr., North Bend, Ore.) hopes to end his Pacific career on a high note. A Second Team All-NWC and All-West Region performer in cross country in 2011, Flora qualified for last year's NWC Track Championships in the 10,000 meters. Rudy Sanchez (Jr., Albany, Ore.) continues to improve after missing much of the 2011-12 seasons to injury and has a chance to qualify for conference in the 10,000 meters.
Like Shipley, Rachel Schreiber (So., Longmont, Colo.) is coming off her own nationals trip in cross country. Schreiber earned All-West Region honors and finished with the fourth fastest time in Pacific history at 6,000 meters. On the track, Schreiber owned the Boxers fastest time last year in the 5,000 meters of 18:47.90, but missed much of the season due to injuries.
Jilinda Franklin (Sr., Fort Jones, Calif.), Ally Shackelford (Jr., Portland, Ore.) and Kiersten Iwai (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) will all aim for a return trip to the conference meet. Franklin just missed placing in the 10,000 meters, finishing ninth with her season best of 40:40.96. Iwai and Shackelford also competed in the 10,000 meters. Sidney Davis (Fr., Redmond, Ore.) and Schreiber are expected to concentrate in the 1,500 meters and 5,000 meters.
HURDLES
Michael Hunker (Sr., Cornelius, Ore.) returns with the chance to finally win the NWC championship that he came so close to in 2012. An All-NWC performer in both hurdles disciplines, Hunker was out-leaned at the finish in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. He finished with the NWC's second fastest time in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.86 seconds and the third best in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.51 seconds.
“Michael is certainly geared up for a strong senior season,” Boyce said. “He has looked as good at the early stage of the spring as he ever has, so we are excited to see his development.”
The Pacific men will once again benefit from some depth in the hurdles events. Daniel Wagner (So., Kailua, Hawaii) placed seventh at the NWC Championships as a freshman and owned a season best of 15.71 seconds. He also qualified for conference in the 400-meter hurdles. Ted Wogan (So., Klamath Falls, Ore.) placed seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at the conference meet and will compete in both distances while training for the decathlon. Nate Farrell (Fr., Warrenton, Ore.) comes to Pacific after winning the Oregon 2A state title in the 110-meter hurdles and finishing second in the 300-meter intermediates.
Thirteen of the Boxers' 43 points in the women's team competition came in the hurdles, but will look to a new crop of athletes to keep Pacific's presence strong. Chloe Hallyburton (Sr., Dayton, Ore.) will look return after qualifying for the conference meet in the 400-meter hurdles. Her season best of 1:09.41 just missed advancing to the finals.
Cyan Agena (So., Kapolei, Hawaii), Dannika Sullivan (Fr., Portland, Ore.) and Stephanie Anderson (Fr., Marysville, Calif.) are expected to have impact early. Agena will compete for Pacific in the hurdles for the first time after missing the 2012 season with injuries. Sullivan could be an early favorite in the 400-meter hurdles after placing seventh in the Oregon 5A high school championships in the 300 intermediates. Anderson will add depth for the Boxers in the 100-meter hurdles.
JUMPS
There is potential for Pacific to score their most men's points in 2013 in the jumps, where the Boxers return top performers all in three disciplines. Kelson Kawai (Jr., North Kohala, Hawaii) qualified in all three events, placing third in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump. The indoor season showed some great growth, with Kawai equaling his Pacific best of 6 feet, 4.75 inches at the Feb. 17 Pilot Indoor. His best of 6 feet, 4 inches last year was third best in the NWC.
Trey Oshiro-Atabay (So., Aiea, Hawaii) placed fifth at the NWC Championships in the long jump and owned Pacific's best mark of the season at 21 feet, 7.25 inches. In addition to the long and triple jumps, Oshiro-Atabay will compete in the sprint events.
Jeremy Parkinson (Fr., Hubbard, Ore.) has already adjusted to college track well. A prep state placer in both the long jump and triple jump, Parkinson was also a consistent high jumper who consistently cleared 5 feet, 10 inches. He eclipsed the mark during the indoor season, clearing 5 feet, 10.75 inches at the Vandal Collegiate.
Budweiser Hawkins (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) comes to Pacific with prep bests of 6 feet, 7 inches in the high jump and 21 feet, 11.75 inches in the long jump. While in shape after playing basketball for the Boxers, he has not competed in track since high school.
For the women, Hallyburton and Mackenzie Huddleston (Fr., Milwaukie, Ore.) will lead the Boxers in the high jump. Hallyburton placed fourth at last year's NWC Championships, clearing a lifetime best height of 5 feet, 1 inch. Huddleston was an all-league high jumper in high school and has a lifetime best of 5 feet, 4 inches.
Roberta Kelley (Jr., Warrenton, Ore.) will be the Boxers' main returner in the horizontal jumps. She qualified for the NWC Championships in the triple jump and led the team with a mark of 32 feet, 3.5 inches. McKenna Davidson (Fr., Kailua-Kona, Hawaii) will add look to contribute in the long jump after playing a starter for the Pacific women's soccer team. Davidson had a prep personal best of 16 feet, 10.75 inches in the event.
Both of Pacific's women's pole vaulters stand a chance at the school record from the outset of the season. Britta LaVoie (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) was a three-time Washington 3A state placer, finishing third in 2011 with a personal best of 11 feet. Shina Chung (Fr., Hilo, Hawaii) was a three-time conference champion and two-time Hawaii state placer and comes to Pacific with a best of 10 feet, 7 inches.
Pacific's male vaulters will compete as they prepare for the decathlon. Wogan appears to be the Boxers' top performer, having cleared 11 feet, 7.75 inches in 2012.
THROWS
Boyce is excited by the potential the Boxers have in the throws with return of a great deal of quality and depth. “We have had big boosts in numbers in both the men's and women's throws,” Boyce said. “We have a lot of freshmen in both groups, which gives us some nice quality and depth in those events.”
Aaron Koford (Jr., Wilsonville, Ore.) returns as one of the top discus throwers in the conference, placing eighth at the NWC Championships and finishing with a season best of 131 feet, 8 inches. Travis George (Jr., Grants Pass, Ore.) just missed placing in both the discus and hammer at the conference meet. His season best of 144 feet, 9 inches in the hammer is the fourth best in school history.
Jesse Bethke (So., Cave Junction, Ore.) returns for his second season and will see action in the shot put, hammer and discus, while Taylor Hickson (So., Red Bluff, Calif.) returns after a season off as the Boxers' lone men's javelin thrower.
Three freshmen, Tim Claussen (Fr., Yamhill, Ore.), Will Ulrich (Fr., Lake Elsinore, Calif.) and James Peckham (Fr., Everett, Wash.) will contribute in the shot, discus and hammer. Claussen was a Oregon 4A state meet qualifier in the discus as a senior with a lifetime best of 147 feet, 6 inches. Ulrich had the Boxers' top mark in the shot put during the indoor season with a best of 42 feet, 1.25 inches.
The women's throws will benefit from the return of Julia Naumes (Jr., Ashland, Ore.), who did not compete in 2012. Naumes qualified for the 2011 NWC Championships in the discus, shot put and hammer. Anna Toyas (Jr., Seaside, Ore.) placed seventh in the 2012 championships in the javelin and made tremendous growth in the event as a sophomore.
Among the newcomers, Sara Davidson (Fr., St. Paul, Ore.), Kylie Yamada (Fr., Pukalani, Hawaii), Shannon Johnson (So., Spokane, Wash.) and Huddleston are all expected to have chances for qualifying marks. Davidson was a two-time Oregon 1A state meet placer in both the shot put and discus and had a best of 32 feet, 10.25 inches in the shot during the indoor season. Yamada qualified for the Hawaii state meet in the shot put and owns bests of 35 feet, 6.5 inches in the shot put and 102 feet, 9 inches in the discus.
Johnson and Huddleston will concentrate in the javelin. Johnson placed second in the 2010 Washington 4A state meet and owns a best of 138 feet, 5 inches. Huddleston was a two-time all-conference prep performer in the event.
