FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Sarai Seekamp has been named Pacific's head track and field coach, Keith Buckley, Director of Athletics, announced Thursday.
 
"We are excited to welcome Coach Seekamp to the Boxer Nation," Buckley said. "Throughout the process, her student-focused coaching philosophy and enthusiasm for this opportunity at Pacific stood out. She is the right person to continue building our track and field program into the future."
 
Seekamp spent the past two seasons as the assistant coach for the Lewis & Clark track and field and cross country programs. 
 
"I have wanted to get back to a head coach position for a while. But it needed to be the right institution in the right place at the right time," Seekamp said. "And having spent a majority of my life in the Pacific Northwest. I really liked the idea of getting to stay in the Pacific Northwest and serving communities and athletes in an area that I love."
 
Seekamp has wanted to coach since she was a high school athlete in Walla Walla, Wash. 
 
"Like so many people, I had a really influential coach," said Seekamp of Eric Hisaw, the longtime track and field coach at Walla Walla High School. 
 
"Because of the positive experience and environment that was there, I fell in love with the sport and knew that's what I wanted to do."
 
After competing on the track and field team and earning her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in Education from the University of Portland, Seekamp spent five seasons as the head track and field coach at Jefferson High School in Portland.
 
At Jefferson, Seekamp expanded the track and field program from 20 athletes in 2018 to 115 in 2023. Under her leadership, Jefferson won a district title in the 4x100 women's relay, produced three top-eight finishers at the 2023 OSAA 6A State Championship, and broke 20 school records.
 
"I think it comes down to relationships. I think that's true of all things, whether it's sport or not, but specifically track and field," Seekamp said of her success at Jefferson. "Meeting athletes where they're at and treating them as whole human beings.
 
"I think everybody can learn how to coach track and field and learn how to coach the events of track and field, but not everybody is good at building the relationships. And really digging into what's going to make a student-athlete the best they possibly can be. And if you're able to do that and do that consistently and meaningfully listen to athletes and be able to respond to what they're asking for and what they need, you end up building a culture and a program that can't be anything other than successful, especially if it's given the resources to be."
 
At Lewis & Clark, where just last season the River Otters posted 48 combined top-10 performances in program history and set 10 school records, Seekamp was close enough to watch outgoing head coach Ryan Huntersimms build something at Pacific worth continuing.
 
"I want to highlight the amazing work that Ryan has already done," Seekamp said. "I hope that under me, Pacific can continue to look like a track and field program that enjoys what they do and is a space where athletes want to be and want to continue to come back to and have performance outcomes that the institution can be really proud of and be a leader, hopefully in performing really highly at the conference level, if not above that.
 
"I'm just really excited for the opportunity and to come in and be another support to an awesome institution that clearly cares about its student body and contribute to the academic and athletic environment and culture there."

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