2008 Track & Field Season Preview
The
first six weeks of training for the Pacific track and field program has
been like test-driving a new car.
Everyone's kicking the tires, getting the feel of the new mats and hurdles, testing the smooth surface of the new Lincoln Park Stadium track and having a getting-to-know-you session with 22 new athletes and three new coaches. Everything is certainly new for the Boxers and nobody could be happier.
"We feel like we have a place where we belong," said first year head coach Tim Boyce. "Everything we have new is brand new. Every hurdle, every jumping pit, every rake and shovel. There is a feeling of newness and excitement."
The new facility has certainly helped expand the roster, which totaled 33 athletes entering the Boxers' first meet on March 1. With the expanded roster comes an expanded base of events the Boxers will have potential to excel in. The jumpers, pole vaulters and hurdlers that have been notably absent from past Pacific teams are here, and in force.
Along with the events come a coaching staff that has doubled in size. In addition to Boyce and returning throws coach Andrea Bulat, the Boxers welcome sprint and hurdles coach Brandon Holliday, a former Oregon standout, and vaults coach Nicole Irons, who was a NAIA All-American in the event at Southern Oregon.
On the track, the Boxers will still depend on a core of athletes that have been stalwarts in the Pacific program over the years. Cross country All-American Kelsey Owens (Jr., Tacoma, Wash.) and long distance standout Caitlyn Tateishi (Sr., Pahoa, Hawaii) lead the women's returners. Sprint and long jump specialist Reggie Torres (Jr., Kahuku, Hawaii) and thrower Bobby Larkins (Jr., Forest Grove, Ore.) lead the returning conference scorers on the men's side.
Boyce is confident that the presence of the facility, adjacent to the Pacific Athletic Center, is the first step in creating a Pacific program built to compete. "We have been able to be much more effective with our practice time because the track is right outside our athletic center as opposed to practicing a mile away," Boyce said. "I think that has helped in the turnout that we have. We have been able to train our athletes much more effectively."
MEN
Torres will be the anchor for the Pacific sprint corps and is also expected
to qualify for the NWC Championships in the long jump. Torres just miss
the conference finals in both the 100 and 200 meters, running season bests
of 11.53 seconds and 23.41 seconds. He also just missed scoring in the
long jump, placing ninth with a mark of 20 feet, 3 inches. "Reggie has
shown some great improvement and in early practices looks to be our top
short sprinter," Boyce said.
Nathan Gilpin (Fr., Oregon City, Ore.) and Avery Neal (Fr., Los Alamos, N.M.) figure to help the Boxers in the sprints. Gilpin ran at the Oregon state meet in 2007 as part of a 4x400-meter relay team, while Neal brings a great deal of speed from his first year of Pacific soccer in the fall.
Eric Coats (Fr., Powell Butte, Ore.) leads four cross country runners who will be most effective on the track in the middle distances. Coats enters with the best credentials, having helped win a 4x400-meter relay state title at Grant Union (Ore.) High School. Steve Stoller (So., Canby, Ore.) will move up from the short distances to concentrate in 400 and 800. David Maile (So., Kaimuki, Hawaii) and Shawn Leon-Guerrero (Jr., Hawaii Kai, Hawaii) will compete in the 1,500 meters.
Adrian Shipley (Jr., Forest Grove, Ore.) is expected to be a key factor in the long distances despite not having ran competitively for 10 months. Shipley has shown great promise for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and potentially the steeplechase after running the event in last year's conference meet. "He is much better shape than last year," Boyce said, "even though he didn't run for us in the fall. His early workouts indicate he could run personal bests in anything he enters."
Casey Nishimura (So., Hawaii Kai, Hawaii) will also be competitive for the Boxers at 1,500 meters after finishing as one of the Boxers' top runners during the cross country season.
In the hurdles, Pacific will utilize a pair of experienced athletes in Jamison Soupir (Fr., Prairie City, Ore.) and Tony Lam (Fr., Portland, Ore.). Soupir was a conference champion in high school in the 300-meter hurdles and will race in both the short and long events. Lam is a strong candidate to qualify for the conference meet after running 41.96 seconds in the 300-meter distance in high school.
In
the field events, Boyce believes that Pacific will be strongest in the
jumps, a discipline where the Boxers have been noticeably absent over the
years. Carson Bartlett (Fr., St. Helens, Ore.) enters as a potential conference
champion in all three jumps. Bartlett won the Oregon 5A state titles last
year in the long jump and triple jump and finished second in the high jump.
Torres will likely qualify for conference again and Alex Nguyen (Fr., Hillsboro,
Ore.) will provide solid depth in the long jump and triple jump.
John Fredericks (Fr., Forest Grove, Ore.) will become Pacific's first male pole vaulter in three years. Fredericks was a district placer in high school with a personal best of 13 feet.
Larkins, meanwhile, expects to return to the conference championships after placing in both the shot put and discus. Larkins placed fifth in the shot put at last year's NWC meet and seventh in the discus. Larkins will be joined by Murphy Busek (Fr., Mountain View, Hawaii), who will compete in the shot, discus and hammer.
WOMEN
While the Pacific women's roster has more than doubled from their five
members from last year, the Boxers will continue to be light in the running
events. Owens rebounded from a disappointing track season last year to
become an All-American in cross country over the fall. Boyce expects that
Owens could be a factor at distances anywhere from 800 meters to 5,000
meters.
"Kelsey's personal bests indicate that she can be a conference scorer now, but we think that her personal bests will all fall like they did during cross country," Boyce said.
Tateishi aims to finish her career strong after placing at the conference meet last year in the 10,000 meters. She continued to improve through the cross country season as she posted personal bests in both the 5,000-meter and 6,000-meter distances. Sam Lee (So., Fort Wayne, Ind.) could be a factor at the 400 and 800-meter distances after not competing in track for a couple of seasons.
Nicole Smith (Fr., Wailuku, Hawaii) will serve a dual role as the Boxers' primary sprinter and hurdler. Smith was an exceptional high school sprinter, winning conference championships her final three seasons in Hawaii.
The jumps are highlighted by Risa Allen (Jr., Portland, Ore.), who transferred to Pacific after winning last year's NWC title in the triple jump for Puget Sound. Allen finished with the conference's second best mark in 2007. "There's no reason for us to think that she won't be in apposition to have a solid year for us in her first year at Pacific," Boyce said.
Angie Miller (Fr., Alsea, Ore.) is likely to impact the Boxers in both the long jump and high jump. Miller won the Oregon 1A state long jump title as a senior. "This is Angie's first opportunity to train in a quality facility and get some specialized coaching," Boyce said. "We're real hopeful that this will be a great first year for her."
After not having a women's pole vaulter for nearly a decade, the Boxers open the season with five on the roster. Summer Steenberg (Fr., Sequim, Wash.) leads the list after excelling in the event in high school.