The Falcon   |   Volume 81, Issue 26

Published 6/02/10   |   Log In

Falcon women compete at nationals

Pixler earns 12th title; two athletes earn honor

By JESSICA BETTENCOURT, Sports Writer

Published: June 2, 2010

Turbulent conditions and a lightning storm may have stopped competition on Friday for the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships, but it did not stop the six Seattle Pacific track and field athletes from bringing the heat last Saturday.

Seniors Lisa Anderberg and Jessica Pixler competed with junior Melissa Peaslee, sophomore Brittany Aanstad and freshman Amanda Alvarez for nationals at the Irwin Belk Track Complex in Charlotte, N.C. Seattle Pacific finished with 16 points, placing them 17th in team standings.

Due to a stress fracture in her femur, senior Jane Larson was not able to compete, though she was scheduled to race alongside Pixler.

Larson was not the only Falcon to experience an injury. With hopes of winning two national titles, Pixler walked away with a title and a bummed ankle.

In the final meet of her career, Pixler swiftly took the national title in the 1,500 meter finals with a time of 4 minutes and 15.43 seconds. She crossed the finish line seven and a half seconds before her nearest competitor.

Although it was a victory to celebrate, this being her 12th NCAA title, Pixler needed time to recover since her next race in the 800 was scheduled to begin an hour and a half later. With a sore ankle, Pixler stretched and attempted to loosen the strain, but as she ran the 800 meters, her ankle had other ideas.

A few strides into the race, Pixler moved to the side of the track.

In a previous interview with Pixler, she had mentioned she wanted to pursue a title in both events, especially since she had not won the 800 meter before. The 1,500 title was her second straight and third overall in that event.

Although Pixler did not make the title she was hoping for, Anderberg made a run for it.

"It was really sad that Jessica couldn't run in that race. I could tell in the first 100 meters that she wasn't there so I knew she must have dropped out," Anderberg said. "It was almost an automatic aggression to race harder for her. We're friends and teammates, as well as family. There is an extra connection that gave me a bit more of veracity and desire to finish strong for her and the team."

Anderberg finished eighth place overall, running her personal best for a time of 2:10.37. Her fast pace earned her the title of U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association All-American status.

"There's a sense of relief at the way it all wrapped up. My career has had a lot of ups and downs, so I'm blessed to end on an up," Anderberg said. "I feel like I've been training at this pace for quite a while, but for some reason I never pulled it together in a race till now. I knew I had the capability, but I just hadn't done it yet. When I finished, I didn't really know what my time or place was, but I still felt a sense of accomplishment. It was a hard fight and I felt like I gave it my all."

Track and field head coach Karl Lerum and cross country head coach Erika Daligcon supported Anderberg through her race.

It was a great feeling to have Lerum and Daligcon at the meet, Anderberg said.

"Running here at SPU has been the best experience I could have had for college athletics. Nationals was icing on the cake, it's what I would have dreamed of happening," she said.

Anderberg was not the only SPU athlete named as an All-American. With a mark of 145 feet, 8 inches at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Aanstad earned fourth in the javelin; this gave her a title of USTFCCA All-American.

Alvarez placed fifteenth in the triple jump at 38-0 3/4.

Junior Melissa Peaslee took 11th place in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 10 3/4 inches.

"My goal was to be All-American. I was really excited and ready to compete," Peaslee said. "Friday, I had warmed up twice and then five minutes before competition, the directors postponed the event. It was tough 'cause I warmed up three times within 18 hours."

Although Peaslee was prepared to run in the preliminaries on Friday, the lightning storm delayed her competition a day. In addition, the practice rounds took a toll on Peaslee's injured back. In April of her freshman year, Peaslee sat out due to a back injury and did not hit the track again until January of her sophomore year.

"Mentally I was fine, but I wasn't able to give it everything I had, because at that point my back was feeling it," she said. "I had to talk myself up a little bit for Saturday. I had to block out the pain. I tried to focus on other things."

After two days of competition and a day of training, Peaslee said her back is still in pain due to her previous injury.

"Next year I want to be top three," Peaslee said. "I know I can do it."

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