As competition in the Northwest Conference got fierce, so did Pacific’s track and field program.
With more than half of the team being first year athletes, Head Coach Tim Boyce said he was pleased with the direction the program took.
“I would say we were very successful this season and this has been the best talent Pacific has seen on its track and field team since I have been coaching,” said Boyce.
This year, Pacific had strength in numbers. The team scored more points in meets this year, especially in the conference meet.
The Boxers showed increasing points in individual events for runners, jumpers and throwers, said Boyce.
“Five years ago there were a total of 12 athletes combined for men and women, but this year we took about 40 kids to the conference championships,” said Boyce.
This season there were six new school records set.
On the women’s team Kelli Aken-Pagdilao set the 100 meter dash record at 12.85 seconds. Samantha Lee set the 10,000 meter race record at 37:31.84 and the 3,000 meter steeplechase record at 11:14.17. Aken-Pagdilao, Kori Bellwood, Jenna Matsumoto, Nicole Smith set the record for the 400 meter relay at 50.33 seconds.
On the men’s team, Murphy Busek set the record for the Hammer throw at 155-8.
John Gillem, Steve Stoller, John Cushman and Avery Neal set the record for the 3,200 meter relay at 8:08.59.
In addition to the increased numbers on the team, football players also added to the skill of the team. Boyce said he received about 12 athletes from the football team that made a big contribution to the team and in scoring points.
“We had some great seniors that have contributed a lot to this program and they will be greatly missed, but we will not be graduating the majority of our points, which is positive for us,” said Boyce.
Looking ahead to the future, Boyce said he hopes to recruit more athletes that are motivated to compete and get the team the first and second places they need to be more competitive.
Boyce said he is hoping that the team continues on this path to gain more consistency and continuity in order to achieve more success as a program.
“In order to keep on this good path, we need our athletes this year to return next year and have our newcomers ready to contribute competitively right away,” said Boyce.
“We had a really good freshman class this year and as they improve as years progress, that will be good for us.”
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