Another exciting track season is underway and Pacific Lutheran head coach Heather Kreier is anxious to get her athletes in competition this spring.

“I am very excited about our conference prospects this year,” said Kreier, who embarks on her fourth year as head coach, fifth overall in the program. “We have a solid returnee base and new freshman talent. My hope is that we push a few of our returnees toward their first national championship meet berth while getting the freshmen to qualify for conference championships. I have outstanding athletes and coaches and know this season will further advance PLU toward our goals.”

Coming off a sixth-place finish in the 2007 Northwest Conference meet, the women’s team is anchored by a veteran core of sprinters and throwers. With three returnees having qualified for last year's national meet, hopes are high that the Lutes will improve in 2008.

Sophomore Karin Hatch and junior Taylor Hacker will lead the charge for the throwers. Both athletes qualified for the NCAA Division III national meet last season, Hatch in the javelin and Hacker in the hammer throw. At the conference meet, Hatch was runner-up in the javelin and Hacker finished third in the hammer and fourth in the shot put. Freshman Lacey Cone will help provide depth in the throwing events.

Under fourth-year sprint coach Michael Waller, PLU has consistently produced some of the top female sprinters in the conference. Faven Araya qualified for the national meet last season in the 400-meter hurdles. Araya posted the fifth-fastest time in school history in the event last year (1:02.48). Fellow junior Amy LeBrun has qualified for the finals at the conference meet in the 100-meter dash the past two seasons. Along with Araya and LeBrun, seniors Lynette Millard and Jeva Morton formed the 4x100-meter relay team that won the conference championship in 2006 and finished runner-up last season. With the addition of freshman ace Lakia Arceneaux, the Lutes will be a force to be reckoned with in the sprints.

Sophomore Katie Choate is the top returning distance runner for PLU. Choate was the runner-up in the 800-meter run at last year's conference meet. Choate will be joined by 5000 and 10,000 runner Lauren McDonald and fouth-place finisher in the 1500 in 2006, Michele Hegg.

For the men, the top placer at last year's NWC meet is back. Luke Weinbrecht placed third in the 400-meter hurdles and was also part of the fourth place 4x100 and seventh place 4x400 relays. A junior, Weinbrecht has qualified for the conference finals in the 400-meter hurdles the last two seasons.

Joining Weinbrecht in the sprints will be a mixture of young talent and veterans. Freshman Nate Jackson should be the top man in the sprints. The Clover Park High School product has run some impressive times in indoor track this winter. Neil Colombini and Nick Caraballo will be the other men running the shorter distances.

The distance events will feature a tight group in the middle distances. Junior Mark Manske posted the fastest time in the 1500 last season (4:13). Manske will be joined by seniors Ben Johnson, Michael Jorgensen and Chris Ramirez. Johnson and Ramirez will be looking to hit a conference qualifying mark in the middle distances. Jorgensen, who is turning out for the track team for the first time, had an impressive cross country season last fall and will look to carry that success over to the 5000 and 10,000.

Colton Oliphant is the top returning thrower. Last season Oliphant placed ninth in the shot put at the conference meet. Other men in the throwing events include Jeff Nielsen, Conor McNeill, and Brian Price. The jumping events will be the weak point for this year’s squad. No athlete qualified for the conference meet in the jumping events last season.