The outdoor track and field season began with a bang on Saturday as the SPUwomen's team took first place at a three-way meet at Baker Stadium in Tacoma. The Falcon men finished in second place behind the University of Puget Sound (UPS) and in front of Lewis and Clark. The women posted a team score of 95, which easily beat out the scores of 56 and 30 posted by UPS and Lewis and Clark respectively.

Sophomore Molly Hornbuckle won the javelin with a throw of 140-3, which beat her personal record by more than eight feet and met a provisional national qualifying mark.

"It was a total surprise to me," Hornbuckle said of her success. "It made my day." She has been recovering from a shoulder injury from last season, and she said her throws in practice hadn't been going too well. This weekend's win was the first of her collegiate career, and because the qualifying mark last year was 139 feet, Hornbuckle said, there's a good chance her throw will secure her a spot at nationals.

Senior Ally Studer won the pole vault and also posted a provisional national qualifying mark. In all, the Falcon women won 11 of 18 events at the meet, but Hornbuckle wasn't very surprised.

"Our team is amazing," she said. "I expect great things from them."

The Falcon men won eight events at the meet, three of which were won by junior Chris Randolph. The decathlete won the javelin, 110-meter hurdles and the discus, setting personal records in the latter two events. Some of the other men's winners include freshman phenom Ryan Jewell who took first place in the 200-meter dash and senior Kurt Engelson, who won the 400-meter dash.

In the women's javelin, the Falcons accomplished an impressive feat by finishing in the top three spots. Senior Lauren VerMulm and freshman Sarah Johnson followed behind Hornbuckle to give SPU a sweep of the event.

Next weekend, eight Falcon women will travel to Boston to compete in the indoor nationals, while the rest of the SPU track and field team will continue the outdoor season at the Joe Peyton Invitational in Tacoma