And the women's d2cross indoor winner is...Seattle Pacific

There isn't an embossed plaque or a Waterford crystal travelling trophy (yet), but the d2cross indoor team champion gives quiet satisfaction to the most butt-kicking distance squad on the track in Albuquerque.

It likely comes as little surprise that the top women's squad was Seattle Pacific. With a distance medley relay win and 16 points in the mile (from Jessica Pixler (pictured at right) and Jane Larson), they packed the most punch.

Grand Valley State had a quietly quality meet -- runner-up finishes in the 800 and mile.

Here's the top 5:

Seattle Pacific 26

Grand Valley State 23

Adams State 19

Shippensburg 18

Queens (N.C.) and

Western Washington 12.

Photo credit: spufalcons.com

ABQ indoor women's 5000: Pick Spence (Shippensburg)

The women's 5,000 is only slightly missing the presence of Seattle Pacific studstress Jessica Pixler, who opted for the mile and DMR. But the showdown between two of the country's -- regardless of size -- female distance runners should be great.

Tanya Zeferjahn (Queens) is back on track (literally), after some recent quiet seasons. Neely Spence (Shippensburg), the outdoors 5k champ, continues to run fast after a sorta sub-par cross country season finish. Both ripped 16:13 efforts this indoor season at different meets.

Make no mistake, this will be a two-woman race: The next fastest qualifier is more than a half-minute behind. The altitude and championship atmosphere will narrow that gap, but all eyes should be on Spence and Zeferjahn.

And Spence should win. She's been a little more consistent and appears to have a bit more speed.

On the other hand, Zeferjahn is concentrating only on the 5,000, while Spence will run the distance medley relay Friday night.

Best of the rest? By this time you likely have picked up on my belief that altitude will have an impact on the distance races -- ever more so in this event. That gives Laura Kleppin (Western State) and Marie Patton (Colorado Mines) the edge for third.

ABQ indoor women's mile: SeaPac's Pixler will get second title

Assuming Seattle Pacific comes through (as I have divined) in Friday night's distance medley relay, Jessica Pixler (Seattle Pacific) will be running for her second gold medal of the weekend. Owner of a time that is 16 seconds (!) faster than the next-fastest, it's hard to imagine a bigger favorite. She won last year's indoor race by five seconds. But one never knows, and -- to borrow from sage (?) TV wisdom -- that's why they run the race.

Teammate Jane Larson (Seattle Pacific) and Alicia Nelson (Adams State) battled in Seattle earlier this year; they'll do the same for second this weekend. I'll take Nelson at (mild) altitude. They won't face Neely Spence (Shippensburg), who opted out of this event.

In fact, Seattle Pacific and Adams State each have three in Friday's prelims; the owner of the most points in this event could go a long ways toward determining the women's mythical d2cross Indoor Team Champ.

Grand Valley State has two, including outdoors 1,500 third-placer Monica Kinney.

ABQ indoor women's 800: Omaha's Puc wins this one

After finishing second last year to half-mile stud Ashley Puga of Northwest Nazarene (another Puga, Jaclyn, didn't qualify), Nebraska-Omaha's Anja Puc will win the women's 800 meters. She's the fastest in the field by two seconds.

Jessica Pixler (Seattle Pacific) won't win, because she ain't running. But Adams State's Vanessa Roy will finish in silver position. And don't be surprised if she nabs the individual title.

In bronze position -- I still have Olympics fever -- I'll take experienced Stephanie Charnigo (Findlay) over Grand Valley State's due of Chanelle Caldwell and Lauren Bergstrom.

ABQ indoor women's DMR: If it's Pixler vs. Spence...

I'm not sure who will run what leg, but it could come down to two of D2's finest female distance runners in the DMR.

Multi-national champ Jessica Pixler could anchor Seattle Pacific against Shippensburg's Neely Spence.

Pixler has d2's fastest indoor mile (by a ways); Spence leads the fastest team (by a ways).

I'll go with Pixler's experience and SeaPac over Shippensburg.

Third? Adams State. After few points last year, ASC is gonna make some noise at "home."

I said weeks ago that this could be THE race of the meet. It's the first distance-related final of the championships. I doubt it will disappoint.

What will Pixler do?

After putting forth a nice 2:08 effort at her conference championships, d2cross wonders what Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler plans to do for nationals. With no 5,000 time in the books (yet), perhaps a 800-mile-DMR routine? Three golds (yes, I've watched too much Olympics)?

A pretty quiet week in d2-land, although Shippensburg had two auto qualifiers in the mile (Neely Spence and Mary Rell), and Pittsburg State isNo. 4 in the men's DMR after a 9:55 somewhere.

Another 16:13!

The women's 5,000 is shaping up to be THE race in Albuquerque.

One week after Queens' Tanya Zeferjahn ran the nation's fastest collegiate time of 2010, Shippensburg's Neely Spence ran a similar time (actually .69 seconds faster).

Spence got her time at New York's Armory, beating all comers, including, yes, some hapless D1ers.

So now Neely is the fastest collegiate woman over that distance this indoors season.

National champions both, Neely and Zeferjahn were quiet as of late.

Zeferjahn was last in last year's indoors 5k, outdoors 10k winner, and a no-show this fall. And Neely anchored Shippenburg's DMR win in Houston, won the outdoors 5k in San Angelo, and was 30th in Evansville.

Any bets on who wins in ABQ?

NOTE: I think I have my confusion over when these two won their national championships and when.

Queens' Zeferjahn rocks 5k; Pixler powers

Tanya Zeferjahn leads all collegiate women after her 16:13 performance last weekend.
Missing from action this fall, freshman Zeferjahn ran her fast time in a fast field at the University of Washington. Her time is below the D2 championship record, which is unlikely in ABQ.
Meanwhile, Jessica Pixler and her Seattle Pacific teammates continue to impress. Pixler now leads teammate Jane Larson in the mile performance list. Her 4:33 is more than 20 seconds under the D2 auto standard.

Seattle Pacific women's DMR lays down gauntlet

In an earlier post, I advised keeping an eye on Shippensburg's defending national champ DMR squad, as they return everybody to the team that smoked the field with an 11:32 last year.

But Seattle Pacific -- likely led by studstress Jessica Pixler -- recorded a 11:33 (11:32 adjusted) at the University of Washington.

Could be a dandy...

Seattle Pacific: best women's d2 indoor team

So who would've been the top indoor distance teams last year? Using the previously mentioned formula, Seattle Pacific would've won on the women's side

SeaPac's Jessica Pixler -- most recently cross champ in Evansville -- won two events. She'll be a force in Albuquerque, too.

The top 10 from Houston: Seattle Pacific, 30; Grand Valley State, 18; Southern Indiana and Minn.-Duluth, 16; NW Nazarene, 11; Shippensburg, 10; Clarion (see previous post), 9; Nebraska-Omaha, 8; Wisconsin-Parkside 7.

Notice anyone missing? Yep, Adams State had one point and Western State had zero. Track points are definitely skewed toward the team with the best individual or two.

With two months to go, I'd say returning champs Pixler and the record-setting Shippensburg DMR squad will be worth watching.