Pixler leaves D2?

If this is to be believed, Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler will transfer to D1 Colorado.

While certainly a loss for D2, this type of transfer is not unheard of. At Adams State, future Olympian Julie Jenkins ended up at BYU.

Pixler might feel she's in familiar company when she faces the likes of Adams State and Western State.

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 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.

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.