Kevin Reid is coming off a track coach’s dream season. In fact, it was the perfect season. His men’s team captured both the NAIA indoor and outdoor national championships – a first in Azusa Pacific’s storied history – and he was twice named national coach of the year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

There’s not much else a coach could want to achieve. So what’s he to do for an encore? Well for Reid, he is too young to retire and he is too passionate about the sport to walk away from it. So instead he returns for his eighth season to start it all over again – literally.

Azusa Pacific loses 3 All-Americans who had a hand in all 54 of the Cougars’ championships points at last year’s NAIA outdoor meet. Meet Co-MVPs Jesse Roberge (hammer and shot champ) and Bryan Clay (long jump champ) along with Chris Carlson (decathlon champ) all graduated, and what is left in the wake is a youthful team that features just 4 seniors on its 25-man roster. Indeed, Reid has a challenge ahead of him, but he is not about to relinquish the Cougars’ hold on the national crowns.

“We’ll be competitive,” said Reid, “and in terms of production, we can produce about the same amount of points we did last year. Whether we’re the champion or not really will depend on what other programs did to strengthen themselves.”

Unlike last year when Azusa Pacific depended on a thrower and 2 decathletes to manufacture all its points this year’s championship pursuit will be well-rounded. Sprinters, distance runners, throwers and jumpers will all to play key roles if the Cougars are to successfully defend its national championships.

“We don’t have as much depth as we did last year,” added Reid, “but the depth we do have is pretty good. We can compete in just about every event, from the 100 to the 10,000 and everything off the track.”

SPRINTS

Reid returns a trio of quality sprinters, including 2 with valuable experience on the national level, and then adds 2 outstanding newcomers. All together, the quintet should form one of the best set of sprinters in the NAIA and consequently a create a premier relay team in the both the 400 and 1600.

Heading the list is senior Nate Farris (Norwalk, Calif./Brethren Christian HS), who a year ago was headed for All-America status in the 400 meters before a hamstring pull sidelined him the final 3 weeks of the campaign, nullifying his 48.16 speed. At full strength and fresh off a breakthrough football season (a team-high 8 touchdown receptions), Farris is taking aim at this year’s NAIA 400-meter title while leading the Cougar 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.

Fellow senior Steve Heffernan (Brea, Calif./Brea-Olinda HS), who has done yeoman-like duty over the past 3 years, teams with Farris to give the Cougars some necessary experience in the sprints. Heffernan has displayed steady improvement each year in his collegiate career and may prove to be among the GSAC’s top short sprinters this year.

Junior Gabe Cabrera (San Jose, Calif./Silver Creek HS) was hampered much of 2002 with an assortment of injuries and hopes to return to form of his freshman campaign when he won the GSAC 200 and 400 and advanced to the NAIA 400 finals by becoming only the seventh Cougar ever to clock a sub-48 quarter-mile.

Of Azusa Pacific’s 11 newcomers this year, none may be more electrifying than senior Dominique DeGrammont (Tustin, Calif./Tustin HS), one of the nation’s finest high hurdlers. The former Long Beach City College standout resumes his collegiate career after competing unattached the past 2 years, advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Championships each year, including last summer in Berkeley, Calif., when he recorded a personal-best 13.63. Along with gunning for the Azusa Pacific school record (13.85), DeGrammont will be pursuing an NAIA title and the record that goes with it (13.63). He also is a key figure on the Cougars’ short relay.

Freshman Brett Bultje (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs HS) is one of the brightest stars among an excellent freshman class. Bultje is expected to make an impact from the get-go. A 2-time all-state honoree, Bultje was the Colorado state high school 100-meter champion last year, clocking a season-best 10.82 along the way. He also has a 21.82 200 to his credit.

“The key events for us center around the relays,” said Reid. “As the relays go, so go the rest of the sprints because it will mean that individually we’re doing well in the 100, 200 and 400.”

DISTANCES

The Cougars are vastly improved in the distances and yet the impact may be hard to recognize on the national level, where the NAIA traditionally has been extremely competitive. Nonetheless, the arrival of All-American Brian Wardell (Barstow, Calif./California Baptist) should pay dividends. Wardell, who won All-America status this past fall in cross country, was a key member of California Baptist’s outstanding distance program the past 3 years before the track & field program was dropped last spring.

Sophomore Tim Gachago (Covina, Calif./South Hills HS) was one of the top rookie distance runners in the GSAC last year and now with a year of experience could emerge as a contender for national honors. The longer the event, the stronger he is and because of that he’ll look to qualify for the NAIA championships in either the 5000 meters or the marathon.

Junior Tim Ramirez (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal HS), who finished among the top 6 in both the 800 and 1500 at last year’s GSAC Championship Meet, is now a veteran of the program and provides quality depth, particularly on the both relays – distance medley and 4x800.

A year ago Micah Strom (Fremont, Calif./Mission San Jose HS) enjoyed a solid season in which he materialized as the program’s No. 3 distance runner. His strength lies in the shorter distances where he is known for his last-lap power. Like Ramirez he makes for a quality member of a relay team.

Freshman Danny Reid (Upland, Calif./Glendora HS) is an athletic newcomer with a promising future. He is coming off a good cross country season in which he established himself as the top freshman distance runner in the GSAC. Though just a rookie, he’ll push for NAIA qualification in the 800 meter while filling key legs on both distance relays, perhaps even anchoring the 4x800.

JUMPS

Bryan Clay, one of the finest jumpers in NAIA history (7-time All-American in the long jump), has moved on and in to fill the void are senior Mike Cory (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg HS), junior Ben Buys (Englewood, Colo./Denver Christian HS) and Eric Knozelman (Albany, Ore./Linn-Benton CC).

Cory returns to full action after redshirting last year’s indoor season. An All-American in the long jump in 2001, Cory has competed in 5 NAIA championship meets and owns a career-best 24-0¼, tenth best in Azusa Pacific track & field history.

Buys, who has battled shoulder injuries the past 2 years, is at complete strength, and like Farris, is coming off an outstanding football season that gave him renewed confidence (rushed for a team-high 855 yards and 16 TDs). Buys has a lifetime best of 44-9 in the triple jump and with his added strength will push for his first-ever appearance in the NAIA finals.

Konzelman is a junior college transfer who arrives as a decathlete and yet has the skills to renew Azusa Pacific’s presence in the pole vault, an event in which the Cougars had scored at the NAIA meet for 4 consecutive years until last season.

On the horizon, freshman Lance Soderberg (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Centennial HS) joins the team when he concludes his duties with the Azusa Pacific men’s basketball team in early April. The 6-foot-9 Soderberg is a raw talent loaded with potential. Last year, in his only year competing in track & field, he cleared 6-10 in the high jump.

THROWS

Staples of past Azusa Pacific success, the throwing events have been the cornerstone of Azusa Pacific national championship drives. Since 1981 Azusa Pacific has captured 59 NAIA throwing titles between the javelin, hammer, shot, discus and 35-pound weight. However, the Cougars are lacking a premier thrower this year and individual titles could be hard to come by in 2003. That does not mean, however, that there are no All-American caliber throwers.

On the contrary, Azusa Pacific has the capability and depth to tally anywhere from 10 to 15 points on the national level. Junior Micah Goins (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos HS) assumes the mantle of leadership from the 6-time NAIA champ Roberge. Goins has been a promising thrower working in Roberge’s shadow the past 2 seasons. He owns personal bests of 51-11¾ (shot), 157-10 (hammer) and 149-7 (discus).

“It’s Micah’s turn to take over,” said Reid. “The ability is there and now that he is the veteran of the group, I think he’ll respond with his best season ever.”

Freshman Ty Looney (Tigard, Ore./Aloha HS) hails from the javelin-rich Pacific Northwest and arrives at Azusa Pacific with a 19-year old right arm that can launch the spear 200 feet. He finished sixth and eighth in back-to-back Oregon state championship high school meets, throwing a personal best 197-9.

MULTI-EVENTS

Another tradition-rich event at Azusa Pacific where Cougars have won 16 decathlon/pentathlon NAIA titles since 1979, this year’s set of multi-events are deep yet inexperienced on the collegiate level.

Konzelman and fellow transfer Bibi Pham (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Saddleback CC) are 6,500-point type of decathlete who could vie for national recognition. Sophomore Rob Jarvis (Covina, Calif./Covina HS), who played football at San Diego State, returns to track & field after a 6-year lay-off, but he has great potential to evolve into a national caliber decathlete on the NAIA level.

“We may not have the frontrunner we’ve had in the past,” said Reid, “but we’ll still be very visible in the decathlon. I think we have 3 scorers for the national meet in Konzelman, Pham and Jarvis.”

Not only is Azusa Pacific defending its NAIA indoor and outdoor crowns, but the Cougars are also 4-time defending GSAC champ, and retaining that crown in 2003 won’t come easily. Rival Point Loma Nazarene, which the Cougars narrowly edged a year, appears to be strong enough to wrestle the jewel away from Azusa Pacific.

“We may not have as much quality depth as we had last year,” said Reid, “and that will be to Point Loma’s advantage. “But we do have is pretty good. We’re not ready to give up the conference title just yet.”

Indeed, there is still plenty of challenge and fight in a coach and his program that has accomplished so much in recent years.