University of Portland Women's Cross Country

Ian Solof began coaching the Pilot women distance runners in the fall of 1995 following a standout career as one of UP’s all-time best cross country runners. Solof has continued to lead the program to unprecedented levels, reaching their highest program ranking in 2016 nationally at No. 5, earning the first at-large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2016, and posting a 12th place finish at the 2018 national meet. They most recently finished 22nd at the Cross Country Championships for the 2020 season. Solof oversaw a Pilot squad that took 22nd at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships. They climbed as high as 20th in the national rankings as well. Anna Pataki had a stellar individual season, winning the title at the WCC Cross Country Championships to help her team finish second. She was the 14th winner in program history. The season prior, Pataki also impressed as the top runner for Portland. She was an individual qualifier for the Pilots in the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships. She finished ninth in the NCAA West Regional to earn the honor. She finished 57th in the national meet.   The Pilots climbed the national polls in 2018, receiving their highest rank at No. 19. The team entered the NCAA Championships ranked No. 23, but finished 12th overall. Portland produced two All-Americans, led by redshirt senior Lauren LaRocco who also recorded the best Pilot individual finish at the national meet, crossing the line 13th. Taryn Rawlings also earned All-America honors at the meet.   2016 was another memorable season in Pilot cross country history as LaRocco won the WCC individual title and helped the Pilots win the team title as well. The Pilots earned their first ever bid to nationals and placed 22nd, while LaRocco earned her third overall All-American honor.   The Pilots have won 20 West Coast Conference league titles and Solof has been named the WCC Coach of the Year seven times during his tenure on The Bluff: 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2016.   Solof has brought national-level talent to the fold including All-Americans Nicole Karr, Tansey Lystad, Lauren LaRocco, Taryn Rawlings and Anna Pataki, as well as outstanding runners Nicole Ricci, Dana Morgan and Ashlee Vincent. In 2022, Laura Pellicoro continued the tradition of quality track runners by qualifying for nationals in the mile run. She took seventh at the prelims for the Pilots. The 2018 and 2019 seasons were both kind to Pilot runner Rawlings, who finished in the top 10 nationally in two events over two years. She finished sixth in the 1,500-meter run in 2018 and ninth in the same event the following year in 2019. In 2018, Rawlings also finished sixth in the indoor mile.   During the 2016 track and field season, LaRocco was the youngest finisher in the top five of the 10,000m as a sophomore, posting a program best 4th place finish and a record time of 32:47.30. Also competing in the 5,000 at nationals, LaRocco earned her second All-American honors placing sixth overall in 16:21.09.   Under Solof’s guidance, Karr was the first Pilot to begin to single-handedly rewrite the track record books posting school records in the 800, 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000. Karr was ranked among the top 5 fastest in the NCAA in both the 3,000 and 5,000 during her senior year, 1996. She ended her collegiate career with an 8th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the 3,000 garnering her third All-America honor. Karr went on to compete in the 1996 Olympic Trials in the 1500 after running a 4:16.14 to qualify.   Lystad qualified for nationals by placing sixth individually at the 2014 NCAA West Regional, tying Nicole Karr's top finish in school history. She then went on to finish 15th at the 2014 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships and earn All-America honors. Lystad’s finish marks the second highest individual finish in Portland women's cross country history.       A highly-regarded runner in his own right, Solof won the West Coast Conference men's cross country title as a junior in 1992. He followed that up with All-West Region honors the same fall. Solof was a key member of the 1993 “Dream Team” that was ranked fourth nationally and went undefeated during the regular season including winning the West Region Championship. That team went on to finish 12th at the NCAA Championships.   Solof continued his running with a stellar post collegiate career. Self-coached, he qualified for the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon. Solof was selected as USA Track and Field of Oregon’s Male distance runner of the year for 2000.   Solof is a 1995 graduate of the University of Portland and a 1990 graduate of Ashland High School.   Ian Solof WCC Coach of the Year (7): 1996, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2016   WCC Team Titles – Women (20): 1987 – 1989, 1991-1994, 1996 – 2000, 2002 – 2008, 2016  NCAA Cross Country Championships Women’s Team Qualifiers (2) Year Finish 2016 22nd 2018 12th 2020 22nd NCAA Cross Country Women’s Individual Qualifiers (5) Year Runner (Finish) 1994 Nicole Karr (24th) 2005 Ashlee Vincent (50th) 2007 Dana Morgan (46th) 2014 Tansey Lystad (15th) 2017 Taryn Rawlings (51st) 2019 Anna Pataki (57th) 2021 Anna Pataki (31st) NCAA Cross Country Women’s All-Americans (5) Year Runner 1994 Nicole Karr 2014 Tansey Lystad 2016 Lauren LaRocco 2018 Lauren LaRocco 2018 Taryn Rawlings 2021 Anna Pataki NCAA Track & Field Women’s Individual Qualifiers (19) Year Runner Event Finish 1994 Nicole Karr 3,000m --- 1995 Nicole Karr Indoor 3,000m 3rd 1996 Nicole Karr 3,000m 8th 2004 Julie Elliott Heptathlon 23rd 2005 Julie Elliott Indoor High Jump 9th 2006 Ashlee Vincent 10,000m 22nd 2008 Dana Morgan 5,000m 22nd 2009 Sifrash Ademe 10,000m 22nd 2010 Cori Moore Indoor 800m 5th in Semifinals Heat 2014 Tansey Lystad Steeplechase 11th in Semifinals Heat 2015 Tansey Lystad 5,000m 24th 2015 Tansey Lystad Indoor 5,000m 14th 2016 Lauren LaRocco 5000m 6th 2016 Lauren LaRocco 10000m 4th 2016 Kaylie Van Loo Javelin 18th 2017 Taryn Rawlings 1,500m 12th in Semifinals Heat 2017 Grace McConnochie 10,000m 11th 2018 Taryn Rawlings 1,500m 6th 2018 Lauren LaRocco 10,000m 15th 2019 Taryn Rawlings Mile 4th 2019 Taryn Rawlings 1,500m 9th 2022 Laura Pellicoro Mile 7th in Semifinals Heat NCAA Track & Field Women’s All-Americans (12) Year Runner Event Honor 1995 Nicole Karr 3,000m 1st Team 1996 Nicole Karr 3,000m 1st Team 2005 Julie Elliott High Jump 2nd Team 2015 Tansey Lystad Indoor 5,000m 2nd Team 2015 Tansey Lystad 5,000m Honorable Mention 2016 Lauren LaRocco 5,000m 1st Team 2016 Lauren LaRocco 10,000m 1st Team 2016 Kaylie Van Loo Javelin Honorable Mention 2017 Lauren LaRocco Indoor  5,000m 2nd team 2017 Grace McConnochie 10,000m 2nd Team 2018 Taryn Rawlings 1,500m 1st Team 2018 Lauren LaRocco 10,000m 2nd Team

Colwell guided the program to one of the best seasons in program history. In his first year competing in the 400, Colwell coached Portland record holder Korey Thieleke to the NCAA and USA National Championships. Thieleke was the first Pilot sprinter in over 30 years to qualify for the NCAA National Championship. Two other student-athletes made it to the West Regional. Kaylie Van Loo qualified in the javelin, while Katherine Maus finished her record breaking year in the triple jump. In her senior season, Maus topped the UP record books in the indoor 60 meter dash, long jump, and triple jump; and in the outdoor triple jump and 100 meter dash. Colwell came to Portland after serving one year as the Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach at St. Martin's University. In his first season at Saint Martin's he helped guide Laura Tesch to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships becoming the first female to qualify for the indoor championships and the third female ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships in track & field. Tesch went on to finish 15th equaling the best-ever finish by a female at the NCAA track & field championshipis. The Saints had four conference champions in Colwell's first season as Sam Washington won the weight throw (indoor) and shot put (outdoor). Mike Davis claimed the conference outdoor crown in the triple jump and Joey Keeton in the pole vault.   Prior to his arrival at SMU, Colwell coached at the Division I, Division II and NAIA levels at the likes of University of Great Falls, the University of Portland, Duke University, Cal Poly Pomona and Eastern Oregon University.   At Great Falls, Colwell served as both the head cross country and track & field coach. He coached Travis Price (600m) and the Mens 4x800m Relay Team both to All-American honors during the 2011-12 season. During that season, the Argos established 29 indoor school records to go along with 25 outdoor school records lead by Travis Price (400m 48.95) and Ryan ONeil (100m -10.92 / 200m 21.85). The 2011 Argo men's cross country team placed second at the Frontier Conference Championships and ranked 26 th in the nation. During the 2010-11 season, Colwell coached sprints, hurdles, 800 m and 3,000m steeplechase at the University of Portland. While at Portland, Colwell helped mentor Jared Basset who earned All-American honors in the steeplechase.   From 2008 to 2010, Colwell was an assistant coach for cross country and track & field at Duke University working with the sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps. He coached the womens 4x400m relay team, 2 nd on the all time Duke Indoor performance list (3:48.33), and mentored Brittany Whitehead (57.12 400m) and ACC Triple Jump 2 nd place finisher Jade Ellis (5111.75).   Colwell also served as an assistant coach at California State Polytechnic University Pomona in 2007-08. While at Cal Poly Pomona, Colwell assisted in hosting the 2008 NCAA DII Track & Field National Championships, along with coaching the multi-events, jumps and javelin.   He began his collegiate coaching career at Eastern Oregon University (2004-06) where he was responsible for the sprinters, jumpers, and multi-event athletes and coached seven school record holders, including Matt Lane (400m 48.46 outdoor and 48.91 indoor) and Whitney Haltiner (Triple Jump 375.25) along with five NAIA national qualifiers.   Colwell earned his Master's Degree from Duke University in International Development and a Bachelor's Degree from Eastern Oregon University. He is a USA Track & Field Level 1 certified coach.