University of Portland Athletics

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)

NCAA Cross Country Women’s Individual Qualifiers (5)

NCAA Cross Country Women’s All-Americans (5)

NCAA Track & Field Women’s Individual Qualifiers (19)

NCAA Track & Field Women’s All-Americans (12)