RESULTS

MONMOUTH, Ore. — Relays have quickly become a strength for the Portland State track & field team, as the Vikings swept the women's 4x100, men's 4x100 and men's 4x400 as part of seven event wins for the Vikings at the John Knight Twilight Friday, and set a new meet record with their win in the men's 4x100-meter relay.
 
The Vikings' meet record comes a week after the Vikings set the school record in the women's 4x400-meter relay at the Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge, and the Vikings now rank in the top five of the Big Sky in all four relay events.
 
Spenser Schmidt, Sheldon Prince, Hunter Pfefferkorn and Mitchell Gable broke the meet record in the men's 4x100 for the Vikings, as they finished in 41.70 seconds. The same foursome ran the relay in 41.58 seconds at the Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge last weekend, which has them ranked third in the Big Sky this season.
 
Pfefferkorn, Gable and Prince also joined with Christian Wood to blow away the field in the men's 4x400-meter relay, as they beat the No. 2 team by over eight seconds. The Vikings won the 4x400-meter relay in 3:17.84, the best time by a Viking men's 4x4 team since 2011.
 
The Vikings also won the women's 4x100-meter relay Friday, with Rachel Vinjamuri, Genna Settle, Akayla Anderson and Whitney Diggs finishing in a seasonal-best 46.43 seconds, close to 2.5 seconds better than the No. 2 team at the meet.
 
The Viking women accounted for the Vikings' other four event wins as well, as they finished first in the 200, 400, 1,500 and 5,000 meters.
 
Diggs led a 1-2-3 Viking sweep in the 200 meters, as she won in 25.41 seconds, while Vinjamuri and Dejuanae Toliver followed in second and third, respectively, in times of 25.64 and 25.84 seconds.
 
Junior Roazena Miller, meanwhile, won the 400 meters with a huge personal best of 57.13 seconds, 1.19 seconds better than her previous best of 58.32, which she set at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open at the start of the season. Miller now ranks eighth all-time in the 400 meters at Portland State after Friday, and stands 11th in the 400 within the Big Sky this season.
 
Sophomore Nyalual Beng also won the 1,500 meters by close to seven seconds, finishing in 4:43.68, while freshman Jocelyn Reynolds won the 5,000 meters in 19:16.59.
 
Outside of the Vikings' event winners, senior Sydney Johnson came within a foot of the Big Sky qualifying standard in the discus, as she surpassed 44 meters for the second straight meet with her mark of 146-08.50 (44.71m).
 
Friday's meet also afforded a few Vikings a chance to debut in new events, particularly on the men's side, where regular middle distance runners Spencer Russell and Ben Richardson each set new PRs in the 400 meters. Russell finished the 400 in 50.40 seconds, close to two full seconds better than his previous best time in the 400 at Portland State, and three-tenths of a second better than his overall best in the event as well. Richardson, meanwhile, crushed his old previous best while finishing in 50.90 seconds Friday, more than two seconds better than his previous best at Portland State, which he set at 53.03 seconds at the Mondo Mid-Major Challenge two years ago.
 
Senior Kevin Robinson also made his 2016 debut in the 400-meter hurdles, his first time competing in the event at Portland State since 2014. Robinson's best time in 2014 was 1:11.84, but he blew that time away Friday, finishing in 57.78 seconds to beat his 2014 time by over 14 seconds.
 
The Vikings will be back at it next weekend, as the team heads to the Oregon Relays in Eugene, Ore., April 14-16. Senior Amanda Boman will also compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Cerritos, Calif., April 14-16.
 
PSU BIG SKY QUALIFYING MARKS (18):
Women (10):
Akayla Anderson – 100m Hurdles – 13.98 – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
Amanda Boman – 5,000m – 17:08.25 – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)*
Amanda Boman – 10,000m – 35:14.14 – San Francisco State Distance Carnival (4/1/16)*
ChaQuinn Cook – Triple Jump – 40-03.25 (12.27m) – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)
Whitney Diggs – 400m – 55.17 – Aztec Invitational (3/26/16)
Sarah Medved – 10,000m – 36:13.69 – San Francisco State Distance Carnival (4/1/16)*
Ta'mara Richey – Long Jump – 19-02.50 (5.85m) – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)
Genna Settle – 100m – 11.86 – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
Genna Settle – 200m – 24.28 – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
Cheryn Trapp – 10,000m – 37:08.87 – San Francisco State Distance Carnival (4/1/16)*
 
Men (8):
Mitchell Gable – 400m – 48.05 – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 48.90 – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
Ben Richardson – 800m – 1:52.29 – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)
Kevin Robinson – Decathlon – 6,274 points – Pacific Combined Events (3/22/16)
Spencer Russell – 800m – 1:52.88 – San Francisco State Distance Carnival (4/1/16)
Spenser Schmidt – Long Jump – 24-03.50 (7.40m) – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)
Jean-Luc Toku – Triple Jump – 47-07.25 (14.51m) – Lewis & Clark Spring Break Open (3/19/16)
Rockwell Tufty – High Jump – 6-08.75 (2.05m) – Mondo Mid-Major Team Challenge (4/2/16)
 
*Time cross-qualifies athlete for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters
 
John Knight Twilight
McArthur Field
Monmouth, Ore.
April 8, 2016
 
Women's Results:
100m: 3. Dejuanae Toliver, 12.68. 200m: 1. Whitney Diggs, 25.41; 2. Rachel Vinjamuri, 25.64; 3. Dejuanae Toliver, 25.84; 7. Akayla Anderson, 26.35. 400m: 1. Roazena Miller, 57.13; 4. Kris Tollefson, 59.67. 1,500m: 1. Nyalual Beng, 4:43.68. 5,000m: 1. Jocelyn Reynolds, 19:16.59. 3,000m Steeplechase: 3. Nevina De Luca, 11:35.86. 4x100m Relay: 1. Portland State 'A' (Vinjamuri, Settle, Anderson, Diggs), 46.43. High Jump: 2. Hannah Garrity, 5-01.25 (1.56m). Long Jump: 2. Genna Settle, 18-05.25 (5.62m). Discus: 3. Sydney Johnson, 146-08.50 (44.71m). Javelin: 7. Raquel Pellecer, 127-11 (38.98m); 10. Maddie Buss, 119-04.50 (36.38m); 14. Shasta Wilson, 112-01.50 (34.17m).
 
Men's Results:
100m: 3. Spenser Schmidt, 11.00; 5. Hunter Pfefferkorn, 11.30. 200m: 2. Spenser Schmidt, 22.55. 400m: 6. Spencer Russell, 50.40; 8. Christian Wood, 50.55; 9. Ben Richardson, 50.90. 1,500m: 12. Neil Seibert, 4:06.39; 19. Jacob Hicks, 4:16.71. 5,000m: 16. Justin Wikler, 16:06.18; 19. Ethan Cotton, 17:22.61. 110m Hurdles: 2. Kevin Robinson, 15.38. 400m Hurdles: 3. Kevin Robinson, 57.78. 4x100m Relay: 1. Portland State 'A' (Schmidt, Prince, Pfefferkorn, Gable), 41.70. 4x400m Relay: 1. Portland State 'A' (Wood, Pfefferkorn, Gable, Prince), 3:17.84. High Jump: 2. Rockwell Tufty, 6-04.75 (1.95m); 3. Tyson Stipic, 6-02.75 (1.90m); Donté Robinson, NH. Discus: 12. Tyler Dent, 125-09.25 (38.33m). Hammer: 8. Tyler Dent, 150-10.50 (45.98m).