RESULTS - Friday | Decathlon
RECAPS - Day 1 | Day 2
VIDEOS - Schmidt in men's long jump | Anderson in women's 100m hurdles | Settle in women's 200m

GREELEY, Colo. — Sophomore Spenser Schmidt picked up the first All-Big Sky honors for the Portland State track & field team Friday, while the rest of the Vikings set themselves for a big day tomorrow on the third day of the Big Sky Championships at Nottingham Field.
 
Schmidt, who won the Big Sky title in the indoor long jump, placed second in the outdoor version of the event with a personal-best mark of 24-03.75 (7.41m). Schmidt finished second to Idaho's Arphaxad Carroll, who set his winning mark on his first attempt of the day with a jump of 24-07.75 (7.51m).
 
Schmidt's mark also moved him into a tie for 42nd in the NCAA West, increasing his chances of finishing in the top 48 of the region and qualifying for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds at the end of the month.
 
Schmidt was one of several Vikings to set himself up for a potentially big day tomorrow, too, as he advanced to the finals of the 100 meters with a personal best of 10.65 seconds. Schmidt's time beat the 10.73 he ran at the OSU High Performance Meet two weekends ago, and moved him into a tie for third all-time in the event at Portland State.
 
Schmidt could have a shot at the school record in the 100 meters tomorrow if he can lower his time again in the finals. Schmidt's prelim time of 10.65 only stands .11 seconds off Jim Sattem's school record of 10.54, which he set back in 2003. Schmidt could also potentially set or tie the record for individual points scored at a single championship with a high finish tomorrow. Schmidt already scored eight points with his second-place finish in the long jump, while the school record stands at 14 points, shared by Ryon Edwards and Sean MacKelvie.
 
Several other Vikings set themselves up for potentially big days tomorrow, especially junior Genna Settle, who certainly set up a busy day for herself if nothing else. Settle qualified for the finals of the 100 and 200 meters Friday, and is also scheduled to run a leg on the Vikings' 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams.
 
Settle started her day Friday with a strong performance in the prelims of the 100 meters, as she tied her personal best while winning her heat in 11.70 seconds. Settle's time ranked as the second-fastest qualifying time of the day, behind only Northern Colorado's Moriah Zachary, who finished in 11.60 seconds.
 
Settle then returned to the track for the prelims of the 200 meters, and blew away the field while setting another personal best with her finish in 23.87 seconds. Settle beat the No. 2 runner in her heat by just under half a second, allowing her to cruise to the finish line. Settle's time ranked third overall among all qualifying times Friday, behind only Weber State's Aaliyah Crawford, who finished in 23.47 seconds, and Zachary, who finished in 23.72 seconds.
 
Settle's Saturday schedule, assuming she still runs a leg on both relays, now looks like: 12:10 p.m. (MT) – finals of women's 4x100-meter relay; 1:45 p.m. (MT) – finals of women's 100 meters ; 2:45 p.m. (MT) – finals of women's 200 meters; 4 p.m. (MT) – finals of women's 4x400-meter relay.
 
Junior Akayla Anderson, meanwhile, blew away the field in the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles, winning her heat and finishing with the top qualifying time by a large margin. Anderson finished in a personal-best 13.59 seconds Friday, close to three-tenths of a second better than the No. 2 runner, and nearly half a second better than the No. 3 runner.
 
Anderson's time also tied her for third all-time in the 100-meter hurdles at Portland State, equaling her with Joenisha Vinson, who originally set the school record at 13.59 seconds in 2011.
 
Junior Ben Richardson and senior Spencer Russell also each advanced to the finals of the 800 meters, with Richardson posting the second-fastest qualifying time of the day. Richardson went out fast in the first heat of the 800 meters, trailing on the hip of Southern Utah's George Espino. Espino pulled away from Richardson on the home stretch to set the top qualifying time in the event, but Richardson still finished with the second-fastest time in 1:52.56 despite easing up once he was assured of the second automatic qualifying spot. Russell, meanwhile, qualified on time, as he kicked to a third-place finish in the third heat of the 800 meters in 1:53.97.
 
Junior Whitney Diggs also joined Settle in qualifying for two events Friday, as she advanced to the finals of the 200 and 400 meters. Diggs will join Settle in the finals of the 200 after finishing in a seasonal-best 24.34 seconds, her best finish in a 200-meter race since 2014.
 
Diggs also joined freshman Rachel Vinjamuri in qualifying for the finals of the 400 meters, as they finished in 55.86 and 55.93 seconds, respectively. Vinjamuri's time marked a new personal best for the freshman, and makes her just the fourth athlete in school history to crack 56 seconds in the women's 400 meters.
 
Junior Mitchell Gable and sophomore Hunter Pfefferkorn qualified out of the same heat of the men's 400 meters, as they both qualified on time in 48.25 and 48.56, respectively.
 
Junior Roazena Miller, finally, set a new personal best while qualifying for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles in 1:01.35. Miller's time knocked half a second off the PB she set at the Triton Invitational, and moves her up to second all-time in the event at Portland State.
 
Outside of the qualifiers, sophomore Ta'mara Richey added points for the Vikings with a fourth-place finish in the women's long jump, as she set a new seasonal best with her mark of 19-03.25 (5.87m).
 
Senior Sydney Johnson also scored for the Vikings in the discus, as she placed sixth with a throw of 147-11 (45.10m).
 
Sophomore Sarah Medved then capped the day while scoring points for the Vikings with a fifth-place finish in the women's 10,000 meters. Medved finished in 37:19.23, while teammates Maggie Coleman, Cheryn Trapp and Kennedy Martin finished in 10th, 13th and 14th, respectively, in 40:07.08, 40:42.40 and 40:45.13.
 
The Vikings will return to action at 10 a.m. (MT) Saturday, with the start of the women's triple jump. Track events will then start at 12 p.m. (MT) with the men's 4x100-meter relay, and continue until the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m. (MT).a
 
ALL-BIG SKY PERFORMERS:
Men:
Spenser Schmidt – 3rd in Long Jump – 24-03.75 (7.41m)
 
Big Sky Championships
Nottingham Field
Greeley, Colo.
May 11-13, 2016
 
Women's Results:
100m (Prelims): 2. Genna Settle, 11.70. 200m (Prelims): 3. Genna Settle, 23.87; 5. Whitney Diggs, 24.34. 400m (Prelims): 5. Whitney Diggs, 55.86; 6. Rachel Vinjamuri, 55.93; 11. Dejuanae Toliver, 57.00. 800m (Prelims): 13. Nyalual Beng, 2:14.92; 19. Kris Tollefson, 2:16.29. 10,000m: 5. Sarah Medved, 37:19.23; 10. Maggie Coleman, 40:07.08; 13. Cheryn Trapp, 40:42.40; 14. Kennedy Martin, 40:45.13. 100m Hurdles (Prelims): 1. Akayla Anderson, 13.59. 400m Hurdles (Prelims): 5. Roazena Miller, 1:01.35. 3,000m Steeplechase: 20. Nevina De Luca, 11:52.97. High Jump: T-10. Hannah Garrity, 5-03.00 (1.60m). Long Jump: 4. Ta'mara Richey, 19-03.25 (5.87m). Disus: 6. Sydney Johnson, 147-11 (45.10m).
 
Women's Team Scores:
1. Montana, 60 points; 2. Weber State, 39 points; 3. Eastern Washington, 37 points; 4. Northern Arizona, 30 points; 5. North Dakota, 25 points; 6. Sacramento State, 20 points; 7. Montana State, 19.5 points; 8. Northern Colorado, 14 points; 9. Portland State, 12 points; 10. Idaho, 10 points; 11. Idaho State, 6.5 points.
 
Men's Results:
100m (Prelims): 6. Spenser Schmidt, 10.65. 200m (Prelims): 10. Sheldon Prince, 21.62. 400m (Prelims): T-6. Mitchell Gable, 48.25; 8. Hunter Pfefferkorn, 48.56. 800m (Prelims): 4. Ben Richardson, 1:52.56; 7. Spencer Russell, 1:53.97. 110m Hurdles (Prelims): 11. Kevin Robinson, 14.75. Long Jump: 2. Spenser Schmidt, 24-03.75 (7.41m); 9. Jean-Luc Toku, 22-03.00 (6.78m). Decathlon: 5. Kevin Robinson, 6,462 points (100m: 7. 11.51, 750 points; Long Jump: T-2. 21-05.25 (6.53m), 704 points; Shot Put: T-12. 34-08.50 (10.58m), 521 points; High Jump: T-3. 6-04.00 (1.93m), 740 points; 400m: 1. 50.33, 799 points; 110m Hurdles: 2. 15.06, 842 points; Discus: 8. 100-00 (30.48m), 474 points; Pole Vault: T-11. 11-05.75 (3.50m), 482 points; Javelin: 6. 150-09 (45.95m), 529 points; 1,500m: 8. 4:49.66, 621 points).
 
Men's Team Scores:
1. Northern Arizona, 54 points; 2. Montana State, 34 points; 3. Idaho, 33 points; 4. Idaho State, 32.5 points; 5. Montana, 26.5 points; 6. Eastern Washington, 23 points; 7. Southern Utah, 20 points; 8. Sacramento State, 16 points; 9. Weber State, 15 points; 10. Portland State, 12 points; 11. Northern Colorado, 4 points; 12. North Dakota, 3 points.