Pentathlon Results | Heptathlon Day One Results | Day One Results | Big Sky TV | Live Results | Vinson in the 60-meter hurdles
POCATELLO, Idaho - The Portland State track and field team opened the Big Sky Championship today and set itself up or a strong finish tomorrow, advancing 12 athletes to the finals, nine on the women's side. Junior
Joenisha Vinson accounted for seven total points after finishing third in the pentathlon and eighth in the long jump.
The Phoenix, Ariz., native, Vinson, won her second-consecutive bronze medal in the pentathlon when she finished with 3,504 points. She opened the day with a time of 8.73 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and followed up with a high jump of 5-0.5 feet to sit in fourth-place with 1,633 points. Vinson hopped back up to No. 2 after winning the shot put with a personal best of 39-6.
She continued the epic with a long jump of 17 feet and 8.25 inches and concluded the pentathlon in the 800-meters with a 2:42.97. Vinson trailed the silver medalist by 227 points and first by 238. Last year she collected bronze in the pentathlon after beating the 2011 Big Sky pentathlon champion, Montana's Lindsay Hall, in the 800-meters.
Vinson recorded a jump of 18-2.25 in the open long jump to finish eighth in the event and pick up another point for the women's total score.
Junior
J.J. Rosenberg also competed in the multi-events today, finishing the first day of the heptathlon in 11th place with 2,438 points. The Pendelton, Ore., native recorded PR's in the shot put, 36-4, and the long jump, 21-1.50. Rosenberg closed his day by qualifying for the 400-meters final, running 49.77 in the preliminary round.
In the preliminary rounds of the open events, the Viking women thrived. Of the 10 women that ran preliminary round races, nine advanced to the finals. Sophomore
Amber Rozcicha was the only athlete to miss the cut, finishing ninth in the 800-meters with a time of 2:18.61.
In the women's 60-meters, sophomore
Geronne Black had the fastest time in the preliminary round, recording a 7.49 after the altitude adjustment. She was .11 seconds faster than Montana State's Camille Marchand in second-place.
Karene King also won her heat in the same event with a 7.63. Both
P'Lar Dorsett and
Anaiah Rhodes qualified for the finals as well, with Dorsett running a career-best 7.75 seconds.
It was the same story of Viking dominance in the 200-meters, as it was King who recorded the meets top-time with a 24.46. Black and Rhodes advanced to the finals with times of 25.13 and 25.22, respectively, both of which are career-best times.
Concluding the women's solid day one, Dorsett and Vinson both advanced to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, with Dorsett winning her heat at 8.82 seconds and Vinson tying her personal-best and school-record of 8.66.
On the men's side, junior
Tony Crisofulli recorded the preliminary rounds best time with a 1:52.47. At last year's championship, Crisofulli just missed the medal stand and finished fourth in the event.
Junior
DeShawn Shead, who has only been with the team since the Husky Classic on Feb. 11, qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.31 seconds. The All-Big Sky football player improved his season-best time by .14 and moved up to No. 3 all-time in the PSU record book.
The men's distance medley relay, featuring freshman
Zach Carpenter, senior
Nate Endicott, freshman
Luke Leddige and senior
John Lawrence, finished fifth in the 4,000-meter race with a time of 10:23.94, the fourth fastest time in Viking history.
Portland State will close the Big Sky Championship tomorrow, beginning with the heptathlon's 60-meter hurdles at 9 a.m., featuring Rosenberg. Fans can the action live on GoViks.com with Big Sky TV and live stats.
DAY ONE NOTES:
Of the eight available spots in the women's 60-meters final, PSU sprinters occupy the top six … The Vikings placed another three athletes in the women's 200-meters final and two in the 60-meter hurdles final … PSU women end day one tied for eighth place with seven points; the men are currently in seventh-place.
