MEET NOTES

MEET SPECIFICS:
March 22 – Oregon Preview – Eugene, Ore. – Hayward Field
 
MEET SCHEDULE (PSU entries only; all times PT):
Saturday, March 22
Start               Event (PSU entries)
12:20 p.m.      Women's 3,000 Meters 'B' Section (Coleman, Hollins)
12:25 p.m.      Women's Javelin (Burkett)
1:05 p.m.        Women's High Jump (Jackson, Patton)
1:05 p.m.        Women's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A')
1:10 p.m.        Men's Long Jump (Gable, Okoronkwo)
1:10 p.m.        Men's 1,500m (Brown, Schwartz)
1:22 p.m.        Women's 1,500m (Coleman, Dean)
1:25 p.m.        Women's Long Jump (Simms)
1:35 p.m.        Men's 110m Hurdles (Lewis)
1:45 p.m.        Women's 100m Hurdles (Jackson, Ratcliff)
1:55 p.m.        Men's 400m (Gable, Prince; Alternate: Wood)
2:03 p.m.        Women's 400m (Diggs, Toliver)
2:13 p.m.        Men's 100m (Kubisiak; Alternate: Okoronkwo)
2:20 p.m.        Women's 100m (Ratcliff, Settle, Simms, Wayne, White, Woods)
2:25 p.m.        Women's Shot Put (Johnson)
2:35 p.m.        Men's High Jump (Tufty)
2:40 p.m.        Men's Triple Jump (Stipic)
2:45 p.m.        Men's Pole Vault (Lewis)
3:05 p.m.        Women's Triple Jump (Moore)
3:10 p.m.        Women's Discus (Carson, Johnson)
3:20 p.m.        Men's 200m (Kubisiak, Prince; Alternate: Wood)
3:28 p.m.        Women's 200m (Diggs, Ratcliff, Settle, Toliver, Woods)
3:35 p.m.        Men's 3,000m (Brown)
3:55 p.m.        Women's 3,000m 'A' Section (Dean)
 
LIVE RESULTS/VIDEO:
Live results and a free video stream will be available for the meet. Links to both can be found on the men's and women's track and field schedule pages on GoViks.com before the start of the meet.
 
2014 INDOOR SEASON RECAP:
The Portland State Vikings had two Big Sky champions, six school records fall and seven All-Big Sky performances during the 2014 indoor season. Freshman Gifton Okoronkwo and sophomore Sheldon Prince won the Vikings' two Big Sky titles, as they won the triple jump and 400 meters, respectively. Prince won his title in the 400 meters in a school-record time of 47.86 seconds. Prince lowered his own record with his time in the 400-meter final, and now leads the No. 2 time – Mitch Whalen and J.J. Rosenberg at 48.78 – by nearly a full second. Besides Prince, five other school records fell during the indoor season, including two others at the Big Sky Championships. Junior Jazmin Ratcliff crushed Joenisha Vinson's old record in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in the prelims of the event at the Big Sky meet in 8.35 seconds. Freshman Whitney Diggs, meanwhile, broke the record in the 400 meters in the prelims, then lowered her time in the finals to 54.89 seconds, becoming the first PSU runner to crack 55 seconds in the women's 400. Diggs placed third in the finals of the 400 meters to earn All-Big Sky honors in the event, while sophomore Michael Kubisiak (3rd in 60m), Okoronkwo (1st in triple jump), Prince (1st in 400m), Ratcliff (2nd in 60m Hurdles; 3rd in 60m) and freshman Baileh Simms (2nd in long jump) all earned All-Big Sky honors as well. The Viking distance crew set the other three school records during the indoor regular season, as T-Roy Brown, Sarah Dean and Camelia Mayfield set records in the men's 3,000 meters, women's mile and women's 5,000 meters, respectively. Brown set his record in the men's 3,000 meters after finishing in 8:21.04 at the season-opening UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 18. Dean and Mayfield, meanwhile, set their records two weeks later at the UW Invitational (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), with Dean setting the new women's mile mark at 4:51.32, and Mayfield breaking her own record in the women's 5,000 meters by over 40 seconds with a time of 17:02.49.
 
Big Sky Champions:
Men:
Gifton Okoronkwo – Triple Jump – 48-05.25 (14.76m)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 47.86
 
All-Big Sky Performers:
Men:
Gifton Okoronkwo – 1st – Triple Jump – 48-05.25 (14.76m)
Sheldon Prince – 1st – 400m – 47.86
Michael Kubisiak – 3rd – 60m – 6.88
Women:
Baileh Simms – 2nd – Long Jump – 19-05.50 (5.93m)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 2nd – 60m Hurdles – 8.44
Whitney Diggs – 3rd – 400m – 54.89
Jazmin Ratcliff – 3rd – 60m – 7.50
 
PSU School Records Broken:
Men:
T-Roy Brown – 8:21.04 – 3,000m
Sheldon Prince – 47.86 – 400m
Women:
Sarah Dean – 4:51.32 – Mile
Whitney Diggs – 54.89 – 400m
Camelia Mayfield – 17:02.49 – 5,000m
Jazmin Ratcliff – 8.35 – 60m Hurdles
 
RESURGENT MEN:
The Portland State men's track and field team had its best showing at the Big Sky Indoor Championships since 2005 this season, scoring 39 points at the meet to place eighth overall. The 39 points the Viking men scored at the Big Sky Indoor meet also represents the second-best total in program history, behind only the 54 the team scored in 2005. Additionally, 30.5 of the team's 39 points came from freshmen or sophomores, making the future of the PSU men's program a bright one.
 
YOUTH IN REVOLT:
Youth has not been wasted on the young for the Vikings, as five of PSU's seven All-Big Sky performances at the Big Sky Indoor Championships (Feb. 27-March 1) came from underclassmen. Freshmen Gifton Okoronkwo (1st in men's triple jump), Whitney Diggs (3rd in women's 400m) and Baileh Simms (2nd in women's long jump), and sophomores Sheldon Prince (1st in men's 400m) and Michael Kubisiak (3rd in men's 60m) earned the All-Big Sky honors for the Vikings' youth, capping a strong indoor season for the team's underclassmen. Leading into the conference meet, 14 of the team's 22 automatic Big Sky qualifiers for the indoor meet were underclassmen, and 30.5 of the men's 39 points and at least part of 28 of the women's 57 points at the Big Sky meet came from underclassmen as well. The Vikings will need more strong showings from their youth during the outdoor season, as the men's roster features 19 underclassmen among its 23 athletes (eight freshmen, 11 sophomores), while the women's roster features 16 underclassmen among its 27 athletes (11 freshmen, five sophomores).
 
COMING UP:
The Portland State track and field teams will split between the Victor Lopez Classic in Houston, Texas, and Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore., next weekend. The Vikings will compete at the Victor Lopez Classic March 27-29, and compete at the Willamette Invitational March 28-29.
 
BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
The Portland State women's and men's track and field teams were picked fifth and ninth, respectively, in the Big Sky's preseason coaches' poll. Northern Arizona was picked to sweep the titles, including a unanimous selection on the men's side. Northern Arizona earned 121 points and all 11 first-place votes in the men's poll, well ahead of second-place Sacramento State (104 points) and third-place Montana (88 points). The Northern Arizona women, meanwhile, topped their side of the poll with 116 points and seven first-place votes. Sacramento State followed the NAU women with 104 points and four first-place votes, while Montana and Weber State tied for third with 94 points. The Viking women finished with 76 points on their side of the poll, while the Viking men finished with 37.
 
VIKINGS UNDER COACH HARRISON:
Six-year head coach Ronnye Harrison has led the Portland State men's and women's track and field teams to several records in his tenure at the school. Harrison has coached 29 Big Sky individual champions in his tenure, including 20 in the sprints. Additionally, four athletes have been named Big Sky Athletes of the Meet, while athletes have won 43 athletes Big Sky silver and bronze medals (23 silver, 20 bronze) and earned 72 All-Big Sky honors. The Vikings have also won six straight Big Sky titles in the outdoor 100 meters under Harrison, and set five Big Sky Conference records (women's indoor 55, indoor 60, indoor 200, outdoor 100 and outdoor 200).