MEET NOTES
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State track and field teams send a large contingent to the Mondo Mid-Major Challenge Thursday through Saturday, April 10-12, at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.
The meet will be split between a heptathlon and decathlon portion and a team challenge. The heptathlon and decathlon will take place over Thursday and Friday, while the rest of the meet will take place over Friday and Saturday.
The multi-event portion of the meet will offer PSU multi-event athletes their first crack at the combined events this outdoor season. The rest of the meet will include a team scoring element, with all unattached/open/club accepted participants excluded from the team scores. Unattached athletes will also only participate in the preliminary rounds of the throwing and horizontal jumping events, as only athletes from accepted teams will participate in the final rounds of those events.
A champions plaque will be awarded to the highest-scoring men's and women's team at the end of the meet Saturday. The Viking women placed fifth with 79 points at the challenge last season, while the men placed eighth with 12 points.
MEET SPECIFICS:April 10-12 – Mondo Mid-Major Challenge – Sacramento, Calif. – Hornet Stadium
MONDO MID-MAJOR CHALLENGE SCHEDULE:Thursday, April 10Heptathlon Start (PT) Event12 p.m. 100-Meter Hurdles
12:40 p.m. High Jump
2:10 p.m. Shot Put
3:10 p.m. 200 Meters
DecathlonStart (PT) Event12:15 p.m. 100 Meters
12:50 p.m. Long Jump
2:15 p.m. Shot Put
3:30 p.m. High Jump
5:15 p.m. 400 Meters
Friday, April 11HeptathlonStart (PT) Event12 p.m. Long Jump
1:15 p.m. Javelin
2:45 p.m. 800 Meters
DecathlonStart (PT) Event11 a.m. 110-Meter Hurdles
11:40 a.m. Discus
1:15 p.m. Pole Vault
3:15 p.m. Javelin
4:45 p.m. 1,500 Meters
Field EventsStart (PT) Event3:15 p.m. Women's Discus Throw
Men's Discus Throw – after the women's competition
4 p.m. Men's Long Jump
Women's Long Jump – after the men's competition
5:30 p.m. Women's Pole Vault
6 p.m. Men's High Jump
Running EventsStart (PT) Event7 p.m. Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
Women's 5,000 Meters
Men's 5,000 Meters
Saturday, April 12Field EventsStart (PT) Event10:30 a.m. Women's Hammer Throw
Men's Hammer Throw – after the women's competition
11 a.m. Men's Shot Put
Women's Shot Put – after the men's competition
11:45 a.m. Women's Javelin
Men's Javelin – after the women's competition
12 p.m. Men's Pole Vault
12 p.m. Women's High Jump
12 p.m. Men's Triple Jump
Women's Triple Jump – after the men's competition
Running EventsStart (PT) Event11:15 a.m. Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
11:20 a.m. Men's 4x100-Meter Relay
11:30 a.m. Women's 1,500 Meters
11:45 a.m. Women's 100-Meter Hurdles
12 p.m. Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
12:10 p.m. Women's 400 Meters
12:20 p.m. Men's 400 Meters
12:35 p.m. Women's 100 Meters
12:45 p.m. Men's 100 Meters
12:55 p.m. Women's 800 Meters
1:05 p.m. Men's 800 Meters
1:15 p.m. Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
1:20 p.m. Men's 400-Meter Hurdles
1:30 p.m. Women's 200 Meters
1:45 p.m. Men's 200 Meters
2 p.m. Men's 1,500 Meters
2:20 p.m. Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
2:30 p.m. Men's 4x400-Meter Relay
LIVE RESULTS:Live results from the meet will be available
here, or on the track and field
schedule pages on GoViks.com.
COMING UP:The Portland State track and field teams return to Eugene, Ore., for the Oregon Relays Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, at Hayward Field.
NATIONAL RANKINGS:The Vikings rank in the top 95 nationally in five different events so far this season,. Of the Vikings in the top 95 nationally, senior
Sarah Dean ranks 38th in 10,000 meters with a time of 34:49.18, and ranks 91st in the 800 meters with a time of 2:10.61. Freshman
Whitney Diggs, meanwhile, ranks 56th in the women's 400 in 54.65 seconds, while sophomore
Sheldon Prince ranks 67th in the men's 400 in 47.65 seconds, and freshman
Baileh Simms ranks 77th in the women's long jump with a mark of 19-04.25 (5.90m).
Vikings in National RankingsWomen:400m56.
Whitney Diggs – 54.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
800m91.
Sarah Dean – 2:10.61 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
10,000m38.
Sarah Dean – 34:49.18 – Stanford Invitational (4/4/14)
Long Jump77.
Baileh Simms – 19-04.25 (5.90m) – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Men:400m67.
Sheldon Prince – 47.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
DIVISION I WEST RANKINGS:The Vikings have 16 individual or teams ranked in the top 95 of the NCAA Division I West Region, including 12 on the women's side. Those rankings will come into play at the end of the season, as qualification for the NCAA West Preliminary will be based on the descending-order lists in each event, with the top 48 declared student-athletes in each event qualifying for the meet. Currently, the Vikings have six athletes or teams ranked in the top 48 of seven events in the NCAA West Region between
Whitney Diggs in the women's 400 (24th);
Sarah Dean in the women's 800 (44th) and 10,000 meters (23rd);
Maggie Coleman in the 10,000 meters (46th);
Jazmin Ratcliff,
Genna Settle,
Baileh Simms and
Adia White in the women's 4x100-meter relay (39th); Simms in the women's long jump (29th); and
Sheldon Prince in the men's 400 meters (30th).
Vikings in West RankingsWomen:100m86.
Genna Settle – 12.00 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
400m24.
Whitney Diggs – 54.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
800m44.
Sarah Dean – 2:10.61 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
1,500m90.
Sarah Dean – 4:32.87 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
10,000m23.
Sarah Dean – 34:49.18 – Stanford Invitational (4/4/14)
46.
Maggie Coleman – 37:34.62 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
100m Hurdles58.
Jazmin Ratcliff – 14.08 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
86.
CeCelia Jackson – 14.25 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
400m Hurdles73.
CeCelia Jackson – 1:02.48 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
4x100m Relay39. Portland State 'A' (Ratcliff, Settle, Simms, White) – 46.07 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Long Jump29.
Baileh Simms – 19-04.25 (5.90m) – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Javelin67.
Allison Burkett – 135-06 (41.30m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Men100m66.
Michael Kubisiak – 10.72 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
400m30.
Sheldon Prince – 47.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
800m91.
Nathan Fleck – 1:52.85 – Stanford Invitational (4/4/14)
High Jump54.
Rockwell Tufty – 6-08 (2.03m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
BIG SKY QUALIFIERS:The Portland State Vikings have hit 21 Big Sky qualifying marks so far this season (16 by women, five by men). Qualifying marks assure the athlete of competing at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships May 14-17 in Flagstaff, Ariz. Beyond the Big Sky auto qualifiers, the rest of the field for the conference meet will be based on the descending-order lists in each event within the conference.
PSU Big Sky Auto Qualifiers (through April 5)Women:Allison Burkett – Javelin – 135-06.25 (41.30m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Maggie Coleman – 10,000m – 37:34.62 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
Sarah Dean – 800m – 2:10.61 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Sarah Dean – 1,500m – 4:32.87 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Sarah Dean – 10,000m – 34:49.18* – Stanford Invitational (4/4/14)
Whitney Diggs – 200m – 24.60 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Whitney Diggs – 400m – 54.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
CeCelia Jackson – 100m Hurdles – 14.25 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
CeCelia Jackson – 400m Hurdles – 1:02.48 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Sydney Johnson– Discus – 142-07.25 (43.46m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 100m Hurdles – 14.08 – Victor Lope Classic (3/29/14)
Genna Settle – 100m – 12.00 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
Genna Settle – 200m – 24.72 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Baileh Simms – Long Jump – 19-04.25 (5.90m) – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Jasmine Woods – 100m – 12.06 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Men:Nathan Fleck – 800m – 1:52.85 – Stanford Invitational (4/5/14)
Michael Kubisiak – 100m – 10.72 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
Sheldon Prince – 200m – 21.81 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 47.65 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Rockwell Tufty – High Jump – 6-07.75 (2.03m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
*Dean's time in the 10,000 meters cross-qualifies her for the women's 5,000 meters as well. Athletes who finish the women's 10,000 meters in less than 37:00.00 also qualify for the Big Sky meet in the 5,000 meters.
VIKINGS IN BIG SKY TOP 20:Women:100m4.
Genna Settle – 12.00* – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
7.
Jasmine Woods – 12.06* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
10.
Jazmin Ratcliff – 12.17 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
T-13.
Baileh Simms – 12.39 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
T-13.
Adia White – 12.39 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
200m5.
Whitney Diggs – 24.60* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
7.
Genna Settle – 24.72* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
13.
Jazmin Ratcliff – 25.15 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
14.
Jasmine Woods – 25.20 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
16.
Adia White – 25.39 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
20.
Dejuanae Toliver – 25.61 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
400m1.
Whitney Diggs – 54.65* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
800m1.
Sarah Dean – 2:10.61* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
19.
Erica Contos – 2:17.43 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
1,500m3.
Sarah Dean – 4:32.87* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
16.
Erica Contos – 4:41.97 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
10,000m2.
Sarah Dean – 34:49.18* – Stanford Invitational (4/4/14)
6.
Maggie Coleman – 37:34.62* – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
100m Hurdles4.
Jazmin Ratcliff – 14.08* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
9.
CeCelia Jackson – 14.25* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
400m Hurdles6.
CeCelia Jackson – 1:02.48* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
19.
Roazena Miller – 1:07.10 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
4x100m Relay1. Portland State – 46.07 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Long Jump1.
Baileh Simms – 19-04.25 (5.90m)* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
Discus9.
Sydney Johnson – 142-07 (43.46m)* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
18.
Shae Carson – 132-07 (40.41m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Javelin7.
Allison Burkett – 135-06 (41.30m)* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Men:100m2.
Michael Kubisiak – 10.72* – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
13.
Sheldon Prince – 11.04 – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
200m6.
Sheldon Prince – 21.81* – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
12.
Michael Kubisiak – 22.18 – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
400m1.
Sheldon Prince – 47.65* – Victor Lopez Classic (3/29/14)
800m3.
Nathan Fleck – 1:52.85* – Stanford Invitational (4/5/14)
18.
T-Roy Brown – 1:57.09 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
1,500m9.
T-Roy Brown – 3:54.66 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
18.
Neil Seibert – 3:59.38 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
5,000m20.
Jake Schwartz – 15:23.76 – SF State Distance Carnival (4/4/14)
110m Hurdles16.
Nevin Lewis – 15.79 – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
High JumpT-4.
Rockwell Tufty – 6-08.00 (2.03m)* – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
13.
Kevin Robinson – 6-04.00 (1.93m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
T-16.
Mitchell Gable – 6-02.00 (1.88m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
Pole Vault11.
Nevin Lewis – 14-07.25 (4.45m) – Oregon Preview (3/22/14)
Triple Jump8.
Tyson Stipic – 44-01.25 (13.44m) – Willamette Invitational (3/29/14)
* - Mark automatically qualifies athlete for Big Sky Outdoor Championships
STANFORD INVITATIONAL RECAP:Senior
Sarah Dean and freshman
Nathan Fleck qualified for the Big Sky Championships in the women's 10,000 and men's 800 meters Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, at the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field in Stanford, Calif. Dean set her qualifying mark in the 10,000 meters Friday, as she finished 21st in the second section of the event in 34:49.18. Dean's time ranks her second in the Big Sky this season, and moves her up to second all-time in the 10,000 meters at Portland State. Dean's time also cross-qualifies her for the 5,000 meters in the Big Sky, since she beat the cross-qualifying standard of 37:00.00. Dean has now qualified in the 800, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters after just three outdoor meets this season. Fleck, meanwhile, hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 800 meters while finishing 39th in the event in 1:52.85. Fleck's time ranks him third in the Big Sky this season, and moves him up to ninth all-time in the event at Portland State. Fleck's fellow freshman
Ben Richardson also set a new personal best in the 800 meters at the Stanford Invite, as he finished 80th overall in 2:00.14, edging his old PR of 2:00.55, which he set at the Willamette Invitational the week before.
SF STATE DISTANCE CARNIVAL RECAP:The Viking distance crew set eight personal bests across six events at the SF State Distance Carnival Friday, April 4, at Cox Stadium in San Francisco, Calif. Freshman
Maggie Coleman headlined the day for the Vikings, as she qualified for the Big Sky meet in the 10,000 meters with her time of 37:34.62. Coleman's time moved her to sixth in the Big Sky this season, and 10th all-time in the event at Portland State. Besides Coleman, junior
Jake Schwartz and sophomore Jonathan Talik crushed their old personal best in the 5,000 meters, finishing in times of 15:23.76 and 15:23.86, respectively, 27 seconds better than each of their old records. Junior
Erica Contos and sophomore
T-Roy Brown also each set personal bests in the women's and men's 800 and 1,500 meters, as Contos finished in 2:17.43 and 4:41.97, respectively, while Brown finished in 1:57.09 and 3:54.66, respectively. Additionally, Junior
Keikoanne Hollins and sophomore
Neil Seibert set personal bests in the 1,500 meters, as Hollins ran the women's 1,500 in 4:46.22, while Seibert ran the men's 1,500 in 3:59.38.
VICTOR LOPEZ CLASSIC RECAP:The Portland State Vikings won five events at the Victor Lopez Classic Saturday, March 29, at the Rice University Track Stadium in Houston, Texas. Sophomore
Sheldon Prince and freshman
Whitney Diggs swept the men's and women's 400 meters for the Vikings, while Prince also won the men's 100 meters. Prince lowered his Big Sky-leading 400 time to 47.65 seconds in winning the men's 400, putting him just .27 seconds behind Anthony Robinson's 11-year-old school record of 47.38 seconds. Diggs, meanwhile, won the women's 400 meters in 54.65 seconds, a time that leads the Big Sky by more than a second. Outside of Prince and Diggs, freshman
Baileh Simms won the women's long jump by four and a half inches, as she jumped a Big Sky-leading 19-04.25 (5.90m) at the meet. Junior
Jazmin Ratcliff and freshman
CeCelia Jackson also went 1-2 in the 100-meter hurdles, a week after the duo went 1-2 in the same event at the Oregon Preview. Jackson also qualified for the Big Sky meet in the 400-meter hurdles, as she finished fourth in the event in 1:02.48. Additionally, Ratcliff, freshman
Genna Settle, Simms and sophomore
Adia White finished second in the 4x100-meter relay in a Big Sky-leading 46.07 seconds.
WILLAMETTE INVITATONAL RECAP:The Vikings set or bettered six Big Sky qualifying marks Saturday, March 29, at the Willamette Invitational at the Charles Bowles Track in Salem, Ore. Senior
Sarah Dean led the Vikings' group of Big Sky qualifiers, as she won the women's 800 meters by over two and a half seconds. Dean finished in 2:10.61 at the meet, a time that leads the Big Sky by over two full seconds. Dean qualified in the 1,500 meters as well, as she placed third in the event in 4:32.87. Besides Dean, senior
Allison Burkett qualified for the Big Sky meet while winning the javelin with a throw of 135-06.25 (41.30m). Sophomore thrower
Sydney Johnson also won the discus at the meet Saturday while improving her Big Sky qualifying mark in the event with a throw of 142-07.25 (43.46m). Junior
Jasmine Woods, meanwhile, qualified for the Big Sky in the 100 meters, placing second in 12.06 seconds. Additionally, sophomore
Rockwell Tufty improved his Big Sky qualifying mark in the high jump while placing second in the event with a jump of 6-07.75 (2.03m). Freshman
Roazena Miller won the women's 400 meters for the Vikings as well, finishing in 1:00.47.
OREGON PREVIEW RECAP:The Vikings opened their 2014 outdoor schedule with nine Big Sky qualifying marks at the Oregon Preview Saturday, March 22, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Freshman
Genna Settle and sophomore
Michael Kubisiak gave the Vikings two Big Sky qualifiers while winning their respective sides of the women's and men's 100 meters. Settle won the women's 100 in 12.00 seconds, while Kubisiak won the men's 100 in a Big Sky-leading time of 10.72 seconds. Junior
Jazmin Ratcliff and freshman
CeCelia Jackson, meanwhile, went 1-2 in the 100-meter hurdles in Big Sky-qualifying times of 14.14 and 14.32 seconds, respectively. Sophomore
Sheldon Prince also qualified in the 200 and 400 meters at the Oregon Preview, as he placed second in both in 21.81 and 47.88 seconds, respectively. Prince's time of 47.88 seconds in the 400 moved him up to No. 2 all-time in the event at Portland State, and ranked him atop the Big Sky in the 400 after week one. Besides Prince, sophomore
Sydney Johnson, freshman
Baileh Simms and sophomore
Rockwell Tufty hit Big Sky qualifying marks in the women's discus, women's long jump and men's high jump, respectively. Johnson qualified in the discus with a throw of 141-08 (43.17m), while Simms qualified in the long jump with a jump of 18-07.25 (5.67m), and Tufty qualified in the high jump with a jump of 6-07.50 (2.02m). Additionally, seniors
Sarah Dean and
Nevin Lewis moved up the PSU career lists in the women's 3,000 meters and men's pole vault, respectively. Dean moved up to No. 3 all-time in the 3,000 with her time of 9:45.97 in the event, while Lewis moved up to fourth all-time in the pole vault with his mark of 14-07.25 (4.45m).
2014 INDOOR SEASON RECAP:The Portland State Vikings won two Big Sky individual championships, set six school records and earned 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 men's 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, as she crossed the line in 8.35 seconds in the prelims of the event at the Big Sky meet. 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, meanwhile, set the other three school records earlier in the 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 the record in the men's 3,000 meters at 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 represent 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, while both Big Sky champions and all three All-Big Sky performers are underclassmen as well.
YOUTH UPRISING: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 youth have started the outdoor season strongly, too, as 14 of the Vikings' 21 Big Sky qualifying marks have come from underclassmen. The Vikings will need more strong showings from their youth during the outdoor season, as the men's roster features 18 underclassmen among its 22 athletes (seven freshmen, 11 sophomores), while the women's roster features 18 underclassmen among its 29 athletes (10 freshmen, eight sophomores).
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, and was 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).
