Complete Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. – The running coach-speak cliché telling runners to "run every race like it's your last" can lose its impact after being repeated too frequently. But for four Portland State men and one woman, Friday's race really could be their last.
 
The Viking men's and women's cross country teams will be competing in the NCAA West Regional Championships in Seattle on Friday. The loaded field of schools in the West Regional will make it extremely difficult for Portland State to qualify for the NCAA National Championships, so this could be the final race of the season for most of the Vikings.
 
However, there are a few Vikings with hopes of qualifying for nationals as individuals. Headlining that group is Amanda Boman, the lone senior on the Portland State women's team.
 
Boman has had a breakout year, winning two races leading up to the Big Sky Championships. At those Big Sky Championships, Boman finished 10th to become just the second Portland State woman to earn all-conference honors since 1999.
 
The top two teams at the regional will automatically qualify for nationals. One or two additional teams could potentially earn at-large bids.
 
If the Vikings do not finish high enough as a team, Boman can still earn a spot in the National Championships in Louisville, Ky. next week. In order to do that, Boman will have to be one of the top four finishers not on one of the qualifying teams. She will also need to crack the top 25 overall.
 
In the men's race, four Vikings – seniors Aaron Campbell, Spencer Russell, Neil Seibert and John Talik – could be running for the last time in a Portland State uniform.
 
Campbell appears primed to be the Vikings' best hope for a high finish on the men's side. He has shown steady improvement and was Portland State's top man at last week's Big Sky Championships. Talik could also make some noise. He was the Vikings' fastest runner at last season's West Regional.
 
Additionally, sophomore Alex Cisneros could be in the mix for the Vikings, having led the men at two meets this season.
 
The West Regional is being hosted by the Washington Huskies at Seattle's Jefferson Park Golf Course. The women's race is scheduled to begin at noon with the men's race following at 1:00 p.m.
 
MEET INFORMATION
LOCATION: Jefferson Park Golf Course
                     4101 Beacon Ave St, Seattle, Wash. 98108
 
SCHEDULE:
12:00 p.m. – Women's 6,000-meter race
1:00 p.m. – Men's 10,000-meter race
 
PSU ENTRIES:
Women: Nyalual Beng (Fr.), Amanda Boman (Sr.), Maggie Coleman (Jr.), Nevina De Luca (Fr.), Kaila Ann Gibson (Fr.), Kennedy Martin (Jr.), Sarah Medved (So.), Cheryn Trapp (Jr.)
 
Men: Aaron Campbell (Sr.), Alex Cisneros (So.), Jacob Hicks (So.), Ben Richardson (Jr.), Spencer Russell (Sr.), Neil Seibert (Sr.), John Talik (Sr.), Justin Wikler (So.)
 
TEAMS COMPETING:
Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, California, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Eastern Washington, Fresno State (men only), Gonzaga, Hawaii (women only), Idaho, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Oregon, Oregon State (women only), Pacific (women only), Pepperdine, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's (Calif.), San Diego, San Diego State (women only), San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle, Stanford, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UNLV (women only), USC (women only), Washington, Washington State
 
PSU'S RECENT HISTORY AT THE NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Portland State women finished right in the middle of the pack at last season's West Regional Championship, placing 17th out of 34 teams, tying the second highest finish ever by the Vikings at the meet. As a junior, Amanda Boman paced the Vikings and snuck into the top 50 (49th) with a time of 21:24. She was followed by Cheryn Trapp in 64th place (21:35).
 
The lady Vikings came in 25th out of 32 teams in the 2013 regional.
 
The Viking men placed 27th out of 29 teams in the 2014 regional. Their top two finishers from that race – John Talik and Alex Cisneros – return for the 2015 regional.
 
In 2013, the Portland State men took 26th of 27 teams.
 
THE COURSE:
The course consists of multiple 2k loops on flat fairways crossing some cart paths. The course was the site of the 2010 Pac-10 Championships, the USATF Club Nationals, the NCAA West Regional Championships in 2012 and the Washington Invitational beginning in 2014. Spikes are recommended for competition.
 
DIRECTIONS:
Take Interstate-5 North towards Seattle. Take exit 163A on Columbian Way. Go left at first light onto Spokane Street. Take second right onto Beacon Avenue South.
 
PARKING:
Parking is available at the Jefferson Park Golf Course clubhouse with additional parking spaces available on Beacon Avenue.
 
WEST REGIONAL WEBSITE:
http://www.gohuskies.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=30200&ATCLID=210307736
 
NCAA NATIONALS:
The top two teams from each of the nine regional championships will automatically qualify for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Louisville, Ky. On Nov. 21. Additionally, 13 teams nationwide will earn at-large bids.

The top four individual finishers in each region not on a qualifying team will qualify for nationals if they finish in the top 25 of their region.