RESULTS

BOSTON, Mass. — Portland State sprinters set or bettered seven Big Sky qualifying marks Saturday, as the Viking track and field teams competed at the Scarlet & White Invitational at Boston University's Track & Tennis Center.
 
Sophomore Genna Settle highlighted the strong day for the Vikings' sprinters, as she became just the second Viking ever to break 24 seconds in the indoor 200 meters Saturday, as she finished in 23.92 seconds while placing third overall in the event. Settle joins former PSU sprinting standout Karene King as the only two Vikings to break 24 seconds, and moves up to fourth all-time in the Big Sky Conference, just .15 seconds off the school and conference records in the event, set by King at 23.77 seconds in 2012.
 
Settle also moved into the Big Sky lead in the women's 200 with her time Friday, as she beat the previous best in the conference by .19 seconds Saturday. Additionally, Settle now ranks 36th in the nation in the women's 200, just three-tenths of a second back from the 16th-best time in the nation, which will be the cut off for qualification for the NCAA indoor meet.
 
Besides Settle, senior Jasmine Woods also hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 200 meters Saturday, as she finished in 24.78 seconds, setting a new personal best by .22 seconds. Woods has now qualified in both the 60 and 200 meters, and ranks in the top 10 of the conference in each event.
 
Junior Sheldon Prince, meanwhile, hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the men's 200, as he cracked 22 seconds for the first time this season with a new seasonal-best time of 21.94 seconds. Only three other Big Sky athletes had cracked 22 seconds this season going into the meet, moving Prince into the top five of the conference in the 200.
 
Prince also moved up to second in the Big Sky in the 400 meters, as he set a new seasonal best while placing fifth in the event in 48.15 seconds. Prince's time Saturday ranks less than three-tenths of a second off his own school record in the event of 47.86 seconds, set last season.
 
Sophomore Whitney Diggs, the school record-holder in the women's 400, also set a new seasonal best Saturday, as she finished the 400 in 55.72 seconds. Diggs had hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 400 at the UW Invitational last week, but moved up to third in the event with her time Saturday.
 
Outside of the 400, senior Jazmin Ratcliff finished under the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 60 meters, giving the Vikings three auto bids in the event in Ratcliff, Settle and Woods. Ratcliff finished in 7.63 seconds Saturday, moving her up to seventh in the Big Sky in the event.
 
The Vikings also now have three qualifiers in the 60-meter hurdles, as sophomore Akayla Anderson set a huge PSU personal best while winning the event in 8.62 seconds. Anderson now ranks third in the Big Sky in the 60-meter hurdles, two spots behind Ratcliff, the Big Sky leader in the event, and one spot ahead of sophomore teammate CeCelia Jackson. Additionally, Anderson moved up to sixth all-time in the 60-meter hurdles at Portland State with her time Saturday.
 
Sophomore Mitchell Gable, meanwhile, did not hit a Big Sky qualifying mark Saturday, but set a huge personal best in the men's 400 meters with his time of 49.54 seconds. Gable shaved a full two-tenths of a second off his previous best of 49.74 seconds, set last week at the UW Invitational. Gable also set a new personal best in the men's 200 meters, finishing in 22.44 seconds, .15 seconds faster than his previous best of 22.59. Gable now ranks 10th all-time in the 200 at Portland State, and also ranks eighth all-time in the 400.
 
Meanwhile, in the field, junior Sydney Johnson, the Big Sky women's indoor field athlete of the week last week, set a new personal best in the weight throw by close to four feet. Johnson threw 48-03.25 (14.71m) Saturday, well ahead of her previous best of 44-03.50 (13.50m). Johnson moves up to eighth all-time in the women's weight throw at Portland State with her mark Saturday, while Johnson also ranks 10th all-time in the shot put.
 
Junior Kris Tollefson also shaved close to two full seconds off her previous personal best in the 800 meters, as she finished in 2:18.31, 1.9 seconds faster than her previous best of 2:20.21.
 
Additionally, junior D'nara Jones chopped a full half-second off her personal best in the 200 meters, finishing in 25.44 seconds Saturday, .52 seconds faster than her previous best of 25.96. Anderson and freshman T'mara Richey also each made their PSU debuts in the women's 200 Saturday, with Richey finishing in 25.55 seconds and Anderson finishing in 26.27 seconds.
 
Richey also came close to tying her personal best in the long jump, as she jumped 18-04.25 (5.59m) Saturday, three-quarters of an inch short of her best of 18-05.00 (5.61m). Jones and sophomore Sierra Arlauskas also made their PSU debuts in the long jump at the meet, with Arlauskas jumping 17-05.50 (5.32m) and Jones jumping 16-09.25 (5.11m).
 
Additionally, junior Tyson Stipic, normally a specialist in the jumps, made his sprinting debut at Portland State at the meet, finishing the men's 200 meters in 24.24 seconds.
 
The Vikings will next compete at the Husky Classic, Feb. 13-14, at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, Wash. That will be the final regular-season meet of the season for the Vikings, with the Big Sky Championships scheduled for Feb. 26-28 in Flagstaff, Ariz.
 
PSU Big Sky Auto Qualifiers (through Feb. 7)
Women:
Akayla Anderson – 60m Hurdles – 8.62 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Amanda Boman – 5,000m – 17:01.73* – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
Whitney Diggs – 400m – 55.72 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
CeCelia Jackson – 60m Hurdles – 8.65 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 60m – 7.63 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 60m Hurdles – 8.42 – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Ta'mara Richey – Long Jump – 18-05.00 (5.61m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Genna Settle – 60m – 7.54 – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Genna Settle – 200m – 23.92 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Baileh Simms – Long Jump – 19-00.00 (5.79m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Jasmine Woods – 7.51 – 60m – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
Jasmine Woods – 24.78 – 200m – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
 
Men:
Sheldon Prince – 200m – 21.94 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 48.15 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Spenser Schmidt – Long Jump – 22-10.50 (6.97m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Rockwell Tufty – High Jump – 6-08.75 (2.05m) – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
* - Mark cross qualifies athlete for 3,000 meters as well as the 5,000 meters
 
Scarlet & White Invitational
Track & Tennis Center
Boston, Mass.
Feb. 7, 2015
 
Women's Results:
60m: 1. Jazmin Ratcliff, 7.63; T-8. Adia White, 7.86; 12. Baileh Simms, 7.90; 13. Nettie Wayne, 7.90; 14. CeCelia Jackson, 7.92; 16. Ta'mara Richey, 7.99. 200m: 3. Genna Settle, 23.92; 17. Jasmine Woods, 24.78; 20. Jazmin Ratcliff, 24.86; 24. Whitney Diggs, 24.97; 38. D'nara Jones, 25.44; 40. Ta'mara Richey, 25.55; 46. Nettie Wayne, 25.79; 47. Sierra Arlauskas, 25.82; 60. Akayla Anderson, 26.27. 400m: 7. Whitney Diggs, 55.72. 800m: 24. Kris Tollefson, 2:18.31. 60m Hurdles: 1. Akayla Anderson, 8.62. Long Jump: 4. Ta'mara Richey, 18-04.25 (5.59m); 9. Sierra Arlauskas, 17-05.50 (5.32m); 14. D'nara Jones, 16-09.25 (5.11m). Weight Throw: 12. Sydney Johnson, 48-03.25 (14.71m).
 
Men's Results:
200m: 8. Sheldon Prince, 21.94; 19. Mitchell Gable, 22.44; 46. Tyson Stipic, 24.24. 400m: 5. Sheldon Prince, 48.15; 16. Mitchell Gable, 49.54.