Meet Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State track & field team heads back north to Seattle for the UW Invitational Friday and Saturday at Dempsey Indoor, offering up another chance for the Vikings' sprinters and jumpers to shine.
 
The Vikings will not compete in an event longer than the 400 meters on the track, and will limit themselves to the men's and women's long jump, men's and women's triple jump, and the men's high jump in the field.
 
The one exception will be senior Kevin Robinson, who will compete in his second heptathlon of the 2016 indoor track season at the UW Invitational. Robinson completed his first heptathlon at Portland State at the Ed Jacoby Invitational at the start of the season, finishing with 4,369 points, a mark that ranks him sixth in the Big Sky in the event this season.
 
Robinson tuned his skills in the 60-meter hurdles and high jump outside of the heptathlon at the Bronco Invitational last week, and set a new personal best in the hurdles with his time of 8.53 seconds in the final. Robinson also ran on the Vikings' 4x400-meter relay team that finished in 3:23.18 at the meet, ranking the Vikings seventh in the event within the Big Sky this season.
 
Besides Robinson, junior sprinter Genna Settle will lead the Vikings' sprinters and jumpers at the meet after she was named Big Sky Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week on Monday, following her seasonal-best performance in the 200 meters at the Bronco Invitational. Settle finished the 200 in 24.48 seconds at the Bronco Invite, the fastest unadjusted time by anybody in the Big Sky this season.
 
Settle will open the meet in the women's 200 meters at 5 p.m. (PT) Friday, along with fellow junior Whitney Diggs and freshman Rachel Vinjamuri. Settle also earned an automatic berth into the prelims of the women's 60 meters, which will start at 11:28 a.m. Saturday.
 
Junior hurdler Akayla Anderson also earned an automatic berth into the prelims of the women's 60-meter hurdles, which will run at 10:59 a.m. Saturday. Anderson has not competed in the 60-meter hurdles yet this season, but was an All-Big Sky performer in the 60-meter hurdles after finishing second in the event last season.
 
Vinjamuri, meanwhile, will continue her impressive freshman season in the 400 meters, as she and Diggs will compete in the event at 12:55 p.m. Saturday. Vinjamuri has been the Vikings' fastest runner in the 400 meters this season, and has set personal bests in the event at her first two meets of the season.
 
Senior sprinter Sheldon Prince also returns to the men's 400 meters at the UW Invitational, after he met the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 400 meters with his time of 48.84 seconds at the UW Indoor Preview at the start of the season.
 
The Vikings' field athletes, meanwhile, are coming off a hot meet last week in which freshmen triple jumpers ChaQuinn Cook and Jean-Luc Toku both met the Big Sky qualifying marks in the men's and women's triple jump. Toku returns to the triple jump at the UW Invitational, trying to beat the 47-00.75 (14.34m) he jumped at the Bronco Invitational.
 
Sophomore sprinter/jumper Spenser Schmidt will also return to the long jump, after barely missing out on the Big Sky auto mark in the event at the UW Indoor Preview at the start of the season, when he jumped 22-07.25 (6.89m). Schmidt has also been close to the Big Sky auto marks in the 60 and 200 meters, and will compete in each of those events at the meet as well.
 
Robinson will kick off the meet for the Vikings in the men's heptathlon at 1 p.m. Friday, while running events get started with the women's 200 meters at 5 p.m. Saturday will then get started with the women's long jump at 10 a.m., while running events start at 10:49 a.m. in the men's 60 meters.
 
MEET INFORMATION:
Jan. 29-30, 2016 – UW Invitational – Seattle, Wash. (Dempsey Indoor)
 
LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available for both meets this weekend. Fans can find the link to live results on the track & field schedule page on GoViks.com
 
LIVE VIDEO:
A live video stream from the meet will also be available, though fans will need to pay for a FloPro account to access it. Links to where fans can find the stream and sign up for an account can be found on the track & field schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
UW INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Jan. 29
Heptathlon – Day One
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
1 p.m.                          Men's Heptathlon – 60 Meters (Robinson, K.)
~1:45 p.m.                 Men's Heptathlon – Long Jump (Robinson, K.)
~3 p.m.                       Men's Heptathlon – Shot Put (Robinson, K.)
~4:30 p.m.                 Men's Heptathlon – High Jump (Robinson, K.)
 
Running Events
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
5 p.m.                          Women's 200 Meters (Section 8 – Vinjamuri; Section 17 – Settle; Section 18 – Diggs)
5:45 p.m.                    Men's 200 Meters (Section 3 – Schmidt, Gable)
 
Saturday, Jan. 30
Heptathlon – Day Two
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
10:05 a.m.                  Men's Heptathlon – 60-Meter Hurdles (Robinson, K.)
~11:15 a.m.               Men's Heptathlon – Pole Vault (Robinson, K.)
~2:45 p.m.                 Men's Heptathlon – 1,000 Meters (Robinson, K.)
 
Field Events
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
10 a.m.                        Women's Long Jump (Flight 2 – Williams; Flight 3 – Richey)
10 a.m.                        Men's Long Jump (Flight 1 – Schmidt)
1 p.m.                          Men's High Jump (Flight 2 – Tufty)
2 p.m.                          Women's Triple Jump (Flight 3 – Richey)
2 p.m.                          Men's Triple Jump (Toku)
 
Morning Running Events
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
10:49 a.m.                  Men's 60 Meters – Qualifying (Heat 5 – Schmidt)
10:59 a.m.                  Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Prelims (Anderson – auto advanced through qualifying)
11:28 a.m.                  Women's 60 Meters – Prelims (Settle – auto advanced through qualifying)
11:38 a.m.                  Men's 60 Meters – Prelims
12:25 p.m.                  Women's 60 Meters – Final
12:30 p.m.                  Men's 60 Meters – Final
12:38 p.m.                  Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Final
12:55 p.m.                  Women's 400 Meters – Sections 1-9 (Section 5 – Vinjamuri; Section 9 – Diggs)
1:18 p.m.                    Men's 400 Meters – Sections 1-7 (Section 5 – Gable; Section 7 – Prince)
 
COMING UP:
The Vikings have a split weekend next weekend, including a rare meet in Portland, Ore., with the Portland Indoor Invitational Feb. 4 at the House of Track, the same venue that will host the World Indoor Championships in March. Besides that meet, the Vikings will also head to Nampa, Idaho, for the third time this season, as they'll compete at the Jacksons/NB Indoor Invitational on Feb. 6.
 
SETTLE NAMED BIG SKY ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:
Junior sprinter Genna Settle picked up her second career Big Sky Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week earlier this week, after running a seasonal best of 24.48 seconds in the 200 meters at the Bronco Invitational last Saturday. Settle's time in the 200 last Saturday ranks second in the Big Sky Conference this season, behind only North Dakota's Natasha Brown, who ran the distance in 24.39 seconds at the Bison Classic on Jan. 16. Brown's time was adjusted, however, making Settle's mark the fastest non-adjusted time in the Big Sky Conference this season. Settle was also Big Sky Athlete of the Week after running a personal-best 23.92 seconds in the 200 meters at the Scarlet & White Invitational last season. That mark made Settle just the second Viking ever to crack 24 seconds in the indoor 200 meters, and ranks her second all-time in the event at Portland State as well as fourth all-time within the Big Sky Conference.
 
BRONCO INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Freshmen triple jumpers ChaQuinn Cook and Jean-Luc Toku shined for the Portland State track & field team at the Bronco Invitational, Jan. 23, at the Jackson Indoor Track in Nampa, Idaho. Cook took over the Big Sky lead in the women's triple jump with her mark of 38-00.25 (11.59m), while Toku surpassed 47 feet in the men's triple jump, finishing with a mark of 47-00.75 (14.34m). Toku moved up to third all-time in the indoor triple jump at Portland State with his mark at the meet, while Cook moved to 10th all-time at Portland State in the women's side of the event. Both Cook and Toku hit the Big Sky auto marks in their respective sides of the triple jump as well, while junior sprinter Genna Settle also beat the Big Sky auto mark in the 200 meters, finishing in a seasonal-best 24.48 seconds. Settle also nearly hit the qualifying mark in the 60 meters, as she won the event in 7.67 seconds, just .02 seconds short of meeting the conference standard.
 
UW INDOOR PREVIEW RECAP:
Senior sprinter Sheldon Prince picked up the Vikings' first Big Sky auto qualifying mark in the 400 meters, as he finished in 48.84 seconds to lead the Vikings at the UW Indoor Preview, Jan. 16, at the Dempsey Indoor Facility. Several other Vikings came close to auto marks, none closer than sophomore sprinter/jumper Spenser Schmidt, who came within one centimeter short of the distance needed to qualify for the meet, as he jumped 22-07.25 (6.89m). Senior high jumper Rockwell Tufty also took three attempts at what would have been a Big Sky qualifying mark of 2.05 meters, but missed on all three despite clearing his first two heights on his first attempt. Additionally, senior Spencer Russell and junior Ben Richardson came within a second of hitting the Big Sky auto mark in the 800 meters, as they finished within .03 seconds of each other at 1:54.70 and 1:54.73, respectively. Freshman sprinter Rachel Vinjamuri also had an impressive debut in the 400 meters, as she led three Vikings in the event with her time of 57.36 seconds, which moved her up to fifth all-time at Portland State in the event just one race into her PSU career.
 
ED JACOBY INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Senior Kevin Robinson completed his first heptathlon at Portland State, finishing fifth at the Ed Jacoby Invitational with 4,369 points, Jan. 16, at the Jacksons Indoor Track. Robinson went over 700 points in two events, as he tied for first overall with a clearance of 6-05.25 (1.96m) in the high jump to end the first day of the competition and then opened the second day of the competition with his time of 8.89 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. Sophomore Donté Robinson also competed at the meet, but was unable to clear a height in the pole vault and did not finish. Donté Robinson had been off to a good start in the heptathlon, as he topped 700 points in the 60 meters (7.44 seconds) and high jump (6-04.00, 1.93m).
 
BIG SKY QUALIFIERS:
The Vikings picked up three more Big Sky auto marks at last Saturday's Bronco Invitational, with junior sprinter Genna Settle (24.48 in 200m) and freshman jumpers ChaQuinn Cook (38-00.25, 11.59m in women's triple jump) and Jean-Luc Toku (47-00.75, 14.34m in men's triple jump) each hitting the mark. Auto marks assure athletes of competing at the Big Sky Indoor Championships in Bozeman, Mont., Feb. 25-27. The top 16 declared athletes in each event qualify for the meet, with the field filled in following the descending order list within the conference after the auto qualifiers are entered. The combined events are the only ones that differ as only the top 14 declared athletes qualify in each of those events.
 
PSU BIG SKY AUTO QUALIFIERS:
Women:
Genna Settle – 200m – 24.48 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
ChaQuinn Cook – Triple Jump – 38-00.25 (11.59m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
Men:
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 48.84 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
Jean-Luc Toku – Triple Jump – 47-00.75 (14.34m)
 
VIKINGS IN BIG SKY TOP 16:
Women:
60m
t1. Three-way tie – 7.53 – multiple meets
5. Genna Settle (PSU) – 7.67 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
t15. Two-way tie – 7.92 – multiple meets
 
200m
1. Natasha Brown (UND) – 24.39 – Bison Classic (1/16/16)
2. Genna Settle (PSU) – 24.48 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
6. Whitney Diggs (PSU) – 25.00 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
11. Rachel Vinjamuri (PSU) – 25.37 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Samara Lishchynsky (UNC) – 25.75@ – Air Force Invitational (1/21/16)
 
400m
1. Tianna McKinney (UND) – 55.86 – Jim Emmerich Invitational (1/23/16)
5. Rachel Vinjamuri (PSU) – 57.28 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
11. Whitney Diggs (PSU) – 57.88 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
12. Roazena Miller (PSU) – 57.92 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Dejuanae Toliver (PSU) – 58.99 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
 
Mile
1. Paula Gil-Echevarria (EWU) – 4:58.67 – WSU Indoor Open (1/22/16)
16. Kaila Ann Gibson (PSU) – 5:19.19 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
 
4x400m Relay
1. North Dakota – 3:45.91 – Jim Emmerich Invitational (1/23/16)
2. Portland State – 3:52.38 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
 
Long Jump
1. Alisha Allen (UNC) – 19-00.00 (5.79m) – CSM Alumni Classic & Multi (12/10/15)
3. Brandi Williams (PSU) – 18-01.00 (5.51m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
t10. Ta'mara Richey (PSU) – 17-09.50 (5.42m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
t13. Five-way tie – 17-08.75 (5.40m) – Multiple meets
 
Triple Jump
1. ChaQuinn Cook (PSU) – 38-00.25 (11.59m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
11. Ta'mara Richey (PSU) – 36-04.75 (11.09m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
t15. Two-way tie – 36-00.00 (10.97m) – Multiple meets
 
Men:
200m
1. James Fisher (NAU) – 21.50@ - Lumberjack Team Challenge 2016 (1/16/16)
12. Sheldon Prince (PSU) – 22.27 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
t15. Spenser Schmidt (PSU) – 22.39 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
 
400m
1. Ben Ayesu-Attah (UI) – 47.82 – Idaho Vandal Indoor Invitational (1/16/16)
2. Sheldon Prince (PSU) – 48.84 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
6. Mitchell Gable (PSU) – 49.22 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Ian Middleton (UI) – 50.07 – Idaho Vandal Indoor Invitational (1/16/16)
 
800m
1. Josh Hartford (WSU) – 1:52.68@ – Snake River Open (1/15/16)
7. Spencer Russell (PSU) – 1:54.70 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
8. Ben Richardson (PSU) – 1:54.73 – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
16. Jonathan Eastwood (UM) – 1:57.23 – MSU, ISU, UM, USU Dual Meet (1/22/16)
 
Mile
1. Joe Maloney (WSU) – 4:12.21@ - Snake River Open (1/15/16)
14. Ben Richardson (PSU) – 4:20.13 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Scott Kvidera (UND) – 4:21.40 – Jim Emmerich Invitational (1/23/16)
 
3,000m
1. Nathan Peterson (UND) – 8:23.46 – Bison Classic (1/16/16)
8. Alex Cisneros (PSU) – 8:33.15 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Matthew Wright (SUU) – 8:45.53@ – Lumberjack Team Challenge 2016 (1/16/16)
 
60m Hurdles
1. Jonathan McUne (WSU) – 8:17@ – Wildcat Winter Open (12/4/15)
11. Kevin Robinson (PSU) – 8.53 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
t16. Two-way tie – 8.72 – Multiple meets
 
4x400m Relay
1. Northern Arizona – 3:15.17@ – NAU Friday Night Duals 2016 (1/22/16)
7. Portland State – 3:23.18 – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
 
High Jump
1. Anthony Gregory (WSU) – 6-10.75 (2.10m) – Wildcat Winter Open (12/4/15)
T-6. Rockwell Tufty (PSU) – 6-06.75 (2.00m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
9. Kevin Robinson (PSU) – 6-05.00 (1.96m) – Ed Jacoby Invitational (1/15/16)
t15. Donté Robinson (PSU) – 6-04.00 (1.93m) – Ed Jacoby Invitational (1/15/16)
 
Long Jump
1. Deante Gaines (ISU) – 23-10.25 (7.27m) – Snake River Open (1/15/16)
7. Spenser Schmidt (PSU) – 22-07.25 (6.89m) – UW Indoor Preview (1/16/16)
t11. Jean-Luc Toku (PSU) – 21-07.25 (6.58m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Aaron Pullin (EWU) – 21-05.25 (6.53m) – Candy Cane VII Invitational (12/4/15)
 
Triple Jump
1. Deante Gaines (ISU) – 50-00.75 (15.26m) – Snake River Open (1/15/16)
4. Jean-Luc Toku (PSU) – 47-00.75 (14.34m) – Bronco Invitational (1/23/16)
16. Jess Beaman (UM) – 42-09.75 (13.05m) – Montana State Open – Indoor (1/15/16)
 
Heptathlon
1. Aaron Pullin (EWU) – 4,989 points – Candy Cane VII Invitational (12/4/15)
6. Kevin Robinson (PSU) – 4,369 points – Ed Jacoby Invitational (1/16/16)
15. Joshua Robinson (MSU) – 3,446 points – MSU, UM Multis (1/4/16)