Complete Meet Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Like an overeager and uncoordinated group of friends, the Portland State track & field team is headed in three different directions for Spring Break. One group of Vikings will compete at the SF State Distance Carnival in Hayward, Calif., this Friday and Saturday, while another group competes at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invitational in Missoula, Mont., and a third group makes the short trip to Forest Grove, Ore., for the Pacific Open.

The meet in Forest Grove will be the Vikings' second of the week on the campus of Pacific University, following the Boxer Combined Event earlier in the week. Donté Robinson won the decathlon at the Boxer Combined Event, as he blew away the field while winning with a personal-best score of 6,868 points. Robinson didn't finish below third in any individual event, and closed the competition with overall or decathlon personal bests in three of the final five events.

Robinson's biggest personal best came in the pole vault, which he won with a clearance of 14-03.25 (4.35m). That beat Robinson's previous indoor and outdoor personal bests by more than six inches, and moved him up to seventh all time in the event outdoors.

Robinson will compete in the pole vault again at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invite Saturday, and is also entered in the javelin and 110-meter hurdles.

The majority of the Vikings' action Friday will come from SF State Distance Carnival, where the Vikings will have athletes competing throughout the day. Alex Cisneros will open the day with the first section of the 10,000 meters at 8:40 a.m. (PT), while Nigel Leonis will compete in the ninth section of the men's 5,000 meters at 9:03 p.m.

Cisneros, who broke the school records in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 meters earlier this season, has strangely never competed in the 10,000 meters on the track. Cisneros broke the school record in the cross country 10k, however, and his record time of 30:29.8 would rank third all time at Portland State if he duplicated the time on the track Friday. No Viking has cracked 30 minutes in the outdoor 10,000 meters since Dave Henderson set the current school record at 29:30.04 in 1984.

Besides Cisneros, Kaila Gibson, Sarah Medved and Alana Chaplin have all set school records of their own earlier this season, and will join Cisneros at the SF State Distance Carnival. Gibson and Medved – who set the school records in the indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively – will each run in the outdoor 5,000 meters. Medved already ranks ninth all time in the outdoor 5,000 meters, after finishing in 17:13.53 at the OSU High Performance Meet last season. Gibson also set her personal best in the 5,000 meters at last season's OSU High Performance Meet, where she finished in 17:23.32.

Chaplin, meanwhile, will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday after setting the school record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase earlier this month. Chaplin's previous best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase came at the 2017 Big Sky Championships, where she finished in 11:47.13.

The Vikings will have three athletes compete in the men's 800 meters Saturday at the SF State Distance Carnival, but the majority of the Vikings will compete at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invitational and Pacific Open that day.

The Vikings' sprint and field athletes take center stage at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invite, as they did last week at the Willamette Invitational. Angela Mumford moved up to seventh all time in the hammer at the Willamette Invitational, and will compete in the hammer and shot put again this week.

Jaron Barrow also moved up to seventh all time in the men's triple jump at the Willamette Invitational, and will join teammates Kevin Luyamba, Jean-Luc Toku and Chance Whitehurst in the event Saturday.

Nia Powdrell will also return to the 100 and 200 meters at the Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invite, after sweeping both events at the Willamette Invitational. Powdrell is 3-0 so far this outdoor season in the 100 and 200 meters, and had a breakout meet at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, where she placed fourth and fifth in the finals of the 60 and 200 meters, respectively.

The Vikings' distance crews comprise the team's contingent at the Pacific Open, which will get underway with McKenna Martin in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 11 a.m. (PT) Saturday.

MEET INFO:
March 30-31 – SF State Distance Carnival – Hayward, Calif. (Chabot College Track)
March 30-31 – Al Manuel Northwest Dual Invitational – Missoula, Mont. (Dornblaser Field)
March 31 – Pacific Open – Forest Grove, Ore. (Hanson Stadium)

LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available from the SF State Distance Carnival. Fans can find the link to live results on the track & field schedule page on GoViks.com.

SF STATE DISTANCE CARNIVAL SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 30
Running Events
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
8:40 a.m. Men's 10,000 Meters – Section #1 (Cisneros)
11:15 a.m. Men's 10,000 Meters – Section #4 (Rae, Wikler)
1:55 p.m. Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #8 (Jemison)
2 p.m. Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #9 (Stafford)
2:10 p.m. Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #11 (Maule)
2:44 p.m. Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase – Section #3 (Chaplin)
3:24 p.m. Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase – Section #3 (Emeterio)
5:04 p.m. Women's 5,000 Meters – Section #2 (Gibson)
5:41 p.m. Women's 5,000 Meters – Section #3 (Medved)
6:18 p.m. Women's 5,000 Meters – Section #4 (Karp)
9:03 p.m. Men's 5,000 Meters – Section #9 (Leonis)

Saturday, March 31
Running Events
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
12:25 p.m. Men's 800 Meters (Section 7 – Rubalcave; Section 8 – Hvidsten; Section 15 – Stafford)

AL MANUEL NORTHWEST DUAL INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 30
Field Events
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
3 p.m. Women's Hammer (Mumford)

Saturday, March 31
Field Events
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
10 a.m. Women's Javelin (Cornett, Matsuzaki, Milroy)
10:45 a.m. Women's Shot Put (Mumford)
Men's Long Jump (Barrow, Toku, Whitehurst)
12 p.m. Women's Long Jump (Powdrell, Richey, Terry, Williams)
Women's Pole Vault (Collmer)
Men's Javelin (Robinson, Rwandika)
1 p.m. Women's High Jump (Dunleavy, Elliott, Milroy, O'Handley)
1:15 p.m. Men's Triple Jump (Barrow, Luyamba, Toku, Whitehurst)
Men's Pole Vault (Johnson, Masanga, Moen, Robinson)
2:30 p.m. Women's Triple Jump (Richey)

Running Events
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
12:40 p.m. Women's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – O'Handley, Powdrell, Richey, Cummings)
12:45 p.m. Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Park, Pikes, Kilcup, Desaki)
1:15 p.m. Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (Baxter, Buckhaults, Milroy, O'Handley)
1:25 p.m. Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Golaube, Robinson)
1:35 p.m. Women's 400 Meters (Cummings, Jackson, Shulman)
1:45 p.m. Men's 400 Meters (Davis, Payton)
1:55 p.m. Women's 100 Meters (Powdrell, Smith)
2:05 p.m. Men's 100 Meters (Desaki, Kilcup, Park, Pikes)
2:35 p.m. Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Baxter, Buckhaults)
2:45 p.m. Men's 400-Meter Hurdles (Golaube)
2:55 p.m. Women's 200 Meters (Cummings, O'Handley, Powdrell, Shulman, Smith)
3:05 p.m. Men's 200 Meters (Davis, Desaki, Kilcup, Park, Payton, Pikes)
4 p.m. Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Baxter, Jackson, Shulman, O'Handley)
4:10 p.m. Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Davis, Golaube, Payton, Pikes)

PACIFIC OPEN SCHEDULE:
Saturday, March 31
Running Events (Women run first)
Start (PT) Events (PSU entries)
11 a.m. Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (Martin)
12 p.m. Women's 1,500 Meters (Tomeo)
Men's 1,500 Meters (Maule, Solano, A., Solano, E.)
Rolling schedule Men's 800 Meters (Maule)
Women's 5,000 Meters (Baldwin-Joiner, Reynolds)
Men's 5,000 Meters (Jones, Shelevy)


UPCOMING:
The Vikings will be off next weekend before returning to competition at the Pelluer Invitational, April 13-14, in Cheney, Wash.

BIG SKY INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Big Sky Conference eliminated qualifying standards for the Big Sky Outdoor Championships last season, and will continue in that mold this season. Roster sizes will be capped at 28 athletes (men and women), leaving it up to coaches to determine how to maximize their scoring potential at the meet. The Big Sky Outdoor Championships take place, May 8-11, in Moscow, Idaho.

NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION:
Unlike the NCAA Indoor Championships, the path to the NCAA Outdoor Championships runs through a regional stage, giving the Vikings a better chance of qualifying for the national meet. Indoors, the Vikings could only qualify for the national meet if they finished in the top 16 in each individual event, but outdoors, the Vikings only need to finish in the top 48 of the NCAA west region to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, May 24-26, in Sacramento, Calif. The top 12 in each event at the NCAA West and East Preliminary Rounds then advance onto the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 6-9, in Eugene, Ore. The qualification procedure differs a bit for the relay events, as only the top 24 relay teams qualify for the regional stage. Qualifying for the multi-events also differs, as they skip the regional stage and instead advance the top 24 in the nation in the heptathlon and decathlon directly to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

BOXER COMBINED EVENT RECAP:
Donté Robinson improved to 3-for-3 in multi-event competitions this season while winning the decathlon at the Boxer Combined Event, March 27-28, in Forest Grove, Ore. Robinson won by close to 500 points while setting a new personal-best score of 6,868 points. Robinson didn't finish lower than third in any individual event, and set overall or decathlon personal bests in three of the five events on the second day of the competition. Robinson cleared 14-03.25 (4.35m) in the pole vault, moving him up to seventh all time in the event at Portland State. Katie Baxter placed third in the heptathlon with 4,354 points at the Boxer Combined Event, while freshman Kristen O'Handley – the first-day leader – placed fourth with 4,226 points. Baxter's best event came in the javelin, where she placed second overall with a best throw of 110-09 (33.76m). O'Handley dropped from the top spot because of a poor mark in the javelin, but had won the 200 meters and long jump earlier in the competition, and placed second in the 100-meter hurdles. Freshman Savanna Milroy also competed in the heptathlon for the Vikings, placing tied for 11th with 2,976 points.

WILLAMETTE INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Sophomores Angela Mumford and Nia Powdrell led the Vikings in their sophomore outdoor meet of the 2018 season, the Willamette Invitational, March 24, in Salem Ore. Mumford competed in the shot put, discus and hammer for the Vikings, but her best mark came in the hammer, where she set a new personal best of 141-03.50 (43.06m) while moving up to seventh all time at Portland State. Mumford became the first Viking to enter the top 10 all time in the hammer since 2009. Powdrell, meanwhile, swept the 100 and 200 meters, and improved to 3-0 in individual sprint races during the outdoor season. Freshmen Megan Cornett and Taylor Matsuzaki made their Portland State debuts at the meet while competing in the javelin. Cornett, who is also a player for the Portland State women's soccer team, nearly entered the top 10 all time in the javelin while uncorking a throw of 126-07.50 (38.59m) on her second attempt of the day. Matsuzaki set her best mark on her third attempt of the day, as she finished with a top throw of 107-04 (32.71m). Junior Jaron Barrow highlighted the day for the Viking men, as he entered the top 10 all time in the triple jump with a best mark of 45-10.50 (13.98m). Barrow set the mark on his first attempt of the day, moving him up to seventh all time in the event at Portland State.

L&C SPRING BREAK OPEN RECAP:
The Viking distance crew headlined the team's season-opening meet at the L&C Spring Break Open, March 16-17 in Portland, Ore. Sarah Medved broke the school record in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase on the first day of the meet, Friday. Medved set the record in her debut in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 10:58.17 to become the first Viking women to crack 11 minutes in the event. Medved beat the old record of 11:11.60 that Mandy Peterson set 15 years ago in 2003. Alex Cisneros followed Medved with the Viking men's first top 10 mark in the 5,000 meters in 13 years Saturday despite running through rainy conditions. Cisneros won the 5,000 meters in 14:28.96, moving him up to sixth all time in the event. No Viking had entered the top 10 in the outdoor men's 5,000 since Blake Flanders in 2005, who Cisneros ironically knocked out of the top 10 with his time Saturday. Medved and Cisneros were also just two of several event winners for the Vikings at the meet. Jaron Barrow and Ta'mara Richey won the men's and women's long jump, respectively, Friday, while the Vikings won seven events Saturday. Nia Powdrell and Kristen O'Handley swept the women's 100 and 200 meters, while both also joined Richey and Natalie Cummings to win the 4x100-meter relay for the Vikings. Josh Pikes won the men's 200 meters, and was part of the Vikings' winning 4x400-meter relay team along with Zack Davis, Justin Desaki and Will Payton. Viktor Moen and Jean-Luc Toku, meanwhile, added event wins in the field for the Viking men, as they swept the pole vault and triple jump, respectively. The Viking women beat out Oregon State for first place in the team competition, finishing with 122 points to the Beavers' 115. The Viking men placed second with 102 team points, 21 points behind Western Oregon, which won the men's competition with 123.

TEDDY TWILIGHT RECAP:
Alana Chaplin broke the school record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase at the Teddy Twilight on March 3. Chaplin finished in 7:36 to break Keikoanne Hollins' old record of 7:43.56 that she set in 2012. McKenna Martin also moved up to fourth all time in the 2,000-meter steeplechase with her finish in 7:52. Jacob Emeterio and Jayson Maule also competed in the men's 2,000-meter steeplechase and moved up to third and fifth all time with their finishes in 6:20 and 6:44, respectively.

2018 INDOOR SEASON RECAP:
Donté Robinson out-kicked Sacramento State's Max Jette in the final event of the heptathlon – the 1,000 meters – at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, giving the redshirt junior his first Big Sky title. Robinson and Jette were tied through the first six events of the heptathlon, but Robinson passed Jette with a lap to go in the 1,000 meters and didn't look back, finishing in 2:51.65 to beat Jette by three-and-a-half seconds. Robinson became the Vikings' first Big Sky champion in the heptathlon since former NCAA first-team All-American Nick Trubachik won the event in 2010. Robinson won the event with a personal-best score of 5,248 points, and set personal bests in four of the seven events during the competition. Besides Robinson, the Vikings set five school records during the season, including two for Alex Cisneros. Cisneros broke his own school record in the 5,000 meters at the UW Invitational, finishing in 14:19.95 – 23 seconds faster than the time he ran at the same meet last season. Cisneros also broke the school record in the 3,000 meters at the UW Indoor Open, finishing in 8:16.45 to beat the old record of 8:21.04 by more than four seconds. Kaila Gibson joined Cisneros in a sweep of the men's and women's 5,000-meter records at the UW Invite, as she set the women's record with her finish in 16:53.60. Saraia Collmer, meanwhile, broke the school record in the women's pole vault in back-to-back meets during the season. Collmer first broke the record with a clearance of 11-05.25 (3.49m) at the Idaho Duals, and then broke it again a week later with a clearance of 11-07.25 (3.54m) at the UW Indoor Open. Kamal-Craig Golaube also broke the school record in the men's 60-meter hurdles twice, as he broke the record in the prelims and then the finals of the Big Sky Indoor Championships. Golaube finished the prelims of the 60 hurdles in 8.19 seconds, and then finished the finals in 8.14 seconds.