RESULTS (PDF)

MOSCOW, Idaho — Donté Robinson has a flair for the dramatic.
 
He proved that in winning the Big Sky heptathlon title after being tied with Sacramento State's Max Jette going into the final event during the indoor season, and he proved it again Wednesday as he came back to edge out Montana State's Mason Storm for the Big Sky title in the decathlon after trailing Storm for the first eight events of the competition at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships.
 
Robinson hadn't bettered Storm in any event until the javelin – the ninth event of the competition – when a 353-point swing turned a 241-point deficit into a 112-point lead for Robinson. Robinson uncorked a monster throw of 203-08 (62.08m) in javelin to beat Storm's throw of 125-04 (38.22m) by nearly 80 feet. Robinson had never cracked 200 feet in the javelin before unleashing his monster throw, which beat his overall personal best in the event by more than 20 feet.
 
Robinson stayed ahead of Storm throughout the 1,500 meters, too, as he ran third or better for the whole race before finishing in 4:35.67.
 
Robinson becomes the first Viking to sweep the heptathlon and decathlon titles in a single season since Nick Trubachik did in 2010, the season he went on to become the Vikings' first NCAA first-team All-American. Robinson also now sits next to Trubachik in the Portland State record books, as his winning total of 7,307 points ranks second to Trubachik's school record of 7,510 points.
 
Robinson's win in the decathlon makes him a threat to qualify for nationals, as his total of 7,307 points would have ranked 21st in the nation coming into the week. The top 24 nationally by the end of the weekend qualify directly for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which puts Robinson right on the bubble as more results from conference championships around the country trickle in.
 
Robinson's total also marks the best winning total in the Big Sky decathlon since Jeff Mohl of Montana State won with 7,359 points in 2014.
 
Besides his heroic throw in the javelin, Robinson came up big with a third-attempt clearance at 4.41 meters in the pole vault when Storm had already cleared at the height. A miss there would have given Storm a bigger advantage over Robinson going into the javelin, but Robinson cleared the bar with room to spar, setting another personal best in the process at 14-05.50 (4.41m).
 
Robinson also set a new personal best in the 110-meter hurdles – the first event of the day – as he finished in 14.89 seconds to beat his old best by more than three-tenths of a second.
 
Storm stole Robinson's thunder in the 110-meter hurdles, though, as he won the event in 14.71 seconds to put more distance between him and Robinson after he took a 162-point lead following the first day of the competition. Storm won or tied for the win in five of the 10 events in the decathlon. Robinson finished second to Storm in the long jump and 110-meter hurdles, however, and tied Storm for the win in the pole vault.
 
Robinson moved into a tie for 10th all time in the 110-meter hurdles with his time Wednesday, and also moved up to seventh all time in the pole vault and javelin.
 
The Vikings scored points in the heptathlon as well Wednesday, as freshman Kristen O'Handley and Katie Baxter finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with personal-best scores of 4,578 and 4,565 points.
 
O'Handley opened the day in first place in the heptathlon, but dropped to fifth after the javelin despite setting heptathlon personal bests in the first two events. O'Handley jumped 17-00.50 (5.19m) in the long jump, and then improved by close to 17 feet in the javelin with a throw of 61-05 (18.74m). 
 
O'Handley closed out the heptathlon with an 11th-place finish in the 800 meters in 2:34.49.
 
Baxter started the day in eighth place but dropped to ninth overall after the long jump despite bettering her previous best in the event by more than 15 inches with a mark of 16-08.50 (5.09m). Baxter moved back up to eighth after the javelin, however, as she placed fourth in the event with a mark of 108-10 (33.19m).
 
Baxter placed seventh in the 800 meters in 2:27.86, beating her previous best in the 800 by more than 10 seconds.
 
The rest of the Vikings get underway at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships tomorrow. O'Handley will open the day for the Vikings along with freshman teammates Ceil Dunleavy and Taylor Elliott in the women's high jump at 12 p.m. Track events will start at 2:10 p.m. for the Vikings with Kamal-Craig Golaube in the prelims of the 110-meter hurdles.
 
Big Sky Outdoor Championships
Moscow, Idaho
Dan O'Brien Outdoor Track Complex
May 8-9, 2018
 
Women's Results:
Heptathlon: 6. Kristen O'Handley, 4,578 points (100H: 5. 15.10, 828 points; High Jump: 2. 5-04.50 (1.64m), 783 points; Shot Put: 5. 33-07.50 (10.25m), 546 points; 200m: 1. 24.80, 905 points; Long Jump: 9. 17-00.50 (5.19m), 612 points; Javelin: 13. 61-05 (18.74m), 266 points; 800m: 11. 2:34.49, 638 points); 7. Katie Baxter, 4,565 points (100H: 8. 15.32, 800 points; High Jump: 4-09.50 (1.46m), 577 points; Shot Put: 10. 31-02 (9.50m), 497 points; 200m: 2. 25.41, 850 points; Long Jump: 12. 16-08.50 (5.09m), 584 points; Javelin: 4. 108-10 (33.19m), 537 points; 800m: 7. 2:27.86, 720 points).
 
Men's Results:
Decathlon: 1. Donté Robinson, 7,307 points (100m: 3. 11.11, 836 points; Long Jump: 2. 22-05.00 (6.83m), 774 points; Shot Put: 5. 38-05.50 (11.72m), 589 points; High Jump: 4. 6-02.75 (1.90m), 714 points; 400m: 6. 50.12, 809 points; 110H: 2. 14.89, 863 points; Discus: 6. 106-02 (32.37m), 511 points; Pole Vault: T-1. 14-05.50 (4.41m), 734 points; Javelin: 1. 203-08 (62.08m), 769 points; 1,500m: 3. 4:35.67, 708 points).