Complete Meet Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are few things that go together better than Portland, Oregon and distance running. Peanut butter and jelly, maybe, but little else.
 
It seems like a no brainer then that the Portland State cross country and track & field programs would place greater focus on the distance events, starting with the 2018 cross country season. The Vikings made the shift over the offseason, bringing in 10 freshmen distance runners on the men's side and 11 freshmen and two transfers on the women's side.
 
"As we shifted toward a distance focus, we needed to make sure we had the training groups required to have a fully functional team," head coach David Hepburn said of the switch. "We've raised the level of competition in all of our distance events. It's an exciting time with people pushing each other in event groups, which is something we have not had in the past."
 
The shift toward distances could not have come at a better time for the Vikings, as the team has the benefit of three outstanding seniors in Alex Cisneros on the men's side and Kaila Gibson and Sarah Medved on the women's side. Those seniors all had breakout seasons last year, and will be counted on to set an example for the large group of newcomers on both the men's and women's teams.
 
"Our returning upperclassmen are fantastic leaders," Hepburn said. "They provide the type of leadership we are looking for. They really show the newcomers the way we do things and how to become an elite level runner.
 
"We relied on our returners in recruiting our newcomers, too. They handpicked the athletes we wanted to make sure we have a strong team culture."
 
Gibson and Medved could trade off running first and second for the Viking women all season after they both had strong indoor and outdoor track seasons for the Vikings in 2018.
 
Medved became the Vikings' first-ever Big Sky champion in the men's or women's 3,000-meter steeplechase during the outdoor season, as well as the Vikings' first-ever NCAA West Prelims qualifier in the men's or women's steeplechase. Medved broke the Portland State school record in the steeplechase twice last season, including on her very first attempt at the event at the L&C Spring Break Open on March 16. Medved finished the steeplechase in 10:58.17 at that meet, and then shaved 36 seconds off her record time while winning the event again in 10:21.56 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
 
Medved did not compete for the Vikings during the 2017 cross country season, but was an All-Big Sky performer for the Vikings in 2016. Additionally, Medved ranks third all time in the cross country 4k and 6k for the Vikings.
 
Gibson got the better of Medved in their first race of the season, as she broke the Portland State school record in the cross country 4k while placing third overall in 14:08.8 at the 1st annual Viking 'Rust-Buster' Sept. 1 at Blue Lake Regional Park. Gibson beat the old school record of 14:12.69 that Kamila Bocian set at the Dave Murray Invitational in 2007. Additionally, Gibson's third-place finish marked just the second top-three finish at a cross country race for the Viking senior, following her second-place finish at the 2017 Charles Bowles Invitational.
 
Gibson was the Viking women's top cross country runner throughout the 2017 season, including at the two championship meets on the Vikings' schedule – the Big Sky Championships and NCAA West Regional. Gibson posted her first top-20 finish at the Big Sky meet, and then followed it up with a personal-best time and finish at the NCAA West Regional. Gibson's finish in 21:09.9 at the NCAA West Regional moved her up to fourth all time in the cross country 6k – just behind Medved.
 
Gibson followed it up with the school record in the women's indoor 5,000 meters, which she broke with a time of 16:53.60 at the UW Invitational. Additionally, Gibson put in a heroic attempt at qualifying for the NCAA West Prelims in the outdoor 10,000 meters at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in May. Running up front for most of the race, Gibson placed fifth in 35:24.64, missing qualifying by just over 30 seconds. Gibson moved up to fifth all time in the 10,000 meters with her run at the Big Sky meet, which was her first-ever 10,000-meter race outdoors for the Vikings.
 
"Kaila and Sarah have put in a lot of work over the summer," Hepburn said. "They look as fit as they ever have in the preseason. I know they both have some pretty big goals and from what I see, they are well on their way to achieving them."
 
Gibson and Medved have not had the level of success they had last year throughout their Viking careers, however, giving them a taste for the struggles that some of the Vikings' young runners may experience this season. That experience should help them as leaders for the young Vikings this season, according to assistant coach Josh Seitz. Before her fifth-place finish in the outdoor 10,000 meters last season, Gibson's only previous experience at the Big Sky outdoor meet was a 23rd-place finish in the 5,000 meters in 2017. Additionally, while Medved had earned All-Big Sky honors at the 2016 cross country meet, she hadn't finished any better than fifth in the outdoor 10,000 meters before winning the steeplechase last season.
 
"Success in this sport is in the process, and is hard to see day-to-day," Seitz said. "We are so fortunate to have leaders who didn't necessarily have the smoothest underclass careers, but are clicking on all cylinders now and can share their stories/experiences to help our athletes buy-in to the long-term vision and see the light at the end of the tunnel."
 
The level of talent in the Viking newcomers can make patience especially difficult at times, if not only for the runners but for the Portland State coaches, too. Both Hepburn and Seitz eagerly mentioned the potential of freshman Sammy Burke to be a contributor right away for the Viking women. Burke won the 6,000 meters at the 2017 U-20 Australia and New Zealand secondary schools nationals, and took first place in the cross country 6k at the 2017 U-20 NZ club nationals.
 
Burke already made history in her first race as a Viking, as she moved up to fourth all time at Portland State in the cross country 4k while recording her first top-10 finish as a Viking in her first collegiate race at the Viking 'Rust-Buster'. Burke placed seventh at the meet in 14:21.2.
 
"Sammy is a very talented runner and seems to be making the transition to the longer races just fine," Hepburn said. "Her workouts show that she is ready and that people need to pay attention to her right away."
 
Burke's freshman classmate Linnaea Kavulich nearly joined her in the top 10 at the Viking 'Rust-Buster', as she placed in a dead heat with Portland's Katelyn Schultz. Both runners finished in 14:34.1, but the timing officials gave Schultz 10th place, while Kavulich had to settle for 11th.
 
Freshmen Hunter Storm and Phoebe Jacques followed Kavulich at 15th and 16th at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' while newcomer Delaney White rounded out the Vikings' top seven with a 20th-place finish.
 
"We have a very strong three in our chase pack in Kavulich, Storm, and Jacques, while Delaney and Brown are working extremely well trying to close out the top seven," Seitz said. "It is still very early in the season, however, and what has stood out the most is how quickly the team is meshing and learning our routines and expectations. Perhaps what embodies our team the most is a picture (see below) from team camp last week of the ladies huddled together staying warm before a morning session on Mt. Hood."
 
The Viking men will be even more reliant on youth this season, as Cisneros will not be competing for the Vikings during the 2018 cross country season, having used up his eligibility last season. Cisneros remains a presence at practice, however, as he still has a year of eligibility in both indoor and outdoor track & field.
 
Cisneros had one of the best combined indoor and outdoor track & field seasons ever by a Viking men's distance runner in 2018. Cisneros broke the school records in the indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 10,000 meters, and became the Viking men's first-ever NCAA West Prelims qualifier in any even longer than 800 meters while qualifying in the 10,000 meters last season.
 
Cisneros broke a 34-year-old school record in the 10,000 meters while running through an illness at the Mt. SAC Relays last season. Cisneros finished the 10k in 29:25.74, becoming the first Viking to ever crack 29:30 in the event while moving ahead of Dave Henderson, who set the previous record at 29:30.04 in 1984.
 
Cisneros has young runners in his ballpark, though, which should be mutually beneficial for Cisneros and the young Vikings this season. Freshman Drew Seidel led the Vikings at the Viking 'Rust-Buster', as he placed sixth overall in the men's 6,000-meter race in 19:00.2. That time moved Seidel up to third all time in the cross country 6k at Portland State, behind only Zach Carpenter and Michael Biedebach.
 
Fellow freshman Josh Snyder joined Seidel in the top 10 in his first race as a Viking, as he placed ninth overall in 19:28.7. Snyder moved up to fifth all time in the cross country 6k with his finish at the Viking 'Rust-Buster', behind Carpenter, Biedebach, Seidel and Neil Seibert.
 
Ian Vickstrom, another freshman, narrowly missed joining his classmates in the top 10, as he finished in 19:44.7 to place 12th overall.
 
"Drew and Josh have come in fit and ready to contend for conference spots immediately, while Ian and Luke [Ramirez] have quietly made names for themselves in workouts as well," Hepburn said of the young runners for the Viking men.
 
"Don't sleep on our returners, though. The level of competition in workouts has put them on notice and they are rising to the challenge daily."
 
Returners followed the three freshmen in the next seven spots for the Viking men. Andy Solano, Liam Jemison and Jack Rubalcave followed Vickstrom at 13th, 14th and 15th overall, respectively, while Jayson Maule, Cody Jones, Jason Rae and Andrew Stafford placed 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 27th at the Viking 'Rust-Buster'.
 
Seitz said the Viking men will probably be shuffling throughout the year until the week of the Big Sky Championships when they'll settle on a top seven.
 
Seitz has already circled Oct. 13 on the Vikings' calendar as a big day for both the Viking men and women. The Vikings' top women will run at Pre-Nationals in Wisconsin, while the top men will run at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational in California. Those meets come two weeks before the Big Sky Championships in Sacramento, Calif., and should be the closest thing to a dress rehearsal for the Vikings before the championship meets at the end of the season.
 
"Both Pre-Nats and Santa Clara will be big races with big fields and big talent to give our squads a taste of the post-season atmosphere," Seitz said. "Training-wise we hit peak fitness for Big Sky and Regionals, but these mid-October races allow them to come in a little more prepared and confident."
 
And if all goes well for the Vikings at those races, then the Vikings' new focus on distances will look as natural as…well, the combination of Portland, Oregon and distance running.
 
MEET INFO
Sept. 14 – Cougar Classic – Colfax, Wash. (Colfax Golf Club)
 
MEET SCHEDULE
Race                                        Time
Men's 8,000 Meters               5:15 p.m.
Women's 6,000 Meters          6 p.m.
 
PORTLAND STATE ENTRIES
Men: Cody Jones, Jayson Maule, Matt Palmer, Jason Rae, Luke Ramirez, Jack Rubalcave, Drew Seidel, Josh Snyder, Andy Solano, Erik Solano, Andrew Stafford, Ian Vickstrom
Women: Phoebe Brown, Sammy Burke, Zoe Eberspecher, Kaila Gibson, Phoebe Jacques, Linnaea Kavulich, McKenna Martin, Sarah Medved, Hunter Storm, Hannah Tomeo, Delaney White
 
VIKINGS AT COUGAR CLASSIC
The Vikings have never competed at the Cougar Classic, nor at any meet hosted at the Colfax Golf Club.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Kaila Gibson and Drew Seidel led the Viking women and men, respectively, as they opened their season with their first home meet in four years at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' at Blue Lake Regional Park in Fairview, Ore., on Sept. 1. Gibson broke the school record in the women's 4,000 meters, as she placed third overall in 14:08.8. Gibson beat the old school record of 14:12.69 that Kamila Bocian set at the Dave Murray Invitational in 2007. Additionally, Gibson's third-place finish marked just the second top three finish at a cross country race for the Viking senior, following her second-place finish at the 2017 Charles Bowles Invitational.
 
Gibson's record-breaking performance led the Viking women to an upset of the University of Portland women, who came into the meet ranked seventh in the USTFCCCA West Region preseason poll. The Vikings placed second with 38 team points, 10 points behind first-place Oregon State and 21 ahead of the Pilots.
 
Sarah Medved and Sammy Burke joined Gibson in the top 10 Saturday, and also joined her in the top five all time at Portland State in the cross country 4k. Medved placed fifth overall – her first top five finish ever in a cross country race at Portland State – while Burke placed seventh to record her first top 10 finish in her first-ever race as a Viking. Medved finished the 4k in 14:19.9 to move her up to third all time at the distance, while Burke moved up to fourth all time off her finish in 14:21.2.
 
Seidel led the Viking men with a sixth-place overall finish while competing among the stacked Pilot men's team. Seidel ran with the lead pack throughout the race, and finished the 6,000-meter men's race in 19:00.2. That time moves Seidel up to third all time in the cross country 6k at Portland State, behind only Zach Carpenter and Michael Biedebach.
 
Freshman Josh Snyder also finished in the top 10 in his first race as a Viking, as he placed ninth overall in 19:28.7. That moves Snyder up to fifth all time in the cross country 6k, behind Carpenter, Biedebach, Seidel and Neil Seibert.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Vikings head south on I-5 for an in-state meet at the Charles Bowles Invitational, Sept. 29, in Salem, Ore. The Viking men will open the meet with an 8,000-meter race at 9:30 a.m., while the women will follow with a 5,000-meter race at 10:20 a.m.