RESULTS (PDF)

LACEY, Wash. — With the outdoor track & field season approaching its midway point, the Portland State track & field team demonstrated growth across the board Saturday as the Vikings set 17 personal or collegiate bests at the Jay Hammer Invitational despite unfavorable conditions that included high winds and steady rain.
 
The Vikings' distance runners accounted for 13 of the 17 personal or collegiate bests, though two of the Vikings' sprint and field-event stars in sophomores Braden Masanga and Kristen O'Handley may have stolen the show.
 
Masanga won the men's pole vault with a new collegiate-best clearance of 15-05.00 (4.70m), close to a foot better than his previous best this season. Masanga moved up to third all time in the outdoor pole vault at Portland State with his clearance Saturday, while he came within three-quarters of an inch of matching his prep personal best.
 
O'Handley set two new bests Saturday as she set a collegiate best in the 100 meters and an overall personal best in the javelin. O'Handley and Kameron Smith each set new collegiate bests in the 100 meters with times of 12.50 and 12.88 seconds, respectively. O'Handley posted a bigger improvement in the javelin, however, as she surpassed 100 feet in the event for the first time, and did it by some margin with a throw of 106-01 (32.33m).
 
O'Handley beat her previous best by more than 17 feet, topping the mark of 88-11 (27.12m) that she set at the Pacific Open earlier this season. O'Handley's personal best in the javelin coming into the season was only 61-05 (18.74m), but she's improved that mark by close to 45 feet over the first five weekends of the outdoor season. With Saturday's mark, O'Handley has now set a new personal best in the javelin at three of the four meets at which she's competed in the event this season.
 
Twin brothers Andy and Erik Solano have also been on a run of personal bests recently, and continued that with new bests in the outdoor 3,000 meters. Both Solanos cracked nine minutes in the 3,000 for the first time, as Andy Solano finished in 8:57.38 while Erik Solano finished in 8:58.36. The brothers also set new personal or collegiate bests in the 1,500 meters last Friday at the John Knight Twilight.
 
Liam Jemison joined the Solanos in the men's 3,000 meters, and beat his indoor personal best at the distance by more than 27 seconds. Jemison finished in 9:00.90 Saturday, crushing his indoor best of 9:27.43 that he set at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open back in January.
 
Jason Rae and Collin Werth also ran the first 3,000-meter races of their collegiate careers Saturday. Rae came within two seconds of beating his prep personal best in the event while leading the Vikings' group of runners in the men's 3,000 with a time of 8:54.09.
 
Freshman Phoebe Brown won the women's 3,000 meters Saturday, edging out Seattle U's Rachel Kastama for the victory with a time of 10:35.10. Brown, who also set a new collegiate best in the 1,500 meters last Friday at the John Knight Twilight, beat her prep personal best in the 3,000 by 15 seconds Saturday.
 
Sophomore Alana Baldwin-Joiner posted another event win for the Vikings while finishing her first collegiate 10,000-meter race in 39:40.71. Like Brown and the Solanos, Baldwin-Joiner has been on a good run of form recently, as she set a new 1,500-meter personal best last Friday at the John Knight Twilight, and won the 5,000 meters at the Pacific Open the week before.
 
Nigel Leonis and Cody Jones each shaved more than a minute off their personal bests in the men's 10,000 meters while finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, Saturday. Leonis lopped more than 80 seconds off his personal best in the 10,000 meters while finishing in 32:57.32. Jones, meanwhile, finished just over 10 seconds back in 33:07.98, crushing his previous best of 34:16.17, which he set at the Portland Twilight last May.
 
Sophomore Jayson Maule posted the narrowest personal best Saturday, as he shaved seven-hundredths of a second off his best in the men's 1,500 meters. Maule finished in 4:13.49 Saturday, just ahead of his previous best of 4:13.56, which he set at the Willamette Opener at the beginning of the season.
 
Freshman Jordan Lawrence and sophomore Delaney White also ran their first collegiate men's and women's 1,500-meter races, respectively, finishing in 4:20.47 and 4:53.56, respectively.
 
Junior Angela Mumford did not set a personal best Saturday, but instead recorded a seasonal best in the discus with a throw of 119-10 (36.53m). Mumford set a new personal best in the shot put last Friday at the John Knight Twilight, when she moved up to sixth all time in the event at Portland State with a mark of 43-07.25 (13.29m).
 
Sophomore Alexis Buckhaults also didn't set a new personal best Saturday, but won the 100-meter hurdles for the second straight week. Buckhaults, who won the event last Friday at the John Knight Twilight in a new seasonal-best 14.90 seconds, recorded her second straight win while finishing in 15.08 seconds at the Jay Hammer Invite.
 
The Vikings head to the Los Angeles area for three mid-week meets next week. The Vikings compete at the Bryan Clay Invitational, April 17-19, in Azusa, Calif., and the Mt. SAC Relays, April 18-20, in Torrance, Calif. Chase Lovercheck will also compete in the men's 800 meters at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, April 18, in Long Beach, Calif. 
 
Jay Hammer Invitational
SMU Track & Field Complex
Lacey, Wash.
April 13, 2019
 
Women's Results:
100m: 5. Kristen O'Handley, 12.50; 6. Kameron Smith, 12.88. 1,500m:8. Delaney White, 4:53.56. 3,000m: 1. Phoebe Brown, 10:35.10; 7. Monica Salazar, 11:14.38. 10,000m: 1. Alana Baldwin-Joiner, 39:40.71. 100H: 1. Alexis Buckhaults, 15.08. High Jump: 3. Ceil Dunleavy, 5-01.25 (1.56m); Taylor Elliott, NH. Long Jump: Nicole Terry, FOUL. Triple Jump: 2. Alexis Buckhaults, 34-10.25 (10.62m). Shot Put: 2. Angela Mumford, 38-04.75 (11.70m). Discus: 3. Angela Mumford, 119-10 (36.53m). Javelin:5. Megan Cornett, 125-06 (38.25m); 12. Taylor Matsuzaki, 110-04 (33.64m); 16. Kristen O'Handley, 106-01 (32.33m); 24. Savanna Milroy, 90-06 (27.59m).
 
Men's Results:
800m: 7. Austen Hvidsten, 2:00.59; 9. Will Payton, 2:01.08. 1,500m: 7. Luke Ramirez, 4:04.65; 12. Jayson Maule, 4:13.49; 16. Jordan Lawrence, 4:20.47. 3,000m: 5. Jason Rae, 8:54.09; 6. Andy Solano, 8:57.38; 7. Erik Solano, 8:58.36; 9. Liam Jemison, 9:00.90; 15. Collin Werth, 9:28.70. 5,000m:8. Elmer Shelevy, 16:05.26. 10,000m:4. Nigel Leonis, 32:57.32; 6. Cody Jones, 33:07.98. Pole Vault: 1. Braden Masanga, 15-05.00 (4.70m); Donté Robinson, NH. Javelin: 3. Jean Rwandika, 163-01 (49.70m).