With the absence of fall sports in 2020, GoViks.com is going to look back at some great moments in the history of Viking fall sports (volleyball, soccer, football, cross country, golf) on specific dates. This is not an exhaustive list, and not every date is covered, however as the fall progresses, the rich history of Viking Athletics will be remembered.

The Viking women's cross country team wins its first meet hosted by a Pac-12 school in Division I program history.

COLFAX, Wash., Sept. 14, 2018 — The Portland State women's cross country team announced itself as a giant killer, upsetting host Washington State to win the women's 6,000 meters at the Cougar Classic at the Colfax Golf Club.
 
The Vikings won the women's team competition with 34 points, 10 ahead of Washington State and 19 points ahead of third-place Idaho. The Washington State women came into the meet ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA West region, while Idaho came in ranked 12th. The Vikings remain unranked in the poll, but have now beaten ranked teams at each of their first two meets of the season. The Vikings also beat the University of Portland at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' on Sept. 1, when the Pilots came into the meet ranked seventh in the region.
 
The win marked the first time in program history the Vikings won a meet hosted by a Pac-12 school, and the first win of any kind since the Viking women won the Emerald City Open in 2015.
 
Depth, as always in cross country, led the way for the Vikings as the team's top-five finishers all placed in the top 11 of the women's race. Seniors Sarah Medved and Kaila Gibson led the way at second and fourth overall, respectively, the second straight meet at which both seniors have placed in the top five to start the season. Three freshmen then followed for the Vikings as Hunter Storm, Phoebe Jacques and Linnaea Kavulich placed seventh, 10th and 11th, respectively. Storm and Jacques each recorded their first top-10 finishes as Vikings, while Kavulich placed 11th overall at the second straight meet, narrowly missing the top 10 again after she also placed 11th at the Viking 'Rust-Buster'.
 
Medved beat out Gibson as the Vikings' top finisher Friday, after Gibson had bested her at the Viking 'Rust-Buster'. Medved's second-place overall finish marked her highest finish ever at a collegiate cross country race, and came as a result of recording her best time ever in a cross country 6k. Medved finished in 21:01 to shave over five seconds off her personal best in the 6k, moving her up to second all time at the distance at Portland State. Sarah Dean set the school record in the cross country 6k with a time of 20:58 at the 2013 NCAA West Regional, only three seconds ahead of Medved's time Friday.
 
Gibson shaved close to four seconds off her personal best in the 6k with her finish in 21:06. Gibson came into the season with only one career top-five finish in cross country, but now has two top-five finishes in as many races this season.
 
Storm moved up in the Vikings' lineup from her debut at the Viking 'Rust-Buster', as she ran as the Vikings' fifth runner two weeks ago but placed third on the team Friday. Storm finished in 21:33, moving her up to eighth all time in the cross country 6k at Portland State after her first attempt at the distance.
 
Jacques also moved up in the Vikings' lineup, going from sixth at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' to fourth Friday in 21:59. Kavulich followed just two seconds later in 21:01, narrowly missing the top 10 for the second straight meet.
 
The Viking women had depth to spare Friday, as freshman Sammy Burke – the Vikings' third runner at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' – finished as the team's sixth runner at 18th overall in 22:14. Sophomore transfer Delaney White rounded out the Vikings' top seven while placing 26th overall in 22:31.
 
Zoe Eberspecher (36th, 22:59), McKenna Martin (41st, 23:15), Phoebe Brown (49th, 23:39) and Hannah Tomeo (55th, 23:55) also competed for the Viking women Friday. Martin's time of 23:15 marked a dramatic improvement for the Viking sophomore, as she shaved more than 52 seconds off her previous best of 24:07.8 in the cross country 6k.
 
Youth led the Viking men at the meet, just as it did at the Viking 'Rust-Buster' to open the season. Freshman Drew Seidel paced the Viking men once again, leading them to an eighth-place team finish in the men's 8,000 meters.
 
Seidel placed 34th overall in 25:37 in his first-ever cross country 8k. Redshirt sophomore Andrew Stafford followed Seidel with a 49th-place finish in 26:13 – just off his personal best of 26:11.7, which he set two years ago at the Charles Bowles Invitational. Freshmen Ian Vickstrom and Luke Ramirez then followed Stafford at 53rd and 61st overall in times of 26:26 and 26:43, respectively.
 
Junior Jason Rae rounded out the Vikings' top five with a 64th-place finish in 26:51 – just off his personal best of 26:44.3.
 
Sophomore Jack Rubalcave and freshman Josh Snyder closed out the Vikings' top seven while finishing back-to-back at 74th and 75th overall in times of 27:15 and 27:24, respectively. Redshirt freshman Cody Jones placed two spots behind Snyder at 77th overall in 27:33.
 
Sophomores Andy Solano (79th, 27:45), Jayson Maule (82nd, 27:50) and Erik Solano (83rd, 27:59), as well as freshman Matt Palmer (87th, 28:46) also competed for the Viking men at the meet.
  
Cougar Classic
Colfax Golf Club
Colfax, Wash.
Sept. 14, 2018
 
Women's Top Ten Finishers (6,000m):
1. Emma Jenkins, Washington State, 20:53; 2. Sarah Medved, Portland State, 21:01; 3. Andrea Condie, Idaho, 21:02; 4. Kaila Gibson, Portland State, 21:06; 5. Kara Story, Idaho, 21:20; 6. Kaili Keefe, Washington State, 21:28; 7. Hunter Storm, Portland State, 21:33; 8. Melissa Hruska, Washington State, 21:51; 9. Abbey Meck, Pepperdine, 21:53; 10. Phoebe Jacques, Portland State, 21:59.
 
Women's Team Scores:
1. Portland State, 34 points; 2. Washington State, 44 points; 3. Idaho, 53 points; 4. Gonzaga, 103 points; 5. Pepperdine, 150 points; 6. Lewis-Clark State, 180 points; 7. Eastern Washington, 190 points; 8. Walla Walla, 253 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 76):
2. Sarah Medved, 21:01; 4. Kaila Gibson, 21:06; 7. Hunter Storm, 21:33; 10. Phoebe Jacques, 21:59; 11. Linnaea Kavulich, 22:01; 18. Sammy Burke, 22:14; 26. Delaney White, 22:31; 36. Zoe Eberspecher, 22:59; 41. McKenna Martin, 23:15; 49. Phoebe Brown, 23:39; 55. Hannah Tomeo, 23:55.
 
Men's Top Ten Finishers (8,000m):
1. James Mwaura, Gonzaga, 23:55; 2. Andrew Gardner, Unattached, 24:09; 3. Kyle Thompson, Gonzaga, 24:17; 4. Yacine Guermali, Gonzaga, 24:19; 5. Kennan Schag, Washington State, 24:22; 6. Ciaran O'Leary, Gonzaga, 24:31; T-7. Andrew Clusserath, Gonzaga, 24:31; T-7. Jake Perrin, Unattached, 24:31; 9. Kellen Manley, Gonzaga, 24;32; 10. Nick Heath, Pepperdine, 24:35.
 
Men's Team Scores:
1. Gonzaga, 21 points; T-2. Pepperdine, 78 points; T-2. Washington State, 78 points; 4. Idaho, 100 points; 5. Unattached, 150 points; T-6. Lewis-Clark State, 155 points; T-6. Eastern Washington, 155 points; 8. Portland State, 186 points; 9. Walla Walla, 263 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 93):
34. Drew Seidel, 25:37; 49. Andrew Stafford, 26:13; 53. Ian Vickstrom, 26:26; 61. Luke Ramirez, 26:43; 64. Jason Rae, 26:51; 74. Jack Rubalcave, 27:15; 75. Josh Snyder, 27:24; 77. Cody Jones, 27:33; 79. Andy Solano, 27:45; 82. Jayson Maule, 27:50; 83. Erik Solano, 27:59; 87. Matt Palmer, 28:46.