RESULTS (PDF) - MEN | WOMEN

RIVERDALE, Utah — Given the program's upward trajectory, there may be a point when the novelty of saying the Portland State cross country and track & field team had its best finish ever at a Big Sky Championships wears off. It hasn't yet, though, and the Vikings earned that accomplishment again Saturday as the Viking men placed fifth while the women finished sixth at the 2021 Big Sky Cross Country Winter Championships at Riverside Golf Course.
 
The fifth-place finish for the men marks their best finish ever at a Big Sky meet, beating the mark they set last year by two whole places. Before last season, the Vikings had never finished better than eighth since the Big Sky Conference expanded to 11 teams. They've now bettered that two years in a row after placing seventh last season.
 
The Viking women, meanwhile, tied their second-best finish ever by placing sixth, and finished with their second-fewest points (158) since the Big Sky expanded to 11 teams. The women set their best team finish two championship meets ago in 2018, when they placed fifth out of 11 teams.
 
Never have the Vikings had both teams – men and women – place as high at the same championship meet as they did Saturday, further signaling the growth of the Viking program on both sides.
 
The Viking men also made history by having their top three runners – Keynan Abdi, Luke Ramirez and Josh Snyder – all place in the top 30. The Vikings had only done that once before at the Big Sky meet, and that was back in 2004 when the Big Sky only had eight teams and the field size was significantly smaller. Additionally, the Vikings' entire top five placed in the top 50, something the Vikings hadn't done since the conference expanded to 11 teams.
 
Abdi, who was running his first race in a PSU singlet since transferring from Lubbock Christian University, led the Vikings with a 23rd-place finish, crossing the line in 25:13.4. Ramirez and Snyder followed with back-to-back finishes at 26th and 27th overall, respectively, with times of 25:24.4 and 25:31.8.
 
Abdi's time marked the third-best mark for the Viking men in an 8k race at 4,000 feet of elevation or above. Ramirez posted the fourth-best mark himself, while Snyder and Sam Lingwall followed with the seventh- and eighth-best times given the conditions.
 
Lingwall finished as the Vikings' fourth runner Saturday, placing 39th overall in 25:55.8. Evan Peters rounded out the Vikings' top five, placing 48th overall in 26:22.1.
 
Cam McChesney and Zac Witman also finished for the Viking men, placing 57th and 59th overall, respectively, in times of 26:55.6 and 27:04.8.
 
Cayla Seligman and Hunter Storm led the Vikings at the top of the women's lineup, placing 16th and 23rd overall, respectively. Seligman, who was running her first cross country race as a Viking after transferring from national powerhouse Colorado, finished in 18:12.5 while Storm crossed the line in 18:24.9. Seligman's time marked the seventh-best time in a 5k race at 4,000 feet of elevation or above, while Storm slotted into ninth-place all-time.
 
Two freshmen followed Seligman and Storm in Tatum Miller and Abi Swain. Portland State head coach David Hepburn worried about his freshmen going out too strong, but Miller and Swain both showed good discipline in their first collegiate races Saturday. Miller moved up from 41st-place after 2k to 31st overall at the end of the race, finishing in 18:41.1. Swain, meanwhile, stayed steady throughout the race, finishing 45th overall in 19:19.1.
 
Sophie Jones rounded out the Vikings' top five while placing 52nd overall in 19:36.7.
 
Phoebe Brown and Presley Robison also ran for the Viking women, placing 59th and 63rd, respectively, in times of 19;51.7 and 20:02.7.
 
Saturday's Big Sky meet marked the only race of the season for the Vikings during the strange winter cross country season. The Vikings will now turn their attention to the outdoor track season, which they're scheduled to open at the OSU Quad Meet on March 12-13 in Corvallis, Ore.
 
Big Sky Cross Country Winter Championships
Riverside Golf Course
Riverdale, Utah
Feb. 27, 2021
 
Women's Top Ten Finishers (5k): 
1. Taryn O'Neill, Northern Arizona, 16:59.9; 2. Summer Allen, Weber State, 17:08.7; 3. Alison Pray, Southern Utah, 17:19.7; 4. Camila Noe, Montana State, 17:23.3; 5. Jessa Hanson, Northern Arizona, 17:24.9; 6. Bryn Morley, Northern Arizona, 17:29.5; 7. Pipi Eitel, Northern Arizona, 17:29.7; 8. Delaney Rasmussen, Northern Arizona, 17:30.7; 9. Malaina Thacker, Idaho, 17:35.2; 10. Billie Hatch, Weber State, 17:41.2. 

Women's Team Scores (5k):
1. Northern Arizona, 27 points; 2. Weber State, 73 points; 3. Montana State, 90 points; 4. Southern Utah, 93 points; 5. Idaho, 130 points; 6. Portland State, 158 points; 7. Idaho State, 193 points; 8. Montana, 202 points; 9. Sacramento State, 256 points; 10. Eastern Washington, 269 points; - Northern Colorado (no team score).
 
Portland State Runners (out of 73):
16. Cayla Seligman, 18:12.5; 23. Hunter Storm, 18:24.9; 31. Tatum Miller, 18:41.1; 45. Abi Swain, 19:19.1; 52. Sophie Jones, 19:36.7; 59. Phoebe Brown, 19:51.7; 63. Presley Robison, 20:02.7. 
 
Men's Top Ten Finishers (8k):
1. Abdihamid,Nur, Northern Arizona, 23:55.6; 2. Duncan Hamilton, Montana State, 23:58.1; 3. Stefen Rasmuson, Southern Utah, 24:00.0; 4. Ryan Raff, Northern Arizona, 24:02.7; 5. Aidan Reed, Southern Utah, 24:07.7; 6. Nate Osterstock, Southern Utah, 24:08.5; 7. Taylor Dillon, Weber State, 24:13.6; 8. Drew Bosley, Northern Arizona, 24:21.8; 9. Brodey Hasty, Northern Arizona, 24:24.1; 10. Christian Ricketts, Southern Utah, 24:27.4.

Men's Team Scores (8k):
1. Southern Utah, 35 points; 2. Northern Arizona, 38 points; 3. Weber State, 67 points; 4. Montana State, 93 points; 5. Portland State, 161 points; 6. Idaho State, 171 points; 7. Idaho, 209 points; 8. Montana, 213 points; 9. Sacramento State, 272 points; 10. Eastern Washington, 297 points; 11. Northern Colorado, 343 points.

Portland State Runners (out of 78):
23. Keynan Abdi, 25:13.4; 26. Luke Ramirez, 25:24.4; 27. Josh Snyder, 25:31.8; 39. Sam Lingwall, 25:55.8; 48. Evan Peters, 26:22.1; 57. Cam McChesney, 26:55.6; 59. Zac Witman, 27:04.8; Truett Bostwick, DNF.