RESULTS

EUGENE, Ore. — Saturday set up as an 800-meter showcase for the Portland State track & field as James Bottrill and Chase Lovercheck competed across two different sections of the race to close out the Vikings' portion of the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field.
 
Bottrill ran among a talented field in the invitational section of the race and closed strong for a time of 1:53.34 in his first race as a Viking. Bottrill had to hurdle another competitor that fell 200 meters in the race. That slowed Bottrill down a touch in the first lap, but he still kicked past Colorado's Josh Ramos and Boise State's Jacob Grinwis over the final 100 meters to place fifth.
 
Lovercheck shaved a second off his seasonal best in the 800 while finishing in 1:56.02 in the first section of the day. Lovercheck opened his season just last week at the Lewis & Clark Invite, where he finished in 1:57.05.
 
Lovercheck placed third in the 800 meters at the 2019 Big Sky Outdoor Championships, but has been working his way back into fitness after a delayed start to his season. Lovercheck still has three weeks to go to get into top shape, as the first round of the 800 meters at the Big Sky meet isn't scheduled until May 14 in Ogden, Utah.
 
As a team, the Vikings will compete next at the OSU High Performance Meet next weekend in Corvallis, Ore. The meet opens next Friday, April 30, and continues Saturday, May 1.
 
Oregon Relays
Hayward Field
Eugene, Ore.
April 23-24, 2021
 
Women's Results:
5,000m (Section 1): 4. Cayla Seligman, 16:38.83; 7. Kaila Gibson, 17:01.11.
 
Men's Results:
800m (Section 1): 10. Chase Lovercheck, 1:56.02. 800m (College Invitational): 5. James Bottrill, 1:53.34. 1,500m (Section 1): 8. Luke Ramirez, 3:51.17. 5,000m (Section 1): 7. Keynan Abdi, 14:14.00; 13. Ian Vickstrom, 14:20.54. 3,000m Steeplechase (Section 1): 3. Josh Snyder, 8:56.64; 9. Tom Richardson, 9:22.19. Javelin: 7. Jean Rwandika, 176-09 (53.89m).