RESULTS

POCATELLO, Idaho — The Portland State track & field program set the table Friday. Chase Lovercheck and Jordan Gloden each qualified for finals in their respective events, as the Vikings set themselves up to score at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships when the meet concludes Saturday at Idaho State's Davis Field.
 
Lovercheck took a gamble in his heat of the 800-meter prelims, and while it didn't pay off in the end, he wasn't penalized for it as he advanced. Third at the bell, Lovercheck pushed to the front with 300 to go, overtaking Idaho's Lorenz Herrmann, the conference leader in the 800. Herrmann retook the lead over Lovercheck with about 150 meters to go, however, while Herrmann's Idaho teammate Ben Shaw went around Lovercheck with 80 to go. Lovercheck held on for third in a time of 1:52.01, but that put him in jeopardy as only the top two in each heat automatically advance to the final. Fortunately, Lovercheck's time was still fast enough to earn him the final time qualifier, as he finished .34 seconds ahead of Montana State's Noah Majerus, who ran in the first heat, to place eighth overall.
 
Oddly enough, Friday's 800-meter prelims mirrored how Lovercheck qualified for the final back when he was a freshman in 2019. Lovercheck was the final time qualifier that time, too, and yet went on to finish third in the final as he made the podium in his first year as a Vik.
 
Gloden survived a wild prelim in the 110-meter hurdles Friday to advance to tomorrow's final. The prelims featured two disqualifications, one athlete not able to finish, and three athletes who didn't make it to the starting line. Gloden remained steady amidst all that, finishing in 14.98 seconds to place seventh overall. Gloden's time was just off his seasonal best in the event, which he set two weeks earlier at the OSU High Performance Meet, where he finished in 14.95 seconds.
 
Gloden also ran in the prelims of the 400-meter hurdles Friday, but couldn't make it to tomorrow's final as he placed 11th overall in 57.40 seconds.
 
Luke Ramirez was a bit unlucky in the prelims of the 1,500 meters. He placed seventh in the second heat in 3:58.23, which could have been enough if his heat had been faster than the first one as the top four in each heat and the next four fastest times advance to the final. Three of the four time qualifiers came from the first heat, however, so Ramirez finished two spots out of a spot in the finals at 14th overall.
 
Tatum Miller didn't have to deal with a prelim Friday, as she raced in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Miller, who became just the second Viking to crack 11 minutes in the women's steeplechase earlier in the season, finished 10th overall in 11:05.79 while battling the elevation in Pocatello.
 
The Vikings who likely battled the elevation the most were Evan Peters and Sam Lingwall, as they ran their first-ever 10k races Friday. Peters and Lingwall finished 15th and 16th, respectively, while crossing the line in 31:49.06 and 31:52.57.
 
Gloden will open Saturday for the Vikings at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, as the final of the men's 110-meter hurdles is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT / 3:05 p.m. MT. Lovercheck will then follow in the final of the men's 800 meters at 3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT, while the finals of the men's and women's 5k will be at 4 and 4:25 p.m. PT, respectively.
 
The Vikings will also compete at the Portland Distance Carnival back at Lewis & Clark's Eldon Fix Track Saturday. The first event for the Vikings at that meet will be at 4:50 p.m. PT.
 
Big Sky Outdoor Championships
Davis Field
Pocatello, Idaho
May 11-13, 2022
 
Women's Results:
3,000m Steeplechase: 10. Tatum Miller, 11:05.79. 
 
Men's Results:
800m (Prelims): 8. Chase Lovercheck, 1:52.01; 22. Luke Ramirez, 1:57.11. 1,500m (Prelims): 14. Luke Ramirez, 3:58.23. 10,000m: 15. Evan Peters, 31:49.06; 16. Sam Lingwall, 31:52.57. 110H (Prelims): 7. Jordan Gloden, 14.98. 400H (Prelims): 11. Jordan Gloden, 57.40. Decathlon: 12. Harley Montgomery, 5,355 points (100m: 5. 11.25, 806 points; Long Jump: 12. 20-01.00 (6.12m), 613 points; Shot Put: 14. 30-03.00 (9.22m), 439 points; High Jump: 15. 4-10.25 (1.48m), 374 points; 400m: 3. 50.39, 797 points; 110H: 15. 17.22, 602 points; Discus: 13. 83-05 (25.43m), 375 points; Pole Vault: 11. 11-02.50 (3.42m), 462 points; Javelin: 14. 82-08 (25.21m), 232 points; 1,500m: 2. 4:44.03, 655 points).