FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Chase Lovercheck knows how to make the most of an opportunity. The final time qualifier out of the 800-meter prelims at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, Lovercheck finished second in the final, crossing the line in a personal-best 1:50.24. The latest opportunity comes Wednesday, as Lovercheck's time in the final of the Big Sky meet saw him qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, which get underway this week at the University of Arkansas' John McDonnell Field.
 
Lovercheck qualified for the NCAA West Prelims in a similar manner to how he made the finals of the 800 at the Big Sky meet. The Viking senior ranked 55th in the NCAA West at the end of the regular season, which put him on the outside looking in at the 48 runners who would advance to this week's NCAA West Prelims. However, 10 runners ranked ahead of him scratched out of the race, either due to injury or in order to focus on other events, putting Lovercheck in the field.
 
"It's Chase. He's going to be like [in a nonchalant voice] 'yeah, I'm good. I knew it would happen,'" Portland State head coach David Hepburn said of Lovercheck qualifying. "But obviously, he's excited. He's got family coming down so it's fun. I'm glad he made it. It brings Portland State and the shield down here for another year. It's all we can do. Just keep showing up."
 
So, what to do with this new opportunity? Make the best of it, of course. Lovercheck will attempt to do that, starting with the first round of the men's 800 at 5:50 p.m. PT / 7:50 p.m. CT Wednesday. The top three finishers in each heat advance automatically to Friday's quarterfinals, as well as the next six fastest times. The quarterfinals (5:05 p.m. PT / 7:05 p.m. CT Friday) would then represent another opportunity, should Lovercheck get there. The top three in each heat of the quarterfinals, as well as the next three fastest times, make it to the final site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 8-11. 
 
Job one is to take care of business Wednesday, however, which starts with how Lovercheck, Hepburn and the rest of the Viking coaches handle the week leading up to the race.
 
"We're just getting ready for tomorrow, mentally. Physically, everything's there. He seems good. He shook out last night. He'll get some strides in on the track today, get the lay of the land," Hepburn said of the group's plan. "Keep the mind right, happy mood, whatever that looks like, which is Chase. He and I hang out, have a good time, keep the laughs a-coming, and then when it's time to toe the line, run a good race. Grind through the gears, put himself in the right position, and finish strong."
 
Lovercheck passed the test at the conference meet, of course, making the podium in the 800 meters for the second time in his career. Hepburn noted that the race experience at the conference meet should help Lovercheck, especially with how he escaped out of the prelims of that race. While his status as the final time qualifier for the conference final may have caused some shortness of breath among Viking fans, Hepburn said Lovercheck did what was necessary to make it on time by pushing the pace earlier in the race.
 
"Nobody wanted to lead it. At one point, I thought they were going to stop because nobody wanted to lead it, which then made the time too slow to where if you were third, you weren't going to make it," Hepburn said of Lovercheck's preliminary race at conference. "Chase was like, 'nope, got to make it happen.' And with a quarter to go, he knew he had to speed things up. That bit him a little bit at the end, but also saved him."
 
The final at conference was a different story. Lovercheck took a different tactic, sitting in fourth at the bell and holding off from making his move until about 250 meters to go in the race.
 
"It was hard because he had to pass two people and run around in lane two, but with 100 to go he had passed them and was running away from them a little bit. Then they made their charge to try to catch them but he held them off. And it was a great race. He did what he needed to do," Hepburn said of the final.
 
Not only did Lovercheck do what he needed to in order to make the podium, his time of 1:50.24 – which got altitude-converted down to 1:49.74 – was enough to qualify him for this week's NCAA West Prelims. The meet, which serves as the first round of NCAA nationals, will be a career-first for Lovercheck, fulfilling a goal he had set for himself at the beginning of the year. 
 
"He didn't focus too hard on it," Hepburn said of Lovercheck's goal to make the NCAA West Prelims. "He wanted to run well. He wanted to do the right things that would bring him to the ability to run sub-1:50. And granted, that's not a natural time [again, his qualifying time of 1:49.74 was altitude-adjusted], but in a roundabout way, he's right there. We'll see if he can do it naturally down here in Arkansas."
 
Only two other Vikings had ever made the NCAA West Prelims in the 800 meters, and no one had done it since Tony Crisofulli in 2011. Crisofulli set the school record in the 800 meters that season, running 1:49.02 at the 2011 Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Sacramento. If Lovercheck can break 1:50 in Arkansas, then he'll join Crisofulli and Brandon Lopez as the only three Vikings to crack the barrier. 
 
The time will come naturally if Lovercheck ends up advancing out of Wednesday's first round, of course.
 
That's an opportunity he afforded himself two weeks ago at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships. Might as well make the most of it.
 
MEET INFO
May 25-28 – NCAA West Preliminary Rounds – Fayetteville, Ark. (John McDonnell Field)
 
MEET SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 25
Time (CT)        Event (PSU entries)
7:50 p.m.         Men's 800 Meters – First Round (Heat 2 of 6 – Lovercheck)
 
Friday, May 27
Time (CT)        Event (PSU entries)
7:05 p.m.         Men's 800 Meters – Quarterfinals (Lovercheck, should he advance)