FARMINGTON, Utah — Geronne Black did not lose a 55- or 60-meter race at the Big Sky level during her four-year Portland State career. Not one.
 
That dominance has now led Black into the 2023 Induction Class of the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame, announced Thursday. The 2023 class is just the second group to be inducted into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame, with the first being in 2020. Black will be the first former Portland State athlete inducted into the conference's hall of fame.
 
"I am forever a PSU Viking. I entered PSU as an underdog and left as a champion. Portland State athletics develops champions," Black said upon learning of her induction. "This monumental achievement and award would not be possible without my coach, Ronnye Harrison. He was then and still is now a champion coach."
 
Black was the central figure in the Vikings' era of dominance in the women's sprints within the Big Sky Conference. A Viking won the Big Sky title in the women's 100 meters at eight of the 10 conference outdoor meets between 2008-17, while the other two years, a Viking placed second. Black contributed three of those eight titles. The Vikings also won four straight titles in the women's 4x100-meter relay from 2011-14, with Black part of the first three of those.
 
In all, Black won 10 conference titles, with her seven individual titles being the most ever by a single Portland State athlete at the Big Sky Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In addition to her four conference titles in the indoor 55 and 60 meters, Black won three of four 100-meter titles during her Portland State career. The one 100-meter race she lost came in 2011 when she placed second to teammate Karene King.
 
Additionally, upon leaving Portland State, Black held the school, championship and conference records in the indoor 55, indoor 60 and outdoor 100 meters. She still holds all three records in the indoor 55 and 60 meters at the time of her induction.
 
On a national level, Black became the first Viking ever to earn Second-Team All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships when she placed 15th in the 60 meters in 2013.
 
Internationally, Black represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, after qualifying in the 60 meters.
 
The 2023 class will be honored on Saturday, July 22 as part of the Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend in Spokane, Wash. Tickets for the event, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, can be purchased via Eventbrite.com. Each ticket is $80, which includes admission to the event and a meal at the banquet.
   
2023 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Induction Class

• Archie Amerson, Football, Northern Arizona (1995-96)
• Lindsey Anderson, Cross Country, Track and Field, Weber State (2004-07)
• Geronne Black, Track and Field, Portland State (2010-13)
• Shannon Butler, Cross Country, Track and Field, Montana State (1989-91)
• Debby Colberg, Volleyball Coach and Administrator, Sacramento State (1976-07)
• Kim Exner, Volleyball, Eastern Washington (1995-98)
• Chick Hislop, Cross Country, Track and Field Coach, Weber State (1969-06)
• Ginny Hunt, Administrator, Montana State (1977-93)
• Margarita Karnaukhova, Tennis, Sacramento State (2003-06)
• Larry Krystkowiak, Basketball, Montana (1982-86)
• Jamie Martin, Football, Weber State (1989-92)
• Charles Roberts, Football, Sacramento State (1997-2000)
• Mike Roos, Football, Eastern Washington (2001-04)
• Ron Stephenson, Commissioner, Big Sky Conference (1981-95)

 
Hall of Fame Eligibility Criteria

• An alumnus/alumna is eligible only if he/she has participated in two (2) full seasons of competition at a Big Sky member institution and should have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to athletics at the institutional, conference and national level.
• An alumnus/alumna is eligible at any time beginning five (5) years after completing their collegiate eligibility.
• Coaches who have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to Big Sky athletics shall be eligible for recognition into the Hall of Fame after service of five (5) full years.
• Coaches must have completed their tenure as coach or have been out of the conference for at least five (5) years.
• Administrators who have made outstanding contributions or offered extraordinary service to Big Sky athletics shall be eligible for recognition into the Hall of Fame after service of three (3) full years and are immediately eligible.

 
The 2023 Hall of Fame Class was selected by a committee of 14 members, which included representatives from all 10 full-time Big Sky institutions, as well as an additional Athletic Director, Senior Women's Administrator, a conference office representative, and an at-large committee member among the group of 14 voters.