PORTLAND, Ore. — The weather forecast in Portland for Saturday: 70 degrees and sunny. Two weeks ago, when the Vikings were opening their outdoor season in McMinnville at the Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker, it was 40 degrees and snowing.
 
So, with all due respect to that meet two weeks ago, this weekend's Electric Forest Collegiate Open at Lewis & Clark's Eldon Fix Track is the Portland State track & field program's true outdoor season opener.
 
The improved weather should set the Vikings up for more success Saturday, even if some Vikings broke through the wintry weather for strong marks two weeks ago.
 
Noah Meucci was one who saw success despite competing through a wintry mix of snow and rain. Meucci moved up to eighth all-time in the hammer with a best throw of 144-01 (43.93m) at the Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker. That was the third different event that Meucci has recorded a top 10 mark this year. He finished the indoor season ranked fifth all-time in the weight throw and eighth all-time in the shot put.
 
Meucci will be busy again this Saturday, as he competes in the shot put and discus. Fellow thrower Mikey LaGris will join him in both events, while Karch Kipp will join both in the shot put.
 
The Vikings also picked up event wins from Natalie Cunningham and Ashley Peterson in the women's shot put and 400 meters, respectively, two weeks ago. Both of them will return to those events Saturday.
 
The busiest Viking Saturday will likely be Alison Calvin-Stupfel, who is entered in the women's high jump, long jump and triple jump. Calvin-Stupfel added five inches to her indoor best in the long jump two weeks ago at the Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker. She also scored for the Vikings with an eighth-place finish in the high jump at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.
 
Dieumerci Migani, who scored for the Vikings in the triple jump at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, didn't get a chance to compete in the jumping events two weeks ago. He should this Saturday, however, as she's entered in the long jump and triple jump.
 
Migani set top 10 marks in the indoor versions of both events during the winter. He moved into a tie for fifth all-time in the long jump with a winning mark of 22-11.75 (7.00m) at the George Fox Indoor Meet #2. His sixth-place finish at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, in which he jumped 46-02.00 (14.07m), also moved him up to seventh all-time in the event.
 
Other event debuts for the Vikings include Wendy Hare in the 400-meter hurdles. Hare ran the event three times last outdoor season, setting her best time at 1:02.58 while winning the event at the Linfield Open last May. That time put her just three-hundredths of a second outside of the all-time top 10 at Portland State.
 
The track events, in general, will see the Vikings concentrate on the sprints and mid-distances. Dyllan Newville will be the lone Viking competing in an event longer than the 1,500 meters, as she runs in the 5k in the afternoon.
 
The warmer weather should help those Vikings limber up. More so than two weeks ago at least, and the Vikings will certainly appreciate that.
 
MEET INFO
March 16 – Electric Forest Collegiate Open – Portland, Ore. (Eldon Fix Track)
 
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MEET SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 16
Time (PT) – Event (PSU Entries)
10 a.m. – Women's Long Jump (Flight 1 of 2 – Calvin-Stupfel)
~11 a.m. – Women's High Jump (Flight 1 of 1 – Calvin-Stupfel)
11 a.m. – Men's Shot Put (Flight 1 of 2 – Kipp, LaGris, Meucci)
~11:45 a.m. – Men's Long Jump (Flight 1 of 2 – Braich, Migani, Nitunga)
12:25 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters (Heat 1 of 2 – Beghin, Kapustka, Nichols; Heat 2 of 2 – Faust)
~12:30 p.m. – Women's Shot Put (Flight 2 of 2 – Cunningham)
~12:30 p.m. – Men's Discus (Flight 2 of 2 – LaGris, Meucci)
12:40 p.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters (Heat 1 of 3 – Abade; Heat 2 of 3 – Ahmed, Parks, Thake; Heat 3 of 3 – Ota)
~1 p.m. – Women's Pole Vault (Flight 1 of 1 – Strand)
1:25 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters (Heat 1 of 2 – Peterson, Frazier, E., Frazier, L.)
1:50 p.m. – Women's 100 Meters (Van Deusen – Heats TBD)
2 p.m. – Men's 100 Meters (Braich, Kargbo, Leeder, Nitunga, West – Heats TBD)
~2:05 p.m. – Women's Triple Jump (Flight 1 of 1 – Calvin-Stupfel)
2:20 p.m. – Women's 800 Meters (Heat 1 of 2 – Beghin, Brown, Faust, Kapustka)
2:28 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters (Heat 1 of 4 – Abade; Heat 2 of 4 – Ahmed, Parks; Heat 3 of 4 – Ota, Thake)
2:45 p.m. – Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Heat 1 of 2 – Hare)
3:05 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters (Crabtree, Hare, Peterson, Van Deusen – Heats TBD)
3:15 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters (Braich, Dawson, Kargbo, Leeder, Nitunga – Heats TBD)
~3:15 p.m. – Men's Triple Jump (Flight 1 of 1 – Migani)
3:30 p.m. – Women's 5,000 Meters (Heat 1 of 1 – Newville)
4:15 p.m. – Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (Heat 1 of 1 – Portland State 'A' (Peterson, Hare, Kapustka, Beghin); Portland State 'B' (Frazier, L., Frazier, E., Brown, Faust))
4:20 p.m. – Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Heat 1 of 1 – Portland State 'A' (Ahmed, Thake, Parks, Abade))