PORTLAND, Ore. — It's counterintuitive to say about a race that the times don't matter. And yet, that's the case Saturday at the Big Sky Championships. It's not the time that will count for anything. It's the placement.
 
That simplifies the message for Portland State head cross country coach Joseph Blue.
 
"They just have to have that mentality of, 'I'm competing.' Whatever your strategy is, stick to it. But at the end of the day, you've got to go beat that person in front of you," Blue said. "If they compete, it won't matter about their time. Everything will take care of itself."
 
It shouldn't be much of an adjustment for either Portland State team, according to Blue. Both the Viking men and women are eager to move up in the Big Sky standings after finishing last or second to last at the last two conference meets.
 
The Vikings feel ready to do so after a strong showing in their final regular season meet at the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 18. The Viking men – despite only having five runners available – finished ninth out of an 18-team field that featured multiple regionally ranked teams. They were three spots ahead of conference rival Sacramento State, who they will see again Saturday. The Viking women, meanwhile, had five of their six runners set personal bests at the Bronco Invitational.
 
That included Emma Stolte at the top of the lineup. The redshirt junior placed third overall for her fourth straight top 10 finish – and third straight top five finish – of the season.
 
Stolte's showing against the deepest and most talented field she has faced this season immediately put the possibility of a top 10 finish at the Big Sky Championships in play. That would mean a lot for Stolte. A top 10 finish at the conference meet would earn her All-Big Sky honors, something only seven Portland State runners – male or female – have accomplished in program history.
 
"She's a competitor. She has that desire. She's told me, top ten [at conference] is something she wants to do. But really, it's going to come down to how bad she wants it on the day," assistant coach Nick Merillana said. "It's a very competitive conference, and there are girls – on paper – who are faster than her. But we've seen that at every race that we've been to, and she's shown that it doesn't matter what your times are, she wants to get better, she wants to compete."
 
A top 10 finish for Stolte would also help the team score for the Viking women, especially if the Vikings get a wave behind them. Taylor Nichols has been a reliable No. 2 runner for the Vikings this season. She finished 18th at the Bronco Invitational while shaving 11 seconds off her 6k personal best.
 
Sam Sharp, a freshman, has finished as the team's third runner at all four meets she's competed. She posted a top 10 finish earlier in the season at the Ash Creek Festival on Sept. 12.
 
On the men's side, after four different lead runners at their first four meets of the season, senior Abdinajib Abade repeated as the men's team's top finisher, leading the Vikings with an 18th-place finish at the Bronco Invitational. That came after Abade led the men with a 37th-place finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational on Oct. 4.
 
Farhan Ibrahim has been the second finisher behind Abade the last two meets, after he led the Vikings with a 33rd overall finish at the Mike Johnson Classic on Sept. 27.
 
Ari Smith has also been in the Vikings' top three at all four meets he's competed, including a pair of top 10 finishes at the Lewis & Clark Opener (Aug. 29) and Ash Creek Festival at the beginning of the season.
 
The Vikings are practiced in all the external elements of an out-of-state race now, thanks to the Bronco Invitational. That was the program's first trip outside of Oregon this season, giving the program a trial run at what this week's conference trip will look like.
 
"It was definitely a good opportunity for such a young team that we have that they were able to get out there and have that first travel experience," Merillana said of the Bronco Invitational. "Sometimes the nerves kick in a little bit more when you travel. They got that real race feel of, okay, we're getting on a plane. We're going out there and it's basically a business meeting that we're preparing for."
 
The Vikings ticked that box. That simplifies the message again for Blue. Everything else has been taken care of, all the athletes have to do is compete.
 
"We hit all the spots we need to in terms of competition. We went against high-level competition. We went against okay competition. We did different races, from 5k to 8k. Now it's time to get it done. This is what they've been training for the whole year. This is where all their hard work needs to go," Blue said.
 
MEET INFO
Saturday, Nov. 1 – Big Sky Championships – Bozeman, Mont. (Bridger Creek Golf Course)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Championship Central
 
MEET SCHEDULE
Time – Event
10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT – Women's 5k
10:35 a.m. PT / 11:35 a.m. MT – Men's 8k