PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland State head track & field coach Jonathan Marcus set an ambitious goal for his athletes this weekend at the Riverfront Invitational in Spokane.
 
Marcus wants three new school records.
 
Of course, Marcus would take them in any three events, but the three records the Vikings are targeting are the men's distance medley relay, the men's weight throw and the men's 600 meters.
 
The DMR record is a personal one for Marcus. His athletes set the current record in 2015 when he was still an assistant coach in charge of distances. Ben Richardson, Nathan Fleck, Neil Seibert and T-Roy Brown set the current mark at 10:05.11 at the UW Invitational that season.
 
The closest the Vikings have come since was in 2024 when Abdinajib Abade, Dieumerci Migani, Amir Ahmed and Abdi Ibrahim finished in 10:12.61. That mark came at the Big Sky Indoor Championships last season on the same track that the Vikings will race Friday at The Podium.
 
Dillon Brost will join Abade, Ahmed and Ibrahim for the record attempt this time around with Nick Moore as an alternate.
 
One record may have already been broken by the time the men's DMR toes the line Friday at 6:50 p.m. That would be in the men's weight throw, which gets underway at 4 p.m. Friday. Regular readers would know that the men's weight throw has often been listed as being on record watch this season. The current mark of 55-04.25 (16.87m) – which Jim Webster set in 2003 – hasn't fallen yet. However, two different Vikings figure to have a shot at the record now.
 
Daniel Coppedge has been agonizingly close. He ranks second all-time with a PSU best of 54-01.75 (16.50m) from the Portland Indoor 1 on Jan. 25. His overall best of 56-02.00 (17.11m) from the PSU vs. UP Dual Meet last November would have given him the record already if he had done it in a PSU uniform. He didn't, though, and so Coppedge still has to break the record officially.
 
Noah Meucci has moved himself into position as a threat for the record in addition to Coppedge. Meucci cracked 50 feet for the first time last Friday at the UW Invitational, throwing 51-09.00 (15.77m). The personal best was only the latest of the season for Meucci, who has bettered his mark in the weight throw at four of the five meets at which he's competed this season. He heads into this weekend ranked fourth all-time in the event behind Webster, Coppedge and Major Oni (51-09.75, 15.79m).
 
The other new record Marcus and the Vikings are taking aim at would come Saturday in the men's 600 meters. Abade and Ahmed will both chase the mark Saturday. Ahmed finished within 1.5 seconds of the record at the UW Preview on Jan. 17, crossing the line in 1:20.85. That ranks him third all-time behind Nate Boyer, who set the current record at 1:19.48 in 2006, and Chase Lovercheck, who finished in 1:19.73 in 2023.
 
Abade enters Saturday's race ranked eighth all-time in the 600 meters. He's coming off a personal best of 1:55.18 in the men's 800 meters last week at the UW Invitational.
 
The Vikings already set the record in the women's 600 meters earlier this season. Twice, for good measure. Wendy Hare broke Melissa Owens' 17-year-old record with her time of 1:36.98 at the PSU vs. UP Dual Meet back in November. Irene Montoliu Tio then lowered that mark to 1:33.75 at the UW Preview on Jan. 17 in what was her very first race as a Viking.
 
Montoliu Tio will race the 600 meters again Saturday, alongside teammate Irina López, who ranks fourth all-time in the event. Montoliu Tio hasn't run a 600-meter race since her record-breaking run three weeks earlier. She did set an indoor best in the 800 at the UW Invitational last week, however, where she finished in 2:15.81.
 
The rest of the Vikings could crash the party with an outstanding performance of their own. Marcus would certainly welcome that, of course. But for now, he's setting the goal number of school records from this weekend at three.
 
Three school records for the three spots on a traditional podium. At The Podium. Who knows what that counts for, but it's got to count for something.
 
MEET INFO
Feb. 7-8 – Riverfront Invitational – Spokane, Wash. (The Podium)
Feb. 9 – Portland Indoor 2 – Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Riverfront Invitational – Live Results | Live Video
Portland Indoor 2 – Live Results
 
RIVERFRONT INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 7
Time (PT) – Event (PSU Entries)
3 p.m. – Men's Long Jump (Hawkins)
3 p.m. – Women's 800 Meters (Hare, Kapustka, López, Montoliu Tio)
~4 p.m. – Men's Weight Throw (Coppedge, Meucci)
4:15 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters – Collegiate (Forst, Peterson, Rosario, Wheat)
5:10 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters – Collegiate (Brost, Hawkins)
6:50 p.m. – Men's Distance Medley Relay (Portland State 'A' – Abade, Brost, Ahmed, Ibrahim)
 
Saturday, Feb. 8
Time (PT) – Event (PSU Entries)
10:35 a.m. – Women's 60 Meters – Prelims (Forst, Rosario, Wheat)
11:05 a.m. – Men's 60 Meters – Prelims (Brost, Hawkins)
11:45 a.m. – Women's 60 Meters – Final (TBD)
11:50 a.m. – Men's 60 Meters – Final (TBD)
12:05 p.m. – Women's Mile (Kapustka)
12:50 p.m. – Men's Mile (Ibrahim)
1:35 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters – Collegiate (Hare, Peterson)
2:20 p.m. – Men's 400 Meters – Collegiate (Brost)
2:50 p.m. – Women's 600 Meters (López, Montoliu Tio)
3 p.m. – Men's 600 Meters (Abade, Ahmed)
3:55 p.m. – Men's 3,000 Meters (Moore)
4:30 p.m. – Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Peterson, Hare, Forst, López)
 
PORTLAND INDOOR 2 SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 9
Time (PT) – Event (PSU Entries)
Rolling schedule starting at 12 p.m. (Only PSU-entered events listed
Women's 800 Meters (Capozzi, Nichols)
Men's 800 Meters (Walsh)
Women's Mile (Nichols, Schmitke, Wapsheli)
Men's Mile (Brown, Muradas, Ota, Sarver Huber)
Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Walsh, Ota, Brown, Muradas)