RESULTS

SPOKANE, Wash. — Daniel Coppedge had threatened the school record in the men's weight throw for so long that one could picture an anthropomorphized version of the record talking back to him and quoting Mark Twain by saying: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
 
But the record finally came to Coppedge Friday, as he broke a 22-year-old record to highlight the Vikings' first day at the Riverfront Invitational.
 
Coppedge had posted a better mark than the current record while competing unattached at the PSU vs. UP Dual Meet last November. But through three different meets – the UW Preview on Jan. 17, the Portland Indoor 1 on Jan. 25 and the UW Invitational on Jan. 31 – Coppedge had yet to do it in a Viking uniform.
 
The wait ended Friday at The Podium, as Coppedge threw 56-00.00 (17.07m) on his second attempt of the day. The mark surpassed Jim Webster's old record of 55-04.25 (16.87m) from 2003, while Coppedge became the first Viking to break 17 meters in the men's weight throw.
 
Noah Meucci cracked 50 feet for only the second time in his career earlier in the day within the weight throw. Meucci threw 50-00.75 (15.26m) on his opening attempt of the competition, putting him close to the personal best of 51-09.00 (15.77m) he set last week at the UW Invitational. Meucci wouldn't better that mark Friday, but he has still added four and a half feet to his best over the course of the season.
 
The Vikings had anticipated two school records Friday. Coppedge delivered in the men's weight throw, and the Vikings were hoping to get a second out of the men's distance medley relay to close the day. Abdinajib Abade, Dillon Brost, Amir Ahmed and Abdi Ibrahim were taking aim at the current school record of 10:05.11 from 2015.
 
Ibrahim gave it a good shot over the anchor leg. He ran the fastest 1,600-meter leg of anyone in the field at 4:13.70, but it wasn't enough in the end as the Vikings finished in 10:07.81. That still ranks them second all-time behind the record that Ben Richardson, Nathan Fleck, Neil Seibert and T-Roy Brown set at the UW Invitational 10 years earlier.
 
Outside of the record attempts, the Vikings set new personal bests in a handful of other events Friday.
 
Two of the Vikings' four runners in the women's 200 meters set new indoor bests in the event. Aida Wheat shaved two-tenths of a second off her time on the same track at the Spokane Invitational back in December with her finish in 26.33 seconds. Sienna Rosario, meanwhile, shaved nearly three-quarters of a second off their time from last week's UW Invitational with their finish in 26.47 seconds.
 
Tori Forst narrowly missed matching her time from last week's UW Invitational with her finish in 25.21 seconds to lead the Vikings in the event.
 
The Viking women also got two collegiate bests out of the 800 meters. Ania Kapustka led a trio of Vikings in the event while shaving nearly four-tenths of a second off the time she set last month at UW Preview with her finish in 2:18.40. Freshman Irina López followed in 2:18.42, two-tenths of a second faster than her time last week at the UW Invitational. López jumped Linnaea Kavulich for sixth in the freshman record book with the personal best.
 
Ty Hawkins set two personal bests Friday between the 200 meters and long jump. Hawkins finished the 200 in 23.50 seconds, more than two-tenths of a second better than his time last week at the UW Invitational. The indoor best in the 200 followed a three-inch improvement in the long jump for Hawkins as he set an overall best in the event with a mark of 21-09.00 (6.63m).
 
The Vikings will look for more school records and personal bests on the second day of the meet Saturday.
 
Riverfront Invitational
The Podium
Spokane, Wash.
Feb. 7, 2025
 
Women's Results:
200m: 12. Tori Forst, 25.21; 37. Aida Wheat, 26.33; 41. Sienna Rosario, 26.47; 45. Ashley Peterson, 26.74. 800m: 17. Ania Kapustka, 2:18.40; 18. Irina López, 2:18.42; 28. Wendy Hare, 2:20.12; Irene Montoliu Tio, DNF.
 
Men's Results:
200m: 34. Ty Hawkins, 23.50; Dillon Brost, DQ. Distance Medley Relay: 3. Portland State 'A' (Abade, Brost, Ahmed, Ibrahim), 10:07.81. Long Jump: 8. Ty Hawkins, 21-09.00 (6.63m). Weight Throw: 9. Daniel Coppedge, 56-00.00 (17.07m); 23. Noah Meucci, 50-00.75 (15.26m).