PORTLAND, Ore. — Call it a coach's intuition.
 
Whether it's the better weather or the increase in competition that comes from the Portland State track & field program's trip to Southern California for a trio of meets, head coach Joseph Blue has a sense things will go well for his Vikings this weekend.
 
"I feel a good energy [on the team] around how we expect to perform. It's the most I've felt that way this season. Sometimes I have my thoughts, but I really don't know. We're competing every week. But this time, I really feel confident with what they're doing, and I can feel something good is going to happen this weekend," Blue said.
 
The good feeling will spread all over the Los Angeles area as the Vikings compete across the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate (Thursday in Long Beach), the Leopard Invitational (Thursday and Friday in La Verne) and Bryan Clay Invitational (Friday and Saturday in Azusa). The Vikings will also have one athlete compete at the Oregon Team Invitational in Eugene Saturday, but the bulk of the team will compete in LA.
 
There's no single source of Blue's optimism, according to the coach. Instead, it's been a steady build over recent weeks.
 
"There's not one thing I'll point to and say, 'hey, this is going to happen.' But I feel the energy at practice. Our kids are working and are focused," Blue said.
 
"They have an expectation to perform at these meets. They know this is a high-level weekend. They've got to go out and do it."
 
A trip to the Bay Area two weeks ago helped build confidence for Blue and the Vikings. Emma Stolte shined there, breaking a 39-year-old record in the women's 5k at the Stanford Invitational. Stolte's time of 16:01.44 put her well under the final qualifying time for the NCAA West First Round the last two years (16:08.54 in 2025, 16:10.41 in 2024). Even still, she'll be looking to shore up a qualifying spot when she runs the 5k again Friday at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
 
Stolte will also chase a qualifying mark in the 1,500 meters Saturday at the Bryan Clay Invitational. She holds the record at that distance, too, having finished in 4:21.80 at the PNW Invite on March 20. But that puts her more squarely on the qualifying bubble than in the 5k. The final qualifying time last year was 4:20.38, which would put Stolte out of the regional field should times fall the same way this year. But in 2024, the final qualifying time was 4:22.58, which would put Stolte in the field.
 
No other Viking ranks as highly as Stolte within the NCAA West Region. Even still, Blue noted there's no reason to not go for a qualifying mark this weekend.
 
"Everybody has the opportunity," Blue said about chasing regional marks. "We'll just continue to improve and see who's going to show up and be that. It can happen to anybody, but you've just got to be on point."
 
The most consistent record setters outside of Stolte have been the men's freshmen sprinters. Jack Macdonald and Isaiah Cadengo set the freshman records in the 100 and 400 meters, respectively, with finishes in 10.72 and 48.28 seconds at the Stanford Invitational. Macdonald also owns the 200-meter freshman record, having finished in 21.46 seconds at the PNW Invite on March 20.
 
Macdonald will run the 100 meters Thursday at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate before doubling back in the 200 Saturday at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Cadengo, meanwhile, returns to the 400 twice this week, first at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Thursday, then at the Bryan Clay Invitational Saturday.
 
Zach Payne, Macdonald and Cadengo's classmate, will join Cadengo in the 400 at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, before running alongside Macdonald in the 200 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Payne ranks in the freshman top 10 in both events.
 
Hannah Butterfield has shined as a freshman for the Viking women. Butterfield has set freshman top 10 marks in the 400 and 800 meters this season. The 400-meter mark came last week at the John Knight Twilight where she finished in 58.75 seconds. The 800-meter mark came over the Vikings' last trip to California when she finished in 2:15.16 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic.
 
Butterfield will double in the 800 Friday and 1,500 meters Saturday at the Bryan Clay Invitational. She'll join Stolte and senior Taylor Nichols in the 1,500 meters.
 
The strong recent marks from the freshmen are part of what has Blue feeling confident. And it's a good time for Blue to feel that way. The Vikings' trip to LA not only means a chance to shine on the track, but Blue – an LA-native – will reunite with his family just in time for his daughter's eighth birthday Saturday.
 
"I'll definitely be seeing a lot of familiar faces, even from around the country. It'll be my first time stepping back out there as a head coach. So I'm excited about that," Blue said of returning to the LA area.
 
"I just want my kids to perform. That's the biggest thing. I want them to enjoy their time and take advantage of the opportunity. And I'll be happy if they do that."
 
Spoken like a true dad. A dad who believes his kids are about to do something special.
 
MEET INFO
April 16 – Pacific Coast Intercollegiate – Long Beach, Calif. (Jack Rose Track)
April 16-17 – Leopard Invitational – La Verne, Calif. (Ortmayer Stadium/ULV Campus West)
April 17-18 – Bryan Clay Invitational – Azusa, Calif. (Cougar Stadium)
April 18 – Oregon Team Invitational – Eugene, Ore. (Hayward Field)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live Results – Pacific Coast Intercollegiate | Leopard Invitational | Bryan Clay Invitational | Oregon Team Invitational
Live Video – Leopard Invitational | Bryan Clay Invitational | Oregon Team Invitational
 
PACIFIC COAST INTERCOLLEGIATE SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 16
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
9 a.m. – Men's High Jump – Flight 1 (Mathers)
9:30 a.m. – Women's Long Jump (Flight 1 of 4 – Latu-Alves; Flight 2 of 4 – Rideout)
11:30 a.m. – Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Heat 3 of 3 – Portland State 'A' – Cadengo, Macdonald, Payne, Brost, Stolp)
12:05 p.m. – Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (Heat 7 of 8 – Beasley)
12:40 p.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Heat 4 of 5 – Sweeney)
1 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters (Heat 7 of 9 – Peterson)
1:30 p.m. – Men's 400 Meters (Heat 1 of 8 – Cadengo; Heat 6 of 8 – Payne)
2 p.m. – Women's 100 Meters (Heat 10 of 12 – Jolivette, Rideout; Heat 11 of 12 – Beasley)
2:20 p.m. – Women's Shot Put (Flight 1 of 3 – Fisher)
2:35 p.m. – Men's 100 Meters (Heat 7 of 12 – Macdonald; Heat 8 of 12 – Brost)
 
LEOPARD INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 16 – Hammer at ULV Campus West
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
~1 p.m. – Women's Hammer (Flight 1 of 2 – Edwards; Flight 2 of 2 – Fletcher)
 
Friday, April 17
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
10 a.m. – Women's Discus (Flight 1 of 1 – Fletcher)
2:50 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters (Heat 2 of 3 – Peterson)
3:45 p.m. – Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Heat 1 of 2 – Beasley)
 
BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, April 17
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
7 a.m. – Men's 5,000 Meters – Open C (Section 3 of 3 – Ibrahim)
11 a.m. – Women's Hammer (Flight 2 of 4 – Edwards)
12 p.m. – Women's 800 Meters – Open B (Section 6 of 13 – Butterfield; Section 10 of 13 – Nichols)
12:45 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters – Open B (Section 2 of 14 – Abade; Section 5 of 14 – Smith; Section 11 of 14 – Arthur)
3:15 p.m. – Women's 800 Meters – Open A (Section 10 of 10 – López)
3:47 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters – Open A (Section 9 of 10 – Ahmed)
4:30 p.m. – Men's High Jump – Open (Flight 1 of 1 – Mathers)
10:53 p.m. – Women's 5,000 Meters – Invite 4 (Stolte)
 
Saturday, April 18
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
8:20 a.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters – Open C (Section 2 of 9 – Arthur; Section 3 of 9 – Ahmed, Ibrahim)
9 a.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Open C (Section 6 of 8 – Butterfield)
10 a.m. – Women's Shot Put – Open (Flight 2 of 3 – Fisher)
10:05 a.m. – Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Cadengo, Macdonald, Stolp, Brost)
10:50 a.m. – Men's 400 Meters (Cadengo)
12 p.m. – Women's Long Jump – Open (Flight 1 of 6 – Latu-Alves; Flight 3 of 6 – Rideout)
12:35 p.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Sweeney)
2 p.m. – Women's Discus (Flight 1 of 3 – Edwards, Fletcher)
2:50 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters (Brost, Macdonald, Payne)
5 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Open B (Section 3 of 12 – López; Section 6 of 12 – Nichols)
6:10 p.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters – Open B (Section 6 of 12 – Smith; Section 8 of 12 – Abade)
7:10 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Invite (Section 7 of 10 – Stolte)
 
OREGON TEAM INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 18
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
6 p.m. – Women's High Jump – Invitational (Calvin-Stupfel)