PORTLAND, Ore. — With respect to the other track & field teams around the state of Oregon, the Portland State Vikings are tired of seeing you. The state may be a hotbed for the sport in the United States, but after three straight in-state meets to open the 2026 outdoor season, the Vikings are ready to see someone new.
 
They'll get that opportunity this Friday and Saturday, as the Vikings head to the Bay Area for a trio of meets between the Stanford Invitational, Mike Fanelli Track Classic and Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
 
"I think it'll be a good eye-opener for some of these freshmen to get to see different teams other than Oregon teams," head coach Joseph Blue said of his team's California trip.
 
"Them seeing other competitors allows them to know where they're at. It's good to get that early, because when we go to conference, that's when the big dogs are there. So, they get to compete against big dogs early on, so they know what to expect. They get to know where they're at and how they need to improve."
 
Each event group should get that even as they split up across the three meets this weekend. The distance crew heads to the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, while the sprints, hurdles and throws head to the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. Where the two mix will be the Stanford Invitational.
 
Emma Stolte will run the 5k Friday evening at the Stanford Invitational. It'll be Stolte's first action since breaking the school record in the 1,500 meters while also running the No. 7 mark in the 800 meters at the PNW Invite, March 20-21.
 
Stolte's 5k personal best came over the same weekend a year ago, as she ran 16:59.22 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. That may be a poor estimate of what she will do Friday, however, considering Stolte's improvements in other events. She beat her 5k best on the track during the fall cross country season, for instance. She finished in 16:56.9 while earning all-conference honors with her ninth-place finish at the Big Sky Championships.
 
Blue says Stolte could challenge for an NCAA West First Round qualifying mark if things go right. For reference, the 48th-best mark in the NCAA West region last year was 15:57.43, which came at the Stanford Invitational. If Stolte were to match that, she'd not only set a new school record but smash it by 25 seconds. Debbie Myra holds the current 5k record at 16:22.90, set way back in 1987.
 
"We're looking for Emma to do some big things in the 5k. That's the only event she's running this week, so she's focused on that. She's trying to get her time down to a very competitive time. That's the goal. And she's excited about the opportunity," Blue said of Stolte.
 
The rest of the distance crew will compete at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. Luke Gillingham will run the men's 5k Friday. The rest of the Vikings compete across various sections in the men's and women's 1,500 meters Friday, and men's and women's 800 meters Saturday.
 
The sprints, hurdles and throwers group heading to the Stanford Invitational includes Jack Macdonald. The freshman sprinter will return to action for the first time since he set or tied the freshman records in the 100 and 200 meters, finishing in 10.78 and 21.46 seconds, respectively.
 
Macdonald will run the 100 meters at the Stanford Invitational Friday. Aidan Sweeney will run the 110 hurdles a few minutes before Macdonald. If either advance, they'll run the finals of their event Saturday. Natalie Fisher, meanwhile, will represent the team's throwers in the women's shot put Friday.
 
The Vikings have more entries at the Stanford Invitational, but Blue said a few of them may instead focus on the Brutus Hamilton Invitational Saturday.
 
Regardless of who competes where, it'll be a step up in competition for the Vikings this weekend versus the in-state meets the Vikings have competed at to this point in the season.
 
"We want them to have the mindset of, 'hey, we belong here. Let's go out and get it.' That's going to be the message. But you also can't just believe that you belong here, you've got to show it," Blue said.
 
The best way to introduce yourself to a new group of competitors is to beat them, after all.
 
MEET INFO
April 3-4 – Stanford Invitational – Stanford, Calif. (Cobb Track & Angell Field)
April 3-4 – Mike Fanelli Track Classic – San Francisco, Calif. (Cox Stadium)
April 4 – Brutus Hamilton Invitational – Berkeley, Calif. (Edwards Stadium)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Live Results – Stanford Invitational | Mike Fanelli Track Classic | Brutus Hamilton Invite
 
STANFORD INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, April 3
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
9:30 a.m. – Men's Javelin – Collegiate (Glad)
10:55 a.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – Prelims (Sweeney)
11:10 a.m. – Women's 100 Meters – Prelims (Forst)
11:30 a.m. – Men's 100 Meters – Prelims (Macdonald)
12:55 p.m. – Men's 400 Meters (Cadengo)
3:33 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters (Forst)
3:45 p.m. – Women's Shot Put – Collegiate (Fisher)
7:19 p.m. – Women's 5,000 Meters (Stolte)
 
Saturday, April 4
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
1:10 p.m. – Women's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A')
1:18 p.m. – Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A')
3:42 p.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles – Final (TBD)
3:53 p.m. – Women's 100 Meters – Final (TBD)
4:01 p.m. – Men's 100 Meters – Final (TBD)
5:02 p.m. – Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A')
 
MIKE FANELLI TRACK CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, April 3
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
11:49 a.m. – Men's 5,000 Meters – Section #6 (Gillingham)
3:47 p.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #2 (Abade)
4:03 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Section #4 (Nichols)
4:53 p.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #8 (Ahmed, Smith)
4:58 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Section #9 (López)
5:04 p.m. – Men's 1,500 Meters – Section #9 (Arthur)
5:09 p.m. – Women's 1,500 Meters – Section #10 (Butterfield)
 
Saturday, April 4
Time (PT) – Event (PSU Entries)
12:20 p.m. – Women's 800 Meters (Section 8 of 21 – López; Section 11 of 21 – Butterfield; Section 12 of 21 – Nichols)
1:23 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters (Section 5 of 27 – Ahmed; Section 7 of 27 – Abade; Section 12 of 27 – Smith; Section 13 of 27 – Arthur; Section 15 of 27 – Gillingham)
 
BRUTUS HAMILTON INVITATIONAL
Saturday, April 4
Time (PT) – Events (PSU Entries)
~10:30 a.m. – Women's Hammer (Edwards)
11:10 a.m. – Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (Beasley)
11:30 a.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Sweeney)
~11:30 a.m. – Women's Long Jump (Rideout)
11:50 a.m. – Women's 400 Meters (Peterson)
12:05 p.m. – Men's 400 Meters (Payne)
12:35 p.m. – Women's 100 Meters (Jolivette, Rideout)
1 p.m. – Men's 100 Meters (Brost)
~1:30 p.m. – Women's Shot Put (Fisher)
~1:30 p.m. – Men's Javelin (Glad)
2:20 p.m. – Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Beasley)
2:55 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters (Jolivette, Peterson)
3:25 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters (Brost, Cadengo, Macdonald, Payne)
~4 p.m. – Women's Discus (Edwards, Fletcher)