Budweiser Hawkins joined the Portland State track & field coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in the fall of 2016, and will coach his second indoor and outdoor track & field seasons in 2018.
Hawkins helped lead then-senior Genna Settle to one of the best individual track & field seasons in program history in 2017. Settle swept the indoor 60-, indoor 200-, outdoor 100- and outdoor 200-meter Big Sky titles, making her just the second Viking to ever win four conference titles in a single year. Additionally, Settle became just the third athlete ever in the history of the Big Sky Conference to sweep the four sprint titles, joining former Viking Jernise Saunders and Eastern Washington's Joyce Rainwater, who did it previously in 2009 and 1994, respectively.
Settle won the indoor 200-meter title while breaking the school, championship and conference records with her time of 23.75 seconds. Settle beat the record former Viking and world outdoor qualifier Karene King originally set at 23.77 seconds in 2012.
Besides Settle, Hawkins also helped lead Akayla Anderson to second-place finishes in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 100-meter hurdles in 2017, and coached Ta'mara Richey to her first NCAA west regional qualification in the triple jump. Additionally, Jean-Luc Toku broke a 44-year-old school record in the men's triple jump in 2017.
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Hawkins came to the Vikings after competing for the Pacific (Ore.) University track & field team from 2013-15.
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Hawkins finished his career in style by sweeping the Northwest Conference titles in the long jump, triple jump and high jump at the 2015 Northwest Conference Championships. That feat earned Hawkins the Northwest Conference Field Athlete of the Year honors that year, as well as the Pacific Male Athlete of the Year.
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For his career, Hawkins earned seven all-conference honors at Pacific between the high jump, long jump, triple jump and 4x100-meter relay.
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Hawkins also competed for the Pacific men’s basketball team for two seasons.
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