SALEM, Ore./AUSTIN, Texas ? Adriane Wai posted her third conference-qualifying mark this weekend when Portland State competed at the Willamette Invitational, while a few Vikings traveled to the Texas Relays to face off against some of the best athletes in the nation.
Wai met a Big Sky standard for the third time this season when she ran the 1500m in 4:40.77, and also improved her 800-meter qualifying time by finishing in 2:14.90. The senior is currently eligible to compete in four events at this year's conference championship, the most of any Viking.
Also in Salem, PSU had another distance runner qualify when Karissa Fuller crossed the finish line in 17:30.83 in the 5k run, becoming the fourth female harrier to stamp her ticket for the conference meet in Missoula.
On the men's side, Tony Crisofulli met the 800m conference standard by finishing in 1:54.42 to become the second Viking to qualify in the event.
Aside from the conference qualifiers, Portland State posted several other strong marks at Willamette. Jaret Rockenbach notched second place in the men's shot put with a throw of 47-4.25, while Tiffany Bigham threw the shot 40-11.50 for third place in the women's heat.
Rachel Garcia placed third with a 150-foot hammer throw, and Amirah Karim ran 25.56 in the 200-meter dash to finish second.
While the majority of the team was in Salem, a few Vikings traveled to the historic Texas Relays to compete against a talented field from around the country.
In the decathlon, defending Big Sky champion Nick Trubachik posted a conference-qualifying mark by scoring 6,872 points, and will be joined at the Big Sky meet by DeShawn Shead, who totaled 5,902 points in his first collegiate decathlon competition. Trubachik's best finish in an event was seventh, which he accomplished three times, while Shead's top mark was his fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash.
Mikeya Nicholson also traveled to Austin and placed eighth in section B of the women's triple jump. The junior, who already has qualified for the Big Sky Championship, nearly tied her season best with a 39-10.50 mark.
Sixteen Vikings have now qualified for the conference meet next month across 21 different disciplines.
With the outdoor season crossing the halfway point, Portland State will compete next at the Oregon-Washington Dual in Spokane next Saturday.
2009 Big Sky Outdoor Championship Qualifiers
Katie Blue ? 10k (37:30.48)
Tony Crisofulli ? 800m (1:54.42)
Jesse Cronin ? 10k (31:51.72)
Stephanie Deever ? 10k (37:34.18)
Karissa Fuller ? 5k (17:30.82)
Rachel Garcia ? Shot Put (42-5.25)
Jake Hansen ? 10k (31:28.73)
Brookman Holmes ? 800m (1:54.25)
Amirah Karim ? Long Jump (18-3.25)
Westin Morrill ? Javelin (204)#
Mikeya Nicholson ? Triple Jump (39-10.75)
Jernise Saunders ? 100m (12.18), 200m (24.89)
DeShawn Shead ? 110m Hurdles (14.69), Decathlon (5902)
Jason Tait ? 110m Hurdles (14.99)
Nick Trubachik ? Decathlon (6872)
Adriane Wai ? 800m (2:14.90), 1500m (4:40.77), 3000m Steeplechase (11:26.95)
*
# Regional qualifier
*Automatically qualifies for 10k run
