Season Statistics | Live Stats | Record Book | Big Sky Qualifying Standards | Weather in Sacramento

PORTLAND, Ore. - The saying goes that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the pasture. Though the grass is not greener in Sacramento, Calif., as compared to the lush and saturated Portland right now, it is warmer and dryer, making it more than ideal track weather for the Vikings this weekend at the Mondo Invitational April 8 and 9.

LAST TIME OUT:
Portland State traveled to the capitol last weekend for the WIllamette Invitational and won two events, the women's "group a" 5,000-meters and the women's 4x100-meter relay. All told, four more Vikings, Allison Burkett (javelin), KatIe Blue (10,000m), Amber Rozcicha (5,000m) and Andrew Salg (10,000m), qualified for the Big Sky Championship at the meet, bringing the Vikings total to 17 standards met.

Rozcicha took honors in the 5,000-meters for the Viks with her time of 17 minutes, 51.14 seconds. It was the longest track race she ever participated in for PSU, having consistently run the 800-meters and the 1,500-meters.

The women's 4x100 team of Geronne Black, Karene King, Anaiah Rhodes and Joenisha Vinson won the event in Salem with a mark of 46.50, the quartets slowest time of the season.

Portland State was close to qualifying a few more athletes at the meet in Shae Carson, Luke Leddige, Brittany Long, Nate Lightner and Sean Mackelvie. Carson was one inch shy in the discus throw, Leddige .02 seconds shy in the 110-meter hurdles, Long 17 seconds shy in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Lightner .30 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles and Mackelvie was one foot and three inches shy in the triple jump.

DOMINIQUE'S DEBUT:
After months of anticipation, Butler CC transfer Dominique Maloney arrived at Portland State and competed for the Vikings Saturday afternoon in the 200-meters. In her PSU debut, she finished second overall with a time of 25.98 seconds.

The native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands is a former NJCAA indoor national qualifier in the 400-meters, 4x400 and the 4x800 relay teams. She aided the 4x400 relay team to a fourth-place finish at indoor nationals and ran a personal-best of 55.62 in 2009, a time that would beat the current PSU-record of 55.67.

THEY LIKE THE MONDO:
Last season, many Portland State tracksters recorded personal-bests at the 2010 Mondo Invitational. Geronne Black and Karene King recorded PR's in the 100 and 200-meters and Joenisha Vinson broke the school-record in the 100-meter hurdles with a 13.84, still the best time of her career.

Click here to read last year's recap.

WHERE THEY RANK - REGIONALLY:
Many Vikings rank in the NCAA West Region's top-95 this season with Portland State on the board 22 times. Most events take the top-48 athletes in the region to the regional championship, slated for May 26-28 in Eugene. The relay events take the top-24 teams.

Below is a list of Portland State athletes and relay teams in the top-48 so far this season.

Women
Name | Event | Rank
Geronne Black | 100m | 21st
Karene King | 100m | 43rd
Mikeya Nicholson | Triple jump | 46th
Women's 4x100 relay | 38th*

* - Many schools ahead of PSU have multiple relay combinations listed in the top-95.

Men
Name | Event | Rank
Tony Crisofulli | 800m | 32nd
Sean Mackelvie | Javelin | 43rd
Andrew Salg | 10,000m | 40th

NOTE: Multi-events not recognized on list as the decathlon and heptathlon are not contested in the regional qualifiers.

A SMALL TASTE OF CONFERENCE:
The track at Sacramento State will host the Big Sky Championship May 12-15.

BIG SKY QUALIFIERS:
The athletes listed below have posted times or distances that qualify them for the Big Sky Outdoor Championship in Sacramento, Calif., May 11-14. The Vikings have met 17 qualifying standards this season with 13 athletes representing Portland State.

WOMEN
NAME | EVENT(S)
Geronne Black | 100m, 200m
Katie Blue | 10,000m
Allison Burkett | Javelin
Adrienne Davis | Shot put
Karene King | 100m, 200m
Mikeya Nicholson | Triple jump
Anaiah Rhodes | 100m
Amber Rozcicha | 5,000m
Joenisha Vinson | 100m hurdles, 200m

MEN
NAME | EVENT(S)
Jeff Borgerson | High jump
Tony Crisofulli | 800m
John Lawrence | 3000m steeplechase
Sean Mackelvie | javelin
Andrew Salg | 10,000m
DeShawn Shead | 110m hurdles

NEXT UP:
Joenisha Vinson will be the sole athlete in action next week, participating in the heptathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays in Asuza, Calif., April 13-14. The team will take a week's break from competition and return April 22-23 for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at California. It will be the Viks second visit to Berkley, Calif., this season.