PORTLAND, Ore. - With 23 athletes traveling to the Big Sky Championship, the Portland State track and field team will compete in this weeks Big Sky Championship, May 11-14, Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. Sophomore Geronne Black is the Vikings lone returning champion (100-meters) and will  begin defense of her title May 13.

STORYLINES
- Can Portland State shake up the final team standings? The Vikings women were selected to finish seventh in this year's outdoor preseason poll, while the men were pick to finish ninth.

- Over the last two years the Vikings have performed extremely well in Sacramento, setting many PR's and school-records in meets hosted by the Hornets.

- Portland State has won six-of-the-last-seven Big Sky Championships in the 100-meters.

- Sophomore Geronne Black is the reigning Big Sky Champion in the 100-meters. She owns the conference's top-time this season.

- Junior Joenisha Vinson will be looking to improve her score, 5,227 points, in the heptathlon and crack the nation's top-20  to qualify for the NCAA Championship.

- Senior Karene King won three-silver medals at the 2010 outdoor championship (100m, 200m, 4x100).

- Freshman Luke Leddige will be competing in his first collegiate decathlon this week, in an effort to qualify for Jr. Nationals.

- Junior Tony Crisofulli will look to reach the medal stand after missing last year's 800m final and qualifying for regionals.

PORTLAND STATE'S 2011 FIELD

Women
NAME | EVENT(S)
Geronne Black | 100m#, 200m, 4x100 relay$
Allison Burkett | Javelin
Shae Carson | Discus
Adrienne Davis | Shot put
P'Lar Dorsett | 4x100m relay (alternate)
Quiana Jackson | 4x400m relay
Karene King | 100m$, 200m$, 4x100 relay$, 4x400m relay
Brittany Long | 3,000m steeplechase
Mikeya Nicholson | Triple jump
Anaiah Rhodes | 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay, 4x400m relay
Amber Rozcicha | 800m, 5,000m. 4x400m relay (alternate)
Joenisha Vinson | heptathlon, 100m hurdles, 4x100 relay$, 4x400m relay

Men
NAME | EVENT(S)
Jeff Borgerson | High jump
Zach Carpenter | 5,000m
Tony Crisofulli | 800m, 4x400m relay
Nate Endicott | 3,000m steeplechase
John Lawrence | 3,000m steeplechase
Luke Leddige | Decathlon, 110m hurdles
Nate Lightner | 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay
Sean Mackelvie | Javelin
J.J. Rosenberg | 400m, 4x400m relay
Andrew Salg | 10,000m
DeShawn Shead | 110m hurdles, 4x400m relay

# - Indicates 2010 conference champion
$ - Indicates 2010 all-conference honor

REWIND 2010 BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Vikings opened the four-day saga with two medals in the decathlon and one near miss in the heptathlon. Seniors Nick Trubachik and Vince Kinney finished first and second with PR scores of 7,390 points and 6,848 points, respectively. Trubachik remarkebly won four of the events and was runner-up in three-of-10 events and was 87 points shy of setting a new championship record. The mark qualified him for the NCAA Championships, where he went on to claim All-America honors.

In the women's heptathlon, then-sophomore Joenisha Vinson finished fourth in the women's heptathlon with a score of 5,004 points. Vinson recorded a 40-foot PR in the javelin when she threw 104 feet, nine inches. She was 16 points shy of a third-place finish.

In days three and four, the Viks continued to perform well, including another one-two finish. In the women's 100-meters, Geronne Black won the event with a time of 11.92 seconds, while Karene King was the runner-up and only trailed Black by .02 seconds.

King would also come up .02 seconds shy in the 200-meter final, where she finished second to Eastern Washington's Brianna Okoro winning time of 24.32 seconds.

Black, King, Malissa Anthony and Amirah Karim also took silver in the 4x100-meter relay with their time of 45.99. EWU won and went on to the NCAA West Regional with their time of 45.31.

Other point scorers for the Vikings were Nate Lightner in the 400-meters and the 400-meter hurdles with Lightner finishing eighth and sixth, respectively.

Adrienne Davis was sixth in the shot put and the women's 4x400 and men's 4x100 team finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Katie Blue and Karissa Fuller were huge in the women's distance with Blue finishing sixth in the 10,000-meters and Fuller taking seventh in the 5,000-meters. Finally, John Lawrence finished eighth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to round out the Viks scores at the championship.

KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE
Over the last seven years Portland State has dominated the women's 100-meters at the Big Sky Championship, winning six of the last seven championships and three-consecutive in that event. Sophomore Geronne Black and senior Karene King own the Big Sky's top-two times this season at 11.65 and 11.67 seconds, respectively, and will gun for the championship.

Below is a list of the Vikings Big Sky Champions in that event, with the year and winning time's listed.

2010: Geronne Black, 11.92
2009: Jernise Saunders, 11.79
2008: Jernise Saunders, 12.07
2006: Utica Edgecombe, 11.92
2005: Ena Shemi, 12.36
2004: Ena Shemi, 11.79

THEY'RE HONORED
The Big Sky announced it's Track and Field Athletes of the Week May 9 and Portland State's Geronne Black and Tony Crisofulli swept the track honors for their performances at the Oregon Twilight May 6.

Black won the 100-meters and recorded a time of 11.91 seconds to record her second-win in as many weeks. Crisofulli finished fourth in the men's 800-meters with his time of 1:50.67.

It was the second athlete of the week honor for each of the individuals and Portland State's fifth of the outdoor season. Crisofulli earned the honor April 26 for running a 1:49.11 in the 800 at the Oregon Relays and Black earned it March 19, 2010 after winning the 100-meters at the Oregon Preview.

As a member of the 4x100 relay team, Black claimed honors March 22 after the quartet clocked a 45.92.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
After her fourth-place finish in the heptathlon last year, Joenisha Vinson missed check-in for the open long jump and was scratched from the remainder of the meet, as agreed upon by the conference coaches. She would be scratched from the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meters, long jump, the 4x100 and the 4x400 relay squads. Look for Vinson this meet to score a major point total for the team and improve its overall standing.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS - THE SEQUEL
Though he was a regional qualifier in 2011, Tony Crisofulli failed to advance to the finals of the 800-meters, despite finishing eighth in the preliminary round with his time of 1:53.30.

The top-two finishers from the three heats, along with the top-two remaining times advanced to the finals of the 800-meters, leaving Crisofulli and Northern Arizona's Reese Byerrum out of the final.

Crisofulli enters this year's race with the conference's fastest-time this season at 1:49.11 and barring miraculous circumstances, has punched his ticket to the NCAA West Regional May 26-28.

WHERE THEY RANK - REGIONALLY
This is a crucial week for many Vikings if they hope to advance to the NCAA West Regional May 26-28 in Eugene. With other conference championships starting this week, athletes from other schools may pass the PSU athletes in the regional rankings. Not including the relays, the top-48 athletes advance to the regional competitions. Here are PSU athletes that rank in the top-50 in the region.

WOMEN
Name | Event(s) | Mark(s) | Rank
Geronne Black | 100m | 11.65 | 45th
Karene King | 100m, 200m | 11.67, 23.86  | 47th, 43rd
Joenisha Vinson | 100m hurdles | 13.83 | 46th
4x100m relay | 45.24 | 36th

MEN
Name | Event(s) | Mark(s) | Rank
Tony Crisofulli | 800m | 1:49.11 | 22nd
Sean Mackelvie | Javelin | 221-4 | 19th

VINSON AND THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Junior Joenisha Vinson is making her last attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon May 11-12. Vinson is currently No. 25 in NCAA Division I right now with her score of 5,227 points.

To qualify, Vinson would have to score100-or-more points to place within the nation's top-20. There was a field of 19 heptathletes at the 2010 NCAA Championships.

Vinson would be the second heptathlete-ever at PSU to qualify for the NCAA Championship and the fourth-women in the Viks Division I history to advance to the NCAA Championship.

Below are Vinson's scores from her last heptathlon:

EVENT    MARK    PLACE/SCORE    RUNNING TOTAL
100mH    13.84    1st/1,003 pts    Total: 1003 pts
High jump    5-2.25    t-16th/712 pts    Total: 1,715 pts
Shot put    36-9    8th/608 pts    Total: 2,323 pts
200m    25.04    2nd/883 pts    Total: 3,206 pts
Long jump    18-5.25    5th/744 pts    Total: 3,941 pts
Javelin    119-9    3rd/600 pts    Total: 4,541 pts
800m    2:30.55    16th/686 pts    Total: 5,227 pts

GOING FOR THE RECORD
A good benchmark for Joenisha Vinson to qualify for the NCAA Championships this weekend is  5,356 points, surpassing the score of school record holder Robin Unger (1991-96). Unger was a two-time NCAA champion at Portland State. She later competed in the Olympic Trials and was inducted into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. Unger was also an all-region volleyball player for the Vikings and was a member of the national title team in 1992.

Below were Unger's marks from the Oregon Invitational April 11-12, 1996 when she set the Portland State record.

EVENT    MARK    SCORE    RUNNING TOTAL
100mH    14.50    909 pts    Total: 909 pts
High jump    5-6    830 pts    Total: 1,739 pts
Shot put    39-0.50    654 pts    Total: 2,393 pts
200m    25.65    828 pts    Total: 3,221 pts
Long jump    18-9.25    765 pts    Total: 3,986 pts
Javelin    129-5    657 pts    Total: 4,541 pts
800m    2:28.42    713 pts    Total: 5,227 pts


OFF WITH THE PADS AND BACK TO THE TRACK
Junior DeShawn Shead will be making his return to the track for the Big Sky Championship May 13 for the 110-meter hurdles after focusing on his primary sport, football. The spring quarter was productive for Shead, as he qualified for outdoor championship and made the successful transition to strong safety, where he has become a ball-hawk, playmaker for the Vikings defense.

Shead last competed March 19 at the Oregon Preview, finishing second in his heat with a time of 14.86 seconds. The Palmdale, Calif., native recorded his best time of the season, 14.60, at the Pacific Preview March 12, where he finished first overall.

Shead is a three-time All-Big Sky football player and was selected to the second team in 2010. He finished sixth at the 2011 Big Sky Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles.

DEFENDING HER CROWN
As mentioned before sophomore Geronne Black is the only Viking dedending her crown this week at the Big Sky Championship. She is looking to become the third-Viking and fifth athlete in Big Sky history to accomplish that feat in the 100-meters. Former-PSU sprinter Jernise Saunders (2007-09) was the Big Sky athlete to accomplish the feat in the short track race.

DOUBLING UP - THE LONG WAY
Sophomore Amber Rozcicha has had quite a spring. She stamped exclamation point to close the regular season with her career-best 2:14.79 in the 800-meters at the Oregon Twilight.

But back on April 2, the Newberg, Ore., native won the 5,000-meters at the Willamette Invitational with a time of 17:51.14, the fastest-time she's ever recorded in the event.

Rozcicha will compete in both the 800 and 5,000-meters at the Big Sky Championship. The women's 5,000 is set to begin at 2:35 p.m. on Saturday, with the preliminary 800 beginning Friday at 5:10 p.m. Should she advance to the 800-meter final, it be 55 minutes before the 5k final, 1:45 p.m.

OTHER OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS
-Best Team Finish (Women): 2nd |156 points | 2006

-Best Team Finish (Men): 8th | 65 points | 2006

-2010 BSC Outstanding Field Athlete: Nick Trubachik

- Lisa Gunderson (high jump) is the only four-time All-Big Sky at Portland State., 2001-04

-Trevor Rollinger (400m hurdles, 2005-07) and Nick Trubachik (decathlon, 2008-10) are the only PSU men to be named all-conference three-straight years.

- Ena Shemi (100m) was a three-time All-Big Sky selection, 2003-05.

BIG SKY OUTDOOR CHAMPIONS AT PSU
Women
2003: Lisa Gunderson, high jump
2004: Ena Shemi, 100m
2005: Ena Shemi, 100m, 200m
Kerry-Ann Blackwood, 100m hurdles, long jump
Gayle Imran-Sideris, triple jump
Ashley Quay, high jump
2006: Utica Edgecombe, 100m
Kerry-Ann Blackwood, long jump
4x100 relay team
2008: Jernise Saunders, 100m
2009: Jernise Saunders, 100m, 200m
2010: Geronne Black, 100m

Men
2003: Jim Sattem, 100m
2005: Trevor Rollinger, 400m hurdles
2006: Trevor Rollinger, 400m hurdles
Jordan Senn, Javelin
2007: Trevor Rollinger, 400m hurdles
2008: Nick Trubachik, Decathlon
2010: Nick Trubachik, Decathlon