SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Portland State track & field teams started competition Thursday at the MONDO Mid-Major Challenge, hosted by Sacramento State at Hornet Stadium.

Only two vikings were in action Thursday as Mark Bozarth-Dreher and Mandy Keifer competed the first day of the the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon respectively.

Keifer finds herself in third place in the heptathlon with 2,707 points through four events. She started the day with a seventh place finish in the 200-meters with a time of 27.80. After a fourth place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, she finished third in the high jump with a height of 5-00.25 (1.53m).

Her best finish of the day came in the shot put where she won the event with a distance of 38-10.25 (11.84m) earning her 651 points for the event.

After five events, Bozarth-Dreher is in fifth place of the men's decathlon with 2,768 points. He finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.49). He then followed that up with third place finishes in the long jump with a distance of 18-08.00 (5.69m) which is over nine inches longer than his indoor best and the shot put with a throw of 36-03.50 (11.06m) which shatters his previous outdoor best of 28-09.00 (8.67m). 

He then finished fourth in both the high jump with a height of 5-05.25 (1.66m) and the 400-meter dash with a career-best time of 54.28.

The heptathlon and decathlon events continue on Friday. Joining Bozarth-Dreher and Keifer in competition Friday will be Vikings competing in the discus and the long jump field events as well as the men and women's 5,000-meter run.