AUSTIN, Texas – Joenisha Vinson completed her first Heptathlon of the outdoor season on Thursday, finishing in ninth-place and qualifying for the Big Sky outdoor championship,  at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas. The senior ended the final three events, accruing 5,212 points for her final total.

Vinson was a mere 15 points off her personal best, set in 2011 with her total of 5,227, but crushed the conference qualifier total of 4,200.

The Phoenix, Ariz., native began the day with 800-meter run finishing the race in 11th place with a time of 2:25.43.

She then advanced onto the field events, first competing in her forte, the long jump, tallying an impressive third place finish, with a final distance of 5.80m (19-00.50) and 789 points to add to the total.

Vinson concluded the event with the javelin throw, coming in eighth with a final distance of 28.78 meters (94-05).
The senior mutli-event participant beat out 11 other entrants from Indiana, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Duke among others.

Erica Bougard of Mississippi State took top honors in the event, with a point total of 5649.

The Texas Relays will continue on Friday and Saturday, while other members of the Portland State track and field team will compete in the Stanford Invitational beginning on March 29 and concluding on March 30. Check back to GoViks.com for full results.