MEET NOTES

MEET SPECIFICS:
March 27-29* – Victor Lopez Classic – Houston, Texas – Rice University Track Stadium
March 29 – Willamette Invitational – Salem, Ore. – Charles Bowles Track
 
*Portland State will only have athletes competing at the Victor Lopez Classic on Saturday, March 29
 
VICTOR LOPEZ CLASSIC SCHEDULE (PSU entries only):
Saturday, March 29
Field Events
Start (CT)                  Event (PSU entries)
11 a.m.                        Women's Long Jump (Simms)
6 p.m.                          Women's High Jump (Jackson)
 
Running Events – 'B' Sections
Start (CT)                  Event (PSU entries)
1:40 p.m.                    Women's 100 Meters (Ratcliff, Settle, Simms, White)
3:20 p.m.                    Men's 200 Meters (Kubisiak)
3:40 p.m.                    Women's 200 Meters (Diggs, White)
 
Running Events – 'A' Sections (University sections follow high school sections)
Start (CT)                  Event (PSU entries)
~6 p.m.                       Women's 4x100-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Ratcliff,
                                    Simms, Jackson, Settle)
~6:45 p.m.                 Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (Jackson, Ratcliff)
~7:10 p.m.                 Men's 100 Meters (Kubisiak, Prince)
~7:20 p.m.                 Men's 400 Meters (Prince)
                                    Women's 400 Meters (Diggs)
7:50 p.m.                    Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Jackson)
~8 p.m.                       Men's 200 Meters (Prince)
                                    Women's 200 Meters (Ratcliff, Settle)
 
WILLAMETTE INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE (PSU entries only):
Saturday, March 29
Field Events
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
9:30 a.m.                    Women's Javelin (Burkett)
9:30 a.m.                    Women's Shot Put (Carson, Johnson)
9:30 a.m.                    Women's Long Jump (Moore)
12 p.m.                       Women's Discus (Carson, Johnson)
12 p.m.                       Men's Triple Jump (Stipic)
2 p.m.                          Men's High Jump (Gable, Robinson, Tufty)
4 p.m.                          Women's High Jump (Patton)
 
Saturday, March 29
Running Events
Start (PT)                  Event (PSU entries)
12 p.m.                       Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Lewis)
12:15 p.m.                  Women's 400 Meters (Miller, Toliver)
12:20 p.m.                  Men's 400 Meters (Gable, Lewis, Wood)
12:40 p.m.                  Women's 100 Meters (Wayne, Woods)
12:55 p.m.                  Men's 100 Meters (Lewis)
1:15 p.m.                    Women's 800 Meters (Contos, Dean, Hendricks, Hollins,
                                     Loveland)
1:30 p.m.                    Men's 800 Meters (Brown, Fleck, Richardson, Seibert)
1:55 p.m.                    Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Miller)
2:20 p.m.                    Women's 200 Meters (Toliver, Wayne, Woods)
2:35 p.m.                    Men's 200 Meters (Gable, Wood)
3:40 p.m.                    Women's 1,500 Meters 'B' Section (Coleman, Contos, Dean, Hendricks, Hollins, Martin – Section breakdown TBD)
3:50 p.m.                    Men's 1,500 Meters 'C' Section (Brown, Richardson, Schwartz, Seibert, Talik – Section breakdown TBD)
4 p.m.                          Men's 1,500 Meters 'B' Section
4:35 p.m.                    Men's 5,000 Meters 'B' Section (Grzeda, J. Landstrom – Section breakdown TBD)

Charles Bowles Celebration of Distance
5:35 p.m.                    Women's 1,500 Meters
5:43 p.m.                    Men's 1,500 Meters
6:15 p.m.                    Men's 5,000 Meters
 
LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available for both meets this weekend. Links to live results for each meet will be available on the track and field schedule pages on GoViks.com before the meet.
 
COMING UP:
The Portland State track and field teams travel south for the Stanford Invitational Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, in Stanford, Calif.
 
OREGON PREVIEW RECAP:
The Vikings opened their 2014 outdoor schedule with nine Big Sky qualifying marks at the Oregon Preview Saturday, March 22, at Hayward Field. Freshman Genna Settle and sophomore Michael Kubisiak gave the Vikings two Big Sky qualifiers while winning their respective sides of the women's and men's 100 meters. Settle won the women's 100 in 12.00 seconds, while Kubisiak won the men's 100 in a Big Sky-leading time of 10.72 seconds. Junior Jazmin Ratcliff and freshman CeCelia Jackson, meanwhile, went 1-2 in the 100-meter hurdles in Big Sky-qualifying times of 14.14 and 14.32 seconds, respectively. Sophomore Sheldon Prince also qualified in the 200 and 400 meters at the Oregon Preview, as he placed second in both in 21.81 and 47.88 seconds, respectively. Prince's time of 47.88 seconds in the 400 moved him up to No. 2 all-time in the event at Portland State, and ranked him atop the Big Sky in the 400 after week one. Besides Prince, sophomore Sydney Johnson, freshman Baileh Simms and sophomore Rockwell Tufty hit Big Sky qualifying marks in the women's discus, women's long jump and men's high jump, respectively. Johnson qualified in the discus with a throw of 141-08 (43.17m), while Simms qualified in the long jump with a jump of 18-07.25 (5.67m), and Tufty qualified in the high jump with a jump of 6-07.50 (2.02m). Additionally, seniors Sarah Dean and Nevin Lewis moved up the PSU career lists in the women's 3,000 meters and men's pole vault, respectively. Dean moved up to No. 3 all-time in the 3,000 with her time of 9:45.97 in the event, while Lewis moved up to fourth all-time in the pole vault with his mark of 14-07.25 (4.45m).
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS:
The Vikings rank in the top 95 of seven different events nationally after the teams' performances at the Oregon Preview. Sophomore Sheldon Prince ranks highest among the PSU athletes in the national rankings, as he ranks 25th in the men's 400 meters with his time of 47.88 seconds at the Oregon Preview. The national rankings will come into play at the end of the season, as qualification for the NCAA West Preliminary will be based on the descending-order lists in each event. The top 48 declared student-athletes in each event in the west region will qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary.
 
Vikings in National Rankings
Women:
100m
86. Genna Settle                   12.00
 
100m Hurdles
64. Jazmin Ratcliff                14.14
 
4x100m Relay
79. Portland State                 46.86
(Ratcliff, Settle, Simms, White)
 
Long Jump
79. Baileh Simms                 18-07.25 (5.67m)
 
Men:
100m
62. Michael Kubisiak             10.72
 
400m
25. Sheldon Prince                47.88
 
High Jump
65. Rockwell Tufty                6-07.50 (2.02m)
 
PSU BIG SKY QUALIFIERS:
Women:
CeCelia Jackson – 100m Hurdles – 14.32
Sydney Johnson – Discus – 141-08 (43.17m)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 100m Hurdles – 14.14
Genna Settle – 100m – 12.00
Baileh Simms – Long Jump – 18-07.25 (5.67m)
Men:
Michael Kubisiak – 100m – 10.72
Sheldon Prince – 200m – 21.81
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 47.88
Rockwell Tufty – High Jump – 6-07.50 (2.02m)
 
VIKINGS IN BIG SKY TOP 16:
Women:
100m
2. Genna Settle                      12.00*
4. Jazmin Ratcliff                   12.17
5. Jasmine Woods                12.28
T-7. Baileh Simms                12.39
T-7. Adia White                     12.39
13. Nettie Wayne                  12.62
 
200m
5. Whitney Diggs                   24.92
6. Genna Settle                      25.08
8. Jasmine Woods                 25.20
10. Jazmin Ratcliff                 25.45
11. Dejuanae Toliver            25.61
 
400m
5. Whitney Diggs                   56.99
14. Dejuanae Toliver            59.62
 
100m Hurdles
2. Jazmin Ratcliff                   14.14*
5. CeCelia Jackson              14.32*
 
400m Hurdles
11. Roazena Miller                1:07.10
 
4x100m Relay
2. Portland State                   46.86
 
High Jump
T-8. CeCelia Jackson          5-01.75 (1.57m)
T-8. Kaeli Patton                   5-01.75 (1.57m)
 
Long Jump
2. Baileh Simms                     18-07.25 (5.67m)*
 
Shot Put
16. Sydney Johnson              40-10.50 (12.46m)
 
Discus
4. Sydney Johnson                141-08 (43.17m)*
 
Javelin
12. Allison Burkett                120-0 (36.57m)
 
Men:
100m
1. Michael Kubisiak               10.72*
 
200m
4. Sheldon Prince                  21.81*
6. Michael Kubisiak               22.18
 
400m
1. Sheldon Prince                  47.88*
9. Mitchell Gable                    50.06
13. Christian Wood               50.72
 
1,500m
5. T-Roy Brown                      3:57.41
 
110m Hurdles
T-12. Nevin Lewis                 15.98
 
High Jump
4. Rockwell Tufty                   6-07.50 (2.02m)*
 
Pole Vault
6. Nevin Lewis                       14-07.25 (4.45m)
 
Long Jump
11. Gifton Okoronkwo           20-03.50 (6.18m)
12. Mitchell Gable                 19-11.00 (6.07m)
 
Triple Jump
3. Tyson Stipic                       43-10.75 (13.38m)
 
* - Mark automatically qualifies athlete for Big Sky Outdoor Championships
 
2014 INDOOR SEASON RECAP:
The Portland State Vikings won two Big Sky individual championships, set six school records and earned seven All-Big Sky performances during the 2014 indoor season. Freshman Gifton Okoronkwo and sophomore Sheldon Prince won the Vikings' two Big Sky titles, as they won the men's triple jump and 400 meters, respectively. Prince won his title in the 400 meters in a school-record time of 47.86 seconds. Prince lowered his own record with his time in the 400-meter final, and now leads the No. 2 time – Mitch Whalen and J.J. Rosenberg at 48.78 – by nearly a full second. Besides Prince, five other school records fell during the indoor season, including two others at the Big Sky Championships. Junior Jazmin Ratcliff crushed Joenisha Vinson's old record in the 60-meter hurdles, as she crossed the line in 8.35 seconds in the prelims of the event at the Big Sky meet. Freshman Whitney Diggs, meanwhile, broke the record in the 400 meters in the prelims, then lowered her time in the finals to 54.89 seconds, becoming the first PSU runner to crack 55 seconds in the women's 400. Diggs placed third in the finals of the 400 meters to earn All-Big Sky honors in the event, while sophomore Michael Kubisiak (3rd in 60m), Okoronkwo (1st in triple jump), Prince (1st in 400m), Ratcliff (2nd in 60m Hurdles; 3rd in 60m) and freshman Baileh Simms (2nd in long jump) all earned All-Big Sky honors as well. The Viking distance crew, meanwhile, set the other three school records earlier in the indoor season, as T-Roy Brown, Sarah Dean and Camelia Mayfield set records in the men's 3,000 meters, women's mile and women's 5,000 meters, respectively. Brown set his record in the men's 3,000 meters after finishing in 8:21.04 at the season-opening UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 18. Dean and Mayfield then set their records two weeks later at the UW Invitational (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), with Dean setting the new women's mile mark at 4:51.32, and Mayfield breaking her own record in the women's 5,000 meters by over 40 seconds with a time of 17:02.49.
 
Big Sky Champions:
Men:
Gifton Okoronkwo – Triple Jump – 48-05.25 (14.76m)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 47.86
 
All-Big Sky Performers:
Men:
Gifton Okoronkwo – 1st – Triple Jump – 48-05.25 (14.76m)
Sheldon Prince – 1st – 400m – 47.86
Michael Kubisiak – 3rd – 60m – 6.88
Women:
Baileh Simms – 2nd – Long Jump – 19-05.50 (5.93m)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 2nd – 60m Hurdles – 8.44
Whitney Diggs – 3rd – 400m – 54.89
Jazmin Ratcliff – 3rd – 60m – 7.50
 
PSU School Records Broken:
Men:
T-Roy Brown – 8:21.04 – 3,000m
Sheldon Prince – 47.86 – 400m
Women:
Sarah Dean – 4:51.32 – Mile
Whitney Diggs – 54.89 – 400m
Camelia Mayfield – 17:02.49 – 5,000m
Jazmin Ratcliff – 8.35 – 60m Hurdles
 
RESURGENT MEN:
The Portland State men's track and field team had its best showing at the Big Sky Indoor Championships since 2005 this season, scoring 39 points at the meet to place eighth overall. The 39 points the Viking men scored at the Big Sky Indoor meet represent the second-best total in program history, behind only the 54 the team scored in 2005. Additionally, 30.5 of the team's 39 points came from freshmen or sophomores, while both Big Sky champions and all three All-Big Sky performers are underclassmen as well.
 
YOUTH UPRISING:
Youth has not been wasted on the young for the Vikings, as five of PSU's seven All-Big Sky performances at the Big Sky Indoor Championships (Feb. 27-March 1) came from underclassmen. Freshmen Gifton Okoronkwo (1st in men's triple jump), Whitney Diggs (3rd in women's 400m) and Baileh Simms (2nd in women's long jump), and sophomores Sheldon Prince (1st in men's 400m) and Michael Kubisiak (3rd in men's 60m) earned the All-Big Sky honors for the Vikings' youth, capping a strong indoor season for the team's underclassmen. Leading into the conference meet, 14 of the team's 22 automatic Big Sky qualifiers for the indoor meet were underclassmen, and 30.5 of the men's 39 points and at least part of 28 of the women's 57 points at the Big Sky meet came from underclassmen as well. The Vikings youth have started the outdoor season strongly, too, as eight of the Vikings' nine Big Sky qualifying marks have come from underclassmen. The Vikings will need more strong showings from their youth during the outdoor season, as the men's roster features 19 underclassmen among its 23 athletes (eight freshmen, 11 sophomores), while the women's roster features 16 underclassmen among its 27 athletes (11 freshmen, five sophomores).
 
BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
The Portland State women's and men's track and field teams were picked fifth and ninth, respectively, in the Big Sky's preseason coaches' poll. Northern Arizona was picked to sweep the titles, and were a unanimous selection on the men's side. Northern Arizona earned 121 points and all 11 first-place votes in the men's poll, well ahead of second-place Sacramento State (104 points) and third-place Montana (88 points). The Northern Arizona women, meanwhile, topped their side of the poll with 116 points and seven first-place votes. Sacramento State followed the NAU women with 104 points and four first-place votes, while Montana and Weber State tied for third with 94 points. The Viking women finished with 76 points on their side of the poll, while the Viking men finished with 37.
 
VIKINGS UNDER COACH HARRISON:
Six-year head coach Ronnye Harrison has led the Portland State men's and women's track and field teams to several records in his tenure at the school. Harrison has coached 29 Big Sky individual champions in his tenure, including 20 in the sprints. Additionally, four athletes have been named Big Sky Athletes of the Meet, while athletes have won 43 athletes Big Sky silver and bronze medals (23 silver, 20 bronze) and earned 72 All-Big Sky honors. The Vikings have also won six straight Big Sky titles in the outdoor 100 meters under Harrison, and set five Big Sky Conference records (women's indoor 55, indoor 60, indoor 200, outdoor 100 and outdoor 200).