Complete Meet Notes (PDF) | Video Preview

PORTLAND, Ore. — Thinking their predicted fourth-place finish was three spots too low before the start of the 2015 indoor season, Portland State head track and field coach Ronnye Harrison and the Viking women's track and field team get to prove that preseason pick wrong at the Big Sky Championships this weekend in Flagstaff, Ariz.
 
The Vikings enter the meet with athletes ranked first or second in the conference across four different events, and should score 10 or more points in three different events if the conference rankings hold.
 
Senior Jazmin Ratcliff should lead the Vikings' individual performers at the meet, as she has led the Big Sky in the 60-meter hurdles since the Vikings' first meet of the season on Jan. 17. Ratcliff could also score points for the Vikings in the 60 and 200 meters, as she enters the meet ninth in both events, and will run all three events (60, 200, 60-meter hurdles) at the meet.
 
Senior Jasmine Woods and sophomore Genna Settle, meanwhile, should each challenge for Big Sky titles in the 60 and 200 meters, respectively. Woods enters the Big Sky meet one-hundredth of a second behind the Big Sky-leading time in the 60 meters this season, while Settle ranks just three-hundredths of a second behind the Big Sky-leading time in the 200 meters.
 
Sophomore Baileh Simms also ranks second in the Big Sky in the long jump, and should challenge for another Big Sky title after she won the outdoor long jump at the 2014 Big Sky Championships.
 
Outside of those four, junior Amanda Boman enters the meet third in the Big Sky in the 5,000 meters, while sophomore Whitney Diggs and sophomore Akayla Anderson ranks fifth in the 400 meters and 60-meter hurdles, respectively.
 
The Vikings will need to score a lot of points in the 60-meter hurdles if they want to challenge for the Big Sky title this weekend, as Ratcliff, Anderson and sophomore CeCelia Jackson all rank in the top six of the conference in the event. Jackson has been battling an issue with her hamstring this season, but finished third in the outdoor 100-meter hurdles last season.
 
The Vikings also hope to have several individuals score in the 60 and 200 meters, as the Vikings will have five and four athletes compete in the trials of each event Friday. Freshman Ta'mara Richey could also pick up points for the Vikings in the long jump, while the team's 4x400-meter relay team could also score for the Vikings in the final event of the meet.
 
The Viking men, meanwhile, will also hope to beat their preseason pick of 10th in the Big Sky, while junior Sheldon Prince and the men's distance medley relay team should each challenge for Big Sky titles at the meet. Prince won the indoor 400 meters last season, and enters the meet third in the conference in the event this season. The men's DMR team, meanwhile, broke the school record in the event at the UW Invitational during the season, and enter the meet second in the conference in the event.
 
Prince and freshman Spenser Schmidt also rank seventh in the 200 meters and long jump, respectively, while the Vikings' 4x400-meter relay team enters the meet eighth in the conference. Junior Rockwell Tufty and Tyson Stipic could also each score for the Vikings in the men's high jump, as they rank tied for fifth and 10th in the event, respectively.
 
The Big Sky meet will start with the pentathlon and the first day of the heptathlon Thursday. The Vikings will open their portion of the competition Friday, starting with the men's high jump and women's long jump at 3 p.m. (MT). Events will conclude at 2:55 p.m. (MT) Saturday, with the women's 4x400-meter relay.
 
MEET INFORMATION:
Feb. 26-28, 2015 – Big Sky Championships – Flagstaff, Ariz. (J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome)
 
MEET SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 27
Field Events
Start (MT)                 Event (PSU accepted entries)
3 p.m.                          Men's High Jump (Stipic, Tufty)
                                    Women's Long Jump (Richey, Simms)
6 p.m.                          Men's Long Jump (Schmidt)
 
Running Events
Start (MT)                 Event (PSU accepted entries)
4:15 p.m.                    Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Trials (Anderson, Jackson, Ratcliff)
4:35 p.m.                    Men's 400 Meters – Trials (Gable, Pfefferkorn, Prince)
4:50 p.m.                    Women's 400 Meters – Trials (Diggs)
5:20 p.m.                    Women's 60 Meters – Trials (Ratcliff, Settle, Simms, White, Woods)
5:40 p.m.                    Men's 800 Meters – Trials (Fleck, Richardson, Russell)
6:10 p.m.                    Men's 200 Meters – Trials (Prince)
6:25 p.m.                    Women's 200 Meters – Trials (Diggs, Ratcliff, Settle, Woods)
6:40 p.m.                    Men's 5,000 Meters (Landstrom)
7 p.m.                          Women's 5,000 Meters (Boman, Trapp)
7:20 p.m.                    Men's Distance Medley Relay (Portland State 'A' – Richardson, Pfefferkorn, Fleck, Brown)
7:35 p.m.                    Women's Distance Medley Relay (Portland State 'A' – McMorris, Tollefson, Beng, Hollins)
 
Saturday, Feb. 28
Field Events
Start (MT)                 Event (PSU accepted entries)
10 a.m.                        Men's Weight Throw (Oni)
                                    Men's Triple Jump (Oni)
1 p.m.                          Women's Triple Jump (Arlauskas, Jones, Richey)
 
Running Events
Start (MT)                 Event (PSU accepted entries)
11:45 a.m.                  Opening Ceremony
12 p.m.                       Men's Mile (Brown)
12:40 p.m.                  Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Finals
12:50 p.m.                  Men's 400 Meters – Finals
1 p.m.                          Women's 400 Meters – Finals
1:15 p.m.                    Women's 60 Meters – Finals
1:20 p.m.                    Men's 800 Meters – Finals
1:50 p.m.                    Men's 200 Meters – Finals
2 p.m.                          Women's 200 Meters – Finals
2:25 p.m.                    Women's 3,000 Meters (Boman, Trapp)
2:45 p.m.                    Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Gable, Fleck, Pfefferkorn, Prince)
2:55 p.m.                    Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (Portland State 'A' – Miller, Tollefson, Woods, Diggs)
3:20 p.m.                    Awards Ceremony
 
LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available for the Big Sky meet this weekend. The link is available on either track and field schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO:
A live video stream of the Big Sky meet will also be available this weekend. The link is available on either track and field schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
COMING UP:
If any Viking can move into the top 16 in the nation in an event at the Big Sky meet, then they'll qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 13-14.
 
VIKINGS TRIPLE-QUALIFIED IN WOMEN'S 60, 60-METER HURDLES:
The Viking women head into the Big Sky meet this weekend with three qualifiers in the women's 60 meters and 60-meter hurdles. Senior Jazmin Ratcliff, senior Jasmine Woods and sophomore Genna Settle have all qualified in the 60 meters for the Vikings, while Ratcliff, sophomore Akayla Anderson and sophomore CeCelia Jackson have all qualified in the 60-meter hurdles. Woods leads the Vikings' qualifiers in the 60 meters with her time of 7.47 seconds at the Husky Classic, while Ratcliff leads the Vikings' qualifiers in the 60-meter hurdles with her time of 8.42 seconds at the Lobo Collegiate Invitational. Ratcliff leads the Big Sky in the 60-meter hurdles, while Anderson and Jackson rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Big Sky behind her.
 
HUSKY CLASSIC RECAP:
Senior Jasmine Woods ran a personal-best 7.47 seconds in the 60 meters to lead the Vikings at the Husky Classic at the Dempsey Indoor Facility in Seattle, Wash., on Feb. 13-14. Woods moved to third all-time in the 60 meters at Portland State with her time at the meet, and moved within a hundredth of a second of the Big Sky leader in the event. Besides Woods, sophomore Cheryn Trapp hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the women's 5,000 meters on the first day of the meet, as she finished in 17:30.18. Trapp's time set a new personal best in the event for the sophomore, beating her old best by over 14 seconds. Fellow sophomore Mitchell Gable also set a huge personal best in the men's 400 meters at the meet, as he finished in 49.05 seconds, just under half of a second better than his previous best of 49.54 seconds, set a week earlier at the Scarlet & White Invitational. Gable moved up to fourth all-time in the indoor men's 400 meters at Portland State with his time at the meet, and has now set new personal bests at four of the five meets in which he's competed this season. Additionally, freshman Hunter Pfefferkorn joined Gable with his own personal best in the 400 meters, as he finished in 49.42 seconds, more than four-tenths of a second faster than his previous best of 49.83 seconds. The Vikings also had four athletes set new PRs in the women's 60 meters in sophomore Baileh Simms (7.73 seconds), freshman Ta'mara Richey (7.81 seconds), senior Nettie Wayne (7.82) and sophomore Akayla Anderson (7.94 seconds).
 
DON KIRBY ELITE INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Senior Jazmin Ratcliff and sophomore Genna Settle competed at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Feb. 13-14 in Albuquerque, N.M. Ratcliff tied her seasonal best in the 60-meter hurdles at the meet, as she finished the prelims of the event in 8.42 seconds. Settle, meanwhile, posted her second-best time ever in the 200 meters at the meet, as she finished in 24.17 seconds.
 
SCARLET & WHITE INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Portland State sprinters set or bettered seven Big Sky qualifying marks at the Scarlet & White Invitational on Feb. 7 in Boston, Mass. Sophomore sprinter Genna Settle highlighted the day for the team's sprinters, as she became just the second Viking woman ever to break 24 seconds in the indoor 200 meters with her time of 23.92 seconds. Senior Jasmine Woods also hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the 200 meters, as she finished in a personal-best time of 24.78 seconds. Junior Sheldon Prince hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the men's 200 meters, meanwhile, as he cracked 22 seconds for the first time this season with his time of 21.94 seconds. Prince also lowered his qualifying time in the 400 meters, as he moved up to fourth in the Big Sky with a seasonal-best time of 48.15 seconds. Sophomore Whitney Diggs, meanwhile, set a new seasonal best in the women's 400 meters, as she lowered her Big Sky qualifying time in the event to 55.72 seconds. Additionally, senior Jazmin Ratcliff and sophomore Akayla Anderson gave the Vikings three Big Sky qualifiers in the 60 and 60-meter hurdles, as Ratcliff ran the 60 in 7.63 seconds at the meet, while Anderson ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.62 seconds.
 
CRIMSON ELITE MEET RECAP;
The Vikings set two new personal bests at the Crimson Elite Meet on Feb. 6 in Cambridge, Mass. Senior Nettie Wayne and junior Tyson Stipic set the two new personal bests for the Vikings, with Wayne breaking her previous best in the 60 meters, while Stipic set his new personal best in the high jump. Wayne set her new personal best in the 60 meters at 7.84 seconds, continuing her streak of setting a new personal best at every meet this season, as she's shaved nearly two full tenths of a second off her best of 8.03 seconds from the start of the season. Stipic, meanwhile, cleared 6-06.25 (1.99m) in the high jump at the meet, more than an inch better than his old best of 6-05.00 (1.96m). Stipic has now raised his personal best in the high jump by three-and-a-half inches from the start of the season, as he entered the year with a PR of 6-02.75 (1.90m).
 
UW INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Junior Amanda Boman and the Portland State men's DMR team each set new school records at the UW Invitational Jan. 30-31 at Dempsey Indoor. Both Boman and the men's DMR team set the records on the first day of the meet, with Boman setting the 5,000-meter record in 17:01.73 to narrowly edge Camelia Mayfield's old record of 17:02.49. The men's DMR team, meanwhile, crushed a 10-year-old record in the event, as the team finished in 10:05.11, more than five seconds faster than the previous record of 10:10.74 in 2005. Sophomores Ben Richardson and Nathan Fleck, and juniors Neil Seibert and T-Roy Brown set the record for the Vikings, and moved into the Big Sky lead in the men's DMR with their time in the event. The Vikings then followed with a strong second day of the meet, as they set or bettered four Big Sky qualifying marks on the day. Sophomore sprinters CeCelia Jackson and Whitney Diggs hit the Big Sky qualifying marks in the 60-meter hurdles and 400 meters, respectively, while senior sprinter Jasmine Woods lowered her qualifying time in the 60 meters. Junior Rockwell Tufty, meanwhile, hit the Big Sky qualifying mark in the high jump with a two-inch personal best in the event. Tufty cleared 6-08.75 (2.05m) in hitting the mark, and took three attempts at what would have been a school-record height of 6-10.75 (2.10m) but couldn't quite clear the mark.
 
LOBO COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Sophomore Genna Settle moved into the Big Sky lead in the 60 and 200 meters temporarily, as the Portland State track and field teams set or bettered seven Big Sky qualifying marks at the Lobo Collegiate Invitational, Jan. 24 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M. Settle lowered her qualifying time in the 60 meters to 7.54 seconds (7.56 after altitude conversion), and hit the qualifying mark in the 200 meters with her time of 24.60 seconds (24.67 after altitude conversion). Senior Jasmine Woods also lowered her Big Sky qualifying time in the 60 meters at the meet, as she crossed the line in 7.62 seconds (7.64 after altitude conversion). Additionally, senior Jazmin Ratcliff widened her lead within the Big Sky in the 60-meter hurdles, as she won the event in 8.42 seconds (8.44 after altitude conversion). Outside of those three, sophomore Baileh Simms and freshman Ta'mara Richey each hit the Big Sky qualifying marks in the long jump with jumps of 19-00.00 (5.79m) and 18-05.00 (5.61m), respectively. Freshman Spenser Schmidt also hit the qualifying mark on the men's side of the long jump, as he jumped 22-10.50 (6.97m), after falling just short of the mark at the team's first meet of the season.
 
UW INDOOR PREVIEW RECAP:
Four sprinters hit Big Sky qualifying marks as the Vikings opened their indoor seasons Jan. 17 at the UW Indoor Preview at Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, Wash. Senior Jazmin Ratcliff led the group of four qualifiers, as she placed third in a stacked field in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 8.52 seconds. Junior Sheldon Prince, meanwhile, hit the qualifying mark in the 400 meters, running the distance in 48.62 seconds. Sophomore Genna Settle and senior Jasmine Woods also both hit the qualifying marks in the women's 60 meters at the meet, with Settle finishing in 7.63 seconds, while Woods finished in 7.65 seconds. Besides those four, several new Vikings made impressive debuts for the team, including freshman Spenser Schmidt, who posted an impressive mark of 22-07.00 (6.88m) in the long jump. Schmidt's jump moves him up to sixth all-time in the indoor long jump at Portland State after his first meet as a Viking. Schmidt also ran the 60 meters in 7.02 seconds in the prelims of the event, moving him up to ninth all-time at Portland State. Newcomers Ta'mara Richey, Akayla Anderson and Amanda Boman also entered the all-time top 10s in the women's triple jump, 60-meter hurdles and 3,000 meters, respectively. Boman moved all the way up to fourth in the women's 3,000 meters, as she ran the distance in 9:53.33, almost 45 seconds faster than her personal best in the outdoor 3,000 meters.
 
BIG SKY QUALIFIERS:
13 Vikings qualified for the Big Sky Championships across 17 events this season. Qualifying marks assured the athlete of competing at the conference meet in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Feb. 26-28, while the rest of the field for each event was filled out following the descending order list for each event. The top 16 in each event qualified for the meet.
 
PSU Big Sky Auto Qualifiers (through Feb. 14)
Women:
Akayla Anderson – 60m Hurdles – 8.62 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Amanda Boman – 5,000m – 17:01.73* – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
Whitney Diggs – 400m – 55.72 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
CeCelia Jackson – 60m Hurdles – 8.65 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 60m – 7.63 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Jazmin Ratcliff – 60m Hurdles – 8.42 – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Ta'mara Richey – Long Jump – 18-05.00 (5.61m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Genna Settle – 60m – 7.54 – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Genna Settle – 200m – 23.92 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Baileh Simms – Long Jump – 19-00.00 (5.79m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Cheryn Trapp – 5,000m – 17:30.18* – Husky Classic (2/13/15)
Jasmine Woods – 7.47 – 60m – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
Jasmine Woods – 24.78 – 200m – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
 
Men:
Sheldon Prince – 200m – 21.94 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Sheldon Prince – 400m – 48.15 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
Spenser Schmidt – Long Jump – 22-10.50 (6.97m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
Rockwell Tufty – High Jump – 6-08.75 (2.05m) – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
* - Mark cross qualifies athlete for 3,000 meters as well as the 5,000 meters
 
VIKINGS IN BIG SKY TOP 20:
Women:
60m
2. Jasmine Woods – 7.47 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
T-4. Genna Settle – 7.56@ – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
9. Jazmin Ratcliff – 7.63 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
T-12. Baileh Simms – 7.73 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
T-19. Adia White – 7.81 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
T-19. Ta'mara Richey – 7.81 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
 
200m
2. Genna Settle – 23.92 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
7. Jasmine Woods – 24.78 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
9. Jazmin Ratcliff – 24.86 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
12. Whitney Diggs – 24.97 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
 
400m
5. Whitney Diggs – 55.72 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
 
Mile
19. Cheryn Trapp – 5:03.33 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
20. Amanda Boman – 5:03.90 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
3,000m
9. Amanda Boman – 9:53.33 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
19. Cheryn Trapp – 10:04.39 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
5,000m
3. Amanda Boman – 17:01.73 – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
14. Cheryn Trapp – 17:30.18 – Husky Classic (2/13/15)
 
60m Hurdles
1. Jazmin Ratcliff – 8.44@ – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
5. Akayla Anderson – 8.62 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
6. CeCelia Jackson – 8.65 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
4x400m Relay
9. Portland State – 3:58.53 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
Distance Medley Relay
5. Portland State – 12:13.26 – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
 
Long Jump
2. Baileh Simms – 19-00.00 (5.79m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
8. Ta'mara Richey – 18-05.00 (5.61m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
18. Genna Settle – 17-08.75 (5.40m) – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
Triple Jump
11. Ta'mara Richey – 37-02.25 (11.33m) – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
13. Sierra Arlauskas – 37-00.50 (11.29m) – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
17. D'nara Jones – 36-10.25 (11.23m) – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
Men:
60m
11. Spenser Schmidt – 7.02 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
T-17. Sheldon Prince – 7.07 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
200m
7. Sheldon Prince – 21.94 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
 
400m
3. Sheldon Prince – 48.15 – Scarlet & White Invitational (2/7/15)
15. Mitchell Gable – 49.05 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
19. Hunter Pfefferkorn – 49.42 – Husky Classic (2/14/15)
 
800m
14. Spencer Russell – 1:54.10 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
16. Nathan Fleck – 1:54.65 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
20. Ben Richardson – 1:55.11 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
Mile
17. T-Roy Brown – 4:14.20 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
3,000m
19. T-Roy Brown – 8:31.09 – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
5,000m
20. Andrew Landstrom – 15:12.29 – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
 
4x400m Relay
8. Portland State – 3:20.63 – UW Indoor Preview (1/17/15)
 
Distance Medley Relay
2. Portland State – 10:05.11 – UW Invitational (1/30/15)
 
High Jump
T-5. Rockwell Tufty – 6-08.75 (2.05m) – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
T-10. Tyson Stipic – 6-06.25 (1.99m) – Crimson Elite Meet (2/6/15)
 
Long Jump
7. Spenser Schmidt – 22-10.50 (6.97m) – Lobo Collegiate Invitational (1/24/15)
 
Triple Jump
19. Major Oni – 41-07.00 (12.67m) – UW Invitational (1/31/15)
 
Weight Throw
15. Major Oni – 51-09.75 (15.79m) – Cavalier Throws Invite (2/6/15)
 
@ - Denotes time has been altitude converted
 
VIKINGS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH, 10TH IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL:
Big Sky coaches predicted the Viking women would finish fourth, while the men would finish 10th in the Big Sky this season in their annual preseason coaches' poll. The Viking women received one first-place vote in the poll to finish with 102 total points behind preseason favorites Northern Arizona (141 points, 10 first-place votes), Sacramento State (111 points, 1 first-place vote) and Weber State (111 points). The Viking men, meanwhile, received 47 points in the poll, putting them six points behind Idaho State, which finished ninth in the poll with 53 total points. Northern Arizona topped the poll on the men's side, receiving 11 of the 12 possible first-place votes to finish with 143 total points. Sacramento State finished second to the NAU men in the preseason poll, picking up the other first-place vote en route to 121 total points.
 
RETURNING POINTS:
The Viking women should be positioned to possibly beat their preseason projection this season, as they return a lot of their point scorers from last season's Big Sky Indoor and Outdoor meets. All told, the Viking women return 44 of the 57 points they scored at the Big Sky Indoor meet, as well as 73 of the 89 points they scored at the Big Sky Outdoor meet. The women also return three of their four individual champions from last season's Big Sky Outdoor meet in senior Jazmin Ratcliff (100m hurdles champion), sophomore Baileh Simms (long jump champion) and their entire 4x100-meter relay team that broke the school record in the event. Additionally, the athletes responsible for 10 of the Vikings' 12 All-Big Sky performances last season return this season as well.