Complete Meet Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Usually, saying the Big Sky Indoor Championships represent the summit of the indoor track & field season for the Vikings would just be a metaphor. However, with the championship meet taking place at close to 7,000 feet of elevation in Flagstaff, Ariz., the championships aren't far off from a literal mountain summit this season.
 
The elevation will certainly play a factor for the Vikings at the meet. The Vikings set five school records over the final three weekends of the regular season, but will have a hard time finding a record-breaking performance this weekend considering the elevation.
 
The elevation will also surely make the transition between events in the heptathlon all the trickier for the Vikings' Donté Robinson, who heads into the meet leading the Big Sky in the event. Robinson leads the conference on the back of his performance at the Vandal Invitational and Multi Events, where he won the heptathlon with a score of 4,988 points back on Jan. 13.
 
Robinson has not completed a full heptathlon since then, but still holds the Big Sky lead over Weber State's Reece LaFaye and Caleb Whitney, who rank second and third with scores of 4,925 and 4,865 points, respectively. Sacramento State's Max Jette has not completed a full heptathlon this season, but is still entered in the competition and should be one of Robinson's major rivals for the Big Sky title.
 
Jette led the Big Sky in the heptathlon going into last season's Big Sky Indoor Championships, but placed third behind teammate Mason Storm and Robinson. Jette won the decathlon at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, finishing ahead of Robinson, who placed second with 6,852 points to Jette's score of 6,960 points.
 
Robinson rose to the occasion at both Big Sky meets last season, as he set personal bests in both the heptathlon and decathlon at the conference indoor and outdoor meets. Robinson beat his personal best in the decathlon by more than 500 points at last season's Big Sky Outdoor Championships behind a dramatic final day of the competition. Robinson started the final day in sixth place, but moved up in the standings steadily throughout the day before closing the competition with a blazing 1,500 meters. Robinson finished the 1,500 meters in 4:31.22 to beat his previous best by close to 30 seconds, moving him more than 100 points clear of the third-place finisher in the decathlon – LaFaye of Weber State.
 
Kristen O'Handley and Katie Baxter will join Robinson in the multi-events Thursday, as they compete in the women's pentathlon. O'Handley ranks 10th in the Big Sky in the pentathlon, after finishing the Vandal Invitational with a score of 3,218 points. Baxter, meanwhile, has not completed a pentathlon this season, but competed in the multi-events while at De Anza College from 2013-15.
 
Outside of the mutli-eventers, the elevation in Flagstaff should have a marked effect on the Vikings' distance runners, who have set three school records between them this season. Alex Cisneros is responsible for two of the records, as he set the school records in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the UW Indoor Open and UW Invitational, respectively.
 
Cisneros finished the 3,000 in 8:16.45 at the UW Indoor Open, beating the old record of 8:21.04 by more than four seconds that Cisneros' former teammate T-Roy Brown set in 2014. Cisneros beat his own school record in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 14:19.95 to beat his old best of 14:43.07 by more than 23 seconds.
 
Kaila Gibson matched Cisneros with the record in the women's 5,000 meters at the UW Invitational, as she became the first Viking female runner to finish the indoor 5,000 in under 17 minutes with her finish in 16:53.60.
 
Cisneros and Gibson will have a tough time beating those times this weekend, but they are entered in both the men's and women's 3,000 and 5,000 meters. The men's and women's 5,000 meters will end the day for the Vikings on Friday, with Justin Wikler and Sarah Medved joining Cisneros and Gibson in the men's and women's events, respectively. Medved will also join Gibson in the women's 3,000 meters at 2:10 p.m. (MT) Saturday, while Cisneros will run alone in the men's 3,000 meters at 2:25 p.m. (MT).
 
Chance Whitehurt, meanwhile, will not have to deal with running long distances at elevation, but does represent the Vikings' highest ranked athlete in a single event outside of Robinson, as he ranks tied for third in the men's triple jump. Whitehurst moved into a tie for third after finishing with a mark of 49-04.50 (15.05m) at the UW Indoor Open on Feb. 11.
 
If the Vikings are going to set a school record at the Big Sky meet, it could come from Whitehurst, whose mark at the UW Indoor Open came within seven inches of the record that Yuriy Yermakov set at 50-00.50 (15.25m) in 2000. Whitehurst's fellow competitors in the triple jump could help push him to the record, as the Big Sky has had a strong showing in the men's triple jump this season. Eastern Washington's Keshun McGee leads the Big Sky with a mark of 51-09.75 (15.79m), while Sacramento State's Jah Strange ranks a close second with a seasonal best of 51-03.50 (15.63m).
 
Jean-Luc Toku and Kevin Luyamba join Whitehurst in the triple jump, which gets underway at 10 a.m. (MT) Saturday. Toku has scored for the Vikings in the indoor triple jump as a freshman and sophomore at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, and also scored in the outdoor triple jump as a freshman. Those two will also compete in the men's long jump at 3 p.m. (MT) Friday.
 
Like Whitehurst, Keegan Winkle will also lead a group of Vikings into the men's pole vault at the Big Sky meet, and comes into the meet ranked in the top five within the Big Sky in the event. Winkle ranks tied for fifth with a seasonal best of 15-05.00 (4.70m), just ahead of teammates Braden Masanga and Viktor Moen, who rank tied for 11th with seasonal bests of 15-01.00 (4.60m).
 
All three of the Vikings' men's pole vaulters have taken attempts at what would be school-record heights throughout the season, but none have been able to make a clean attempt for the record. The trio will have another go of it when the men's pole vault gets underway at 4:30 p.m. (MT) Friday.
 
Saraia Collmer has had no trouble breaking the women's indoor pole vault record, however, as she's done it at each of the past two meets. Collmer initially broke the record with a clearance of 11-05.25 (3.49m) at the Idaho Duals on Feb. 2, and then topped that mark with a clearance of 11-07.25 (3.54m) at the UW Indoor Open on Feb. 11.
 
Collmer gets underway with the women's pole vault at 12 p.m. (MT) Saturday.
 
Two more Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky in events going into the conference meet between Kamal-Craig Golaube in the men's 60-meter hurdles and Josh Pikes in the men's 60 and 200 meters.
 
Golaube has twice run the 60-meter hurdles in 8.25 seconds this season, just three-hundredths of a second off the school record he tied with a finish in 8.22 seconds at last season's Big Sky Indoor Championships. Golaube placed fourth while tying the record in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles last season. Golaube will open his Big Sky meet with the trials of the 60-meter hurdles at 4:15 p.m. (MT).
 
Pikes, meanwhile, will compete in his first Big Sky Indoor meet, after moving up to third all time at Portland State in the 60 and 200 meters as a freshman. Pikes moved up to third in each event after finishing the 60 and 200 meters in 6.90 and 21.87 seconds, respectively, at the Vandal Invitational on Jan. 13.
 
Pikes will run the trials of the 60 meters at 5:20 p.m. (MT), and will then return to the track just over an hour later for the trials of the 200 meters at 6:25 p.m. (MT).
 
It all starts with Robinson, O'Handley and Baxter Thursday, however, with the start of the heptathlon and pentathlon. Robinson opens the heptathlon with the 60 meters at 12 p.m. (MT), while O'Handley and Baxter open the pentathlon with the 60-meter hurdles at 12:15 p.m. (MT). O'Handley and Baxter will conclude the pentathlon Thursday, while Robinson will pick up the heptathlon again with the 60-meter hurdles at 10:30 a.m. (MT) Friday.
 
MEET INFO:
Feb. 22-24 – Big Sky Indoor Championships – Flagstaff, Ariz. (J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome)
 
LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available from all three days of the meet. Fans can find the link to live results on the track & field schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO:
Live video of events on Friday and Saturday will be available for free online. Fans can find the link to the live video on the track & field schedule page on GoViks.com. There will be no live video available on Thursday.
 
BIG SKY INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE:
Thursday, Feb. 22
Heptathlon – Day 1
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
12 p.m.                 60 Meters (Heat 2 – Robinson)
                              Long Jump (Robinson)
                              Shot Put (Robinson)
                              High Jump (Robinson)
 
Pentathlon
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
12:15 p.m.            60-Meter Hurdles (Heat 2 – O'Handley; Heat 3 – Baxter)
                              High Jump (Baxter, O'Handley)
                              Shot Put (Baxter, O'Handley)
                              Long Jump (Baxter, O'Handley)
                              800 Meters (Baxter, O'Handley)
 
Friday, Feb. 23
Heptathlon – Day 2
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
10:30 a.m.            60-Meter Hurdles (Heat 4 – Robinson)
                              Pole Vault (Robinson)
                              1,000 Meters (Robinson)
 
Field Events
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
3 p.m.                   Women's High Jump (Elliott, O'Handley)
3 p.m.                   Men's Long Jump (Flight 1 – Luyamba, Toku)
4:30 p.m.              Men's Pole Vault (Masanga, Moen, Winkle)
6 p.m.                   Women's Long Jump (Flight 1 – Richey, Terry, Williams)
 
Running Events
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
4 p.m.                   Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Trials (Heat 1 – O'Handley; Heat 3 – Buckhaults)
4:15 p.m.              Men's 60-Meter Hurdles – Trials (Heat 2 – Golaube, Robinson)
4:50 p.m.              Men's 400 Meters – Trials (Heat 4 – Payton)
5:05 p.m.              Women's 60 Meters – Trials (Heat 1 – O'Handley; Heat 2 – Powdrell)
5:20 p.m.              Men's 60 Meters – Trials (Heat 2 – Pikes)
5:55 p.m.              Men's 800 Meters – Trials (Heat 1 – Hvidsten)
6:10 p.m.              Women's 200 Meters – Trials (Heat 6 – O'Handley, Powdrell)
6:25 p.m.              Men's 200 Meters – Trials (Heat 2 – Pikes)
6:40 p.m.              Women's 5,000 Meters – Final (Gibson)
7 p.m.                   Men's 5,000 Meters – Final (Cisneros, Wikler)
 
Saturday, Feb. 24
Field Events
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
10 a.m.                 Men's Triple Jump (Flight 1 – Luyamba; Flight 2 – Toku, Whitehurst)
12 p.m.                 Men's High Jump (Robinson)
12 p.m.                 Women's Pole Vault (Collmer)
1 p.m.                   Women's Triple Jump (Flight 1 – Richey)
 
Running Events
Start (MT)             Events (PSU entries)
12:30 p.m.            Women's 60-Meter Hurdles – Final
12:40 p.m.            Men's 60-Meter Hurdles – Final
1 p.m.                   Men's 400 Meters – Final
1:10 p.m.              Women's 60 Meters – Final
1:20 p.m.              Men's 60 Meters – Final
1:40 p.m.              Men's 800 Meters – Final
1:50 p.m.              Women's 200 Meters – Final
2 p.m.                   Men's 200 Meters – Final
2:10 p.m.              Women's 3,000 Meters – Final (Section 2 – Gibson, Medved)
2:25 p.m.              Men's 3,000 Meters – Final (Section 2 – Cisneros)
2:55 p.m.              Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (Section 1 – Portland State 'A' – Pikes, Robinson, Payton, Golaube)
 
UPCOMING:
If the Vikings can place an athlete in the top 16 in the nation of any individual event by the end of the Big Sky Indoor Championships, then they'll advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, March 9-10. If not, then the Vikings will open their outdoor season at the L&C Spring Break Open, March 16-17, in Portland, Ore.
 
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION:
The top 16 declared student-athletes in each event, as well as the top 12 declared relay teams, qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, March 9-10, in College Station, Texas. Only two Vikings have ever qualified for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships between Gayle Imran-Sideris (triple jump, 2006) and Geronne Black (60m, 2013). Donté Robinson currently ranks 64th in the nation – the highest ranking of any Viking – in the heptathlon off his performance at the Vandal Invitational and Multi Events.
 
UW INDOOR OPEN RECAP:
Alex Cisneros and Saraia Collmer broke the school records in the men's 3,000 meters and pole vault at the UW Indoor Open, giving the Vikings five school records in the past 16 days. Cisneros and Collmer were familiar figures among the Vikings' record-breakers. Cisneros broke the 3,000-meter record two weeks after he broke the record in the 5,000 meters on the same track at the UW Invitational. Collmer, meanwhile, broke her own school record in the pole vault, as she bettered the record she set one week earlier at the Idaho Duals with her clearance of 11-07.25 (3.54m). Cisneros finished the 3,000 in 8:16.45, beating the old record of 8:21.04 by more than four seconds that Cisneros' former teammate T-Roy Brown set in 2014. Katie Baxter nearly set a third school record for the Vikings despite making her first attempt as a Viking at the 600 meters. Baxter finished in 1:38.36, just over a second off the school record of 1:37.22 that Melissa Owens set in 2007. Chance Whitehurst also chased the record in the men's indoor triple jump, and came within eight inches of the record while setting a personal best with a mark of 49-04.50 (15.05m). Yuriy Yermakov set the men's indoor triple jump record with a mark of 50-00.50 (15.25m) in 2000.
 
COUGAR INDOOR RECAP:
Keegan Winkle, Viktor Moen and Braden Masanga all took attempts at what would have been school records in the men's pole vault at the Cougar Indoor, Feb. 2, but none of the three completed a clean attempt for the record. The three Vikings all took attempts with the bar at 15-07.00 (4.75m), above the current school record of 15-06.75 (4.74m). Winkle passed until the bar moved up to 4.75 meters, while Moen and Masanga joined the competition earlier on. Moen joined the competition with the bar at 15-01.00 (4.60m) – the height below 4.75 meters – and cleared it on his first attempt. Masanga, meanwhile, took his first attempt of the day with the bar at 4.00 meters, and cleared again at 4.30 meters and 4.60 meters to match Moen. Moen and Masanga moved into a tie for third all time with their clearances at 15-01.00 (4.60m), right below Winkle, who stands second all time with his personal best of 15-05.00 (4.70m).
 
IDAHO DUALS RECAP:
Saraia Collmer gave the Vikings their third school record in the past two weeks while breaking the mark in the women's indoor pole vault at the Idaho Duals, Feb. 2, at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. Collmer broke the record on her first attempt at 11-05.25 (3.49m) – moving her past the old mark of 11-04.00 (3.46m) that Krystal Saling set in 2005. Collmer nearly didn't get a chance to set the record Friday, as she missed on her first two attempts at 3.19 meters, her first height of the day. Collmer cleared the bar on her third attempt, however, and then cleared on her first attempts at the next two heights, including the record-breaking height of 3.49 meters. Freshman Josh Pikes did not set a record Friday, but placed second in both the 60 and 200 meters at the meet while finishing just off his seasonal bests with times of 6.96 and 22.01 seconds, respectively. Sophomore Kamal-Craig Golaube remains a threat to break the record in the 60-meter hurdles, after he tied the record at the Big Sky meet last season. Golaube finished third in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles in 8.25 seconds, tying his seasonal best and putting him just three-hundredths of a second off the school record he tied last season. Jean-Luc Toku was the lone Viking to record an event win at the meet, as he won the men's triple jump with a mark of 46-02.75 (14.09m) on his second attempt of the day.
 
UW INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Kaila Gibson and Alex Cisneros broke the school records in the indoor women's and men's 5,000 meters within one hour of each other Friday, Jan. 26, on the first day of the UW Invitational in Seattle, Wash. Gibson started things off with the record in the women's 5,000 meters, as she became the first female Viking to crack 17 minutes in the indoor 5,000 meters with her finish in 16:53.60. Gibson beat the old record of 17:01.73 by more than eight seconds, and beat her outdoor personal best in the event by close to 30 seconds. Cisneros, meanwhile, had already set the men's indoor 5,000-meter record last season, but broke his own record by 23 seconds while finishing in 14:19.95. Cisneros' time put him atop the Big Sky Conference in the men's 5,000 meters, and put him in qualifying position for the NCAA Indoor Championships at 13th nationally. Additionally, Cisneros finished as the top collegian overall in the men's 5,000 meters, as well as seventh overall in a field that included professional runners such as the Nike Oregon Project's Yomif Kejelcha and Galen Rupp, who finished 1-2 overall.
 
BRONCO INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Chance Whitehurst and Jaron Barrow led the way for the Vikings at the Bronco Invitational with three top 10 marks between them while each made their PSU debuts. Whitehurst won the men's triple jump for the Vikings with a monster debut mark of 48-11.50 (14.92m). Whitehurst moved up to second all time in the men's indoor triple jump at Portland State with his debut mark, and stands just 13 inches off the school record of 50-00.50 (15.25m) Yuriy Yermakov set in 2000. Barrow also moved into the top 10 all time in the triple jump Saturday, and posted a top 10 mark in the long jump as well. Barrow moved up to seventh all time in both events, with jumps of 45-10.50 (13.98m) in the triple jump and 22-07.75 (6.90m) in the long jump. Freshman Taylor Elliott had already set a top 10 mark while making her PSU debut in the women's high jump last week, but improved on that mark while winning the event for the second straight week. Elliott cleared 5-05.25 (1.66m) at the Bronco Invite, moving her up to fifth all time in the indoor high jump at Portland State. Junior Austen Hvidsten added a fifth top 10 mark for the Vikings, as he ran the rare 600-meter race in 1:22.80 to move up to fourth all time in the event.
 
VANDAL INVITATIONAL AND MULTI EVENTS RECAP:
The Viking newcomers impressed in the program's first full meet under head coach David Hepburn at the Vandal Invitational and Multi Events, Jan. 12-13, in Moscow, Idaho. The Vikings set eight top 10 all-time marks at the meet, seven of which were set by newcomers. Additionally, newcomers claimed five of the Vikings' seven event wins at the meet. Freshman Josh Pikes stood out among the newcomers as he swept the men's 60 and 200 meters while moving up to third all time in both events with his finishes in 6.90 and 21.87 seconds, respectively. Fellow freshman Taylor Elliott also set a top 10 all-time mark at the meet while winning the women's high jump with a clearance of 5-04.25 (1.63m). Elliott moved into a tie for seventh all time with her mark at the meet, just ahead of fellow freshman Kristen O'Handley, who moved into a tie for ninth all time while clearing 5-03.75 (1.62m) in the high jump while competing in the pentathlon. O'Hadley also moved into the top 10 all time while placing second in the pentathlon with a final score of 3,218 points. Newcomers Angela Mumford and Saraia Collmer also moved into the top 10 all time in the weight throw and pole vault, respectively. Junior Kaila Gibson, meanwhile, was the lone returner to set an all-time mark at the meet, as she moved up to 10th all time in the mile with her finish in 5:04.55. Senior Donté Robinson did not move up in the all-time ranks but still won the heptathlon with a score of 4,988 points. Robinson's score beat his season-opening time from a year ago, and gave him the Big Sky lead in the event.
 
ED JACOBY INVITATIONAL RECAP:
Keegan Winkle narrowly missed the school record in the pole vault while competing as the lone Viking at the Ed Jacoby Invitational, Jan. 12, in Nampa, Idaho. Winkle cleared 15-05.00 (4.70m) at the meet, just 1.75 inches below the school record of 15-06.75 (4.74m) Ben Cogdill set in 2007. Winkle has now cleared 15 feet in the indoor pole vault twice as a Viking, after he cleared 15-00.00 (4.57m) at the Big Sky Indoor Championships last season. Winkle took three attempts with the bar at what would have been a school-record 4.85 meters, but couldn't record a clean jump to set the record.