The fifth annual Bike to PSU Challenge rounds out the final day today. With more than 1,000 riders actively logging commutes, the challenge has expanded nearly 20 percent in ridership from last year. The program is thanks in part to the Portland State Bike Hub and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. PSU students and employees racked up more than 90,000 miles, logging their trips online as they made the choice to commute by bicycle to and from PSU.
Portland State needs a new quarterback. Last fall, the Vikings football team relied on star quarterback Connor Kavanaugh to lead the team. Kavanaugh is graduating this year, along with reserve quarterbacks Drew Hubel and Justin Engstrom. PSU has a handful of new players ready to step up and fill those empty shoes, though.
The 22nd annual Reach the Beach ride, put on by the American Lung Association, was yet another success, as more than 2,700 riders came out. While the final donation amount hasn’t yet been tallied as of press time, around $500,000 has already been counted. The annual ride features four starting points in Oregon: Amity, Grande Ronde, Newberg and Portland. The Portland route is the longest at just over 100 miles with the other three ranging from 28 to 80 miles.
Despite the dust settling around the Vikings’ softball loss last weekend at the NCAA regionals, head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk considers the games a success.
Fair trade is a term many people have heard in reference to coffee, clothes or other tangible goods. The Fair Trade Music campaign brings that idea of fair wages for products into a new realm—livable wages for the service, of providing music. The campaign was started in Portland a handful of years ago, and now, with the support of the Musicians Union, Local 99, it has begun to raise awareness of the importance of venues paying musicians a standard wage.
Soccer intramurals are in the midst of their spring season, but players involved say the benefits of playing continue all year. Intramurals in general are a great way for students to get active on campus, have some fun, and let off steam in the middle of a hectic week. While the intramural season is underway, involved students encourage their fellow classmates to find their own niche at PSU to make the most of their time on campus.
The Portland State women’s softball team beat St. Mary’s to become the two-time Pacific Coast Softball Conference champions. The Vikings defeated the Gaels 6-1 in game one on Friday and followed it with a 1-0 shutout on Saturday. The Vikings advance to the NCAA regionals for the second year, and they have been selected to face Oregon in Eugene for the first round of NCAA play.
The Outdoor Program is getting ready for the next trip—a challenging climb up King Mountain. The trip will be a hike and overnight stay on the weekend of May 19 and 20. The peak of King Mountain offers a superb view of the Cascades from the north to the coast.
The Portland State softball team will face the St. Mary’s Gaels this weekend for the championship title. The reigning Pacific Coast Softball Champion Vikings and the Gaels have already each secured their respective division championships and now face each other for the overall title.
Senior softball player Jenna Krogh transferred to Portland State looking to rediscover her passion for softball, and after two years in the green and white she has done just that. After breaking out in her junior season, the center fielder slipped out of her star performance in the start of her senior year. But Krogh is a player that knows how to overcome obstacles, and now at the end of her career the center fielder is back on top after helping her team to a Pacific Coast Softball Conference Division title. Krogh will take her playing abilities to the field this weekend for the championship game.
The Portland State women’s softball team finished out their 2012 season in a dominant fashion by sweeping the number-two Weber State Wildcats. The wins gave the first-place Vikings the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division title and a bid to play against the St. Mary’s Gaels for the conference title on May 19 and 20. The Vikings ended their regular season with a 25-23 overall and 15-5 conference record. This is the team’s fourth straight PCSC Mountain Division title.