The 2007-08 school year is coming to an end, and with that, all the accomplishments, failures and hard work of nearly 350 student-athletes will be relegated to the Viking record books. In a year that saw the arrival of Jerry Glanville to lead the football program to new heights, it was volleyball, basketball and golf that made the biggest impacts in the hearts and minds of Portland State fans throughout the Northwest.
After leading the men’s basketball team to its most successful season in Portland State history, seniors Scott Morrison and Deonte Huff find themselves facing a new challenge upon graduating–trying to get paid to play the game they love. Like the majority of college basketball players in this country, if Huff and Morrison want to turn their hoop skills into cash, they are more than likely going to have to earn a roster spot somewhere overseas or in one of the minor leagues in the United States, such as the CBA or NBDL.
Spanning two days and 10 events, the decathlon is one of the truest tests of strength, agility and endurance an athlete can face. Portland State sophomore Nick Trubachik is the best decathlete in the Big Sky and ranked among the best in the nation. Trubachik, a homegrown product from Estacada, Ore., sits second on the all-time top-10 list for the Vikings after turning in a 7,058 point first-place performance at the Big Sky Championships, May 14-17.
Baking under the hot sun on the campus of Sacramento State University, 18 Portland State Vikings went head to head with their conference foes last weekend at the Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Heading into the meet, head coach Kebba Tolbert was optimistic and excited about the Vikings’ chances, hoping to return to Portland with a small collection of first-place medals.
With the forecast calling for temperatures into the hundreds this weekend, Portland State will be looking to burn up and outlast the competition at the 2008 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
Portland State sports teams felt the strong arm of the law earlier this week when the NCAA released its Academic Progress Reports Tuesday for the four-year period of academic years from 2003-04 through 2006-07.
With the Big Sky Championships less than two weeks away, the Vikings will hit the track one last time today at the Pacific Twilight meet in Forest Grove, Ore. It will be the last chance for athletes to improve their times and distances before the conference finale.
Sitting in first place after a personal best leap of 41′ 0.5″, Portland State sophomore triple jumper Nkeiru Ugwoaba was one attempt away from becoming the 2008 Big Sky Indoor Triple Jump Champion. Unfortunately, that attempt belonged to senior Lori Vaught of Sacramento State, who leapt 41’1.
With the top two point totals in the Big Sky so far this season, decathletes sophomore Nick Trubachik and junior Vince Kinney are Portland State’s own version of “Dan and Dave.”
After twice competing in meets with temperatures in the 40s, the Portland State track and field team has headed south in search of warmer weather and an opportunity to challenge some of the best athletes in the nation.
Trevor Rollinger is one of the best athletes at Portland State, and most Viking fans have probably never heard of him.