As the track and field team heads to Missoula, Mont., to compete in the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, there is a noticeable difference from the Vikings squads of years past.
A new coach introduced last fall has brought a confident aura to the South Park Blocks, and although this week’s meet will mark the end of the season for most of the competitors, change is in the air.
Portland State will be sending 18 athletes to the Big Sky Championships, not too different than years past. Head coach Ronnye Harrison believes that the women will likely finish in the middle of the pack and behind the dominant track program from Sacramento State.
He expected his men’s squad to finish near or below their female counterparts, but despite the outlook the Vikings and their fans have much to look forward to.
Despite not being in the hunt for the team title, the meet will be the perfect breeding ground for some outstanding marks from a few individuals. Nick Trubachik, Westin Morrill, Jernise Saunders and Mikeya Nicholson are four of the athletes that are expected to make some major noise in Missoula this weekend.
Trubachik, the reigning decathlon and indoor heptathlon champion, will be in heavy competition with Nathan Capps and Levi Keller, both of Idaho State. Both have bested Trubachik—but only slightly—in their best decathlon totals this season.
“This is going to be fun,” Trubachik said. “I hope to ‘smack it’ in the decathlon and get a great mark and qualify for NCAA Nationals.”
Trubachik, along with Morrill, will also compete in the javelin, and both are expected to finish relatively high. Deshawn Shead, a cornerback on the football team, is also slated to compete in the decathlon as well as the 110-meter hurdles.
The Vikings’ men’s squad will feature a group of long-distance runners that could challenge in the 800-meter, 10k and 1500-meter runs.
Assistant coach Seth Henson said that he had confidence in Trubachik and expected him to “win it all.”
“Nick is a very hard worker and has a strong desire to compete,” Henson said.
For Harrison’s women’s squad, the team will feature a thin but talented roster. Kelsey Kahle has improved drastically over the past four weeks since coming over from the women’s basketball team, and Harrison said that Kahle hopes to obtain the regional qualifying mark in the high jump this weekend.
Junior sprinter and jumper Mikeya Nicholson could also push for a spot at the regional championships with a good performance in Missoula. A fierce competitor, Nicholson will battle with Ericka Violett from Sacramento State for bragging rights in the triple jump.
The biggest story on the women’s squad has been the returning domination of senior sprinter Jernise Saunders. After an injury in the middle of the season, she has recouped and looks poised to repeat as the top female sprinter in the Big Sky.
“I feel very confident, and I have no doubts in my mind,” Saunders said when asked about her events this weekend.
Already qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 100-meter sprint, Saunders hopes to meet the time criteria in the 200-meter dash as well. “I have big plans and I expect to win,” she said.
The Big Sky Outdoor Championships begin tomorrow, with the heptathlon and decathlon events, and runs until Saturday, May 16.