With the season winding down, the Portland State cross country team is looking to finish strong by sending runners to the Big Sky Conference championship and the regional, and maybe even national, meets.
With the season winding down, the Portland State cross country team is looking to finish strong by sending runners to the Big Sky Conference championship and the regional, and maybe even national, meets.
“We’re entering that championship time of year,” head coach Jonathan Marcus said. “We’re going to make some minor tweaks, really get ourselves prepared to perform at the highest level possible.”
The Vikings are coming off the Warner Pacific Open meet, in which six of the seven women on the team had season-best times. Portland State was led by senior Amber Rozcicha, who finished second overall. Senior Sarah Dean was right behind her, finishing third overall. Dean finished in less than 18 minutes for the first time in her career.
“I don’t know where it came from,” Marcus said. “But she really picked a good time to let the dogs out.”
The men were led by freshman Neil Seibert, who finished 26th overall. A lot of the men have been fighting injuries all season, but that didn’t stop them from finishing in the top 10 as a team. Freshman Jonathan Talik also had a big race, with his best time of the season.
“The men are fighting a lot of illness and health issues,” Marcus said. “I was really pleased with how they performed in spite of all the excuses they could have relied on.”
The next meet is in Flagstaff, Ariz., where the altitude is 7,000 feet above sea level. Because the Vikings are used to running in Portland, the effect of racing at a high altitude is tremendous. Portland State’s success will rely on execution, but it will help prepare them for the Big Sky championship.
The Vikings will compete in the Beaver Classic this Friday, in their last meet of the regular season. The conference meet will be held Oct. 27.
