The Portland State track and field team enjoyed a long vacation, but that doesn’t mean they took it easy. With many of the athletes sacrificing their break to train, head coach Ronnye Harrison and the Vikings are ready for a busy indoor season. Portland State will be back on the track this weekend at the University of Washington Indoor Preview in Seattle. The meet will be the team’s first since the Jacksons Open in Boise, Idaho at the end of November.
Long break no problem for track and field
Off to the races: Geronne Black sprints to the finish at the Jacksons Open. Photo © Stanley Brewstergoviks.com
The Portland State track and field team enjoyed a long vacation, but that doesn’t mean they took it easy. With many of the athletes sacrificing their break to train, head coach Ronnye Harrison and the Vikings are ready for a busy indoor season. Portland State will be back on the track this weekend at the University of Washington Indoor Preview in Seattle. The meet will be the team’s first since the Jacksons Open in Boise, Idaho at the end of November.
“This is a dedicated group, a dedicated team,” assistant coach Jonathan Marcus said. “Those people that have been putting in the consistent work over time are seeing the results. That’s the culture—enjoying the process of working so hard. It’s good to see a group working hard and getting better.”
The Vikings look forward to an especially intensive stretch in their schedule; they’ll have six meets between now and the Big Sky Championships on Feb. 22 in Bozeman, Mont. The women’s team finished third in the championships last season, and hope to better that this season. Marcus is confident they will do exactly that.
“We will definitely be in the running,” he said. “That’s why these athletes are working hard, in the rain, in the cold and over winter break when everyone is at home—to have a shot at the team title.”
Senior Geronne Black will lead the women’s team this season and, after a year full of broken records for the sprinter, she and the coaching
staff have even higher expectations this season. Black didn’t waste any time getting her 2012–13 campaign started, finishing first in the 60-meter dash at the Jacksons Open.
“She is on fire in practice,” Marcus said. “She’s stronger, she’s faster than she ever has been. I expect to see some conference championships out of her. She’s on a whole other level. She will rewrite the record books again this season.”
After the UW Preview this weekend, the Vikings travel south to Albuquerque, N.M. to compete in the Cherry and Silver Invitational on Jan. 18 and 19.
