On Friday, the Vikings cross country team competed in their last meet of the regular season. The women’s team finished third overall at the Beaver Classic, with senior Amber Rozcicha finishing in second place. Not far behind was senior Sarah Dean in 10th place.
“Our women ran really well,” head coach Jonathan Marcus said. “The ladies stepped up big. Amber led most of the race and lost by one second to a professional runner from Nike. It was good to see our student athletes up there with the professionals and leading them for most of the race. It bodes well for the future.”
The men finished in 10th place. Freshman Neil Seibert led his team, finishing 35th with a time of 25:56, with freshman Jonathan Talik just over a minute behind.
The Vikings now shift their focus to the Big Sky championship, which will take place in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Oct. 27.
“The team’s really well prepared,” Marcus said. “The work has been put in. Now we just got to be smart and take care of ourselves. This is a team that has progressed a lot in the last two months. They are really strong, and my hope is that they go in confident about achieving what they’re capable of doing.”
After the Big Sky championship, the cross country team will look ahead to the regional championships, held two weeks later in Seattle. If they can continue to build on their recent success, Portland State could see some runners in the national meet.
Marcus is optimistic about their chances. “Everyone’s fit, everyone’s strong, and we are really looking forward to the last two championship races.”