Conference records, personal records and the best finish since 2007 are just a few of the accomplishments that the Vikings made this weekend in Flagstaff, Ariz., at the Big Sky Conference Championships.
Conference records, personal records and the best finish since 2007 are just a few of the accomplishments that the Vikings made this weekend in Flagstaff, Ariz., at the Big Sky Conference Championships.
Portland State’s track and field squad had a great last meet of the indoor season. The women’s team, which was expected to make a top-three finish, did just that, finishing in third with 90 points. The last time the team finished that high was 2007. On the men’s side, the Vikings managed to pull out a ninth place finish with a very small team. The men scored eight points overall.
“I am tearfully happy,” head coach Ronnye Harrison said. “I think I cried three or four times this weekend. [There were] outstanding individual performances and team performances. When coach Henson and I started marking down how well we thought we would do in this meet, we thought top three. And we got third. It was a lot of prayer and a lot of really fortunate running. The women’s team worked as a team for the first time.”
The high praise for the women’s team continued from assistant coach Seth Harrison.
“It was the best-case scenario for us,” said Harrison. “The 90 points is what we thought we could score. It met and maybe exceeded a little bit, our expectations.”
The whole weekend was overshadowed by the performances of senior sprinter Karene King and junior sprinter Gerrone Black. Both sprinters have their names all over the record books at Portland State and in the Big Sky Conference. In Flagstaff, both King and Black bettered their already record–filled collegiate careers.
Black, who broke the Big Sky Conference record in the 60-meter dash in a meet earlier this season, broke her own record at the Indoor Championships. The junior ran for a time of 7.36 seconds, winning the event. King followed right behind her with a time of 7.49 seconds, a personal best. Portland State dominated the 60-m: Black and King finished first and second, and four of the top eight spots were held by Vikings.
“It’s not surprising,” Harrison said. “It was great to use the word 7.3 instead of 7.4. I was happy with that time, and I was happy when Geronne won. Sitting on top of the podium and breaking another record—now that’s a special day.”
In the 200-meter, King broke the conference record with a time of 23.77 seconds. This is the senior’s last Big Sky meet because she is not eligible for the outdoor season this year. The sprinter has only been at Portland State for two years, and in that time she has broken school records, and conference records.
“I really wish I’d had her for four years,” Harrison said. “It’s sad to see a person go with all that talent and an enormous amount of leadership. One of the things that I am going to miss first about her is that I don’t have a captain at that level. The level of passion for track and field is way above the average athlete that we have. I am going to miss that. You can’t replace that.”
Neither King and Black have yet qualified for the National Indoor Championships. However, Harrison and both women will be flying out to Iowa State to participate in a last chance meet. If King and Black run fast enough times, they will qualify for the National Championships, which take place on March 9 and 10.
Another record broken at the championships was at the 60-meter hurdles. Senior P’Lar Dorsett ran a time of 8.5 seconds, which completely shattered her own personal record.
The men were led by senior Sean Mackelvie, who finished fourth in the triple jump and set a PR. Mackelvie earned five of the men’s team’s eight total points. Freshman Jake Ovgard continued to surprise, as well. It’s very rare that a freshman makes it to the conference championships, but Ovgard nearly did just that. The Vikings only sent seven men to the championships, and Harrison hopes that the men who didn’t go will learn from it.
“They did what we thought they would do,” Harrison said. “Every time we take a men’s team, it wakes up the men that didn’t go.”
If King or Black qualify for the National Championships in their last chance meet at Iowa State, the indoor season won’t be over for Portland State. If they don’t, the outdoor season starts Sunday, March 18, at the Oregon Preview in Eugene.
