The cross country campaign has come and gone, and the Portland State track and field program is now in full sprint toward the indoor season. The Vikings will be competing in the Jacksons Open today and tomorrow in Boise, Idaho.
Track and field returns
The cross country campaign has come and gone, and the Portland State track and field program is now in full sprint toward the indoor season. The Vikings will be competing in the Jacksons Open today and tomorrow in Boise, Idaho.
COURTESY OF Larry Lawson/Goviks
Up and running: Portland State will participate in its first competition of the indoor season this weekend.
This will be the only indoor meet for Portland State in 2012. After the competition, the team takes its winter break before resuming on Jan. 12 at the University of Washington Indoor Preview. The Vikings don’t intend to let the vacation affect their performance in the new year.
“Our expectation is for our athletes to execute the things they have been working on since August and September,” assistant coach Seth Henson said. “Every track program in the country has that month off, and it’s a scary thing for all us coaches. But we have a lot of experience on our team, and a lot of the kids are going to be here a majority of the time training.”
This year’s track and field squad has several seniors and returning athletes on the roster. They’ve dealt with the month off before, so it isn’t something Henson is worrying too much about.
“Our kids are dedicated to their sport and what they do,” he said. “It’s their expectation that we’ll be here to train them, and it’s our expectation that they’ll be here to be trained. It’s not mandatory, so it’s nice to see those kids hang around.”
Last season, the Vikings had one of their best indoor seasons in years, with the women finishing in third place in the conference championships. Head coach Ronnye Harrison set the top three as a goal last season, but the Vikings hope to better that success this season.
“We feel like, as a coaching staff, third is last place for us,” Henson said. “We’re expecting to finish above that.”
The Jacksons Open is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. today, with events continuing into tomorrow. When the team comes back from the holiday break, they’ll head to Seattle for the UW Indoor Preview, kicking off five straight weeks of competition leading up to the Big Sky Championships in Bozeman, Mont.
