The indoor track and field season is coming to a close, as Portland State competed in their final two regular season meets last weekend in preparation for the Big Sky Conference Championships in Bozeman, Mont.
The Vikings sent athletes to the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. and the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. last Friday and Saturday, hoping to score a few more qualifying times for the conference meet.
“We just want to make sure we are putting our kids in the best possible place to be successful,” assistant coach Seth Henson said. “The kids put a lot of emotional effort into this meet, and we had some good results.”
Senior Geronne Black continued her success this season, finishing first in the 60-meter dash and breaking her own conference and school record in the process. Black recorded a time of 7.27 seconds, just under the 7.30 mark she set last week. The senior will be a favorite in Bozeman, but that does not mean that she and head coach Ronnye Harrison are going to take it easy.
“[They] are not going to take anything for granted,” Henson said. “They’re going to be serious for the preparation for that meet, but they are also going to be looking forward to the national championships.”
Black was the only athlete that the Vikings sent to the Don Kirby Invitational. The senior has been putting in the extra time this year and is now reaping the benefits.
“This girl has trained, has devoted a lot of her time with her coach to get faster and work on the little things,”
Henson said. “She has given up a lot of her Sundays, Christmas breaks, spring breaks and summers to be around as much as the NCAA will allow her to be around and train.”
At the Husky Classic, Sierra Brooks added her name to the list of Vikings going to the conference meet. The senior qualified in the long jump with a distance of 5.67 meters. The addition of Brooks will be an important one for PSU, with the potential for more points that could help push the team closer to a first-place finish.
The Big Sky Championships in Bozeman are scheduled for Feb. 22 and 23.