Emma Stolte was named the Big Sky Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week on Mar. 23 after setting a new school record in the women’s 1,500 meters for Portland State University, just days after suffering from the flu.
Stolte’s recognition marks her first time receiving this honor and makes her the first Viking woman to be honored during the outdoor season since Kaila Gibson in 2019. The award highlights her resilience and athletic achievement despite beginning her week at urgent care due to illness.
Stolte broke the school’s women’s 1,500-meter record at Friday’s PNW Invite with a time of 4:21.80, surpassing Sarah Dean’s previous mark set in 2014 by half a second. This is Stolte’s second school record in 2026; she previously set an indoor 800-meter record at the Inland Northwest Invitational on Jan. 31.
The following day, Stolte achieved an outdoor personal best in the 800 meters with a finish of 2:10.64, moving her up to seventh all-time for Portland State outdoors. Her indoor record for that distance stands at 2:08.51—faster than Portland State’s current outdoor mark of 2:09.01—suggesting another potential school record could be within reach later this season.
Stolte’s accomplishments come despite recovering from illness and signal strong prospects for further achievements as she continues through the track season.
