Emma Stolte delivered a standout performance for Portland State at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships on May 16, winning the women’s 5,000-meter race and finishing second in the 1,500 meters. The meet took place at Mt. Hood Community College’s Earl L. Klapstein Stadium in Gresham, Oregon.
Stolte became the first Portland State athlete to win a Big Sky women’s 5k title and ended a seven-year individual title drought for the program. Her efforts contributed 18 points to her team—the most by any Viking since Genna Settle scored 20 points at the conference outdoor meet in 2017—and made her Portland State’s first double podium finisher since Settle that same year.
The event was marked by challenging weather conditions including three lightning delays, rain, and hail during the trophy ceremony. Despite these interruptions, Stolte stayed with the lead pack throughout the race before taking control after the final lap to finish ahead of Northern Arizona’s Addie Engel with a time of 16:13.38.
In addition to Stolte’s achievements, Jack Macdonald placed fifth in the men’s 200 meters final with a time of 21.41 seconds—the highest finish by a Viking in that event since Ryon Edwards placed second in 1999—and contributed as part of Portland State’s seventh-place men’s relay team. Edward Niyongere finished seventh in triple jump with his best mark coming on his second attempt at 46-03.25 (14.10m), while Isaiah Cadengo placed eighth in men’s 400 meters.
The Vikings also saw strong performances from their relay teams: both men’s and women’s squads scored points despite competing from slower heats. Ocean Rideout anchored multiple events for Portland State women—scoring individually and as part of relays—which broke several multi-year scoring droughts across different disciplines.
This year marked Portland State’s first time hosting the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in thirteen years.
