The Portland State track and field program will host the Big Sky Outdoor Championships from May 13-16 at Mt. Hood Community College, marking its first time hosting the event in 13 years.
The meet is significant for the Vikings, who have student-athletes from a variety of academic backgrounds and are aiming to challenge higher-ranked competitors as underdogs on their home turf. The last time Portland State hosted a conference meet was in 2013 at Pacific University; this year, the event moves to Earl L. Klapstein Stadium on the east side of Portland.
Assistant coach Nick Merillana said his team is focused on outperforming expectations: “Everyone who is entered, I’ve only entered them because I feel like they can displace someone. They can potentially help us score some points. They can do something that someone wasn’t expecting.” He added, “It’s not a last chance meet. It’s not a meet for ‘oh, let me see if I can go PR in this event.’ It’s hey, ‘you need to go out there and wear this jersey with some pride.'”
Freshman Jack Macdonald leads the Vikings after breaking a long-standing school record in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 20.91 seconds at the OSU High Performance Meet earlier this month. Merillana said of Macdonald: “He’s been so poised. He’s ready to do some big things. He’s got a different fire underneath him right now.” Emma Stolte also enters ranked among conference leaders after setting school records in both the women’s 1,500 and 5,000 meters during outdoor season.
Other athletes expected to make an impact include Isaiah Cadengo—who set freshman records in both indoor and outdoor 400 meters—and Ocean Rideout, who will compete in her first heptathlon after recent personal bests across several events.
Merillana encouraged his athletes to embrace competing close to home: “One of the big things I told the athletes today and over the last couple of days is, ‘you need to make this your own experience and your own opportunity.’ … You have one shot to compete at a home conference meet. So it’s not going to be presented as pressure, but an opportunity.” The championship begins Wednesday with multi-event competitions and continues through Saturday’s finals.
