The Portland State track and field teams will begin their 2026 outdoor season on March 14 with athletes competing at two separate meets in Oregon. Sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, and throwers will participate in the LCC Open in Eugene, while distance runners will compete at the Rich Allen Classic in Newberg.
The start of the outdoor season marks a new chapter for the Vikings under head coach Joseph Blue. Blue said he is focused on growth rather than immediate results. “I just want them to open up. I just want them to go compete and continue to grow and we’ll build from there,” Blue said.
Blue noted that moving outdoors brings additional events such as the hammer throw and javelin. Henry Glad will make his first appearance of the season in the javelin at the LCC Open, after scoring points for Portland State last year at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships. Daniel Coppedge, who holds school records in both weight throw and hammer, returns after a strong indoor campaign. The women’s team adds three hammer throwers—Avonlea Edwards, Natalie Fisher, and Princess Fletcher—who will also compete in discus alongside Jaelyn Sayler.
On the track, Carson Schall (men’s) along with Savannah Beasley and Ashley Peterson (women’s) are set to run the 400-meter hurdles after achieving personal bests during indoor competitions. The transition to outdoor also means distance runners will shift from running miles indoors to 1,500 meters outdoors.
Reflecting on last season’s challenges when both men’s and women’s teams finished last at the Big Sky Indoor Championships, Blue said: “All we can do in that situation is grow. Use it as a reality check… We’ve got to compete at practice, we’ve got to listen to our coaches and be bought in.” He added: “I got pretty emotional when I was talking to them about it because it means a lot… We’ve just got to do the little things right and come ready to go.”
Blue emphasized that having more time during outdoor season allows for better planning across events compared to indoor meets: “It’ll be a long season and things will be spread out in terms of events… Now that we have more time, we can really strategize on hitting these certain marks at certain meets because we have more time.” The Vikings are looking ahead not only for development but also toward hosting their first Big Sky Outdoor Championships since 2013 this May at Mt. Hood Community College.
