The Portland State University track and field team will compete at the PNW Invite hosted by Oregon State University on March 20-21, according to a statement released Mar. 19. The event will take place at the Whyte Track and Field Center in Corvallis.
This meet comes as finals week concludes at Portland State, providing athletes with another opportunity to test their skills early in the outdoor season. Head coach Joseph Blue said his focus is on execution rather than external results during this phase of competition. “I’m not speaking motivation as much as execution,” Blue said of his coaching style. “Because motivation should come intrinsically. You should want to beat somebody. You should want to get better. I shouldn’t be building people’s motivation. If I’m doing that, I’ve got the wrong athletes. But right now, we’re just speaking about execution and getting better. If we can do that, everything else will take care of itself.”
Last week, the Vikings opened their outdoor season across two meets: the LCC Open and Rich Allen Classic. Daniel Coppedge broke his own school record in the hammer throw, contributing to ten event wins for Portland State athletes across both competitions. Savannah Beasley secured victories in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles and participated in a winning relay team.
Distance runners also contributed wins at the Rich Allen Classic, with Irina López taking first in the women’s 800 meters, Taylor Nichols winning the women’s 1,500 meters, and Ari Smith finishing first in the men’s 800 meters.
Despite these successes, Blue emphasized continued improvement over placements or titles: “We’re not really looking for placements – obviously, we want to win – but we’re looking to get better. We’re looking to beat our best,” he said.
Blue noted that his team remains young and inexperienced, which is why they are competing through spring break while other teams may pause training or competition during this period. “We just need more time to get there,” Blue said of competing through spring break. “We don’t need to be backing off if we’re not ready yet… But right now, we’re still working and learning, and we need to compete through that.”
