The Portland State track and field team will compete at the Willamette Invitational in Salem on March 28, according to an announcement made on March 26. Instead of traveling to California for spring break as many Oregonians do, the Vikings are staying local this week before heading south next week for a series of meets.
The decision to remain in Oregon allows the young team to focus on training and competition without academic distractions. Head coach Joseph Blue said last week that competing through spring break is important for the team’s development. This approach appeared successful at the recent PNW Invite in Corvallis, where two school records were broken, two freshman records were tied or surpassed, and several top marks were achieved by both overall athletes and freshmen.
“Last meet was a really good meet for us. A lot of people showed up, a lot of people executed over both days. I was proud of how they did,” Blue said about his athletes’ performances. He emphasized execution as key: “If you executed the way you were supposed to, it probably happened. And if you didn’t, it probably didn’t happen. That’s the reality of it.” The coach added that this week’s message remains similar as they aim to build confidence ahead of their upcoming California trip.
During spring break, Blue has hosted several team meals—including taco night Tuesday and pasta Wednesday—to help keep athletes fueled during what he described as their hardest training week so far. “They’re getting fed well, getting training in and no school. That’s supposed to go well,” he said.
Blue praised several standout performers from last week’s meet such as Emma Stolte and Jack Macdonald—who will rest this weekend—as well as members of both men’s and women’s 800-meter squads who achieved personal or seasonal bests. Ocean Rideout also received recognition after achieving a personal best long jump distance despite being new to the event this season: “The one thing about Ocean is that girl’s an athlete… She’s got a great attitude… She’s very competitive… It makes it very easy to coach them, and the results come because they want it,” Blue said.
Looking ahead, those who perform well at Saturday’s Willamette Invitational could earn spots on next week’s trip south for competitions including the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, Stanford Invitational, and Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
