The Portland State Vikings track and field team announced on April 2 that they will compete in three separate meets in the Bay Area this Friday and Saturday. The events include the Stanford Invitational, Mike Fanelli Track Classic, and Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
This marks a change for the Vikings after starting their outdoor season with three consecutive competitions against other Oregon teams. Head coach Joseph Blue said the California trip will give athletes, especially freshmen, valuable experience against new opponents. “I think it’ll be a good eye-opener for some of these freshmen to get to see different teams other than Oregon teams,” Blue said.
Blue explained that facing different competitors early in the season helps athletes gauge their performance before conference championships. “Them seeing other competitors allows them to know where they’re at. It’s good to get that early, because when we go to conference, that’s when the big dogs are there. So, they get to compete against big dogs early on, so they know what to expect. They get to know where they’re at and how they need to improve,” he said.
Emma Stolte is set to run only the 5k at the Stanford Invitational on Friday evening after recently breaking school records in other distances during March’s PNW Invite. Blue highlighted Stolte’s progress and potential: “We’re looking for Emma to do some big things in the 5k. That’s the only event she’s running this week, so she’s focused on that. She’s trying to get her time down to a very competitive time. That’s the goal. And she’s excited about the opportunity.” If Stolte matches last year’s NCAA West region qualifying mark of 15:57.43—set at this same meet—she would break Portland State’s current record by over twenty seconds.
Other Viking athletes will also be competing across all three meets throughout Friday and Saturday in various disciplines including sprints, hurdles, throws, distance events and relays as detailed in schedules released by Portland State Athletics.
Blue emphasized his expectations for all team members heading into these more competitive fields: “We want them to have the mindset of, ‘hey, we belong here. Let’s go out and get it.’ That’s going to be the message. But you also can’t just believe that you belong here, you’ve got to show it.”
