portland state cross country

Contact: Andy Jobanek, Assistant Media Relations Director (XC) • Email: [email protected] • Phone: (503) 725-2525 2019 SCHEDULE VIKING RUST BUSTER Sept. 7 | M6K: 9 a.m. (PT); W4K: 9:30 a.m. (PT) September Blue Lake Park | Fairview, Ore. 7 Viking Rust Buster M6K: 9am; W4K: 9:30am MEET SCHEDULE PORTLAND STATE ENTRIES 13 Cougar Classic W6K: 5:15pm; Race Time Women: Hunter Storm, Delaney White, M8K: 5:45pm Women’s 6k 5:15 p.m. (PT) Phoebe Brown, Saville Feist, Phoebe Jacques, Men’s 8k 5:45 p.m. (PT) Zoe Andersen, Sophie Jones, Zoe Eberspech- October er, Monica Salazar, Kristen Walker, Carissa 5 Charles Bowles Invite M8K: 9:30am; Rodriguez W6K: 10:20am Men: Drew Seidel, Josh Snyder, Brandon 19 Bronco Invitational M8K: 8:45am; Hippe, Max Norman, Jason Rae, Zac Witman, W6K: 9:30am Evan Peters, Luke Ramirez, Andy Solano, 19 Warner Pacific Classic TBA Cody Jones, Erik Solano, Andrew Stafford November 2 Big Sky Championships TBA 9 Beaver Classic W6K: 11am; MEET NOTES M8K: 12pm PORTLAND, Ore. — The young runners within the Portland State cross country program got a 15 NCAA West Regional TBA warmup pitch last Saturday at the Viking Rust Buster. Come Friday – only six days after the Rust Buster – the Vikings get a full-speed fastball as they head to the Cougar Classic, hosted by Wash- Bold - Home Meet (at Blue Lake Park) ington State University, in Colfax, Wash.

QUICK FACTS It won’t just be a fastball the Vikings face Friday, either, as the Cougar Classic promises the PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY equivalent difficulty of a pitcher with a full complement of pitches. One pitch would be the fact Location______Portland, Ore. the distances at the Cougar Classic – women run a 6k, men run an 8k – are both 2k longer than Address______930 SW Hall St,_ the women and men ran at the Viking Rust Buster. Another pitch would be the fact that five ______Portland, OR, 97201 men’s runners and one women’s runner will make their season debuts for the Vikings Friday. Yet Phone / Fax____(503) 725-4000 / (503) 725-5550 another would be that the Viking freshmen will be traveling to an away meet for the first time Founded______1946 (4-year in 1955) in college. Enrollment______28,407 Nickname______Vikings The final pitch – call it the out pitch – would be the fact that course at the Cougar Classic will be Colors______Green (PMS 3435 C), the same course at which the Vikings will run the NCAA West Regional in November. ______White and Silver (PMS 429 C) Affiliation / Conf.____NCAA Division I / Big Sky “There’s a lot going on with this meet that you wouldn’t necessarily think about,” head coach Arena (Capacity)______Viking Pavilion (3,094) David Hepburn said of the Cougar Classic. “But it’s a good time for [our newcomers] to learn. Interim President______Stephen Percy Have them pick the returners brains, and learn how we travel, see a course, and see what a 6k Director of Athletics______Valerie Cleary or an 8k is going to feel like.” Associate AD/SWA______Dana Cappelucci The distances will be the biggest difference for the Viking freshmen. The high school state meets TEAM INFORMANTION run 5,000-meter races for both the men and women in high school. That means the Vikings’ Head Coach______David Hepburn three freshmen men at the Cougar Classic will be running their first-ever collegiate 8ks, while Year______3rd as HC / 5th overall the Vikings’ four freshmen women run their first-ever collegiate 6ks. Assistant Coach______Josh Seitz_ Year______4th_ “It’ll be interesting,” Hepburn said of how the young Vikings will handle the longer distances. Assistant Coach______Griffin Humphreys_ “[Our guys] had some success there with the 6k [at the Viking Rust Buster]. But add the extra Year______3rd 2k on there and we’ll see where everybody’s at. Our young guys looked really good coming Volunteer Asst. Coach______Colleen Quigley_ through the finish line at 6k at the Rust Buster, so I think they’re going to be just fine as long as Year______3rd they stay within themselves and put themselves where they need to be. Volunteer Asst. Coach______Stephanie Ross Year______1st “Ladies might be a little different, from 4 to 6k, because they were falling off a little harder at the end of the race. They were up higher in the standings and were falling off a little harder.” SOCIAL MEDIA The Vikings’ returners will have to step up in case any of the freshmen fall back. Hepburn said Hunter Storm and Delaney White already showed that capability at the Viking Rust Buster, as /psuviksTF & /psuviks they went 1-2 for the Viking women. Phoebe Brown also showed well with a third-place finish in the Vikings’ lineup – her highest finish ever with the ‘A’ team – while Phoebe Jacques will benefit @psuviksTF & @psuviks from a longer distance, considering her 10k training during the outdoor track season.

Those four returners along with Zoe Eberspecher also ran the Cougar Classic last year, when @psuviksTF & @psuviks the Viking women upset regionally-ranked Washington State and Idaho to win the meet. The Vikings had never won a meet hosted by a Pac-12 school before, and the win catapulted the /goviks Vikings into the USTFCCCA West Region rankings the following week.

Four Viking women placed in the top ten of the Cougar Classic last season, including Storm and

2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country 1 MEET NOTES COACH HEPBURN BIO 2019 MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER David Hepburn was Name Year Hometown Previous School promoted to head coach Jacob Emeterio R-Jr. Arroyo Grande, Calif. Arroyo Grande HS of the Portland State Matthew Frazeur Fr. Sublimity, Ore. Stayton HS cross country and track & Zach Grams Fr. Port Orchard, Wash. South Kitsap HS field programs in August Brandon Hippe Fr. Monument, Colo. Palmer Ridge HS of 2017, after spending Liam Jemison R-Jr. Portland, Ore. Grant HS that past two seasons Cody Jones R-So. Greeley, Colo. Frontier Academy HS as the Vikings’ assistant Jordan Lawrence So. Elk Grove, Calif. Franklin HS coach in charge of field Sam Lingwall Fr. Enumclaw, Wash. Enumclaw HS events and recruiting co- Chase Lovercheck So. Lagrange, Wyo. Southeast HS ordinator. Suleiman Noor Fr. Beaverton, Ore. Aloha HS An expert multi-events coach, Hep- Max Norman So. Forest Grove, Ore. Forest Grove HS burn oversaw the development of Viking Clinton Omondi Sr. Coos Bay, Ore. SW Oregon CC mutli-eventers Donté Robinson and Kristen Matt Palmer So. Phoenix, Ariz. North Canyon HS O’Handley. Robinson finished his Viking career Will Payton Jr. McMinnville, Ore. McMinnville HS as a three-time Big Sky champion in the multi- Evan Peters Fr. Greenacres, Wash. Central Valley HS events, winning the 2018 and 2019 indoor Jason Rae Sr. Portland, Ore. Colorado School of Mines heptathlon titles, as well as the 2018 outdoor Luke Ramirez So. Central Point, Ore. South Medford HS decathlon title. Robinson became only the sec- Jack Rubalcave Jr. Rifle, Colo. Rifle HS ond Big Sky athlete to repeat as conference Drew Seidel So. Wheat Ridge, Colo. Wheat Ridge HS heptathlon champion, joining fellow Viking Kelly Shedd Fr. Eugene, Ore. Sheldon HS Nick Trubachik, who won back-to-back titles Josh Snyder So. Bandon, Ore. Bandon HS in 2009 and 2010. Andy Solano Jr. Portland, Ore. Reynolds HS Hepburn has also led five Vikings to the Erik Solano Jr. Portland, Ore. Reynolds HS NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in his head Andrew Stafford R-Jr. Los Osos, Calif. Morro Bay HS coaching tenure. Sarah Medved became the Mitchell Tolander R-Fr. Eau Claire, Wis. Wayzata HS Vikings’ first-ever qualifier in the steeplechase Garrett Vasta Fr. Riverside, Calif. Martin Luther King HS in 2018, and then repeated the feat as a fifth- Ian Vickstrom So. Corvallis, Ore. Corvallis HS year senior in 2019. Medved also repeated as Zac Witman Fr. Fort Collins, Colo. Loveland HS the Big Sky champion in the steeplechase in 2019, a year after becoming the Vikings’ first- 2019 WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER ever conference champion in the event. Name Year Hometown Previous School Kaila Gibson joined Medved at the 2019 Zoe Andersen Fr. Portland, Ore. Wilson HS NCAA West Prelims after she qualified in the Phoebe Brown So. Tillamook, Ore. Tillamook HS women’s 10,000 meters. Gibson qualified after Sammy Burke So. Wanaka, New Zealand Mount Aspiring College running the 10k in 34:12.51 at the Stanford Lina Corrales R-Fr. Castle Rock, Colo. Douglas County HS Invitational, a time that marked a 70-second Zoe Eberspecher So. Bozeman, Mont. Bozeman HS personal best for Gibson and moved her up Saville Feist Fr. Anacortes, Wash. Anacortes HS third all time in the outdoor 10k at Portland Phoebe Jacques So. Bozeman, Mont. Bozeman HS State. Sophie Jones Fr. San Diego, Calif. Mt. Carmel HS Hepburn led the Vikings to their best cross Carissa Rodriguez Fr. Fillmore, Calif. Fillmore HS country season in program history in the fall Monica Salazar So. Hillsboro, Ore. Century HS of 2018, his second year at the helm of the Cayla Seligman Sr. Issaquah, Wash. Colorado program. The Viking women tied their high- Hunter Storm So. Enumclaw, Wash. Enumclaw HS est team finish ever at the Big Sky meet with Hannah Tomeo Jr. Spokane, Wash. Mead Senior HS a fifth-place finish, after being picked to -fin Kristen Walker So. Valencia, Calif. Valencia HS ish in a tie for ninth. Additionally, the Vikings’ Nevaeh Walla Fr. Fillmore, Calif. Moorpark HS fifth-place finish came in the 11-team Big Sky Delaney White Jr. Santa Rosa, Calif. Nevada Conference, making it the Vikings’ best finish Keely Wolf Fr. Fairfield, Idaho Gooding HS ever within the conference relative to the size of the field. The Viking women followed it up MEET NOTES with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA West Re- gional, their highest finish at the meet since Jacques, who finished seventh and 10th, respectively. The Vikings’ two lead runners – Sarah they placed 11th in 2002. Medved and Kaila Gibson, who placed second and fourth, respectively – won’t be back after ex- The Viking men, meanwhile, recorded hausting their eligibility last season. Replacing those two, who also placed in the top 10 together their second-best finish ever at the Big Sky at the Big Sky meet and the top 40 at the NCAA West Regional, remains a work-in-progress for meet relative to the size of the conference, as the Viking women. they placed eighth out of 11 teams after being picked to finish dead last before the season. “On the ladies side, it’s tough to replace Kaila and Sarah, but Hunter and Dee stepped up and The men also recorded their best finish at the ran really well [at Rust Buster],” Hepburn said. “They kind of kept us in that same range as we NCAA West Regional meet since 2003 with a were last year, which is great. It’s fantastic to start pretty close to where we were last year with 21st-place finish. losing those two [Kaila and Sarah]. The freshmen girls kind of shored that up and tightened the gap.”

In contrast, 8 of the 12 runners that ran for the Viking men at last season’s Cougar Classic will be back this season. Drew Seidel, who led the Viking men at the meet last season, will make his season debut at the Cougar Classic after missing the Viking Rust Buster with an illness. Josh Snyder also returns to the Vikings’ lineup after missing the Rust Buster, while Brandon Hippe, Zac Witman and Evan Peters will make their debuts in a PSU singlet as freshmen. Max Norman, who led the Vikings at the Rust Buster last week, did not run the Cougar Classic last season but will make his debut at the meet Friday.

2 2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country MEET NOTES

COACH SEITZ BIO Those extra runners could make for a dramatic jump up the standings for the Viking men, who Josh Seitz joined placed eighth out of nine teams last season. the Portland State cross country and track & field The Viking men already showed improvement at the Viking Rust Buster, where six different programs as an assistant Viking men’s runners set personal bests in the 6k, while another four entered the top 10 of the coach in charge of dis- Portland State record books at the distance. tance events at the start of Jan. 2017. “We got better across the board on the guys side,” Hepburn said in comparing the men’s team’s Seitz has led a resur- performance from last season’s Rust Buster to this one. “I think from last year’s top five to this gence in the Viking dis- year’s top five, we were like 30 seconds better on average across the board. You do the math on tance programs, as the that and obviously we’re going in the right direction.” program increasingly focuses on the distance events. Four Viking Norman led the Vikings while moving up to third all time in the 6k with a time of 18:56.0. Jason distance runners have qualified for the NCAA Rae moved up to fifth all time with his finish in 19:07.6, 95 seconds better than his time at last West Preliminary Rounds during Seitz’s tenure. season’s Viking Rust Buster. Luke Ramirez and Jacob Emeterio also entered the top 10 at seventh Sarah Medved became the Vikings’ first- and ninth, respectively, with their finishes in 19:25.2 and 19:35.2. ever qualifier in the steeplechase in 2018, and then repeated the feat as a fifth-year senior The biggest improvement came in the men’s team’s bunching. The Vikings’ entire top seven in 2019. Medved also repeated as the Big Sky placed within 48 seconds of each other, close to half the team’s spread from last season’s Rust champion in the steeplechase in 2019, a year Buster, when their first and seventh finishers were separated by close to 85 seconds. after becoming the Vikings’ first-ever confer- ence champion in the event. Tighter bunching is something Hepburn will be checking for at every meet this season, but Kaila Gibson joined Medved at the 2019 especially at the NCAA West Regional, when the Vikings will be racing against more than 200 NCAA West Prelims after she qualified in the other runners. The size of the regional is something that not every runner will be used to, but women’s 10,000 meters. Gibson qualified after especially the Viking freshmen. running the 10k in 34:12.51 at the Stanford Invitational, a time that marked a 70-second But that’s where Hepburn says getting a race at the regional course under his teams’ belt, like personal best for Gibson and moved her up what they’ll get at the Cougar Classic, will make all the difference. third all time in the outdoor 10k at Portland State. “There’s less factors then,” Hepburn said. “You go up there green, and you don’t know the Alex Cisneros joined Medved at the NCAA course, and the size of that race is going to be overwhelming for our newer athletes. At least West Prelims in 2018, becoming the Vikings’ when we go up there Friday, we’re taking away the newness of the course when they race again first-ever qualifier in the men’s 10,000 meters in November, and so that’s really what [the Cougar Classic] is for. Going up there and seeing the that season. course so we’re taking away one of those awe factors.” Seitz also helped lead the Vikings to their best cross country season in program history It’s the out pitch, after all, and if the Vikings handle it well Friday, then they have a better chance in 2018, his second year with the Viking cross of hitting it out of the park in November. country teams. The Viking women tied their highest team finish ever at the Big Sky meet HISTORY AT COUGAR CLASSIC with a fifth-place finish, after being picked to The Vikings made their first appearance at the Cougar Classic last season, when the Viking wom- finish in a tie for ninth. Additionally, the Vi- en won the meet, upsetting regionally-ranked Washington State and Idaho. The women won kings’ fifth-place finish came in the 11-team the meet with 34 points, 10 points better than host Washington State and 19 points ahead of Big Sky Conference, making it the Vikings’ Idaho. Four different Vikings placed in the top 10 of the women’s 6k in Sarah Medved (2nd), best finish ever within the conference rela- Kaila Gibson (4th), Hunter Storm (7th) and Phoebe Jacques (10th). Medved finished in 21:01 to tive to the size of the field. The Viking women lead the Vikings, her best 6k time until she broke the school record at the distance with a time followed it up with a 15th-place finish at the of 20:48.1 at the NCAA West Regional. NCAA West Regional, their highest finish at the meet since they placed 11th in 2002. The Viking men, meanwhile, placed eighth out of nine teams with 186 points at the meet last Seniors Kaila Gibson and Sarah Medved season. Drew Seidel placed as the Vikings’ top runner at the meet while placing 34th overall in led the Viking women to their historic perfor- 25:37. mances throughout the year, as they traded off going first and second all season. Medved LOOKING AHEAD and Gibson became the first Viking teammates The Vikings have three weeks off before their next race, which will come at the Charles Bowles – male or female – to place in the top 40 to- Invitational, hosted by Willamette University, on Oct. 5. The Viking men will open the meet with gether at the NCAA West Regional, just under an 8k at 9:30 a.m., while the women follow with a 5k at 10:20 a.m. Both races will take place at two weeks after they became the first Viking McCulloch Stadium and Bush Park in Salem, Ore. teammates to place in the top 10 together at the Big Sky Conference meet. The Vikings had never had two runners place in the top 50 of the NCAA West Regional before Medved and Gibson, let alone the top 40. The Viking men, meanwhile, recorded their second-best finish ever at the Big Sky meet relative to the size of the conference, as they placed eighth out of 11 teams after being picked to finish dead last before the season. The men also recorded their best finish at the NCAA West Regional meet since 2003 with a 21st-place finish.

2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country 3 WOMEN’S TEAM RESULTS

Date Meet (Distance) Location (Course) Finish (out of) - Pts Top PSU Runner (out of) Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) Fairview, Ore. (Blue Lake Park) 2nd (7) - 66 points 12. Hunter Storm, 14:24.4 (83)

WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

ZOE ANDERSEN Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 6th/26th 14:56.0

PHOEBE BROWN Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 3rd/22nd 14:48.6

ZOE EBERSPECHER Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 7th/48th 15:46.3

SAVILLE FEIST Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 4th/23rd 14:48.8

PHOEBE JACQUES Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 5th/25th 14:52.6

CARISSA RODRIGUEZ Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 10th/59th 16:14.9

MONICA SALAZAR Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 8th/53rd 15:59.6

HUNTER STORM Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 1st/12th 14:24.4

HANNAH TOMEO Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 11th/69th 17:11.7

KRISTEN WALKER Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 9th/58th 16:12.1

DELANEY WHITE Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (4k) 2nd/18th 14:42.2

4 2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country MEN’S TEAM RESULTS

Date Meet (Distance) Location (Course) Finish (out of) - Pts Top PSU Runner (out of) Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) Fairview, Ore. (Blue Lake Park) 2nd (4) - 49 points 9. Max Norman, 18:56.0 (57)

MEN’S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

JACOB EMETERIO Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 4th/22nd 19:35.2

LIAM JEMISON Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 8th/36th 20:24.5

CODY JONES Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 6th/27th 19:40.3

CHASE LOVERCHECK Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 9th/39th 20:34.8

MAX NORMAN Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 1st/9th 18:56.0

JASON RAE Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 2nd/11th 19:07.6

LUKE RAMIREZ Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 3rd/19th 19:25.2

ANDY SOLANO Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 5th/23rd 19:35.8

ERIK SOLANO Date Meet (Distance) PSU/Overall Time Sept. 7 Viking Rust Buster (6k) 7th/28th 19:44.0

2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country 5 MEET-BY-MEET RESULTS VIKING ‘RUST-BUSTER’ Fairview, Ore. | Blue Lake Park | Sept. 7 Women’s Individual Top 10 (4,000 meters, 83 Runners) 1. Haley Wolf Oregon State 13:32.3 2. Lexi Reed Oregon State 13:39.2 3. Gabby Peterson Oregon State 13:45.2 4. Audrey Lookner Oregon State 13:48.3 5. Meagen Lowe Oregon State 14:03.6 6. Grace Fetherstonhaugh Oregon State 14:11.1 7. Grace Perkins Portland 14:13.5 8. Kaila Gibson Unattached 14:19.8 9. Libby Rinck Oregon State 14:22.1 10. Liv Downing Oregon State 14:22.6

Women’s Team Scores 1. Oregon State 15 points 2. Portland State 66 points 3. Portland 69 points 4. UNLV 104 points 5. Pacific (Ore.) 143 points 6. Puget Sound 183 points 7. Green River College 199 points

Portland State Runners 12. Hunter Storm 14:24.4 18. Delaney White 14:42.2 22. Phoebe Brown 14:48.6 23. Saville Feist 14:48.8 25. Phoebe Jacques 14:52.6 26. Zoe Andersen 14:56.0 48. Zoe Eberspecher 15:46.3 53. Monica Salazar 15:59.6 58. Kristen Walker 16:12.1 59. Carissa Rodriguez 16:14.9 69. Hannah Tomeo 17:11.7

Men’s Individual Top 10 (6,000 Meters, 57 runners) 1. Reuben Kiprono Portland 18:11.9 2. Gilbert Grundy Jacuzzi Boys Athletic Club 18:14.6 3. Daniel Ragsdale Bruinrunners 18:22.3 4. Colin Monaghan Puget Sound 18:28.2 5. Cole Shugart Portland 18:34.8 6. Brandon Hippe Unattached 18:48.3 7. Thomas Salas Portland 18:52.4 8. Henry Hayes Portland 18:54.7 9. Max Norman Portland State 18:56.0 10. John Kavulich Portland 19:00.1

Men's Team Scores 1. Portland 20 points 2. Portland State 49 points 3. Puget Sound 80 points 4. Green River College 103 points

Portland State Runners 9. Max Norman 18:56.0 11. Jason Rae 19:07.6 19. Luke Ramirez 19:25.2 22. Jacob Emeterio 19:35.2 23. Andy Solano 19:35.8 27. Cody Jones 19:40.3 28. Erik Solano 19:44.0 36. Nigel Leonis 20:24.5 39. Chase Lovercheck 20:34.8 40. Liam Jemison 20:38.5

6 2019 Portland State Vikings Cross Country