PORTLAND, Ore. —
Chase Lovercheck, Tom Richardson and Josh Snyder didn't want the season to be over. All three Portland State track & field runners wanted to continue their season, so Viking coaches entered them in Thursday's Stumptown Twilight.It's fair to say their enthusiasm was rewarded.
Richardson and Snyder both set personal bests of close to 45 seconds or more in the 5k, while Lovercheck set a seasonal best in the 800 meters by more than a second and a half.
Lovercheck opened the day for the Vikings at Lewis & Clark's Eldon Fix Track, running the 800 in 1:51.93. The time marked Lovercheck's second seasonal best at Eldon Fix Track in a span of five days, as he also ran the 800 at the Portland Track Festival last Saturday, when he finished in 1:53.51.
Lovercheck's time Thursday marked his second-best time ever as a Viking, trailing only the 1:50.92 he ran as a freshman in the finals of the 2019 Big Sky outdoor meet. Lovercheck had been trying to get back in that arena this season, but faced a delayed start that put him behind schedule. Lovercheck didn't debut until the Lewis & Clark Invite on April 17, when he finished in 1:57.05. Lovercheck shaved chunks of time off that opening mark in the following weeks, culminating in his seasonal best Thursday.
Snyder followed Lovercheck on the track and continued his own strong season with a personal best in the 5k. Snyder finished in 14:47.21 Thursday, shaving just under 45 seconds off the personal best he set as a freshman, when he finished in 15:31.98 at the L&C Spring Break Open.
Snyder was coming off his NCAA postseason debut, as he competed in the steeplechase at the NCAA West Prelims last Saturday. Snyder qualified for the NCAA postseason after twice setting the school record in the event this season, topping out at 8:56.64 at the Oregon Relays on April 23.
Snyder also set a personal best in the 1,500 meters this season, finishing in 3:52.98 at the OSU High Performance Meet on April 30.
Richardson capped the night for the Vikings with what was perhaps the best performance of the three. Richardson placed seventh in his section of the high performance 5k, finishing in 14:16.28 – a 48-second improvement over his time at elevation at the Big Sky outdoor meet on May 15.
Richardson, who was running in his final collegiate race Thursday, moved into sixth place all-time in the 5k at Portland State with his time at the Stumptown Twilight. Richardson slotted in between teammates Keynan Abdi and Ian Vickstrom, both of whom set their top 10 marks this season.
Richardson also entered the all-time top 10s at Portland State in the 1,500 meters and steeplechase this season, leaving him ranked in three different events as he exits his Viking career. Richardson moved up to third all-time in the steeplechase with his finish in 9:14.30 at the Hayward Premiere on April 2. The sixth-year senior then moved up to fourth all-time in the 1,500 meters after finishing in 3:48.39 at the Oregon Twilight on May 7. Richardson's finish in the 1,500 meters at the Oregon Twilight marked the fastest time by a Viking in the event since Jeremy Park set the school record at 3:45.89 in 2001.
The Vikings will return to competition in the fall with what will be their first regularly-scheduled cross country season since before the pandemic in 2019.
Stumptown Twilight
Eldon Fix Track
Portland, Ore.
June 3, 2021
Men's Results:
800m (Heat 3): 9. Chase Lovercheck, 1:51.93. 5,000m (Open): 17. Josh Snyder, 14:47.21. 5,000m (High Performance): 17. Tom Richardson, 14:16.28.
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June 04, 2021 at 10:56AM
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Richardson Enters All-Time Top 10 in 5k while Lovercheck, Snyder Set Seasonal and Personal Bests at Stumptown Twilight - Portland State Vikings
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