A pair of Enumclaw High graduates continue making their mark in Portland State University athletic circles.
Sam Lingwall and Hunter Storm share several things in common: both starred for the EHS track and cross country teams during their Hornet years; both departed the Plateau and headed south to the City of Roses; and both have earned praise from their Viking coach.
Also, away from the demands of being a collegiate athlete, each has impressed in the classroom. While at Enumclaw High, both were recipients of the Clyde Patterson Scholar Athlete Award. At Portland State, Lingwall earned Academic All-Big Sky honors in 2020, the same award bestowed upon Storm in 2018 and 2019.
Josh Seitz, as assistant coach with the track and cross country programs at PSU, is high on both distance runners.
“Performance-wise, Sam made a huge jump this year,” Seitz wrote in an emailed, postseason summary. “After barely cracking into our top eight (the last spot) for our conference cross country meet this winter, he ended up being our fifth man.”
Holding the No. 5 spot is significant because that meant Lingwall was a scoring member of the highest-ranked Viking team in school history.
Lingwall capped that achievement my making “huge jumps” in both the 1,500 and 5K races, Seitz wrote, clocking best times of 3 minutes, 54 seconds and 14:52, respectively.
Here’s what the PSU athletic website says about Lingwall’s recent seasons.
2021 outdoor track: “Ran the 5k for the Vikings at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships (May 14-15), finishing 19th in a time of 15:16.78. Knocked another two seconds off his personal best in the 1,500 meters while finishing in 3:54.01 at the OSU High Performance Meet (April 30-May 1). Shaved four seconds off his personal best in the 1,500 meters while cracking four minutes for the first time with a time of 3:56.41 at the Lewis & Clark Invite (April 17). Finished as the Vikings’ top runner in the 5,000 meters at the NW Distance Jamboree (April 3), crossing the line in 14:52.12. Led a group of 11 Vikings in the 1,500 meters at the Lewis & Clark Spring Break Classic (March 20), setting a new personal best with a time of 4:00.28.”
2020-21 cross country: “Placed 39th overall as the Vikings’ fourth runner at the Big Sky Cross Country Winter Championships (Feb. 27), finishing in 25:55.8. Moved up to eighth all-time in 8,000-meter races at 4,000 feet or above.”
The coach noted that Storm had a “solid build-up” during the pandemic era, then performed well at the Big Sky Conference cross country meet, placing 23rd in the field.
She had run to a personal best in the 5K at the Hayward Premiere during the early part of the track season, but soon encountered health issues and was unable to finish the Vikings’ schedule.
Here’s what the Portland State website has to say about Storm.
2021 outdoor track: “Knocked four seconds off her personal best in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 17:41.20 at the Hayward Premiere (April 2).. Placed second in the 5,000 meters while shaving more than a full minute off her prep personal best in the event while finishing in 17:45.16 at the OSU PNW Team Clash (March 13).”
2020-21 cross country: “Placed 23rd overall as the Vikings’ second runner at the Big Sky Cross Country Winter Championships (Feb. 27), finishing in 18:24.9. Moved up to ninth all-time in 5,000-meter races at 4,000 feet or above with her time at the Big Sky meet.”
Seitz sees big things in Storm’s future. “She will likely be a major impact runner for us next cross country,” he wrote, “coming in with plenty of experience running well at the conference level.”
