For several NCAA athletes who wanted more from their outdoor season, the Portland Track Festival served as an opportunity for redemption. Here are 11 athletes who took advantage of the competition to run personal bests in their respective events this past weekend. 

Dani Jones

One day after finishing fifth in the NCAA 1500m final, Dani Jones threw down a two-second personal best at the Portland Track Festival. In the fastest 1500m heat of the day, in which world silver medalist Brenda Martinez won in 4:03, Jones followed in 4:08. The performance was an exciting breakthrough for the NCAA indoor champion who was disappointed in her finish at Hayward Field. 

Sam Prakel

After failing to make it out of the NCAA West Preliminary Round, Sam Prakel made his return to the track with a vengeance. The Oregon All-American finished second in the fastest heat of the 1500m with a new personal best of 3:37. Prakel hadn't run faster than 3:40 all season. 

Josh Thompson

After competing in his last NCAA outdoor final, Josh Thompson walked away wanting more. He finished fourth in the 1500m final to Josh Kerr, Justine Kiprotich, and Craig Engels but wanted to place higher. On Sunday in Portland, Thompson switched things up when he competed in the steeplechase. In just his second steeplechase of the year (the first being an 8:50 runner-up finish at Big 12s), Thompson unleashed an 18-second personal best in the high performance heat. 

Kaela Edwards

Kaela Edwards failed to make the 1500m final last weekend but returned in Portland to run a personal best in the 1500m. The NCAA indoor mile champion blasted a 4:11 performance against a star-studded field. Edwards hadn't run that fast since competing at the Millrose Games in February, when she ran 4:28 in the mile (4:11 1500m split).

Drew Piazza

Drew Piazza was leading with 200m remaining in the NCAA 800m final when UTEP teammates Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni swarmed him on the rail and the edge of lane one. After passing him, Saruni tripped and fell right in front of Piazza, disrupting the All-American's momentum in the final stretch of the race. Piazza ended up finishing sixth in the race. On Sunday, the Virginia Tech standout returned to the track with a mission. He won his heat of the 1500m in a new personal best of 3:40, a three-second improvement. 

Henry Wynne

Henry Wynne suffered from pneumonia while competing at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, which resulted in a disappointing performance in the 1500m and a DNF in the 5K. But the NCAA indoor mile champion returned to health and notched a season's best of 3:39 in the Portland 1500m. 

Sadi Henderson

She just missed making the final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, but Sadi Henderson turned the disappointment around when she ran a personal best of 2:02 to win her heat of the 800m in Portland.

Elena Burkard

She didn't make it out of the NCAA West Preliminary Round, but USF's Elena Burkard didn't let that setback stop her from running a two-second personal best in Portland. Burkard ran 4:13 to finish fourth in her heat, which improved upon her previous PR of 4:15 from the Cardinal Classic. 

Morgan McDonald

After dealing with injury and not making the NCAA preliminary meet, Morgan McDonald has been tearing up the track while competing unattached. He notched a 3:57 at the Festival of Miles two weeks ago and just recently threw down a 5K personal best of 13:23 in the 5K at the Portland Track Festival. 

Craig Nowak

After finishing a disappointing 12th in the NCAA 1500m final, Craig Nowak earned some redemption with a 3:39 personal best in his heat.  

Austin Tamagno

Freshman Duck Austin Tamagno didn't make it out of the NCAA West Preliminary Round, but he returned to notch a 3:40 1500m personal best in Portland.