BOULDER – The University of Colorado will have a huge presence at the 2008 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Ore.
Seniors-to-be Jenny Barringer and Jeremy Dodson will run in CU uniforms and will join a huge contingent of former CU standouts which include recently graduated teammates Brent Vaughn, Stephen Pifer and Billy Nelson.
Barringer currently ranks second in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. She ran a mark of 9 minutes, 29.20 seconds, the fastest time of the year by an American woman.
Last season Barringer won the 2007 U.S.A. Track & Field Championship in the steeplechase, which earned her a spot on the U.S. World team. She ran in the prelims at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan and at the DecaNation Championship in Paris.
The prelims for the steeplechase are set for 7:40 p.m. (PST) on June 30. The finals will take place on July 3 at 9:45 p.m. and will be televised live on USA Network.
Dodson is currently tied for 14th in the 200-meter dash and will automatically qualify for the first round of the 200m on July 4 at 6:50 p.m. (PST). The quarter and semi finals will take place on July 5 and the finals are on July 6. His mark of 20.37 is the CU school record, which he set at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships last May.
Currently CU Throws Coach Casey Malone will also compete at the trials in the discus. Malone ranks seventh in the country. He was a member of the U.S. team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and took sixth overall. This will be Malone’s fourth U.S. Trials. He also competed in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
Recent Buffalo graduates Brent Vaughn, Billy Nelson and Stephen Pifer will also compete at the Trials. Vaughn, who recently signed a contract with Nike, will compete in the 5,000-meter run. He owns the second fastest time in the country this season and ranks sixth overall. Vaughn took third at the NCAA Outdoor Championship and owns a CU record of 13:18.46.
Nelson has the eighth fastest time in the country. He was the runner-up at the NCAA Championship. Pifer looks to compete in the 1,500 and the 5,000-meter run. His marks are 31st overall in the 1500 and 28th in the 5k.
No matter what happens at the Trials, CU will have at least one representative in Beijing. Dathan Ritzenhein has already qualified in the marathon after he placed second at the U.S. Men’s Marathon Olympic Trials. He finished the course in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 7 seconds.
Of the former athletes competing at the Trials, 10 rank in the top 10. Steve Slattery owns the best time in the steeplechase and Kara Goucher ranks third in the 5k and 10k.
Declarations for each event have to be made 48 hours prior to each event. The size of the field for each event ranges from 18-34. Selected events at the championship will be televised live on the USA Network and NBC at the end of each day.
The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing commence on August 8 and run through August 24.
- colorado track & field -
Courtesy: CUBuffs.com
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