Seven with Wolverine Ties to Compete in Olympic Qualifying
6/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
June 24, 2016
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With the NCAA season complete, seven current or former University of Michigan women's track and field athletes will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over the next several weeks, representing three countries: the United States, Great Britain and Canada.
THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS (June 24-26 -- Birmingham, England)
The Ofili/Porter clan is taking the U.K. by storm this weekend, with both Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (2006-09) and recent U-M standout Cindy Ofili competing in the 100-meter hurdles event. Both women will run in first-round heats on Saturday (June 25) at 8:35 a.m. EDT with finals beginning about two hours later at 10:30 a.m. in Alexander Stadium, where Porter and Ofili went one-two to take gold and silver medals at the 2015 British Championships.
More than 600 athletes will descend on Birmingham this weekend as they compete for the prestigious honor of representing British athletics. The top two athletes in each event who have already met the Olympic standard (13.00 seconds) will represent team Great Britain in Rio.
• FOLLOW ALONG: British Championships Central
U.S. TRACK AND FIELD OLYMPIC TRIALS (July 1-10 -- Eugene, Oregon)
A trio of former Wolverines are set to compete for the Red, White and Blue, next week, with Amanda Eccleston (2013) and recent Wolverine graduate Shannon Osika running at 1,500 meters and Geena Gall (2006-09) competing at 800 meters. The 800-meter semifinal will be run at 7:45 p.m. EDT on July 1, with the final scheduled for a 2:43 p.m. gun the following afternoon. At 1,500 meters, the preliminary round will be run Thursday (July 7) at 9:26 p.m. with the semifinal being run on Friday (July 8) at 5 p.m. and the final coming on Sunday (July 10) at 8 p.m.
The Olympic standards for these races, which have both been attained by Eccleston and Gall, are as follows: 800 meters, 2:01.50 and 1,500 meters, 4:07.00. Osika hit the U.S. Trials A standard with her PB run of 4:09.08 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday (June 25). Among American competitors who have already met the Olympic standard in their respective events, a top-three finish will guarantee a trip to Rio to represent the United States.
Senior/junior Erin Finn, who had met the Olympic standard at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters, recently suffered a metatarsal stress injury and will not be lacing up her spikes to compete next weekend.
"Unfortunately, Erin has a foot injury that will preclude her from competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials," said associate head coach Mike McGuire.
"Erin has worked hard for this opportunity and we are saddened that she won't be able to participate in Eugene. She is a resilient young lady and we know she will bounce back quickly and return to championship form."
• FOLLOW ALONG: U.S. Olympic Team Trials Home
CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND RIO SELECTION TRIALS (July 7-10 -- Edmonton, Alberta)
Current Wolverine Jaimie Phelan will parlay the momentum of her first individual All-America honor into a run at the Canadian Olympic Trials, competing with U-M Hall of Fame inductee and McGuire athlete Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes (2005-08). The duo is competing at 1,500 meters, with qualifying action scheduled for Thursday (July 7) at 4:30 p.m., semifinal action scheduled for Friday (July 8) at 9:30 p.m. and final races slated for a 10:05 p.m. gun on Saturday (July 9).
The qualifying standard of 4:07 has already been met by Sifuentes, while Phelan's PB of 4:15.61 was set at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month. The top two athletes in each event who have already met the Olympic standard, plus one athlete chosen at coaches' discretion, will advance to compete for Team Canada in Rio.
• FOLLOW ALONG: Canadian Championship Series Home
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
