June 21, 2012

Status of Entries

Full Trials Schedule

STANFORD, Calif. -- The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials are set to begin from historic Hayward field on Thursday, June 21, with the hammer throw. The main competition begins Friday and Stanford will be represented by several current athletes, recent graduates and alumni.

The entry status for each athlete is not yet fully confirmed in every event. Each event has the entries accepted individually, so some of the Cardinal athletes are still waiting on provisional marks and if they will be accepted.

The Cardinal men will be represented solely in the distances led by 2012 graduate Chris Derrick. The Naperville, Ill. native already has the Olympic `A' Standard in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He is set to compete Friday in the 10,000 where he enters the race with the fifth-fastest entry time of 27:31.38.

Derrick is also accepted to run in the 5,000 meters, but that will likely depend on how the 10,000 turns out. His entry time is 13:19.58 and would be the sixth fastest if he runs.

Fellow recent graduate, Jacob Riley ('12) is also entered in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Like Derrick he will run the 10,000 and then decide on the 5k later. Riley has an entry time of 28:12.88 and was a three-time All-American in the event.

Stanford's top hopes in the 5,000 meters are Elliott Heath ('11) and Ian Dobson ('05). Heath enters with a time of 13:26.14 and will be a threat to make the team. He had an abbreviated indoor season with an injury, but appears to be back on form this summer. Dobson was a '08 Olympian in the event and enters the trials with a time of 13:30.70. He has the experience at the top levels to fight his way onto a second Olympic team.

The 1,500 meters will also see a pair of graduates that have strong Olympic hopes. Russell Brown ('08) already as the `A' Standard with an entry time of 3:34.11. The time is the third-fastest in the field in what should be an extremely competitive event. Garrett Heath ('09) is also a strong contender with an entry time of 3:36.24 heath has been in fine form in the weeks leading up to the meet.

Finally, JT Sullivan ('11) will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase where he is a former All-American. His entry time of 8:37.74 is provisional, but should get him on the starting line.

The women will also be well-represented in the distances, but will have athletes in sprinting and field events as well.

2008 Olympian Erica McLain ('08) leads a group of jumpers that also includes Brittni Dixon-Smith ('11), Karynn Dunn ('13) and Whitney Liehr ('11). McLain will be looking to make her second Olympics in the triple jump. She has a personal best of 47-0 ¼ from before her ankle injury, but is entered at 45-9 ¾ from this season.

Liehr is also in the triple jump although her mark of 44-1 ¼ is pending.

Dixon-Smith and Dunn are both pending in the long jump. Dunn leaped 21-6 earlier this season, while Dixon-Smith has an entry mark of 21-3 ½.

Also in the field is Jillian Camarena-Williams ('04) who is the favorite in the shot put. She has the nation's top mark of 65-3 ¼ and not only is a favorite to advance to London, but is a strong medal contender.

Finally in the field, 2012 breakout star Brianna Bain ('15) is entered in the javelin. The Pac-12 champ and NCAA runner-up has a pending mark of 180-2.

On the track, Stanford will have a pair in the 5,000 meters led by Lauren Fleshman ('03) who has the second-fastest entry time at 15:00.57. The former NCAA champion at Stanford has battled injury all season and will be competing despite not being able to run more than a couple days a week.

In addition, Kathy Kroeger ('13) will run her first trials the summer before her senior year. She is entered at 15:33.76, which she ran at the Payton Jordan Invitational this spring to earn the trials standard.

Also in the distances are Sara Hall ('05) who will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Lauren Centrowitz ('09) who is qualified in the 1,500 meters. Hall's time of 9:39.48 is the third fastest in the competition as she looks to join her husband Ryan Hall in London. Ryan already qualified in the men's marathon. Centrowitz has a time of 4:11.97, which puts her in the race, although she has yet to declare.

Rounding out the squad on the track is Kori Carter (`14). Carter will run the 100-meter hurdles, where she is entered with her Stanford record time of 12.99.

The U.S. Trials are not the only place to find Stanford Olympic hopefuls. Arantxa King ('11) earned her spot on the Bermuda team on Wednesday, just as she did in 2008. King has a season best in the long jump of 21-4, but was accepted by the IAAF as the female entrant from Bermuda.

Katerina Stefanidi has already more or less punched her ticket to London after clearing a personal best of 14-9 ½ this week at a meet in Livermore. The mark is converted to 4.51 meters, which is over the Olympic `A' Standard of 4.50. Stefanidi becomes the second Greek athlete with the `A' Standard in the pole vault and both are nearly assured of a spot on the Olympic team for Greece.

Another NCAA Champion from this past season is Amaechi Morton ('12) who is competing in the Nigerian trials this week and will almost assuredly be named to the team as the only athlete in his country to have the Olympic `A' Standard in the 400-meter hurdles. Morton ran 48.79 to win the NCAA title, which is the sixth-fastest time in the World, making Morton not only a hope to make the Olympics, but a medal contender once he arrives.

In addition to all of the athletes competing in Eugene over the next two weeks, Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field Edrick Floreal will be on hand as the U.S. Olympic coach in the men's jumps.

Potential Stanford Athletes at the Olympic Trials

Friday, June 22
5:40 p.m. - Kori Carter (100-meter hurdles first round)
6:45 p.m. - Chris Derrick (10,000 meters final)

Saturday, June 23
3:15 p.m. - Kori Carter (100-meter hurdles semifinals)*
3:20 p.m. - Erica McLain and Whitney Liehr (triple jump qualifying)
5:45 p.m. - Kori Carter (100-meter hurdles final)*

Monday, June 25
4:50 p.m. - Sara Hall (3,000-meter steeplechase qualifying)
5:25 p.m. - JT Sullivan (3,000-meter steeplechase qualifying)
5:45 p.m. - Erica McLain and Whitney Liehr (triple jump final)*
6:05 p.m. - Lauren Fleshman and Kathy Kroeger (5,000 meters qualifying)
7:00 p.m. - Elliott Heath, Ian Dobson, Chris Derrick and Jake Riley (5,000 meters qualifying)

Thursday, June 28
3:50 p.m. - Lauren Centrowitz (1,500 meters qualifying)
4:20 p.m. - Russell Brown and Garrett Heath (1,500 meters qualifying)
5:40 p.m. - Jillian Camarena-Williams (shot put qualifying)
6:30 p.m. - JT Sullivan (3,000-meter steeplechase final)*
7:15 p.m. - Lauren Fleshman and Kathy Kroeger (5,000 meters final)*
7:38 p.m. - Elliott Heath, Ian Dobson, Chris Derrick and Jake Riley (5,000 meters final)*

Friday, June 29
2:30 p.m. - Brianna Bain (javelin qualifying)
3:30 p.m. - Jillian Camarena-Williams (shot put final)*
3:30 p.m. - Brittni Dixon-Smith and Karynn Dunn (long jump qualifying)
3:45 p.m. - Lauren Centrowitz (1,500 meters semifinals)*
4:25 p.m. - Russell Brown and Garrett Heath (1,500 meters semifinals)*
4:45 p.m. - Sara Hall (3,000-meter steeplechase final)*

Sunday, July 1
2:45 p.m. - Brianna Bain (javelin final)*
3:00 p.m. - Brittni Dixon-Smith and Karynn Dunn (long jump final)*
4:23 p.m. - Lauren Centrowitz (1,500 meters final)*
4:37 p.m. - Russell Brown and Garrett Heath (1,500 meters final)*

* denotes athlete(s) would have to qualify through to this round