July 06, 2008
EUGENE, Oregon- Erica Bartolina, who competed at Texas A&M and set school records in the pole vault as Boren, finished third in the Olympic Trials vault competition with a clearance of 14-11 (4.55) to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in Beijing, China, in August.
Clearing the 14-11 bar on her third attempt at the height secured the bronze medal for Bartolina, who also needed three attempts at 14-7.25 (4.45). The three finishers behind Bartolina each cleared 14-9 (4.50), a height Bartolina had passed.
"This is the meet I was the least nervous for,” stated Bartolina. “I figured I would either really screw it up or I would make it. I just kept fighting.
“I PR'd twice. The first one I got the Olympic "A" standard, the second one, I made the team. Four years ago I PR'd by a foot and I hadn't since then, until today."
Bartolina, who had a personal best of 14-5.25 (4.40) from 2004, finished with three attempts at 15-1 (4.60). Her best this season prior to the Olympic Trials was 14-3.25 (4.35) from the Harry Jerome meet in Burnaby, Canada, on June 21. Bartolina lettered four years at Texas A&M from 1999-2002.
Jennifer Stuczynski improved her American record to 16-1.75 (4.92) for the gold medal while April Steiner Bennett claimed silver with a mark of 15-1 (4.60).
It’s Bartolina’s first Olympic team and she is the first Aggie female to qualify for an Olympic team in track and field since Linda Waltman qualified in the pentathlon for the 1980 Games that were eventually boycotted by the United States. Stacy Sokora, an A&M track and field athlete, was a member of the U.S. volleyball team for the Olympics held in 2000 and 2004.
The most recent Texas A&M athlete to be part of the United States track and field team came in 2000 when Floyd Heard qualified in the 200 meters and Danny McCray was an alternate on the 4 x 400 relay. In 2004 Chris Pinnock was a member of the Jamaican Olympic team in the 110 hurdles.
Muna Lee added the 200 meters to her schedule for the Olympic Games as she placed second in Sunday’s final with a clocking of 21.99 seconds at Hayward Field.
Allyson Felix, who was fifth in the 100 meter final that Lee won on the previous weekend, claimed the 200 title in 21.82 seconds aided by a 5.6 meter per second wind.
Lee, a Texas A&M volunteer assistant coach, advanced to the finals with a pair of runner-up finishes and a third place in the qualifying rounds. In the semifinals she ran 22.33 behind a 22.22 from Allyson Felix. A 22.84 in the quarterfinals placed Lee third, following an opening round of 23.27 that was second to a 22.87 from Marshevet Hooker.
Hooker, a former Longhorn, dove at the finish line in the final to secure third place in 22.20 as Lauryn Williams placed fourth in 22.21.
Aries Merritt, another Texas A&M volunteer assistant coach, competed in the finals of the 110 hurdles on Sunday and finished fourth. His time of 13.27 was just clipped by the 13.25 run by David Payne in third place. David Oliver won the race in a windy 12.95.
Two Aggie sprinters, Chris Dykes and Porscha Lucas, advanced to the semifinals of the 200 meters during the Olympics Trials.
Dykes placed eighth in the first heat of the 200 semifinals, running a windy 20.97.
In reaching the semifinals Dykes ran 20.99 in the opening round and then had a 20.85 in the quarterfinals.
Lucas ran in the fifth and final heat of the opening round of the 200 and ran 23.20 for third in the heat, finishing behind Shalonda Solomon (22.51) and Torri Edwards (22.87). In the quarterfinals, Lucas placed fourth in her heat with a 23.33. Running in lane one of the first semifinal, Lucas finished eighth with a 23.44.
A&M hurdler Jennifer Williams ran in two rounds of the 100 hurdles. She clocked 13.55 for sixth place in her opening round head. Then a 13.57 in the quarterfinals placed her sixth again.
CAC Championships
In the long jump of the Central American and Caribbean Championships, being held in Cali, Colombia, A&M freshman Julian Reid placed fourth with a mark of 25-5.5 (7.76). Cuba’s Wilfredo Martinez won the event with a leap of 27-3.25 (8.31).
In the 200-meter final Aggie sprinter Allison George placed fourth with a time of 23.15. The race was won by Debbie Ferguson of Bahamas in 22.78. During the 200 heats, George advanced to the final with a 23.48 clocking for fourth in her heat.
George finished seventh in the final with a time of 11.53. Earlier in the meet, George was a heat winner with a hand-time of 11.2 over Cuba’s Virgen Benavides and Aleen Bailey of Jamaica, who shared the same time of 11.2.
Nigeria Olympic Trials
A&M school record holder Kasey Onwuchekwa placed second in the shot put at the Nigerian Olympic Trials, reaching a mark of 54-4.5 (16.57). She finished behind Vivian Chukuemeka, who won the event with a distance of 58-8.75 (17.90).
So far the Nigeria squad named to the Olympics includes primarily the winners who have met the Olympic qualifying standards.
Canada Olympic Trials
Running at the Canadian Olympic Trials, Aggie senior Richard Adu-Bobie placed sixth in the 100, running 10.43 seconds. Pierre Brown won the race in 10.19.
In the 200 meters, Adu-Bobie placed seventh in the final with a time of 21.26. Earlier in the day Adu-Bobie won his heat of the 200 with a windy 21.30.