GA&M athletes kick off Olympic quests at Trials
EUGENE, Oregon (June 27) - In action on the first day of the US Olympic Trials, Shalonda Solomon, Bianca Knight and Marshevet Hooker all advanced to the 100m semifinal on Saturday, with Hooker posting the fastest times of the day in both the first round and the quarterfinal (10.94 with a 2.2w and 10.76 with a 3.4w).
"I'm happy with it, but that wasn't the final," said Hooker, the 2005 NCAA Champion at 100m. "I proved that I made it through the first round, that's it." Knight ran a personal best 11.07 and Solomon 11.16 to qualify for the semifinal.
Jonathon Riley, a 2004 Olympian, finished second in his 5000m semifinal to move on to Monday's final. "I took care of business," he said, of his finish. Asked about his goal in the final, Riley replied: "One spot higher than last year," when he placed fourth at nationals and just missed a spot on the World Championships team.
In the 400m hurdles, 35-year-old Joey Woody finished third in his first-round heat to automatically qualify for the semifinal on Saturday. Another veteran, David Krummenacker, advanced to the 800m semifinals along with Sam Burley, who finished strong to take second in his heat. In the women's 800m, Morgan Uceny and Katie Waits both looked impressive in moving through to their semifinal.
In the first final of the Trials, Katie McGregor finished fourth at 10,000 meters.
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