Day 6...VIP

Don't get me wrong...the races and results from Day 6 at the track were nothing short of extraordinary.  The women's steeple saw the three young runners make their first Olympic team.  The men's and women's 1500 semis were nail biting homestretch drag races.  The husband of the winner of the women's shot put has become a good friend.  So that was obviously exciting.  The women's multi event  is underway along with heats of the men's 110 high hurdles and semis of the women's 200's. The women's 200 final should be about as even of a race as there will be.

Ok...as long time radio newsman Paul Harvey would say...and now for the rest of the story.  Upon attending a social function sponsored by our friends at Gill Athletic Equipment Co. there was another party in the adjacent room.  That's where the pictures below came from.  Some of the most influential, respected, and successful Olympians were present.  Who do you recognize?  (Hint...All were Olympic Gold medallists).  Extra credit for their event and year.  I wasn't necessarily invited to this party...but to use the men's room you had to go through this party.  So was it really my fault that I "crashed" the party and asked for a few pics.

In the Clutch on Day 5

Day 5 featured a bevy of clutch, walk off type, moments for several spots on the US team.  The mix of light rain and cool temperatures returned for the finals of the men's vault, men's discus, and both 5K's.  Favorites Brad Walker and Jeremy Scott survived the weather to go 1-2 in the vault.  The other three events had the team decided on the final throw, in the final few meters, and literally on the last stride.  Several other prelim and qualifying rounds were held as well.

In the men's discus event winner Lance Brooks achieved the Olympic qualifier on his final throw.  After five previous throws that were all within two feet he picked the perfect time to get the standard.

The men's 5K featured a large pack of challengers until 800 to go, but the three prohibitive favorites Rupp-Lagat-Lamong made the team in that order.  Rupp beat Lagat for the first time ever in a time that was far from their PR's.  However, besides beating Lagat for the first time in 13 tries the time was significant as it broke the OT record....set in 1972 at Hayward Field....by Oregon and US legend Pre.

The women's 5K started off slow, but the pace picked up and five women eventually reached the Olympic Standard time.  Down the final stretch the race for third seemed secure, but third placer Julia Lucas who led much of the last half of the race was fading fast which opened the door and at the line on the final step Kim Conley was able to pass Lucas and acheive the qualifying standard by .21 seconds.  Lucas was fourth NCAA champ Abby D'Agostino was fifth only .18 sec in back of Conley.  What a crazy finish.  Thank goodness they didn't tie....that might have required a full race run off!

Today's pictures feature the huge entry lines that have been part of this meet which is on pace to break the OT attendance record by averaging well over 20K spectators each day.  I headed out to the Oregon coast on one of the off days.  Nike Camp Victory (Fan Zone) has built a wall keeping track of the top three in each event.  I thought a World Record was worth another photo op.

Day 4 Battles

Day 4 of the Trials featured a unique array of events.  800m finals, 5K and Steeple prelims, Jav/HJ/TJ Finals, and PV/Discus prelims. The rain was back, but the air was thicker than the first two days of the trials in which some of the top performances in the world (including a world record).

Day 4 featured plenty of drama for clear favorites.  World leader in the high jump, Jesse Williams finished fourth but will go to London because the 3rd place finisher doesn't have the Olympic A Standard.  Multi time US Champ Jamie Nieto and NCAA Champ Erik Kynard will join Williams.

Nick Symmonds came from seventh place with 300m to go to blow by the field and run a world leading 1:43.92 (fastest time ever by an American at Hayward Field).  He was followed by the ageless KD Robinson who at age 35 is an Olympian for the second time ('04) after finishing 4th in '08.

In the women's 800, front runner and favorite Alysia Montano held off the field down the homestretch to make her first team.

The women's TJ and men's jav had similar storylines surrounding the Olympic A standards that determined those trips to London.  Only one TJ'er, champion Amanda Smock, who has the B standard will go.  In the Jav it was 3-4-5 who will go to London because the top two don't have the mark and both just missed it.  Winner Sam Humphries of Texas A&M missed the mark by about five inches.

The men's distance races saw virtually all of those expected to qualify do just that.  A questionable decision by USATF to allow Alan Webb into the 5K field reared it's ugly head as the one time phenom faded hard in the last mile and failed to qualify.

The women's distance races were much different as a few favorites faded while there were a couple surprise qualifiers.  A former US Indoor champion, a former NCAA champion, and the third fastest 5K'er this year all failed to advance while reigning US champion Lauren Fleshman qualified despite only running 12 miles a week since March due to IT Band problems.

Former Ute and school record holder in the Steeple (10:43), Shayla Houlihan ran among the leaders for the first four laps in her prelim. However, she faded over the final three laps and failed to qualify.  As her coach, I know she was disappointed about not making the final, but qualifying for this meet was a major goal of hers as she began to improve throughout college and into her post collegiate career.  She improved nearly two minutes from her very first steeple as a sophomore to her current PR of 9:51.  I am proud of her effort and commitment to improving and reaching one of her big goals.

The men's vault qualifying saw some familiar faces along with some up and comer collegians advance despite abysmal vaulting conditions that featured swirling head winds and a constant mist.

Break Time....the trials will resume on Thursday.  I'll be back with more pics and notes then.  Todays pics....the wet start of the women's steeple prelims, 800m Men's Champ Nick Symmonds straight from the track to celebrating in uniform, and a special treat....World Record Holder in the 400m hurdles (46.79, 1992) Kevin Young enjoy some nightlife in Eugene after session one.  That dude could probably still break 50 seconds.  He looked fit!

Day 3...Finally No Rain

Day 3 at the Olympic Trials was the first day without rain during the competition.  Most of the favorites and a few newcomers in today's finals.  Gatlin, Gay, Richards-Ross, Trotter, Merritt, Suhr, Brown-Trafton, Thurmond, Hoffa, Cantwell, Goodwin and Claye earning spots on the US Team.  One notable casualty was past Olympic Champ Jeremy Warnier who was fifth in the 400m.  Competition was dramatic with several of the winning efforts coming on final attempts or late stages of a race.

Day 4 is a special one personally as I will coach my first ever athlete at the Trials.  Former Ute steepler and school record holder will be on the track at 4:50pm local time in heat one of the steeple prelims.  Top five and next fastest four times advance.  Another exciting step forward for our program.

Today's pictures feature the campaign to promote the Trials...notably sponsored by Nike.  All the athlete/hotel shuttle buses are wrapped with current Nike Olympic athletes and slogans.

Record Setting Day 2

Day two of the 2012 Olympic Trials will likely go down in history forever and never forgotten those of thus that were there.  Historic Hayward Field continued to earn it's place as one of the best track venues in the world as home state hero and former Duck, Ashton Eaton scored 9,039 points to set a new World Record in the Decathlon.  The mark is obviously a new American Record, Trials,  Hayward Field record as well.  The best comparison we could come up with was a perfect game in baseball. He broke two individual decathlon event records (100m and long jump) along the way and won seven of the ten events.  (Yes, they keep records for each of the events within the multi event).  Eaton needed a two second lifetime best in the final event (1500m) to break the record in front of a raucous Eugene crowd.  He was on pace for two laps and then fell off pace two seconds with 400 meters to go.  World famous and longtime self proclaimed decath-nut announcer Frank Zarnowski made sure we all knew the splits Eaton needed to hit to stay on pace.  With 350m to go Eaton found the reserve he needed and the turnover picked up as his posture lifted and the crowds down the backstretch around Bowerman curve and then down the homestretch pushed him to the record with two seconds and 13 points to spare.  Eaton is only the second man to ever break the 9000 point barrier.

Day two was another rainy overcast afternoon of track and field.  The meet actually was delayed about 20 minutes due to a heavy downpour that rolled across the venue right as the track session was to begin.  The women's 100m and 100m hurdle teams were set as well.  The men's shot put and high jump along with the women's disc and triple jump prelims were held.  Men's putter Adam Nelson and high jumper Andra Manson were the notable athletes to not advance.  The semi finals of the men's and women's 400m and 800m set the fields for those finals as well.  Regardless of who actually makes those teams, the US will be very well represented as virtually all the favorites advanced.

Today's photos include:  another rainy day at HHF, Eaton leading the decathletes on a victory lap, a huge banner featuring legendary coach Bill Bowerman in the OT Pavillion that surrounds the stadium, and a local pub noting the distance (in miles) to the other Pac-12 institutions.

Olympic Trials Day 1

As I attend my fourth consecutive US Olympic Trials the feeling and belief that this meet is the "World's Greatest Track & Field Meet" comes roaring back to life.  Even with lots of "Oregon Sunshine" (as the locals like to call it) reigning/raining down on the opening day at Hayward Field the competition was fierce and Olympic team spots were awarded and lost.  This meet has a finality that seem both fair and cruel at the same time.  While finishing in the top three is the general consensus of success it's not quite that clear cut.  Time/Distance/and Height standards also come into play and must be met as well.  Virtually all of the favorites moved through in the men's 400 and 800 prelims as well as the women's 100/100H/400/and 800 prelims.  The women's pole vault was cancelled due to the poor jumping conditions.  There were two world records set in the men's decathlon (yes, they keep separate event records within the multi events) which means the American record is in jeopardy.  The only finals on day one were the men's and women's 10K's which had completely different story lines.  The men's race had one distinct favorite along with another for US record holder needing to finish in the top three AND run the Olympic A standard.  The local favorite won as expected and broke the Trials record.  Along they way he helped his teammate (who finished a heartbreaking fourth at the Olympic marathon trials earlier this year) get his A Standard and finish third in a driving almost pounding rain at times.  

*Editor's note....both of those runners train at our track at the University of Utah during specific high altitude training periods. 

The women's race was much different although had an even more exciting finish.  Only four runners in the field had run the Olympic A standard time.  One of those runners announced she will only run the marathon in London.  So unless someone in the field could unleash a huge personal best all the other three runners had to do was finish the race.  One collegiate runner pushed the pace earlier in an attempt to go after the standard, but no one followed and by half way it was apparent that no would reach the standard and the team was set.  Although the race did finish with a flurry down the homestretch for the top three places.  The women's fourth place finisher at the Olympic marathon trials turned into a sprinter in the final 80 meters to run down the pre race favorite and an up and comer collegian who was fresh off of winning the NCAA 10K.  So in a weird twist of qualifying and Olympic standards it was first, fourth, and seventh who will be going to London.  

*Editor's note....The top three in the women's 10K would have likely been different had one notable runner competed.  However, due to being a qualifier in the marathon her and her coach decided that the Trials 10K might be getting "greedy".  So she ran a 10K time trial at a local high school track earlier in the day in a time that would have made it four runners sprinting the final homestretch that evening.  However, she enjoyed cheering on her teammates from the stands with her husband and son who you will see here.  They have also trained at our facility. 

Top Five...Again!!!

For the third consecutive year we had top five finisher at the US Junior Championships.  Freshman Susannah Hurst earned a medal by finishing fifth in the 5K (17:28) on a very warm (90 degree) Saturday evening in Bloomington, IN.   Kaitlin Urmston also competed and finished 10th in the javelin with a toss of 137-1.  Overall, it was a great experience for both athletes as they competed against the best Under 20 athletes in the US.  

Do You Have a Dish?

If the television set up in your home is through DirecTV or Dish Network we need your help.  They need to know you want the new Pac-12 Networks as part of your plan.  The Pac-12 already has signed agreements with their primary competitors (Comcast, TimeWarner, Brighthouse, etc).  You need to call/email and demand that they pick up the Pac-12 Network when it goes live later this summer.  The Pac-12 Network will include a National feed along with six regional feeds that will provide over 850 live events in the first year alone.  Call now!  

Cross Country Camp

The annual Middle/High School (grades 7-12) Utah Cross Country Camp will be held July 10-13.  Registration deadline is July 1st.  To ensure the best athlete/coach ratio in the country this camp is limited to the first 24 runners who sign up.  The cost is ONLY $250 for resident campers (includes all meals) and $150 for commuters (includes lunch).  

Click HERE to learn more and sign up today!!! 

Senior Bree LeRoy ended her career on a high note at her first NCAA Finals appearance by clearing two bars and finishing 22nd overall.  Her first attempt at the third bar (5-10.75) was her best and would have been a new lifetime best.  However, the bar would not stay up and she failed on her other two attempts.  To come to the NCAA Finals for the first time is always the most difficult, but as she has all year, she handled the pressure well and gave herself a chance to go out with a new PR.

Watching Bree's development over the last four years has been very enjoyable.  Her last two years were by far her best as she led us in points scored at the outdoor conference meet in both seasons.  She was also our first ever all Pac-12 track and field athlete.  She worked hard for all of her success and she was fun to be around everyday.  You can't ask for much more as a coach.  She will be greatly missed by all of us associated with Utah TF.

Up next....yes the season still is not completed....is the US Junior National Championships where we will have two competitors.  Freshmen Kaitlin Urmston (javelin) and Susannah Hurst (5K) will compete next weekend (June 15-16).  After that junior Amanda Mergaert may have earned a spot in the US Olympic Trials with her 4:13 clocking in the 1500m at the NCAA meet.  That time is just shy of the 'A' Standard for the Trials so we won't know for sure that she is in for about another week.  Stay tuned!

In the Blink of an Eye...

A human blinks in .14 seconds.  Junior Amanda Mergaert ran a huge lifetime best in the biggest race of the year, but came up the blink of an eye short of making the 1500 final at the NCAA Championships.  Last year she finished 14th and missed the final by .24.  This she ran five seconds faster than a year ago, but the result in regards to final placing and advancement are the same.  Fourteenth, Second Team All American, missed final by .15 seconds.

It was one of the performances in Utah school history.  Amanda ran with the lead pack of nine throughout the race making effortless moves, while allowing the pack to do the work.  After a quick, but fair pace of 2:18 through 800m it was a charge to the finish.  Amanda ran the next 400m in 67.7 and then finished the final 300m in a blistering 48 seconds.  With about 350m to go the lead pack was able to get a couple steps on Amanda, however she responded with 250m to go and caught back up to the group coming down the homestretch passing two runners to finish seventh in the heat only .33 seconds behind the sixth place runner.  However, when all the results were compiled she came up just shy of making the top 12 and advancing to Saturday's final.

It was a finish filled with mixed emotions.  A huge life time PR and school record by three seconds, but to come up just shy of advancing for the second straight year will sting a bit.  Her time was also only .7 seconds from the Olympic Trials A standard.  So imagine half your face smiling and the other half a mixture of disappointment/madness.

As a coach I can't really ask for anything more than running the fastest you've ever run in the most important race of the year.  However, I can appreciate the disappointment my athletes feel when they want and expect more and just miss it.  It was another huge day of learning and growing for Amanda.  She has enjoyed a ton of success especially in the bigger meets.  I have no doubt she'll do what she has done for three years and use this experience to further her ability and fuel her desire.

Don't forget that today we have senior Bree LeRoy closing out her outstanding career as she takes part in the women's high jump final at 4:30 local time.  This is her first appearance at this meet.  Bree was our first ever outdoor track and field All Pac-12 performer a month ago after finishing third in this event.