Sunday, June 27, 2010
Prerace Jitters |
- What They Said, Day 2 USA Outdoor Championships 2010
- Patterson sets American record at USA Outdoor Championships
- Louisville Selected to Host 2012 Cross Country National Championships
| What They Said, Day 2 USA Outdoor Championships 2010 Posted: 26 Jun 2010 08:13 AM PDT Allison Updike, Junior Women’s Javelin winner On the series: “It took my last throw. I was third to last throwing and I knew that the two girls ahead of me had better throws and I needed to take my time, relax, and get a good throw off.”On the final throw: “I had really good speed. My coach said I had more speed. It helped a lot. I backed up on the runway so I had room and wouldn’t foul. I just gave it my all.” On her goal: “Getting over 160 (meters) was my goal, hopefully I will get to 170. I have one more meet in Canada.” Conor McCullough - Junior Men’s Hammer Throw winner - AMERICAN JUNIOR RECORD On repeating as champion and setting a new American junior record: “Yeah, it went well. I was coming in just hoping to do well — put a good mark up to come into world juniors. So I did well.” On his consistent throwing day: “The first throw was just to relax and make sure I was in the finals. So after that I was working on a few technical things and the second one [throw] came together. The last one, I fixed a few things and threw it further too.” On his reason for skipping the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships as a Princeton freshman: “I qualified but didn’t go in order to train for this [USA Track & Field Outdoor Junior Championships]. It’s extra traveling. I have more years to do it, so I might as well do it [miss NCAAs] now. And the [NCAA] hammer’s six kilograms, so it’s a little different and this is my last year with it [the junior hammer]. So I decided to train for it and it’s a world [junior] championship, it’s not an NCAA championship. World is a bigger, bigger deal.” On how he feels going into those world championships: “It puts me in a good place, but there are some eastern Europeans who are right up there with me. So it will be good competition.” Ajee Wilson - Junior Women’s 800 Meter winner Feelings about coming off with the win: “Really good. I was kind of nervous because I was racing college girls, so I’m glad I was able to run so good.” About how the heat affected her performance: “Yesterday I felt a lot better than today while I was running. It’s definitely hot” On running with an older group of girls: “I got psyched out who I’m running with… It’s just that they’re older than me. They’re college girls and they’re pretty intimidating.” Shade Weygandt - Junior Women’s Pole Vault winner On jumping well in Iowa, since she also won the Big 12 indoor championship at Iowa State this winter: “Yeah, it seems to work out really well. I’ve jumped over 14 here in Iowa twice. So it was a good step from nationals (NCAAs). I didn’t do horrible (9th), but I didn’t do as well as I should have.” On her winning day: “Yeah, the wind was actually great. I’ve heard of winds being swirly at Drake, but for me, it was great all day. I had to only wait 20 seconds that one time because of a crosswind, but for the most part, if was great. Things started off a little slow at first early on, but once I got my 13-5, it felt like I got back in my groove and I was able to jump a lot better. I actually got off the mat and was like, ‘Oh man, I actually murdered a pole vault.’ So it was a really good day. I was excited.” On getting the top honor after finishing second last year: “It’s really good. Me and Natalie [Willer] did the same height last year and we shared the meet record at 13-11. So it was really good to break the meet record (14-0.5) and finally win. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, but I finally was able to do that.” Shelby Greany, Junior Women’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase winner On how it felt: “I felt great. Coming today, there was just one goal: to qualify and make the world team. There was no point in running myself into the ground today in the heat. To just go out there, feel comfortable, and try to finish. My coach said ‘don’t false start and don’t fall and cross the line’, so that’s what I tried to do.” On the low-key race: “It’s a little mental down time. I defiantly want to be ready to go to worlds and you don’t realize until you do it your freshman in college, all the traveling… nationals, going home, coming here, we were even lucky to get here. It was an exhausting travel day, but to go out there and compete was nice.” On World Championship goal: “I definitely want to make the finals, that’s the first goal. You have to take it one thing at a time, you can’t really do anything else unless you make it to the finals.” CasimIr Loxsom, Junior Men’s 800 Meter winner On his race strategy: “I knew I just wanted to get away from the field and me and my coach were both thinking that if Robby and I were racing eachother down the homestretch, there would be no one else in the field to come with us. That’s all I wanted to do. I came around the turn and was thinking, ‘Canada, Canada, Canada, Canada’. I was pretty excited.”On defeating Robby Andrews: “It was great to finally beat him. He is easily one of the best racers in the country. One of the best kicks in the country. It was a bit scary, but it was great.” On his goal in Canada: “I want a medal, I want the podium, that’s for sure.” “The biggest thing has been learning how to race. I’ve always known I’ve had the speed and I’m talented as far as fitness goes, but it was always frustrating getting beat. Definitely having good competition to race against every week helped. It’s really satisfying.” Joseph Zimmerman, Junior Men’s Javelin winner On his throw series: “A couple of throws, I went too fast, almost fell, and one slipped out of my hand. It was alright.”On making the World Junior Team: “I’ve always been at nationals, but just never did good enough. All year, I focused on Nationals, and once that’s over, it’s all I can think about.” On his improvement: “208 was my longest last year. I am consistently almost 25 feet better this year. Coaching is defiantly a difference. Simple things make a huge difference, like lifting my arm up.” On his goal in Canada: “I’m hoping to get around 76.” Oliver Bradwell, Junior Men’s 200 Meter winner On the finish: “I saw him in my peripheral vision, my legs started cramping up on me, but it was a good race, really close.” On his goal at World event in Canada: “I think I can place in the top three in either the 100 or the 200.” On representing the USA out of the country: “I feel great. It’s a great opportunity that not a lot of people get, to go out of the country and compete for team USA.” Ashton Purvis - Junior Women’s 200-Meter winner On how this is more her event after finishing second in the 100: “I may have to get going a bit, so I’m really happy about my win in the 200. I feel great” On how she came on for the win after a slow start: “Yeah, I had a bad start, but I was just patient and was still pushing. Then I relaxed and then the moves all came together when I stressed what I learned in my training.” On her success in this meet: “It’s bittersweet, but it’s good. It’s amazing because I like winning and I think I did a good job. Yeah, as long as I came in first, I’m happy.” Omar Craddock - Junior Men’s Triple Jump winner On walking through his winning jump: “The winning jump was my third jump; I went 54-04. It was tough. I scratched my first two but then I sat down and really thought about it. I tried to visualize my whole [set]: my run-through, my jump off the board, everything. I pretty much just had to think about it and go get it. I knew I could get it. I just had to.” On whether or not he changed anything from his second to third jumps: “I actually kept my steps the same, it was just the wind. At the end of the board, if I felt the wind coming hard then I just slowed it down. ” On winning a national junior championship: “This is very important. I didn’t have a season my senior year of high school or my junior year. I could have made it my sophomore or junior years in high school, but I didn’t. One, I had an injury my sophomore and junior year. My senior year I had a near-death experience so I couldn’t go. So this one is like… This is like the Olympics for me!” On his future plans: “After this? Well, I’ve got Canada. I mean, the plan is to get another PR there and win that, too. But then I’m just trying to get back to the outdoor nationals and actually come in first or second place. This year I didn’t do it. ” Andrea Geubelle - Junior Women’s Triple Jump winner On the benefit of previous experience in the Drake Relays: “Yeah, it was kind of rough, because we got moved to the corner this time instead of being right in the front. So we had a pretty swirling wind coming at us. At first, it was kind of coming toward our back and I scratched on my first one [attempt]. And then after that, we got a head wind and it was going at the side, so it was just figuring out getting the right time to jump. I just waited a lot.” On her winning jump, which was her final attempt: “I wasn’t going to get beat by a centimeter again, so I kind of pulled something out. “It felt right. I finally just relaxed and came down the runway like I usually do and I tried to do everything that my coaches tell me to do because I’ve been having problems. But I just finished it.” On what this win means to her: “It feels really good to end the season off this way. Obviously, I jumped 43-11 [her seed mark] and I was thinking, ‘Is that just a fluke?’ And then I kind of jumped low 43s, so the fact that I could pull off a high 43 again is nice. Going to worlds in both long and triple also just feels good to end the season that way.” Erin Pendleton - Junior Women’s Discuswinner On her winning day: “I’ve been feeling kind of worn out, just because it’s been the longest season of being a freshman in college. But I took a little break, got a big message - which helped a lot - so my practices have been getting better. And today, my goal was to be in the top two in order to make it out and go to Canada and whatever I threw I’d be happy with. So I’m happy with how I did.” On having previous success in the Drake ring, having won a Drake Relays discus championship earlier this year: “Considering we weren’t allowed to practice at all here for this weekend, I feel that coming to Drake Relays to throw helped me have a competitive edge on the other competitors. I was familiar with it so it wasn’t something new that I was going into. I wasn’t nervous about the ring at all. So it was good.” On her winning throw: “I just wanted to get a safe throw in on my first one and keep building. I did continuously improve and my last throw was my best throw. I’m very happy with how I did. I just wanted to be relaxed and not get nervous and it worked out.” Dan Huling - Men’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase - Heat 1 winner On his goal coming into the prelims: “[The goal] was just to qualify. I didn’t know what the time was going to be for how hot it was. So it’s just cool to qualify.” “I got second last year, third in 2006, fourth in 2008… I’ve really never won anything except a conference title. I didn’t win a state meet. So it’d be nice to win something” “You just have to stay hydrated, stay cool prior to the race. Staying hydrated essentially. I’m taking it easy for tomorrow and getting ready for Sunday afternoon.” Steve Slattery - Men’s 3000 Steeplechase - Heat 2 winner How he feels after qualifying: “I’m pretty good… Feeling healthy. Just running. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten to the final at Nationals with an 8:42. But whatever. I mean, it was hot out. It kind of sucked. It would’ve been nice to run, like, ten o’clock at night . But whatever. ” What it will take to win the finals: “I would say between 8:15 and 8:23 or 4 usually. I mean, I’m ready to run that. Damu Cherry, Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles heat 1 winner On Drake: “The cool thing about it is that I’ve been here before, so it’s not anything new. It’s a blue track and its not very often you get to run on a track like that, so it’s pretty cool.” On the heat: “It is difficult, but you just have to be careful in you warm-up because it will drain you. So if you overdue it in warmup, it’ll drain you so you are flat by time the race comes around, so you really have to stay hydrated and keep an eye out for that.” On tomorrow’s semi and finals: “It’s going to be a great race. All of the hurdlers are good, so it’s going to be fun.” Lolo Jones, Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles heat 2 winner On her allergies: I got a Kleenex right before the start line from the trainer, so that was nice of them.” On the wind: “It’s just a lot harder to run because it was pushing so hard, so we were working twice as hard to keep the rhythm. All the hurdlers were saying its weird how we are running twice as hard to equal our slowest times of the year and it’s definitely because of the head wind.” On semis and finals: “You just focus on the race you are on. You can’t get ahead of yourself and try to do whatever it takes to advance. You just have to be top four. In the final, you go all out. Actually, the final is easier because you are guaranteed to get a top spot. The semifinals is the most nerve racking because you aren’t in the final.” On her season so far: “I’ve had a birthday cake season so far, I just need to put the frosting and candle on top.” Ginnie Powell, Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles heat 3 winner On the race: “The race was slow. I felt like I hit my rhythm in the middle of the race, but the start was not that good, so I can be a little bit more aggressive there.” On the head wind: “I think it was a factor. I think you can tell with the time, really. Once you are out in your zone, you’re not necessarily feeling the wind, but you can tell in the time.” On confidence going to the semis: “I feel pretty confident. I still have the 100 after this, so I am just hoping my legs hang on for each round of the 100 and the hurdles.” Jake Freeman - Men’s Hammer Throw Winner On his winning throw, which was just a foot off his PR:”You know what, I just hit the first turn and second turn exactly right and held on three and let it go - and it flew.” On the effect it had that his NYAC teammate Kibwe Johnson finished second and hit a big throw right before his winning throw: “He threw a lifetime best today and that got me going right before I walked in the circle and said ‘Here I come.’” On winning and dethroning four-time defending champion A.G. Krueger, who finished fourth: “It’s good. I’ve been right behind him [Krueger] the last five years, so it feels damn good. You know, he’s still ahead of me to go to the World Cup and the Continental Cup. So, I’ve got a couple meets to go a little further and we’ll see who does it. But it’s definitely given me some confidence.” A.G. Krueger - fourth in Men’s Hammer Throw On his protest concerning a declared foul in the finals: “I feel that I didn’t really foul, so I’m protesting that. They’ll check it out on tape. We’ll see what happens. It could go as a fair throw, or it might not. So we’ll find out. “The one official said I rolled over top of it [the ring]. I don’t think so. I think I came on the inside, but not over top. We’ll see what the film has to say.” On his final throw: “That final throw finally felt good. I finally felt through it. We’ll just have to see what happens.” On competing close to home, since he was born in Sheldon, Iowa: “It was nice. I mean a lot of family, a lot of friends came out to watch me. You know, I just wish I could have done better. That’s why you keep on competing and that’s why you just got to keep on going forward.” Debbie Dunn, Winner, Heat 1 Semifinals, Women’s 400m On the weather: “I really didn’t feel any wind. My focus was to get out strong and maintain a good rhythm and bring it home… to get a good lane for tomorrow.” On her goal for the weekend: “The goal for the weekend is to win a US Outdoor title. I will be really happy if that happens, so I’ll try my bestest to do that.”On the year compared to last year: “We’ll see tomorrow what kind of shape I am in. I’ll let my actions speak for me.” Natasha Hastings, Winner, Heat 2 Semifinals, Women’s 400m On her heat: “With Sanya and Monica, I knew it was going to be a great race. Really, my main focus was to go out and finish well to get a good lane for tomorrow in the final. I think I did just that.” On the wind: “It was really windy coming home so I had to be mindful of that. I wanted to finish strong, but didn’t want to use too much energy being that tomorrow is the final.” On her season so far: “I’m feeling good. Right now, that was my season best and for it to feel like that I’m pretty excited to see what happens tomorrow.” Sanya Richards-Ross, 4th Place, Heat 2 Semifinals, Women’s 400m On her heat: “Today was a challenge. I definitely feel like I don’t have my quick turnover that I can rely on in other races. I’m having to really run off my strength. These other ladies are running really well. Natasha Hastings ran great and Debbie Dunn was excellent in the first round, so really it’s a testament to how much depth there is in the United States.” On the final: “It’s going to be tough tomorrow, especially if I’m in lane 1 or 8. I’ll go back to my group, get an ice bath and talk to my coach and see if it’s even worth it to go out and risk, especially in lane 1, a tight turn, but maybe lane 8 will give me some incentive to come out and give it a shot.” On possibly scratching the final: “I still feel my quad is… I don’t feel like I have the turnover I should have. Even in training, I avoid lane 1, just for that reason, so I definitely don’t want to take the risk here at a big meet.” “Everyone always wants to be the best out there, the best in the field, and I want to compete, I didn’t come here to scratch either, but at the end of the day, this is some of the off year. I just want to stay healthy this season, you know, but my body is just not where I need it to be at the moment.” Kara Patterson - Women’s Javelin winner - AMERICAN RECORD On her perfect day and record throw: “I’m really happy. It’s my best series ever. Four throws over 200 feet is pretty exciting and this whole season has been a lot about consistency because I’m really focused on always being able to throw that A standard and know that I can make a final at world championships and Olympics. So I’m very happy with how I did today.” On her record throw, which was her final one: “Well I’ve never had the clap start for me in a competition - like what happens in the long jump. And Karlee McQuillen of Penn State got the girls started and then the crowd got into it and I threw the American record. So the little extra energy, I guess, was good.” On throwing into the head wind: “I don’t know, as javelin throwers you always have to be conscious that a head wind means you have to keep the tip down a little and throw straight into it. For women’s javelin, that can really help you. I mean Hayward always has a little head wind and last year for USA’s, it was kind of the same thing. It was a screaming head wind and if you hit it just right, then it kind of takes it and lifts it up. I was told the wind died down a little bit as I started my approach on my sixth throw, so maybe that helped me out. I’m not really sure.” Allyson Felix, Women’s 100 Meter winner On the victory: “I was hoping for it. I just came with the attitude to have fun and do some speed work, so I did have a lot of fun.” On the race: “I just wanted to focus on my start. I had been getting out with the group the whole time, so I just wanted to keep running and executing. The end of my race is usually the strongest, so I just wanted to rely on that.” On running 100s: “I’m still sticking with my plan this year to focus on the 200 and the 400, this was really just all about getting some speed work in and a fun way to do it; to come to nationals and do it. I’ve always done it, but it’s never been my strong point.” Duane Solomon - Heat 2 Winner, Men’s 800m Dash “Breaking a stadium record was not what I had planned for this run, but I felt really good about today’s race,” said Solomon. “I’m stronger than I ever have been and if I can go out tomorrow and did what I did today, it’s gonna be a quick race.” LeJareld Betters - Heat 2 Winner, Men’s 400m “This is my first time making the finals and I’m really looking forward to racing against some of the people I’ve always looked up to, “said Betters. “Tomorrow is another round and I’m excited to be in a good lane and running with Jeremy Wariner’s pace.” Mark Hollis - Men’s Pole Vault Winner On winning on a day when everyone struggled: “Man, it was the best day I’ve ever had a Drake Stadium and I don’t know what happened. I mean, warm-ups went great for everybody and it seemed like it was going to take 5.80 to win it. The competition started and I don’t know if it was just the heat or what. Everybody’s run was just getting messed up. But it was a great competition and I never thought that 5.60 would be the win, but I’m not going to complain about it.” On his winning mark, which he hit on his first attempt: “I knew that that was going to be key if I could come back and hit that and put the pressure on those guys.” On how he feels to win, in spite of how everyone struggled: “I feel great. Of course, I came here wanted to win - and I won. So I mean, I can’t ask for anything more.” Alysia Johnson - Winner Heat 1 Women’s 800 Semi-Finals On running 1:59.43 in her semi-final win: “Just feeling it out man. I was just feeling it out.” On prevailing in a competitive semi heat: “Hey, that’s how it’s going to be. I mean the best thing about this is it just prepares us for Europe.” On what she has left for the finals: “Hey, I’ve got a lot. I feel really good. I’m just excited to get out there and run fast.” Phoebe Wright - Winner Heat 2 Women’s 800 Semi-Finals On how comfortable she was running from the front of the pack again: “Basically, when no one wants to lead it - which no one does, although I think Hazel would have led it - just the way I’ve been training, I felt comfortable taking it from the front. And I wanted to do everything that I could to make sure that I was honest, but I had turbo jets at the end. I didn’t have to tap into the turbo jets, but I did have to push it. So yeah, it worked out really well.” On the key to jumping out fast and getting the lead in tomorrow’s final, since Alysia Johnson has also been grabbing it too: “If she [Johnson] wants to drive me through a fast time — hallelujah. I’ve been waiting all year for someone to do that. But I’m ready to lead, follow, whatever I can do.” On continuing to ride the confidence following her NCAA championship: “Yeah, the mojo is good. I like the mojo.” Walter Dix - Men’s 100m Winner On how he felt during the race: “It felt alright. Started out kind of sluggish but I finished where I wanted to. I felt good about it. And I feel good now; now I’ve got to run tomorrow and then the 200 on Sunday. On preparations for his next races: “I’m about to go flush the lactic acid out, then just try to cruise through tomorrow so I can be ready for Sunday. On being so far ahead of the others/potentially getting a double: “I think I should have done a little better start. I wasn’t surprised. I was planning on running a good time. [Getting a double] would be just fine. That’s my goal, to get a double. Ultimately I want to win.” Bernard Lagat, Men’s 5000 Meter winner On the race: “It was a good race. The thing is, going back after the 5000 and after the 1500, I had a little bit of down time and I’m glad it was actually slow today, if it was fast, maybe it could have been something different. I was still feeling the effects of the 5000 and then the 1500. I didn’t have much time to rest at home before I came over here so I am glad, you know, it was not as hot as normal races.” On why he came in an off year: “It was good, at a Championship like this where I didn’t really have too much expectation of myself. I didn’t come to run a fast time, I just wanted to come here, have fun and support USATF by coming over here because I think this is very important for athletes, especially for professionals like us to come over here. I think its very important for us to come to a place like this, Des Moines, Ia. They are excited to host and they deserve to see the best athletes running over here. That was my thinking coming here. I promised the people here when I came for the Drake Relays that I would be back in June and I’m glad I did.” On where this event fits into his season: “It’s a perfect plan. I came just to run a training run, with a hard tempo today. The next serious race for me will be at Prefontane Classic. I will run the 1500 against people I ran today. That one is going to be hard and I will have to go home, train, and be prepared to run against the guys that are going faster than me at this point.” Nicole Leach - Women’s 400m Hurdles - Heat 1 winner On what she’ll take from this race to tomorrow: “I’m really just focusing on my rhythm, getting a feel for the race now that it’s three rounds in. I’m trying not to do anything crazy; just get a feel for the track and the arena and everything.” Weather effecting performance? “It’s really hot… The heat is good though. It hurts more after the race than it does during. But the biggest thing is the win. The way my heat ran was a surprise. That’s the ultimate prize, coming home with the win.” On preparing for tomorrow’s race: “I just have to do by best, stay open and trust my training. I guess we’ll just see what happens.” Sheena Tosta - Women’s 400m Hurdles - Heat 2 winner “It felt really good. The time could have been faster but it was kind of windy out there. So pretty good considering.” “I have the hundred hurdles first, the final, so then I’m going to take it from there.” Ti’erra Brown - Women’s 400m Hurdles - Heat 3 winner “I just wanted to come in here and get the first race out of the way. I really wanted to get my routing down and feel the track out a little bit so I can come back tomorrow and tweak everything I messed up on out there. It really wasn’t the smoothest race but I feel comfortable and it’s going to be fine. I’m just really happy to be here.” Weather effecting performance? “I’m from Miami so we’ve been training in heat. We were running at 7:30 in the morning so it was a little bit cooler than this, still pretty hot. But I convinced my coach to let us come down her at two o’clock. So we got the heat, and it was a little intimidating out there with the heat.” Thoughts going into tomorrow’s race: “Tomorrow I’ll be executing my race, get a good time. Hopefully I’ll be heading to the finals” Ebony Collins - Women’s 400m Hurdles- Heat 4 winner On getting the 4th heat win: “I’m just happy I don’t have to do the 400. [For tomorrow] just run my race and do the best that I can do and focus on making it to the finals instead of just running a real fast time.” On preparing for tomorrow’s race: “I’m not really worried about getting the win tomorrow; I’m just trying to get into a good lane for the finals. So however that happens, it happens.” Leonel Manzano - Men’s 1500m - Heat 1 winner “Usually, for some reason, it’s harder in the prelim round than the finals. I don’t know why that is, probably just because you’re coming out and it’s the first one of the… championship. So coming out I didn’t really know what to expect. I feel kind of old with this group of guys. But I just went out there, really tried to focus and be calm. You probably saw a couple times when [there was a lot of] pushing and shoving. It was really close and very packed, and in this kind of situation you have to keep that in check. So all I did was try to maintain, stay focused and stay calm. With 500 meters to go, I was in the front and had to take it from there. “There was a Wisconsin kid who came with me; actually I think he was the guy that pulled me along. I never really noticed who that was. Him and I were just running together and I think at first we were enemies but at the end we became friends.” LopezLomong - Men’s 1500m - Heat 2 winner “Today I just feel a little tired. But it’s a good thing, a good tired. Coming here is always crucial, to go and run through the first qualifier. Not everything is all done, so now I’m going to go out and prepare for Sunday. “Well, I know what [the] blue track feels like. And I know what competitors I’ll be competing against. And I’m just going to go and prepare to run. “Just stay out of trouble. And everything else will take care of itself.” Matt Tegenkamp - Men’s 1500m- Heat 3 winner “The start was a little bit difficult. My training partner, we got out in front together in second and third. He stepped off the track; I could tell it was bad when he stopped off like, 300 meters into the race. It kind of took me a little bit to gather myself and get back into the swing of things. Overall, the race kept feeling better and better. Prelims always feel pretty terrible at the beginning, just because you’ve got so much nerves built up about the unknown [and] how things are going to play out. But I just got in a really comfortable rhythm and am looking forward to Sunday. “Just continue on with my basic training and don’t change anything up for Sunday. Our workout schedule is coming back from a short rest. And I’m still very early in my season; it’s only my second race. Everything’s been geared towards August, so I don’t really know what to expect from Sunday. I’m very strong. I think I’m able to run any kind of race whether or not I’m able to have it there at the end is going to be decided on that day. Tavaris Tate - Heat 1 Winner, Men’s 400m “I felt good coming from the prelims because my legs were with me today. I was mentally prepared for this race and am greatly looking forward to the finals tomorrow. I’ve really enjoyed running here as the fans are so great. That adds to the experience and it’s a great feeling.” Karjuan Williams - Heat 1 Winner, men’s 800m “I’m feeling really comfortable going into the finals. I found a pace and I stuck with it and that’s what I plan to do tomorrow. I have a lot left in the tank and I’m here to run fast.” Lauren Fleshman - Women’s 5,000m Winner On starting her kick with 500 meters to go for the win: “Well with about 800 left, I just started to feel a sense of calm and it was just knowing I had enough left to put on a good kick. I didn’t know if it would be enough to win, but I just got this smirk where I was like ‘Oh, I’ve got something left. This is going to exciting.’ So, I saw Jen Rhines out there and she spotted us a little bit, and I said ‘I can either wait until the pack catches her and everybody’s full of energy and excited to catch her - because everyone feels like they’ve got a shot - or I can go now when she’s still out there.’ I just wanted to break ‘em early and make them [the other runners] have to pass two people. And I think it worked. I pulled a little bit of a quick one on them.” On whether she had any concern: “Oh yeah, with 200 to go I was dying. I probably wasn’t looking so good. I don’t want to see the video on that one. At that point, I was just like, ‘Don’t think about anything but the next step. Think about the finish line and I’ll do that thing where you wobble and fall over before you get there.” On coming back from so many injuries to win her second title, and first since 2006: “Oh my gosh, if you’d have talked to me 12 months ago, I was ready to open up a shoe store or something else - maybe move to another state. I was very frustrated and if I didn’t have Coach Rowland and the Oregon Track Club, I don’t know if I would have made it back. I definitely wouldn’t have been national champion this quickly. So I’m just full of gratitude for my situation. “This was so sweet. I mean, I don’t know how else to put it. Especially coming into today and the mental side of it that I’m racing against people who haven’t had any time off, that can really mess with your head. To think that they’ve been out running sub 4 for 1,500 and winning medals and doing all sorts of stuff and I was sitting around on my sofa and going, ‘Can I run four miles today?’ You spend so many months thinking ‘I’m on the comeback’ and then at one point you just have to go, ‘You know what, I’m here.’” Kenta Bell - Men’s Triple Jump Winner On his jump: “It’s been a building process, trying to get back and do things consistently well. I’ve got old bones! It’s all about getting healthy and getting consistent again, trying to get ready for the next [Olympic] Games.” On how he prepares for the next thing: “[You] get a new coach. You train smarter and start to adjust to the changes the body’s making. It’s just a learning curve.” On ‘feeling good at the right time’: “Ya know, I’m feeling good. I’m at a good place in life and I’ve got a new coach and it’s all just mellowing out. I mean, I’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s just all about learning the stresses of life and balancing them out.” Parker Stinson - Junior Men’s 10,000m winner “I felt so good throughout the race. Each lap got tougher but I knew I was well-trained,” said Stinson. “I’m really focused on my times and going for the win. I’m glad I could pull it off this race. The crowd is so awesome here at Drake Stadium and I’m proud to represent Team USA.”
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| Patterson sets American record at USA Outdoor Championships Posted: 26 Jun 2010 08:10 AM PDT DES MOINES - 2008 Olympian and Olympic Trials record holder Kara Patterson set an American record in the women’s javelin Friday evening at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The championships will run through Sunday. The USA Outdoor Championships are the third stop of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, which concludes July 3 with the Nike Prefontaine Classic from historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Patterson dominates women’s javelin field with American record Former Purdue standout and 2009 Big Ten champion Kara Patterson won her second consecutive U.S. women’s javelin throw title with her final attempt that soared to 66.67m/218-8, which bettered the previous AR of 64.19m/210-7 set by Kim Kreiner in 2007. Earlier in the competition, Patterson twice hurled the spear to the third-farthest distance in U.S. history, beginning with her third-round throw of 62.61m/205-5, followed by her toss in the fifth-round of 62.80m/206-0. Patterson’s impressive performance makes her the 13th best performer all-time. Two-time NCAA Outdoor champion and 2009 World Outdoor Championships finalist Rachel Yurkovich was the runner-up to Patterson with a best of 56.31m/184-9, with 2009 USA Champs fourth-place finisher Alicia deShasier taking third with a toss of 55.53m/182-2. Felix captures Nike Women’s 100m title Two-time Olympic silver medalist and three-time World Outdoor champion in the 200 meters, Allyson Felix won her first U.S. Nike Women’s 100m championship this evening after taking the lead for good with 40 meters to go. Felix and the rest of the field were hindered by a 2.5 meters-per-second headwind, with Felix emerging as the convincing winner in 11.27 seconds. Her previous best 100m finish at Nationals was fourth in 2007. 2008 Olympic Trials eighth-place finisher LaShaunte’a Moore was the runner-up in 11.34, with 2005 World Outdoor long jump champion Tianna Madison finishing third in 11.43. Dix wins Visa Men’s 100 Meters 2008 Olympic Games 100m and 200m bronze medalist Walter Dix convincingly won the first U.S. men’s 100m title of his career with his time of 10.04 seconds, run into a 1.5 mps wind. Following the gun the field was even until the 70m mark when Dix, who endured an injury-plagued season in 2009, found his stride. Dix continued to gradually lengthen his lead until crossing the finish line well ahead of runner-up Trell Kimmons, who finished in 10.27. Ivory Williams was third in 10.29, with Wallace Spearmon fourth in 10.30. One of the favorites leading up to the final, Travis Padgett, who finished fourth in this event the last two years, was disqualified due to a false start. Fleshman wins highly competitive women’s 5,000m Two-time NCAA champion Lauren Fleshman won the second U.S. 5,000m title of her career when she crossed the finish line first in 15:27.70. Fleshman, who first won this event in 2006 and has been ranked in the Top Ten in the U.S. every year from 2002 to 2008, held off runner-up and four-time Big East Outdoor champion Molly Huddle (15:30.89) for the win. 2008 Olympic Games and 2009 World Outdoor Championships finalist Jenny Barringer, who won this event last year, finished third in 15:33.33 Lagat wins Nike Men’s 5,000m A slow pace set the table perfectly for kicker supreme Bernard Lagat, who captured the fourth U.S. Outdoor 5,000m title of his glorious career. Lagat was in second place when he turned on the afterburners and grabbed the lead with 70 meters remaining in the race. 10,000m specialist Tim Nelson gave chase down the main straightaway but was unable to catch Lagat, who crossed the finish line first in 13:54.08. Nelson finished second after a gallant effort in 13:54.80, with seven-time NCAA All-American Andrew Bumbalough of Georgetown, who placed third at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing third in 13:55.16. Patience pays off for Bell Two-time Olympian Kenta Bell has been trying for seven years to win his second career U.S. men’s outdoor triple jump crown and his wait is finally over. Bell captured his first national championship since 2003 when he soared to 17.02m/55-10.25 (+2.0 mps) on his third attempt. Since winning his first U.S. crown, Bell has finished second three times and third on two occasions. 2010 NCAA Outdoor champ Christian Taylor of the University of Florida was the runner-up with a best of 16.76m/55-0, with Lawrence Willis finishing third at 16.69m/54-9.25. Malone wins again in men’s discus It took 12 years for two-time Olympian Casey Malone to win his first U.S. title in the men’s discus, and now winning this event has become routine. Malone won his second consecutive national championship with his third-round throw of 62.57m/205-3. The fifth-place finisher at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Malone finished just ahead of Texas Tech strength coach and current U.S. leader (#2 in the world) Jason Young, who had a best throw of 61.15m/200-7. Young’s second-place performance at Nationals is the best of his career. Freeman wins first hammer title Jake Freeman won his first career national hammer throw championship after 11 years of trying with his second attempt toss in the final of 76.51m/251-0. Freeman, who finished as the runner-up in this event in 2005 and 2009, finished ahead of runner-up and 2007 World Outdoor Championships team member Kibwe Johnson, who posted a best of 76.31m/250-4. Former Mountain West Conference champion Andrew Lofton finished third (75.42m/247-5), with two-time Olympian and four-time USA Outdoor champion A.G. Kruger fourth (73.90m/242-5). Hollis wins Gill Men’s Pole Vault Two-time NAIA champion Mark Hollis captured his first national Gill Men’s Pole Vault title this evening with his winning clearance of 5.60m/18-4.50, which is the identical height he conquered in winning the 2010 Millrose Games in New York City. Finishing as the runner-up was 2008 Olympic Games fourth-place finisher Derek Miles, who had a best clearance of 5.60m/18-4.50. Jason Colwick finished third at 5.50m/18-0.50. Pappas, Fountain lead combined events competitions Five-time national champion and 2003 world champion Tom Pappas leads the men’s decathlon after the first day of competition. Pappas’ second-best shot put throw of his career of 16.87m/55-4.25 helped propel him to the lead with 4,234 points, with Trinity Otto of Texas A&M in second place with 4,152 points. 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Hyleas Fountain holds a commanding lead after Day 1 of the 24 Hour Fitness Women’s Heptathlon. Fountain posted a personal best in the high jump of 1.90m/6-2.75 en route to a total of 4,068 points. 2009 USA Champs third-place finisher Bettie Wade is in second place with 3,603 points. Stadium records set in 800m qualifying 2007 World Outdoor Championships team member Duane Solomon led all men’s 800m semi-final qualifiers with his Drake Stadium record time of 1:45.23, which bettered the previous standard of 1:45.31 set by Jacob Hernandez in 2008. In Nike Women’s 800m semi-final action, 2007 USA Outdoor champion Alysia Johnson set the Drake Stadium record of 1:59.43, which improved greatly upon the previous standard of 2:01.68 by Suzy Favor Hamilton in 1998. Top Qualifiers: The following athletes posted the top performances in their respective events in qualifying competition. Men’s 400m - 2009 USA Junior champion Tavaris Tate - 45.00 Visa Men’s 1,500m - 2008 Olympic Games & 2009 World Outdoor Champs 5,000m finalist Matt Tegenkamp - 3:39.57 Hershey Men’s 400m Hurdles - 2008 Olympic Games and 2009 World Outdoor Champs bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson - 48.36 Men’s 3,000m steeplechase - 2009 USA Outdoor Champs runner-up Dan Huling - 8:40.85 Women’s 100 meters - 2004 Olympian LaShaunte’a Moore - 11.37 Nike Women’s 400m - 2010 World Indoor Champion Debbie Dunn - 50.97 Women’s 100m Hurdles - 2008 Olympic finalis Lolo Jones - 12.82 Women’s 400m Hurdles - 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist Sheena Tosta - 56.47 USA Outdoor Championships network television weekend coverage The 2010 USA Outdoor Championships will be televised on the following dates (All times Eastern): June 25 - 8:00 - 10 p.m. on ESPN
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| Louisville Selected to Host 2012 Cross Country National Championships Posted: 26 Jun 2010 08:04 AM PDT Cards to host first-ever Cross Country National Championship LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NCAA has selected the University of Louisville as a future site of the 2012 Cross Country National Championships as announced on Friday. The Cards will play host to their first-ever Cross Country National Championship after previously having served as host of the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on three occasions and the Big East Championships once.
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