Four KU Athletes to Compete at Olympic Trials This Weekend
June 26, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. – University of Kansas seniors Ashley Brown and Crystal Manning and sophomore Jordan Scott are each set to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Junior Nickesha Anderson will also try to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games this weekend at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston, Jamaica.
Brown, a native of Overton, Neb., will run in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at 8:30 p.m. (CST) Friday with the semifinals of the event Saturday at 6:10 p.m. and the finals on Sunday afternoon. Brown holds the KU record in the event and was an All-American in 2007.
Manning automatically qualified for the Trials in the triple jump with her school record leap of 13.71 meters (44 feet, 11¾ inches) at the 2007 Big 12 Outdoor Championships. The three-time triple jump All-American had a season-best leap of 13.66 meters (44-09.75 ft.) in 2008. The Terrell, Texas, product competes at 7:40 p.m. Friday with the finals scheduled for 4:25 p.m. Sunday.
Scott qualified for the meet by breaking into the KU record book. The Watkinsville, Ga., native now ranks fourth all-time in Kansas’ storied pole vault record book after his vault of 5.60 meters (18-04.25 ft.) at the UNI Jumps Classic June 15. The Midwest Regional Champion will compete at 7:50 p.m. in the men’s pole vault Friday. The finals of the event will then take place Sunday at 4:40 p.m.
Anderson was a four-time All-American sprinter for the Jayhawks in 2008. Just weeks after earning the distinction in the 100 meters and 200 meters at the outdoor NCAA Championships, the Hanover, Jamaica, native will look to qualify for the Olympic Games in both events at the Jamaican Olympic Trials. Anderson runs in the 100 meters Friday at 6:15 p.m. (CST). The semifinals are at 5:10 p.m. Saturday with the finals at 6:50 p.m. that same night. The 200 meters are at 4:30 p.m. Sunday with the finals later that evening at 6:50 p.m.
The top-three athletes in each event automatically qualify to represent their country in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, starting August 8.
Senior Julius Jiles has also provisionally qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Declarations for his event, the 110-meter hurdles, close on July 2. At that time, Jiles will know if he has been accepted into the meet at Hayward Field.
Log on to www.kuathletics.com for complete updates and results on all the Jayhawk athletes competing for their respective countries.
