Geubelle Takes Triple Jump Bronze on Day Four of U.S. Olympic Trials
June 25, 2012
Live Results | Kansas Agate 
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EUGENE, Ore. – Kansas senior-to-be Andrea Geubelle finished third in the triple jump Monday at the U.S. Olympic Trials at the Historic Hayward Field. Geubelle’s finish is the highest-ever for a KU female at the Olympic Trials in the Stanley Redwine era.
Geubelle and the rest of her competitors entered the day needing to jump to the Olympic A standard (14.30 meters) in order to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. With cool temperatures and rain falling it would be a tough task for the junior, but it didn’t stop her from going for it.
The University Place, Wash., native got out to a great start, hitting a mark of 13.79 meters (45-03 ft.) on her first jump to move her into second early in the day. She was unable to improve on her next two leaps but her first-round mark earned her three more attempts and she sat in third place with three jumps left. She was again unable to better her mark, but remained in the top three for the remainder of the competition and claimed the national bronze medal.
As is customary for the U.S. Olympic Trials, the top three finishers in each event are automatically put on team USA for the Olympic Games, however Geubelle and the other two top finishers had not hit the Olympic standard mark, meaning that only the winner, Amanda Smock, will go on to London.
Despite not making the Olympic Team, Geubelle still garnered the highest finish for a Kansas female at the Trials in the Stanley Redwine era (2000-present). She will now try to qualify for the finals of the long jump as she jumps in the preliminary flight Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Earlier in the day senior Rebeka Stowe took to the Hayward Field track in the semifinal of the 3,000-meter Steeplechase. The Olathe, Kan. native needed a top-five finish in her heat or to attain one of the next four best times of the two semifinal heats combined, a guideline that she would take full advantage of.
Stowe would lay behind the pack for the first 2,000 meters of the race, sitting in a comfortable 12th place as she let the leaders set the pace. With two laps to go she began picking off one runner after the other, moving into seventh with 200 meters to go. Stowe crossed the finish line in 9:53.67, less than a second off her lifetime best.
She then had to wait some tense moments to see if her time was fast enough to advance her to the finals as a time qualifier. With the completion of the second flight, it became apparent Stowe was the 14th and final qualifier for the final.
She will now run on Friday, June 29 at 6:45 p.m. (CT) in the Steeplechase final for a spot on Team USA.
Junior Mason Finley took part in the men’s discus qualifying round Monday afternoon. The Salida, Colo., native launched the disc to a mark of 58.59 meters (192-2 ft.) on his third attempt which left him just out of reach of the final qualifying spot at 13th-place. Finley failed to qualify for Thursday’s 12-man final by just six inches.
Several KU Track & Field alumni were in Trials action Monday as well. Jordan Scott (2007-11) advanced to the finals of the men’s pole vault with his clearance of 5.30 meters (17-4.50 ft.). He will jump in the 12-man final on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Crystal Manning (2004-07) jumped alongside Geubelle in the triple jump, finishing fifth with a top leap of 13.25 meters (43-05.75 ft.). Brian Bishop (2008-11) threw in the first flight of the discus, finishing 22nd overall after his first attempt throw of 54.84 meters (179-11 ft.).
With the Olympic Trials now taking a two-day break, the Jayhawks will not see action until Thursday, June 28. Freshman Michael Stigler and junior Paris Daniels will begin their meet in 1st round heats with Stigler in the 400-meter hurdles and Daniels in the 200 meters. Log on to kuathletics.com for news, updates and results from Eugene as the Jayhawks compete for trips to the Olympic Games.
