USTFCCCA News & Notes
Collegians At The 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field
Olympic dreams are about to come true!
Collegians will vie for Olympic berths over the next two weeks at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field, which are being held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
How many? Try 425 athletes who competed as a collegian in 2024.
That’s 41.5% of all entrants. If you expand the scope to any athlete who competed in the U.S. collegiate system, that would be 93.8% (961).
Some current collegians never left Track Town USA after competing at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships last week. Others will be making their first pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest with visions of proving themselves against the best the nation has to offer.
Keep checking back as we’ll continue to update this post.
Top-3 Collegians At 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field |
|||
| Name |
Program
|
Event
|
Place
|
| Heath Baldwin | Michigan State | Men’s Decathlon | First |
| Salif Mane | Fairleigh Dickinson | Men’s Triple Jump | First |
| Charity Hufnagel | Kentucky | Women’s High Jump | First |
| Jeremiah Davis | Florida State | Men’s Long Jump | First |
| Aaliyah Butler | Georgia | Women’s 400 Meters | Second |
| Rachel Glenn | Arkansas | Women’s High Jump | Second |
| Parker Valby | Florida | Women’s 10,000 Meters | Second |
| Malcolm Clemons | Florida | Men’s Long Jump | Second |
| Jayden Ulrich | Louisville | Women’s Discus | Second |
| Russell Robinson | Miami (Fla.) | Men’s Triple Jump | Second |
| Caleb Snowden | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Men’s High Jump | Second |
| Nico Young | Northern Arizona | Men’s 10,000 Meters | Third |
| Juliette Whittaker | Stanford | Women’s 800 Meters | Third |
| Veronica Fraley | Vanderbilt | Women’s Discus | Third |
| James Corrigan | BYU | Men’s Steeplechase | Third |
| Jaida Ross | Oregon | Women’s Shot Put | Third |
| McKenzie Long | Ole Miss | Women’s 200 Meters | Third |
| Brynn King | Roberts Wesleyan | Women’s Pole Vault | Third |
| Parker Wolfe | North Carolina | Men’s 5000 Meters | Third |
| Grace Stark | Florida | Women’s 100 Hurdles | Third |
| Jasmine Jones | Southern California | Women’s 400 Hurdles | Third |
| Tyus Wilson | Nebraska | Men’s High Jump | Third |
| Jenna Rogers | Nebraska | Women’s High Jump | Third-tie |
Baldwin Wins Decathlon With PR 8625
Heath Baldwin, who was the second-highest collegiate decathlete this spring with 8470 points, added 155 points to win impressively with a score of 8625.
That victory is the first by a collegian in this event since UCLA’s Rafer Johnson in 1956 (back in the days when the decathlon wasn’t yet an NCAA championship event), and also puts him No. 3 all-time on the collegiate all-dates list – behind CR holder Leo Neugebauer of Texas (8961) and Georgia’s Kyle Garland (8720).
Baldwin bypassed his specialty at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships two weeks ago, concentrating on the 110-meter hurdles (in which he missed making the final site field by just 0.001 seconds).
Hufnagel, Glenn 1-2 In Women’s High Jump
NCAA DI champions were dominant in the women’s high jump as two were the only ones on this day to clear 1.94m (6-4¼).
For Charity Hufnagel of Kentucky it was a PR to win, topping her best set last year when had a shocking NCAA DI victory while known as Charity Griffith at Ball State.
For Rachel Glenn of Arkansas it was an outdoor PR for second place (determined by having more misses than Hufnagel). It was her highest-ever clearance outdoors. She scaled an =CR in winning the NCAA Indoor title in March.
Also PRing was Jenna Rogers of Nebraska, who tied for third at 1.91m (6-3¼).
Mane, Robinson 1-2 In Men’s Triple Jump
The NCAA DI 1-2 in the men’s triple jump was repeated, albeit not nearly as close.
Salif Mane of Fairleigh Dickinson and Russell Robinson of Miami (Fla.) finished 1-2 in the Olympic Trials triple jump, three weeks after just 1 centimeter separated them at NCAA meet.
Mane bounded out to a PR 17.52m (57-5¾) – which exceeds the Olympic entry standard – for the victory in moving to No. 6 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list. Robinson’s best was 17.01m (55-9¾).
Davis, Clemons 1-2 In Men’s Long Jump
A pair of Florida collegians went 1-2 in the men’s long jump.
Jeremiah Davis of Florida State led the way with his third-round leap of 8.20m (26-11), and Malcolm Clemons of Florida followed with a last-round effort of 8.18 (26-10).
Stark Blazes A PRs 12.31 In 100 Hurdles
Grace Stark of Florida finished third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.31 to earn her berth to Paris.
With that time Stark – who won the event at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier in the month – became No. 2 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list behind only the 12.26 of Brianna Rollins of Clemson in 2013.
Jones PRs At 52.77, Just Misses Collegiate Best
Jasmine Jones of Southern California finished third in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking 52.77 in moving to No. 2 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list.
Jones, who set her previous best of 53.15 in winning the event at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier in the month, just missed the all-dates collegiate best of 52.75 set in 2018 by former Kentucky star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (who won the race here in a world record 50.65).
King Soars To Make USA Vault Team
Brynn King of Roberts Wesleyan set yet another PR in the pole vault, but this one was extra special. Not only did she finish third, her clearance of 4.73m (15-6¼) also nailed the Olympic entry standard to punch her ticket to Paris.
King – who won the vault last month at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships – is tied for No. 3 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list.
Butler PRs At 49.71 To Make USA Team In 400
Freshman Aaliyah Butler of Georgia ran a lifetime best of 49.71 in the 400 to finish second, earning a berth on the U.S. team to Paris.
Butler’s time improved her PR from 49.79 while finishing fourth at the SEC Championships last month.
Whittaker PRs At 1:58.45 To Make USA Team In 800
NCAA DI Indoor & Outdoor champ Juliette Whittaker of Stanford ran a PR 1:58.45 to finish third for the final U.S spot on the American team bound for Paris.
Whittaker’s mark makes her No. 6 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list.
Young Secures His Spot On Team USA
Nico Young bounced back and made his first Olympic team.
Young, who set a collegiate record – and hit the Olympic standard – in the 10,000 meters earlier this year, punched his ticket to Paris in the same event on Thursday. The Northern Arizona standout finished third in the 10,000-meter final behind Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid. Young ran with the leaders throughout the race and closed in 57.18 to earn his spot.
Just two weeks earlier, Young ended a standout collegiate year with a runner-up finish in the 5000 meters at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Wolfe Hunts A PR To Make USA 5K Team
Parker Wolfe of North Carolina finished third in the 5000 meters, clocking a PR 13:10.75. His time is short of the Olympic entry standard of 13:05.00 so he must wait to see if makes the Paris field via the final World Athletics rankings.
Wolfe, who won the 5k title three weeks earlier at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finished just ahead of Harvard’s Graham Blanks, who already has achieved the Olympic standard.
Snowden, Wilson 2-3 In Men’s High Jump
Caleb Snowden of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Nebraska’s Tyus Wilson reversed their 2-3 finish from the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in occupying second and third place in the high jump here.
Snowden cleared a PR 2.27m (7-5¼) for second, while Wilson was third at 2.24m (7-4¼).
Ulrich, Fraley 2-3 In Women’s Discus
Jayden Ulrich of Louisville and Vanderbilt’s Veronica Fraley reversed their finish from the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing 2-3 in the discus here with throws of 62.63m (205-5) and 62.54m (205-2), respectively.
Fraley has already achieved the Paris Olympic entry standard of 64.50m (211-7).
Corrigan Third In Steeplechase
James Corrigan of BYU finished third in the steeplechase, clocking 8:26.78.
Corrigan, who lacked the 8:15.00 Olympic qualifying standard, raced again six days later on Saturday at the Penn Summer Showcase, winning with a PR 8:13.87 to achieve the mark and move to No. 5 on the collegiate all-time, all-dates list.
Valby Second In 10,000 Meters
Parker Valby of Florida finished second in the 10,000 meters with a time of 31:41.56 – her third sub-32:00 clocking in an event she first ran in April. She is the only collegian with more than two sub-32 times in a collegiate season on an all-dates basis.
Valby, who swept the 5000 and 10,000 earlier in June at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, set a PR 14:51.44 in finishing fourth in Monday’s 5000 meters and achieving the Olympic entry standard.
Ross Takes Third In Shot To Make USA Team
Jaida Ross of Oregon finished third in the shot put to clinch her spot on Team USA. Ross heaved the shot 19.60m (64-3¾) – her fifth time surpassing 64 feet (19.51m) this year, which included her title at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Long Makes Team USA In 200
McKenzie Long of Ole Miss finished third in the 200 meters to punch her ticket to Paris. Long clocked 21.91 – her second-fastest ever wind-legal time, just off the 21.83 she ran in completing a 100/200 sweep at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.