| July
7 , 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release by Mike Marzolf Photo available upon request |
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Olympic
list reaches 8; USA Olympic Qualifying starts this weekend So far 5 Cougars will be participating for Jamaica and one each from the Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands. Running for the Jamaican women will be former Cougars Veronica Campbell (100m, 200m, 4x100), Aleen Bailey (100m, 200m, 4x100) and Beverly McDonald (200m, 4x100). Suzette Lee, originally listed as an Olympian in the triple jump, did not meet Olympic Standards. For the men Steve Mullings (100m, 200m, 4x100) will run sprints and Chris Pinnock has been added to the men’s team in the 110m hurdles after finishing 5th at the Olympic qualifying in Jamaica. Leevan Sands will triple jump and long jump for the Bahamas while LeJuan Simon will do likewise for Trinidad & Tobago. Laverne Jones will run sprints for the US Virgin Island women to bring the former Cougar total to 8 so far.
More former Cougars ranked in Top 10 in the world will compete over the next two weekends in an effort to make it to the 2004 Olympics as a member of Team USA. For the men, the Cougars will have at least 12 vying for a spot on the team while the women will have 4 competing. The top 3 finishers from each event will make the USA Olympic team with a few exceptions. Headlining the former Cougar for the men’s team will be Bernard Williams and Walter Davis – both already with Olympic experience. Williams will compete in the 100m and 200m while Davis, inducted in the Barton Sports Hall of Fame this past winter, will long jump and triple jump. Williams, who currently has the fastest 200m time (20.01) by US qualifying standards at the Olympic Trials and the 10th best time in the 100m (10.05), will have other former Cougars competing against him in those events – namely Tyson Gay. Gay is currently 5th on the qualifying list in the 200m (20.09) and 11th in the 100m (10.06). Aaron Armstrong will also compete in both events. He has a qualifying standard of 10.17 in the 100m and 20.52 in the 200m. Another ex Cougar, Erick Wilson, has run a 20.40 in the 200m but has not declared his intent to run in the Trials yet.
Four more former Cougars will also compete in the USA Olympic Trials for the men. Derrick Brew, who has competed for the USA in World Championships, will run in the 400m. Currently Brew has the 11th best qualifying mark at 44.83. Floyd Thompson will take the 14th best mark into the 800m (1:47.53) while recent Barton graduate Dexter Faulk will compete in the 110m high hurdles, making the field of 32 with the 27 best effort. Another ex Cougar looking to make a serious run at Athens and the 2004 Olympics for the USA men is Fred Sharpe. Sharpe had qualified in two events – the 800m and the 400m hurdles – but scratched from the 800m to concentrate on the 400m hurdles. In the hurdles, Sharpe has the 8th best mark in the USA at 48.86.
LaQuanda Cotton will throw in two events at the Trials. Currently Cotton has the 8th best mark in the shot put at 53-5.5 and will also compete in the hammer throw where she is ranked 17th (205-4). LaShauntee Moore will take the 16th best mark into the 100m (11.26) and the 19th best into the 200m (23.09). Monique Hall will participate in the 400m (51.93) with the 21st best mark and has provisional mark of 23.09 in the 200m like Moore, but Hall has yet to declare for that race. Coverage of the USA Olympic Trials will split between the USA Network and NBC. Coverage starts Friday at 9 pm on USA and will include the live coverage of the men’s long jump qualifying, women’s 100m quarterfinals and the women’s 200m heptathlon race. Recorded coverage from that day will include the men’s 400m hurdles qualifying, the men’s 800m quarterfinals. Saturday the telecast will move to NBC starting at 7 pm with live coverage men’s 100m quarterfinals, women’s 100m finals, and the men’s 800m semifinals. Other recorded events that feature former Cougars will be more heptathlon events. This weekend’s coverage will conclude Sunday on NBC at 6 pm and the men’s long jump finals and the men’s 100m finals as well as the men’s 400m hurdle finals. The telecast will continue Monday on USA as well as July 15-16 on USA and July 17-18 on NBC. -30- Check
out Barton County Track Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
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With
the list of former Barton County Community College track and field
athletes up to 8, the Cougars look to hit double digits over the
next 10 days as the USA Olympic Qualifying begins Friday in Sacramento
with at least 16 ex Cougar vying for a spot on the 2004 USA Olympic
team.
That
list includes several members with a shot a medalling in the Olympics
as Campbell (No. 10 in 100m and No. 1 in 200m) has Top 10 times
in the world this year as well as Mullings (No. 7 in 100m, No. 8
in 200m).
The
jumping events will also be filled with former Barton County Cougars.
The long jump will feature Davis, John Moffitt, and Joe Allen as
former Cougars in the event. Moffitt currently has the 2nd best
qualifying standard at the Trials with a long jump of 27-2.25. Davis
has the 4th best mark at 26-10.75 and Allen is 8th at 26-5.5. The
triple jump will see 3 ex Cougars among the top 6 marks and another
at No. 12. Tim Russan has the 2nd best qualifying mark for the trials
at 56-6.75 with Davis 3rd at 56-5.25. Moffitt is 6th with a jump
of 55-1 while Erik Newby has the 12th best USA standard at 54-7.5.
Moffitt has not yet declared his intention to triple jump by has
entered the long jump. He has not scratched from the triple jump
either.
Hyleas
Fountain will headline the ex Cougar women at the Trials. Fountain
had qualified for 3 events – the lone Cougar to do that –
but will compete in just two. Fountain currently has the 6th best
mark in the Heptathlon with 6033 points and the 5th best long jump
at 21-7.5. Fountain scratched from the 100m high hurdles.