BATON ROUGE – The top track and field athletes across the United States will be looking to earn their ticket to Rio de Janeiro and secure their spot on Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Games starting this weekend as Hayward Field at the University of Oregon will play host to the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials beginning Friday.
Among those are 22 current and former LSU Track & Field standouts with a combined 20 NCAA event titles, 45 SEC event titles and 98 All-America honors to their names during their careers in Baton Rouge.
Two World Championship medalists from a year ago and former NCAA Champions are among the favorites to qualify for their first Olympic team in their events as World 4×400-Meter Relay Champion Vernon Norwood will run the men’s 400-meter dash and World Championship Bronze Medalist Cassandra Tate is set to compete in the women’s 400-meter hurdles over the next 10 days.
Tate was a finalist in the 400 hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials four years ago following her senior season at LSU when she was just two places shy of making her first Olympic team for London 2012 with an impressive fifth-place finish in her trials debut. She qualified for Team USA at the World Championships a year ago with a second-place finish at the USA Outdoor Championships before winning the bronze medal.
After being crowned the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor champion in the 400 meters as a senior in 2015, Norwood placed third in the men’s 400-meter final at the USA Outdoor Championships to earn a trip to Worlds where he won a gold medal as a member of Team USA’s 4×400-meter relay.
I’m on the way @GoTrackTownUSA 🏃🏿
— VERNON L. NORWOOD (@Vernon400m) June 28, 2016
Two other former World Championship qualifiers with Team USA are also looking to make their first Olympic team at this year’s trials as seven-time NCAA Champion Kimberlyn Duncan will line up in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and former All-American Rodney Brown will step into the discus ring in Eugene. Duncan, the 2013 U.S. Champion in the women’s 200 meters, debuted at the IAAF World Championships debut as a college senior three years ago, while Brown made his international debut in Beijing, China, last summer.
Things are getting better little by little. Trusting God and his timing.
— Kimberlyn Duncan (@KiMBEAUX__) May 30, 2016
Other former LSU athletes set to compete are Quincy Downing (400 hurdles), Keri Emanuel (triple jump), Aaron Ernest (200 meters), Ryan Fontenot (110 hurdles), Jeremy Hicks (long jump), Tenaya Jones (100 hurdles), Charlene Lipsey (800 meters), Julian Parker (800 meters), Lynnika Pitts (triple jump), Jasmin Stowers (100 hurdles), LaTavia Thomas (800 meters) and Joshua Thompson (110 hurdles).
Six current members of the program are also ready to continue their outstanding 2016 seasons in Eugene after already competing at Hayward Field at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Mikiah Brisco and Jada Martin, two members of LSU’s NCAA Champion 4×100-meter relay team, are set to run the 100 meters and 200 meters, respectively, while fellow Lady Tiger All-American Rebekah Wales is ready to throw the javelin once again in Eugene. NCAA Outdoor semifinalist Kymber Payne will run against the likes of Tate in the women’s 400-meter hurdles next week.
After earning four All-America honors and running on LSU’s NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor champion 4×400-meter relay team this season, junior Michael Cherry joins Norwood in the men’s 400-meter field this week in one of the marquee events of the competition. Two-time SEC hurdle champion and 2016 NCAA Outdoor finalist Jordan Moore is also set to make his Olympic Trials debut in the men’s 110-meter hurdles.
Goodluck to everyone chasing there Olympic Dream this weekend may the weekend be in your and my favor lol
— miguel la cereza ❌ (@Cherry_Rus) June 29, 2016
Below is the complete competition and television schedule with LSU’s athletes competing at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials that runs over the next 10 days through Sunday, July 10. Times included are Central and will be subject to change based on weather delays and athlete advancement.
LSU’s Entries at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials
Note: Times are Central and subject to change due to weather and athlete advancement.
Friday, July 1
TV Coverage: NBC (8 p.m. CT)
6:15 p.m. – Men’s 800 Meters First Round (Julian Parker)
6:45 p.m. – Women’s 800 Meters First Round (Charlene Lipsey, LaTavia Thomas)
7:15 p.m. – Men’s 400 Meters First Round (Vernon Norwood, Michael Cherry)
Saturday, July 2
TV Coverage: NBC (1 p.m. CT); NBC Sports Network (4 p.m. CT)
1:43 p.m. – Women’s 800 Meters Semifinals (Charlene Lipsey, LaTavia Thomas)
2 p.m. – Men’s 800 Meters Semifinals (Julian Parker)
2:33 p.m. – Women’s 100 Meters First Round (Kimberlyn Duncan, Mikiah Brisco)
3:45 p.m. – Men’s Long Jump Qualifying (Jeremy Hicks)
3:46 p.m. – Men’s 400 Meters Semifinals (Vernon Norwood, Michael Cherry)
Sunday, July 3
TV Coverage: NBC (6 p.m. CT)
6:02 p.m. – Women’s 100 Meters Semifinals (Kimberlyn Duncan, Mikiah Brisco)
6:15 p.m. – Men’s Long Jump Final (Jeremy Hicks)
6:48 p.m. – Men’s 400 Meters Final (Vernon Norwood, Michael Cherry)
7:44 p.m. – Women’s 100 Meters Final (Kimberlyn Duncan, Mikiah Brisco)
Monday, July 4
TV Coverage: NBC Sports Network (6 p.m. CT)
6:15 p.m. – Women’s Triple Jump Qualifying (Lynnika Pitts, Keri Emanuel)
7:42 p.m. – Women’s 800 Meters Final (Charlene Lipsey, LaTavia Thomas)
7:51 p.m. – Men’s 800 Meters Final (Julian Parker)
Thursday, July 7
TV Coverage: NBC Sports Network (7 p.m. CT)
5:30 p.m. – Women’s Javelin Qualifying (Rebekah Wales)
7:02 p.m. – Women’s 100 Hurdles First Round (Jasmin Stowers, Tenaya Jones)
7:30 p.m. – Men’s 200 Meters First Round (Aaron Ernest)
7:58 p.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles First Round (Cassandra Tate, Kymber Payne)
8 p.m. – Men’s Discus Qualifying (Rodney Brown)
8:30 p.m. – Women’s Triple Jump Final (Lynnika Pitts, Keri Emanuel)
8:53 p.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles First Round (Quincy Downing)
Friday, July 8
TV Coverage: NBC Sports Network (5 p.m. CT); NBC (7 p.m. CT)
5:02 p.m. – Men’s 110 Hurdles First Round (Jordan Moore, Joshua Thompson, Ryan Fontenot)
5:30 p.m. – Women’s 200 Meters First Round (Kimberlyn Duncan, Jada Martin)
5:30 p.m. – Men’s Discus Final (Rodney Brown)
5:58 p.m. – Women’s 100 Hurdles Semifinals (Jasmin Stowers, Tenaya Jones)
6:31 p.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles Semifinals (Cassandra Tate, Kymber Payne)
6:47 p.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles Semifinals (Quincy Downing)
7:37 p.m. – Men’s 200 Meters Semifinals (Aaron Ernest)
7:54 p.m. – Women’s 100 Hurdles Final (Jasmin Stowers, Tenaya Jones)
Saturday, July 9
TV Coverage: NBC (7 p.m. CT)
6 p.m. – Women’s Javelin Final (Rebekah Wales)
6:25 p.m. – Men’s 110 Hurdles Semifinals (Jordan Moore, Joshua Thompson, Ryan Fontenot)
7:03 p.m. – Women’s 200 Meters Semifinals (Kimberlyn Duncan, Jada Martin)
7:42 p.m. – Men’s 200 Meters Final (Aaron Ernest)
7:52 p.m. – Men’s 110 Hurdles Final (Jordan Moore, Joshua Thompson, Ryan Fontenot)
Sunday, July 10
TV Coverage: NBC (6 p.m. CT)
6:03 p.m. – Women’s 400 Hurdles Final (Cassandra Tate, Kymber Payne)
6:51 p.m. – Men’s 400 Hurdles Final (Quincy Downing)
7:11 p.m. – Women’s 200 Meters Final (Kimberlyn Duncan, Jada Martin)