Four Wolverines Set to Compete in U.S. Olympic Trials
7/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field, Olympics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field team will send a contingent of four Wolverines -- Melissa Bickett (Akron, Ohio/Revere HS), Lindsey Gallo (Freehold, N.J./Howell HS), Vera Simms (Mililani, Hawaii/Mililani HS) and Lindsey Stephenson (Hamsburg, N.Y./Hamsburg HS) -- to the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for July 9-18 at the Alex G. Spano Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif.
After running a personal-best 4:10.53 for a runner-up performance in the 1,500-meter run at the U.S Olympic Trials Twilight Distance Qualifier (June 27), Gallo enters the event with the 11th-fastest time among the 30 preliminary competitors, just missing the automatic-qualifying mark by 0.53 seconds. The Wolverine was a three-time NCAA All-American during the 2004 indoor and outdoor seasons, earning a pair of citations at the indoor meet by finishing sixth in the mile run and anchoring the Wolverines' seventh-place distance medley relay and claiming fourth place in the 1,500-meter run at the outdoor meet in early June. In addition she was named the Verzion Academic All-American Athlete of the Year for her efforts Michigan's Business School.
Simms ranks 22nd among the 28 preliminary entries in the 400-meter hurdles, and the recent U-M graduate has held her provisional-qualifying time of 58.15 since placing second in the event at the Jim Bush Southern Cal USATF Championships on June 8, 2003. After missing her opportunity to defend her Big Ten outdoor title due to illness, Simms returned to the lineup to compete at the NCAA Championships, where she finished 22nd overall in the 400-meter hurdles.
Recent graduates Bickett and Stephenson will represent the Maize and Blue in the field events, with Bickett competing in the discus throw and Stephenson in the javelin. With her season-best distance of 186-3 in the discus -- a mark that she used to win the NCAA Mideast Regional (May 28-29) -- Bickett ranks 15th among the 24 competitors in the event's preliminary round. In her final season at Michigan, Bickett was named U-M's Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor recipient in recognition of her achievements in both athletic and academic areas. The Wolverine senior earned her second consecutive NCAA All-America citation in the discus by placing 11th in the event at the NCAA Championships (June 9-12).
Stephenson ranks 14th among the 24 preliminary competitors in the javelin with a provisional-qualifying mark of 165-9, which she recorded at the Big Ten Championships on May 15 en route to the individual conference crown. Stephenson spent one season at Michigan after earning an undergraduate degree from Columbia University, and she became the first Wolverine to garner NCAA All-America honors in the javelin by placing ninth at the NCAA Championships (June 9-12).
In addition to the current Wolverines and recent graduates, former U-M standout Katie McGregor will compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials as one of the favorites in the 10,000-meter run. A three-time NCAA champion and nine-time All-American, McGregor owns the fourth-fastest time among the 24 competitors entering the distance event, and with a time of 31:51.26 -- which she recorded at Stanford's Cardinal Invitational (April 30) -- she is just one of four individuals to have a sub-32 minute automatic-qualifying mark.
Selection to the U.S. Olympic Team will be based upon a combination of performance at the Olympic Team Trials and hitting the necessary IAAF 'A' qualifying standard. Each competitor will be assigned a rank based upon the order of finish in each event. Athletes listed as Olympic team candidates will have until Aug. 9 to reach the IAAF qualifying standard.
For more information about the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, visit the official USA Track and Field site.
Current Wolverines at the Olympic Team Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Lindsey Gallo | 1,500-meter Run | July 16 | July 18 |
| Vera Simms | 400-meter Hurdles | July 9-10 | July 11 |
| Melissa Bickett | Discus | July 10 | July 12 |
| Lindsey Stephenson | Javelin | July 9 | July 11 |
Former Wolverines at the Olympic Team Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Katie McGregor | 10,000-meter Run | --- | July 16 |
Players Mentioned
