Gall Finishes Seventh in 800-meter Run at Olympic Trials
6/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
U-M Results
EUGENE, Ore. -- Junior Geena Gall(Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) of the University of Michigan women's track and field team finished seventh in the 800-meter run final, and former Wolverine Anna Willard (2007) advanced to the 3,000-meter steeplechase final Monday (June 30) at the USATF Olympic Trials at Oregon's Hayward Field.
Gall clocked a time of 2:02.35 to finish as the top collegian in the 800-meter run's 12-person field, capping a whirlwind month and a half that saw her win the NCAA outdoor championship in the event following titles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Mideast Regional. Her time was 0.11 of a second off her personal record (2:02.24) set at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Former Wolverine Katie Erdman Waits (2003-07), who had the third-fastest time in the 800m semifinal round, finished ninth in 2:04.60. She looked strong through the opening lap, holding third through the backstretch before dropping to fourth around the final turn. However, Waits faded back into the pack and was unable to muster a strong enough finish to qualify. Gall was in the middle of a pack of trailing runners for most of the race but improved her position over the final 100 meters with a strong kick.
Hazel Clark won the 800m in 1:59.82 and was joined on the Olympic team by runner-up Alice Schmidt (2:00.46). Kameisha Bennett (2:01.20) placed third but fell short of the Olympic "A" standard (2:00), so fourth-place finisher Nicole Teter (2:01.30), who did possess an "A" time, earned the last Olympics berth in the event. Waits, who achieved the "A" standard at last year's NCAA outdoor meet when she finished runner-up in a school-record 1:59.35, was the only finalist with an "A" time who did not make the team.
Willard opened up competition in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Monday, running in the second semifinal, which featured the NCAA champions from 2007 (Willard) and 2008 (Colorado's Jennifer Barringer). Willard easily advanced, leading for most of the race before finishing second (9:52.06) behind Barringer's stadium-record 9:48.50 as the top four in each semifinal plus the next six fastest times moved on to Thursday's final. A top-three finish in the final will put Willard on the Olympic team; she already owns an Olympic "A" standard time in the event.
After the Trials' two-day break from competition, two U-M competitors will be in action Thursday (July 3), with Lindsey Gallo (2002-05) beginning her Olympic bid in the 1,500-meter run quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. PDT, followed by Willard in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at 9:45 p.m. PDT. USA Network will provide coverage from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. EDT.
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
