Taylor Manson, Cory McGee and Will Claye moved on to their events’ finals, Grace Stark qualified for the 100mH semifinals
EUGENE, Ore. – Four of the seven Gators competing on day two of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials advanced to the next qualifying rounds of their respective events Saturday inside Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Redshirt freshman Grace Stark, who finished fourth at last week’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earned the first automatic qualification of the night after finishing second in heat one of the 100-meter hurdles. Stark logged a time of 12.85 seconds to move on to the semifinals round, which is scheduled for Sunday at 9:03 p.m. ET with the finals scheduled for the same night.
On the distance front, Gator Great Cory McGee also advanced, finishing second overall in the 1,500 meters semifinals. The UF record holder logged a time of 4:05.96 and will compete in the final round Monday at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Out on the field, three-time Olympic Medalist Will Claye won the semifinals round of the triple jump. It only took the Gator standout one attempt to secure a spot on the finals, logging a mark of 16.85 meters (55 feet, 3.50 inches) [+0.7]. The final round of the triple jump is also scheduled for Monday evening, and it will take place at 7:40 p.m. ET.
In the 400 meters, Taylor Manson advanced to the final round with a qualifying time of 51.11 seconds. Manson will run for a chance to become an Olympian Sunday evening with the race scheduled for 10:06 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, fellow quarter-miler Talitha Diggs finished 12th overall with a time of 52.04 seconds, but did not reach the finals.
On the men’s side, Ryan Willie also missed the cut. The Baltimore native finished just outside the qualifying time, having crossed ninth in 45.40 seconds in the last event of the evening for the Gators.
Gator Great Jeff Demps, who opened the evening for the Gators, was also the first Florida standout to exit the trials. Demps finished seventh in heat three of the 100 meters with a time of 10.48 [2.0] seconds.
Florida currently has 10 Gators and alumni set to compete at the 10-day event, including reigning
world champion Grant Holloway, American long jump champion Marquis Dendy and school record holder in the long jump (indoors) Claire Bryant, among others.
See below for a complete list of Gators expected to compete in the remainder of this year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, along with results from day two.
The top three finishers in each event, so long as they have the Olympic qualifying standard, will automatically earn spots on Team USA for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Stark, McGee, Claye and Manson all have achieved the Olympic standard in their respective events.
The games were slated to take place last year but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tokyo Games are scheduled to open on July 23.
2020 USATF OLYMPIC TRIALS MEET INFORMATION (all times Eastern)
* Live Results<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__results.usatf.org_&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=-ZfZ2Sm2mZacZf6Gmmr1acqMfqWxdwlGFQmjlnwez9w&s=5u0cXnYQfTBkEKqrkQYdros20i1EP-co3ZmOCv7wtLM&e= >
* Venue: Hayward Field (Eugene, Ore.)
* Complete Meet Schedule<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.usatf.org_events_2021_2020-2Du-2Ds-2Dolympic-2Dteam-2Dtrials-2Dtrack-2Dfield_schedule&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=-ZfZ2Sm2mZacZf6Gmmr1acqMfqWxdwlGFQmjlnwez9w&s=Y-C7mQE-N3TW251yzxeBnPBIFONPALhQGiYdxulJKJc&e= >
Television Broadcast Schedule
Date
Network
Time
Day 3 – Sunday, June 20
NBC
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Day 4 – Monday, June 21
NBC Sports Network
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Day 4 – Monday, June 21
NBC
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Day 7 – Thursday, June 24
NBC Sports Network
9:00 p.m. – Midnight
Day 8 – Friday, June 25
NBC Sports Network
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Day 9 – Saturday, June 26
NBC
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Day 10 – Sunday, June 27
NBC
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Day Two – Saturday, June 19 (# indicates 1st round, * indicates semifinals)
Event
Gators – Time / Mark | Notes
100m (M)#
30. Jeff Demps – 10.48 [2.0]
400m (W)*
7. Taylor Manson – 51.11 | Advance to finals (time)
12. Talitha Diggs – 52.04
400m (M)*
9. Ryan Willie – 45.40
1,500m (W)*
2. Cory McGee – 4:05.96 | Advance to finals (automatic)
100mH (W)#
12. Grace Stark – 12.85 [-0.3] | Advance to semifinals (automatic)
TJ (M)*
1. Will Claye – 16.85 meters (55 feet, 3.50 inches) [+0.7] | Advance to finals
Day Three – Sunday, June 20
Time
Athlete – Event
9:03 p.m.
Grace Stark – Women’s 100-meter Hurdles (Semifinals)
10:06 p.m.
Taylor Manson – Women’s 400 meters (Final)
10:43 p.m.
Grace Stark – Women’s 100-meter Hurdles (Final)
Day Four – Monday, June 21
Time
Athlete – Event
7:40 p.m.
Will Claye – Men’s Triple Jump (Final)
8:05 p.m.
Cory McGee – Women’s 1,500 meters (Final)
Day Seven – Thursday, June 24
Time
Athlete – Event
8:45 p.m.
Claire Bryant – Women’s Long Jump (Qualifying)
9:31 p.m.
Kyra Jefferson – Women’s 200 meters (1st round)
10 p.m.
Cory McGee – Women’s 800 meters (1st round)
10:32 p.m.
TJ Holmes – Men’s 400-meter Hurdles (1st Round)
Day Eight – Friday, June 25
Time
Athlete – Event
4 p.m.
Avione Allgood-Whetstone – Women’s Javelin (Qualifying)
4:30 p.m.
Marquis Dendy, Will Claye – Men’s Long Jump (Qualifying)
5:33 p.m.
Grant Holloway – Men’s 110-meter Hurdles (1st Round)
6:02 p.m.
Cory McGee – Women’s 800 meters (Semifinals)
6:18 p.m.
TJ Holmes – Men’s 400-meter Hurdles (Semifinals)
7:25 p.m.
Kyra Jefferson – Women’s 200 meters (Semifinals)
Day Nine – Saturday, June 26
Time
Athlete – Event
6:30 p.m.
Claire Bryant – Women’s Long Jump (Final)
8:30 p.m.
Avione Allgood-Whetstone – Women’s Javelin (Final)
9:03 p.m.
Grant Holloway – Men’s 110-meter Hurdles (Semifinals)
9:35 p.m.
TJ Holmes – Men’s 400-meter Hurdles (Final)
10:24 p.m.
Kyra Jefferson – Women’s 200 meters (Final)
10:51 p.m.
Grant Holloway – Men’s 110-meter Hurdles (Finals)
Day Ten – Sunday, June 27
Time
Athlete – Event
7 p.m.
Marquis Dendy, Will Claye – Men’s Long Jump (Final)
7:52 p.m.
Cory McGee – Women’s 800 meters (Final)
Day One – Friday, June 18 (All events are 1st Round)
Event
Gators – Time / Mark | Notes
400m (W)
11. Talitha Diggs – 51.74 | Advance to semifinals (automatic)
16. Taylor Manson – 52.37 | Advance to semifinals (automatic)
400m (M)
6. Ryan Willie – 45.34 | Advance to semifinals (automatic)
1,500m (W)
8. Cory McGee – 4:11.86 | Advance to semifinals (automatic)
Notes: Bold italics denotes current Gators
QUOTES FROM THE GATORS (Courtesy of USATF Communications)
Grace Stark
On the race
“I really liked my start, I was glad I got a good start. That’s something I’ve been really trying to work on.”
On resting before the next round
“Get some treatment, get a flush out, and get a good night’s sleep.”
Cory McGee
On the race
“I went into the race knowing it’s been a while since I’ve been in a US final.”
On the upcoming final
“I’m super confident. I do not want to overthink it, I know I’m the fastest I’ve ever been, and I believe in the work I’ve done.”
On the work she has put in
“Last two years with team Boss, when I arrived I could hardly do four miles at 6:10 pace. Now I can do 10 at that pace. Having Joe (Bosshard) as my coach and training with my team has gotten me prepared for the moment. Racing with Dani Jones gives me a lot of comfort, so I feel I need to share confidence with her. I don’t want to let her down.”
On her recovery
I’m just going to take a deep breath. Getting to the final is the most stressful part, now I can relax, race and have fun. The rounds are stressful, the final is the fun part.
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