Team USA Minnesota Runners Head to Eugene for 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials

 

Minneapolis/St. Paul – June 21, 2012 – Team USA Minnesota runners Katie McGregor, Heather Kampf, Jamie Cheever and Gabriele Anderson will compete at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in events that include the 10,000 meters, the 800 meters, the steeplechase and the 1500 meters. 

 

The top three finishers in each event at the Trials will be selected for the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in London provided each finisher has an Olympic “A” qualifying mark in the event.  Athletes can secure this mark either prior to the Trials or during the competition in Eugene.  All four Team USA Minnesota athletes need to secure the Olympic “A” mark as well as place in the top three of their races.

 

The running events at the Trials begin Friday, June 22, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field and conclude on Sunday, July 1.  There is a two-day break in the schedule on June 26 and 27.  NBC and the NBC Sports Network will feature 12 hours of live coverage over the eight days of competition (viewing information can be found at www.nbcolympics.com).  Results will be available on the USA Track & Field web site at www.usatf.org.

 

McGregor qualified for the Trials in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:37.83.  The final of this event will be held June 22 at 7:20 p.m. (Pacific time).  In both 2004 and 2008 at the U.S. Olympic Track Trials, she finished in fourth place in the women’s 10,000.  Earlier this year, McGregor competed in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston and finished 11th.

 

Kampf will compete in the 800 meters beginning with the preliminary round on June 22 at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific), followed by the 800m semifinals on June 23 at 4:30p.m.  The final of the women’s 800 meters is set for June 25 at 6:50 p.m.  Kampf qualified for the event with a time of 2:00.41.

 

In the women’s steeplechase, Cheever will compete in the qualifying event on June 25 at 4:50 p.m. (Pacific).  The steeplechase final will be held on June 29 at 4:45 p.m.  Cheever posted 9:52.15 in the steeple in May to achieve a spot in the competition.

 

In the second half of the Trials, Anderson will begin her quest in the 1500 meters at the semifinal race, which is scheduled for June 29 at 3:45 p.m. (Pacific).  The final of the women’s 1500 meters will be held on the last day of the Trials, July 1, at 4:23 p.m.  Anderson’s best in the 1500 is 4:06.46.

 

About Team USA Minnesota

Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Formed in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians.  The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, head cross country and track coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  Team USA Minnesota’s major sponsor is Life Time Run (www.lifetimerun.com) and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.tcmevents.org).  It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project. For more information, visit the team’s web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.