DiCrescenzo Reaches Steeplechase Finals at US Olympic Trials
7/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. ? Delilah DiCrescenzo '05CC advanced to the finals in the steeplechase after finishing fifth in heat 1 of the semifinals on Monday, June 30.
The Chicago native completed the race in a time of 9:56.44, receiving one of six "wild-card" berths into the finals. The top four times in each heat advanced to the finals and the next six fastest times also advanced to the 14-person final, set to take place on Thursday, July 3 at 9:45 p.m. Pacific time, 12:45 Eastern.
DiCrescenzo entered the semis as one of 12 competitors in the first heat. She qualified for the semis with a time of 9:41.68, the third fastest qualifying time in her heat.
Also on Monday night, former Lion sprinter Erison Hurtault finished eight-tenths of a second away from qualifying for the 400m finals. The 2007 graduate finished seventh in heat 2 with a time of 46.34.
But Hurtault was already guaranteed a trip to Beijing. Although he is a United States citizen who grew up in New Jersey, Hurtault will run for the country of Dominica, a small isle in the Caribbean, where his parents were born.
Hurtault, who graduated with a degree in economics, came into this Olympic year and decided to battle the strongest field of 400 runners in the world instead of simply taking a free pass from Dominica, writes Lynn Zinser in the New York Times.
A pair of former Columbia track alums are still awaiting their chances to qualify for the Beijing Games.
After finishing 15th in the marathon qualifier for the Olympics, Steve Sundell '04CC will be competing in the 10K trials on Friday, July 4 at 9:20 p.m. Pacific time, 12:20 a.m. Eastern. Sundell is currently ranked 22nd on the declaration list.
Finally, Tom Kloos '99CC, who is presently ranked 26th on the declaration list, is slated to compete in the men's steeplechase semifinals, set for Thursday, July 3 at 9:10 p.m. Pacific time, 12:10 a.m. Eastern.
NBC and USA have teamed up to cover the U.S. Olympic Trials. Track and field coverage on Thursday and Friday will run from 11 p.m. -1 a.m. on USA. Check local listings.
NBCOlympics.com will also provide live coverage of the trials on their website.
