June 22, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Buckeye track and field stars Christina Manning and Michael Hartfield each moved one step closer to spots on the U.S. Olympic team by advancing through preliminary round competition at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Friday evening at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Manning, the 2012 NCAA champion in the 100m hurdles and winner of the Suzy Favor Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year award, finished first in her heat and second overall in the sprint hurdle preliminary round in a time of 12.77 seconds to move on to Saturday’s semifinal.  Kellie Wells, the 2011 U.S. champion in the event, posted the top time of the first round (12.68), with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper finishing third overall in a time of 12.79.

Hartfield, the 2012 Big Ten outdoor champion in the long jump, turned in a 12th-place mark of 7.68m (25-2.50) in his specialty event to claim the last qualifying spot in Sunday’s final round. William Claye placed first overall in the preliminary at 7.98m (26-2.25).

Manning will take to the track in the 100m hurdle semifinals Saturday at 6:15 p.m. ET. The finals in the event are scheduled for the same day and will be televised live on NBC at 8:45 p.m. ET. Hartfield’s long jump final is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

A Buckeye-specific competition schedule can be found on the track and field homepages.

Thomas Finishes 22nd in the Hammer Throw
Alexis Thomas, the 2012 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and the conference champion in the hammer throw finished 22nd in the hammer trials Thursday afternoon with a 56.70m (186 ft.) heave. Amber Campbell, Amanda Bingson, and Jessica Cosby claimed the three open spots on the U.S. squad for the London games.