June 22, 2012
EUGENE, Ore. -
San Diego State senior Whitney Ashley and former standout Melinda Smedley both failed to advance in their respective event at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials Friday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Ashley, who won the national championship in the discus throw at the NCAA Championships earlier this month, finished 22nd of the 24 competitors in the event with a toss of 46.73 meters (153 feet, 3 inches). Ashley fouled on her first attempt, got the 153-3 mark on her second and fouled on her third. She would have needed to finish in the top 12 to advance to Sunday's final. Ashley came into the weekend ranked eighth with a personal-best mark of 59.99 meters (196-10).
Smedley, meanwhile, took sixth in her preliminary heat of the 100-meter dash and 25th overall out of the 35 entrants with a time of 11.55 seconds. Smedley would have had to finish among the top three in her heat or be one of the next six-fastest runners to move onto Saturday's semifinal. She came into the meet ranked in a tie for 31st with a time of 11.34.
Next up for the Aztecs is sophomore Allison Reaser, who will compete in the heptathlon on June 29-30. Reaser, who took sixth in the event at the NCAA Championships earlier this month with a school-record 5,753 points, is ranked 13th out of 19 entrants in the event heading into the trials. Reaser would need to finish in the top three and reach the Olympic "A" standard of 6,150 points to advance to the London Olympics.
2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials
Hayward Field - Eugene, Ore.
June 22, 2012
100 Meters (out of 35 entrants)
1. Tianna Madison (Saucony) - 11.10 (qualified for Saturday's semifinal)
2. Jeneba Tarmoh (Nike) - 11.16 (qualified for Saturday's semifinal)
3. Alexandria Anderson (Nike) - 11.19 (qualified for Saturday's semifinal)
4. Allyson Felix (Nike) - 11.19 (qualified for Saturday's semifinal)
5. Octavious Freeman (UCF) - 11.20 (qualified for Saturday's semifinal)
25. Melinda Smedley (Flo Fusion Athletics) - 11.55
Discus Throw (out of 24 entrants)
1. Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) - 62.83m (206-1) (qualified for Sunday's final)
2. Aretha Thurmond (Nike) - 60.21m (197-6) (qualified for Sunday's final)
3. Elizabeth Podominick (Unattached) - 59.92m (196-7) (qualified for Sunday's final)
4. Shelbi Vaughan (Mansfield High School) - 59.05m (193-9) (qualified for Sunday's final)
5. Suzy Powell-Roos (Asics) - 57.66m (189-2) (qualified for Sunday's final)
22. Whitney Ashley (SDSU) - 46.73m (153-3)