SAN DIEGO – San Diego State will have five former student-athletes coming at the Olympic Trials over the next two weeks.
Whitney Ashley (discus throw), Ashley Henderson (100 & 200-meter dashes), Kristen Brown (pole vault) and Kortney Ross (pole vault) will compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon June 18-27 and Shanieka (Thomas) Ricketts is set for the triple jump at the Jamaican National Senior Championships on June 27.
Both Whitney Ashley and Shanieka (Thomas) Ricketts competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Henderson (2018), a nine-time First Team All-American at SDSU, is ranked 30th (200m) and 31st (100m). Her personal best wind legal times are 10.96 in the 100m and 22.49 in the 200m, both of which were recorded in the summer of 2018. The first round of the 100-meter dash is Friday at 6:37 p.m. PT with the semifinals (6:03 p.m.) and finals (7:31 p.m.) taking place the following evening. The 200-meter dash competition takes places next week, beginning with the first round June 24 at 6:31 p.m.
Ashley, the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the discus, has the third best mark (208-9, 63.64m) at the trials. She took first place at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials before being unable to land a legal throw at the Rio Olympics. Her career best throw is 212-7 (64.80m) recorded in 2015. The qualifying round is Friday at 4 p.m. with the finals the next day at 6:42 p.m.
SDSU will have a pair of pole vault alums competing in Kortney Ross and Kristen Brown. Ross ranks eighth (15-02.25, 4.63m) and Brown is tied for 11th (14-11.50, 4.56m). The qualifying round is Thursday, June 24 at 5 p.m. with the final round coming on Saturday June 26.
Ricketts (2014), a three-time NCAA triple jump champion (2013-14 outdoor, 2014 indoor) and a two-time runner-up finisher (2012 outdoor, 2013 indoor), is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. She will compete June 27 at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Ricketts, who tied for 13th at the Rio Olympics, has had an impressive last month on the Diamond League circuit. She took first in Gateshead, England and then the following week recorded a personal best jump of 49-01.75 (14.98m) in Doha, Qatar.
The top three in each event with an Olympic standard mark qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
2020 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team Trials
Hayward Field | Eugene, Ore. | University of Oregon
June 18-27 (SDSU former athletes compete on June 18-19 & June 24-26)
(Top three in each event with an Olympic standard mark)
100 Meters (Olympic Standard – 11.15)
31. Ashley Henderson (adidas) – 11.22
(First Round - 6:37 p.m. PT Friday, June 18)
(Semifinals - 6:03 p.m. PT Saturday, June 19)
(Finals - 7:31 p.m. PT Saturday, June 19)
200 Meters (Olympic Standard – 22.80)
30. Ashley Henderson (adidas) – 23.00
(First Round - 6:31 p.m. PT Thursday, June 24)
(Semifinals - 4:25 p.m. PT Friday, June 25)
(Finals – 7:24 p.m. PT Saturday, June 26)
Pole Vault (Olympic Standard – 15-01.00 (4.60m))
8. Kortney Ross – 15-02.25 (4.63m)
T-11. Kristen Brown 14-11.50 – (4.56m)
(Qualifying - 5 p.m. PT Thursday, June 24)
(Finals - 5:40 p.m. PT Saturday, June 26)
Discus Throw (Olympic Standard – 206-8 (63.00m))
3. Whitney Ashley – 208-9 (63.64m)
(First Round - 4 p.m. PT Friday, June 18)
(Semifinals – 6:42 p.m. PT Saturday, June 19)
2020 Jamaican Senior National Championships
National Stadium | Kingston, Jamaica
June 24-July 27 (Shanieka (Thomas) Ricketts competes on June 27)
Triple Jump (Olympic Standard – 44-03.50 (13.50m))
1. Shanieka (Thomas) Ricketts – 49-01.75 (14.98m)
(4:20 p.m. CT Sunday, June 27)
Former Aztecs Competing at Olympic Trials
