Three athletes from Texas Tech University and two former South Plains College athletes advanced to the next round on Friday, the first day of the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Tech alumni Benard Keter and Zach Bradford advanced to the finals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and pole vault, respectively, on Sunday night at Hayward Field in Bradford, with Keter advancing at 9:07 p.m.
Keter is seeking to make his second U.S. Olympic team after competing in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, while Bradford is seeking to make his second consecutive U.S. team after qualifying for last year’s world championships.
Keter finished third in the qualifying round with a time of 8 minutes 27.10 seconds.
Bradford placed fifth in the pole vault with a jump of 18 feet, 8.5 inches, but the field was narrowed down to a tie with the top 12. In a surprising turn of events, American record holder KC Lightfoot was eliminated after falling short of 18 feet, 4.5 inches. The former NCAA champion from Baylor University placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.
Before transferring to Texas Tech, Keter was an NAIA national champion at Wayland Baptist University, where he won four Big 12 championships. Now 32 and a unit supply specialist in the U.S. Army, Keter placed second at the 2021 Olympic Trials, third at the 2022 National Championships and second at last year’s National Championships.
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Former South Plains College NJCAA champions Vernon Norwood and Caleb McRae took first and second place in the first round of the 400 meters in identical times, with Norwood clocking 45.40 seconds and McRae clocking 45.54 seconds. The semifinals will be held on Sunday at 8:35 p.m.
Technical sprinter Alyssa Colbert automatically qualified for the finals after finishing in the top six in the first-round qualifying for the 100 meters. She qualified sixth in a wind-free 11.18 seconds and placed 20th overall. The semifinals will be held on Saturday at 8 p.m., and the final will be held on Saturday at 9:50 p.m.
Colbert was named First Team All-American in the indoor 60 meters and Second Team All-American in the outdoor 100 meters this season.
Denim Rogers, a 2023 Polytechnic senior, is in 16th place with 3,307 points after five events in the decathlon. Rogers took second place in the 100 meters in a wind-free time of 10.51 seconds, but fouled all three attempts in the long jump, dropping him several spots in the overall standings.
The trials are scheduled for June 27-30 over two four-day sessions, Friday through Monday, with two designated non-competitive practice days in between.
