University of Georgia Athletics
Fagan Advances To Olympic Trials Finals
July 01, 2016 | Track & Field
*Link to U.S. Trials schedule: http://gado.gs/63c
*Link to broadcast schedule for Trials: http://gado.gs/63d
EUGENE, Ore. --- Georgia's sophomore Mady Fagan advanced to the high jump finals with a 6-foot mark during the first full day of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., on Friday.
Three of Georgia's current and former competitors started the action at historic Hayward Field. In addition to Fagan, former Bulldog Reese Hoffa competed in the qualifying and final rounds of the shot put and senior Christian Harrison ran in the 800-meter prelims.
Sophomore Kendal Williams (men's 100m, 200m), junior Devon Williams (decathlon), sophomore Keturah Orji (women's triple jump) and junior Kendell Williams (heptathlon) will all be wearing the Red and Black in the next nine days of competition as they compete against America's best.
While a top-three finish at the Trials will clinch a trip to Rio de Janeiro (August 12-21) for Kendal Williams, Devon Williams, Orji and Kendell Williams, Harrison and Fagan were still in search of the Olympic "A" standard in their respective events on Friday.
Devon Williams and Garrett Scantling start the decathlon for the Bulldogs on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Fagan posted two clearances and has advanced to the high jump finals at her first Trials. Fagan passed at 5 feet, 8 ½ inches before going over the bar at 5-10.50 on her second try. Then, she made a third-attempt clearance at 6-0.50, along with nine others, to move to the next round.
Fagan, a native of Los Gatos, Calif., is coming off a second year that featured a win in the high jump at the SEC outdoor meet and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She has cleared 6-1.25 and needs to hit 6-4 and finish in the top three for a chance at the Games.
Fagan, who is one of three collegiate finalists, will now jump as one of the 12 finalists at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday.
Former Bulldog Reese Hoffa wasted little time punching his ticket to the shot put finals during the opening event in Eugene. Hoffa lifted his first attempt 66-10, which was the fifth-longest throw of the qualifying round.
In the finals on Friday night, Hoffa worked up to a fourth throw of 67-7.50 and finished fifth. A trio of younger first-time Olympians earned spots in the event as Hoffa and 2004 gold medalist, Adam Nelson, who has trained with Hoffa for years, finished fifth and seventh, respectively. Hoffa won the 2008 and 2012 Trials and was second at the 2004 Trials.
Hoffa earned a bronze medal at the 2012 Games during his third trip to the Olympics. He was a five-time All-American at Georgia and the 2001 SEC champion from 1998-2001. Hoffa trained on Georgia's campus with throws coach Don Babbitt since his college days and has been the world's most consistent shot put thrower since his collegiate career concluded.
Senior Christian Harrison also finished fourth in his heat of the 800m prelims and 24th overall with a 1:48.95. This completes his two-year career with the Bulldogs.
Harrison, a native of Glenarden, Md., transferred to UGA from North Carolina A&T. A fourth-place finisher in the 800m at the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships, Harrison finished with the second-best outdoor time in school history (1:46.69).
Update From Paralympics: Also on Friday in Charlotte, N.C., former Bulldog signee Jarryd Wallace advanced to the U.S. Paralympic Trials men's 100m finals in the T43/44 class by winning the prelims with a 10.84. Wallace, who was the only competitor to break 11 seconds, and the other qualifiers will race in the finals on Saturday at 3:15 pm. This will be televised live by NBC at the Irwin Belk Complex at Johnson C. Smith University.
Currently, Wallace is the world's top-ranked sprinter in this event after running a legal 10.78 this year at the Desert Challenge Games in Tempe, Ariz., on May 14. It was the only stateside meet of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix series.
The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will be held Sept. 7-18, two weeks after their Olympic counterparts, and feature the same exciting sports and elite competition.
For more on Wallace, check out his website http://www.aleginfaith.com or his bio on the U.S. Paralympic site: http://www.teamusa.org/us-paralympics/athletes/Jarryd-Wallace
Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).
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