Former Gator Clement Qualifies For World Championships; Two Gators Advance to Finals
Sunday, June 28, 2009 | Track and Field
Former University of Florida standout Kerron Clement punched his ticket to the upcoming IAAF World Championships and two current Gators advanced to the finals of their respective events on Saturday at the 2009 USA Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Oregon at its historic Hayward Field.
Clement finished third in the finals of the men's 400-meter dash in a time of 45.14. Current Gator sprinter Calvin Smith (Lutz, Fla.) was sixth in the event, clocking a time of 45.56, and is still likely to qualify for the United States 4x400-meter relay pool, which will be announced next week.
“It went well,” Clement said. “I kind of waited too late – the last 150 meters. I'm just really happy that I made the team.”
Freshman hurdler William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.), after a difficult finish in the finals of the men's junior 110-meter hurdles on Friday, qualified for the finals of the men's junior 400-meter hurdles, placing third in the preliminaries of the event in a time of 52.14. The finals take place at 7:05 p.m. EST Sunday.
“It was my first 400-meter hurdle race since the SECs and I think it went well,” Wynne said. “I just really want to make the team. I had an unfortunate event yesterday when I hit the seventh hurdle during the 110s, so now I am just trying to qualify. I'm not worried about winning.”
Freshman sprinter Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) advanced to the finals of the women's junior 400-meter dash, finishing in a time of 54.16. The finals take place at 4:28 p.m. EST Sunday.
The final day of the USA Track and Field Championships begins at 12 p.m. EST Sunday from historic Hayward Field. Live results can be found at: http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/schedule.asp
For complete coverage of current and former Florida athletes participating in the USA Track and Field Championships, log on to www.GatorZone.com or visit www.twitter.com/gztrackfield.
USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS (JUNE 25-28, 2009 – Eugene, Ore.)
SATURDAY, JUNE 27
Women's Junior 200-Meter Dash
12. Madison McNary – 25.05 (+2.3)
Women's Junior 400-Meter Dash
3. Alishea Usery – 54.16 Q
Men's Junior 400-Meter Hurdles
3. William Wynne – 52.14 Q
Men's 200-Meter Dash Preliminaries
18. Terrell Wilks – 20.70 (+1.4)
Men's 400-Meter Dash Finals
6. Calvin Smith – 45.56
FORMER GATORS COMPETING IN THE USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's 400-Meter Dash Finals
3. Kerron Clement – 45.14
END OF REPORT
