Track and Field's Usery, Wynne Advance to Pan Am Games
Monday, June 29, 2009 | Track and Field
Florida track and field athletes Alishea Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) and William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.) each punched their tickets to the upcoming Pan Am Junior Athletics Championships with strong performances on Sunday, the final day of the USA Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Oregon at its historic Hayward Field.
Usery captured the women's junior 400-meter dash championship on Sunday, finishing in a time of 53.91 to advance to the Pan Am Games. Usery's performance on Sunday continued her fantastic freshman season, which has included trips to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships.
“It went well,” Usery said. “The prelims were slower and the final was a little faster. On the curve, the girl on the inside of me tried to pass me, but I just kept my form at the end and tried to finish strong.”
Wynne was the runner-up in the men's junior 400-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 50.56 to advance to the Pan Am Games. It is another great accomplishment in a freshman season that saw Wynne earn two NCAA All-America honors and run a leg of the nation's fastest shuttle hurdle relay team.
The 2009 Pan Am Junior Athletics Championships take place July 31-August 2, 2009 in Trinidad and Tobago. Usery and Wynne join fellow rookie Gray Horn – decathlon (Wapakoneta, Ohio) in the upcoming event.
Former Gator Hazel Clark won the USA national championship in the women's 800-meter run in a time of 2:00.79 to advance to the IAAF World Championships. Former Florida thrower Erin Gilreath also earned a spot on the U.S. team at the World Championships with a third-place finish in the women's hammer throw. She accomplished that feat with a throw of 223-4/68.08m. The duo will join fellow former Gators Kerron Clement (400m) and Kristin Heaston (shot put) at the prestigious event.
The 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics will be held at the National Stadium in Berlin, Germany, later this summer from Aug. 15-23. It marks Team USA's first return to Berlin since it played host to the infamous 1936 Olympic Games.
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USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS (JUNE 25-28, 2009 – Eugene, Ore.)
SUNDAY, JUNE 28
Women's Junior 400-Meter Dash
1. Alishea Usery – 53.91
Men's Junior 400-Meter Hurdles Final
2. William Wynne – 50.56
FORMER GATORS COMPETING IN THE USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women's 800-Meter Run Final
1. Hazel Clark – 2:00.79
Women's Hammer Throw Final
3. Erin Gilreath – 223-4/68.08m
CURRENT GATORS HEADING TO THE PAN AM GAMES
- Gray Horn – Men's Decathlon
- Alishea Usery – Women's 400m
- William Wynne – Men's 400m Hurdles
FORMER GATORS HEADING TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Hazel Clark – Women's 800m
- Kerron Clement – Men's 400m
- Erin Gilreath – Women's Hammer Throw
- Kristin Heaston – Women's Shot Put
END OF REPORT