June 30, 2012
EUGENE, Ore. - Auburn junior sprinter Marcus Rowland advanced to Sunday's 200-meter finals and gave himself a shot at London with his performance on Saturday in the 2012 USATF Olympic Trials at Hayward Field.
"Marcus [Rowland] did a great job competing today," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "Any championship always has its highs and lows. No matter what happens in the finals, this caps off a great season for him as he battled back from injury. These Olympic trials give him so much to build on. He's really excited and this experience he has gained and will gain tomorrow gives him a huge boost for his senior season. But like any race, anything can happen in tomorrow's final and I'm looking for a great performance from Marcus."
Rowland earned his berth into Sunday's final of the 200 meters with a sixth-place performance in 20.57. The mark placed him third in the third heat and gives him a chance to earn a spot in London on Sunday at 6:50 p.m. CT.
"I just had to stay focused," Rowland said. "There were some top hitters in there. I just had to stay in control. My biggest thing this year has been staying relaxed and I felt pretty relaxed through the whole race. All my races this year have led me up to this point."
The junior from Spartanburg, S.C. will run out of lane two on Sunday in a race scheduled for 6:50 p.m. CT and will air live on NBC. The television broadcast is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Rowland is seeking to become the first Auburn athlete to compete at the Olympic Games for the United States since sprinter Coby Miller in 2004.
In the 110-meter hurdles final, former Tiger Ty Akins tripped over the seventh hurdle and fell resulting in a DNF.
"Ty [Akins] got caught up on a couple hurdles and it was really unfortunate," Spry said. "I feel bad for him. Making the finals was huge for him as well though. He's a great competitor and he will get better from this."
Akins finished third in the second heat of the men's 110-meter hurdle semifinals in 13.37 seconds to snag the final spot in the finals. Akins' mark was the eighth-fastest overall and earned the Tyrone, Ga.-native his second-straight trip to the U.S. Olympic Trials finals in the event. His mark of 13.37 in the semis was a season-best.
Two time SEC champion Maya Pressley concluded her junior season at the opening height of 5-10.5 (1.79m) with three misses to finish in a tie for 12th place.
For the latest on Auburn track and field, follow @AUTrack on Twitter.