July 12, 2016
Eugene, Ore. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Six current and former Auburn track and field athletes competed at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials at Historic Hayward Field, June 30-July 10, highlighted by Shawn Johnson's eight place finish in the men's triple jump.
Johnson was the top collegiate finisher at the trials in the triple jump with a mark of 16.58m/54-4.75 on his second jump Sunday. The fifth-place finishers at the NCAA Outdoor Championships a month ago, Johnson was fourth in the qualifying rounds two days earlier with a wind-aided leap of 16.85m/55-3.75.
Johnson was one of three current athletes to compete at the trials as he was joined by sprinter Kahlil Henderson and jumper Marshay Ryan.
A two-time NCAA runner-up in the triple jump, Ryan just missed qualifying for finals in the event after finishing 14th. Ryan's best jump of 13.38m/43-10.75 on her third and last attempt was just two inches shy of 12th place.
Henderson finished 31st in the prelims in the 200m with a time of 21.01.
Former Tiger standouts Joanna Atkins, Mya Pressley and Cory Martin also competed at the trials.
Atkins, the 2011 NCAA Outdoor 400m champion, competed in both the 100m and 200m during the trials. Atkins ran a blazing 10.99, the fourth fastest in the qualifying rounds, before finishing 10th in the semifinals in 11.05. Her semifinal time was just .02 of a second from a finals time.
A similar story happened in the 200m for Atkins as she came up .01 of a second from advancing beyond the semifinals. After running a 22.99 in the first round, Atkins posted another time of 22.99 to finish ninth, one spot out of the finals.
Pressley finished with a 1.84m/6-0.5 in the high jump to finish eighth overall. Pressley cleared the same mark of 6-0.5 in qualifying to advance to the finals.
Martin, a two-time NCAA Champion at Auburn, threw a 19.84m/65-1.25 in the shot put to finish 14th in qualifying, two spots shy of advancing to the finals.