MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Road to Rio and the 2016 Olympic Summer Games heats up in July for the University of Memphis track and field program with three performers vying for spots on their respective Olympic squads. Carolina Carmichael, Juan Paul Green and Ashley Pryke all are scheduled to compete in their respective countries’ Olympic Trials in July.
The 2016 Olympic Summer Games are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 5-21.
Carmichael, a 2016 Memphis graduate, travels to Eugene, Ore., July 1-10 for the United States Olympic Trials to compete in the women’s pole vault, which is set for July 8 (preliminaries) and July 10 (finals). The NBC Sports family of networks and digital platforms are broadcasting the U.S. trials, and NBC Digital is slated to air the women’s pole vault finals July 10 starting at 3:45 p.m. (CT).
Green, a rising senior, is running in the men’s 400 meters at the Jamaican Senior Olympic Trials, which are July 1-3 in Kingston, Jamaica. Green runs in the 400 meters preliminaries Friday, July 1, and the event’s final is set for Sunday, July 3. Pryke, who completed her freshman campaign in 2015-16, is competing in the women’s javelin at the 2016 Canadian Track and Field Championships, which are in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 7-10.
Carmichael, the three-time American Athletic Conference outdoor women’s pole vault champion (2014-16), is one of five qualifiers for the U.S. pole vault trials that either currently attends college or is a 2016 graduate. She qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials with her 14-9 (4.50m) mark at the 2015 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.
The Lake Forest, Ill., native placed 10th in the women’s pole vault at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third-straight year. For her efforts, Carmichael earned All-America second team honors for the third year in a row. She holds both the indoor and outdoor women’s pole vault records in school history.
Green, a mid-year transfer to Memphis from South Plains College, ran exclusively in the 400 meters in his first season with the Tigers. The Miami, Fla., native ran a 47.09 and placed fifth in the 400 meters at the American Athletic Conference Championships. He also ran in the 400 meters at the 2016 NCAA East Preliminaries.
Before his time at South Plains, Green was a standout at the University of Illinois. He ran a personal-best 400 meters time of 46.18 at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned All-America second team recognition. He also was a member of the 2013 Fighting Illini 4×400 meter relay squad that placed fifth at the national meet and took home All-America first team accolades.
In just her first collegiate season, Pryke set the women’s javelin school record with a throw of 160-10 (49.03m) in winning the title at the Joey Haines Invitational. She placed third at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships with a 153-8 (46.84m) throw. Pryke earned a spot at the NCAA East Preliminaries, where she placed 14th.
The Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, native threw a 162-6 (49.53m) in a recent Canadian provincial meet. Her javelin mark also may qualify her for the 2016 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Outdoor World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, July 19-24.
In mid-June, Tigers rising junior Rafael Vallery battled for an Olympic spot on Germany’s national track and field squad. Vallery competed in the discus, but his mark fell short of making the team.
Carmichael, Green and Pryke all are attempting to join former Memphis men’s pole vault standout Pauls Pujats in Rio. Pujats, the 2015 NCAA outdoor runner-up and the 2014 American Athletic Conference indoor and outdoor champion, already has qualified in the men’s pole vault for Latvia’s national team.
From: http://www.gotigersgo.com/news/2016/6/30/womens-track-and-field-three-tigers-track-and-field-performers-set-sights-on-olympics-in-july.aspx
