9 with BYU ties at Oly track & field trials

PROVO — Five current BYU athletes and four former standouts are in Sacramento, Calif., for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials July 9-18.

Looking for a top-three finish for a bid to the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, veteran Greg Flint will compete in the 400-meter hurdles after winning the Mountain West Conference outdoor title in this event. After taking second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters, distance standout Nathan Robison will also look to qualify for the Olympic Games,

On the women's side, a trio of All-Americans will compete in the Olympic Trials. With one of the top times in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kassi Andersen will be competing along with Lisa Antonelli, who recently won the MWC outdoor title in this event. After placing eighth in the high jump at the NCAA outdoor championships, Lindsey Metcalf will take her first step toward the Olympic Games.

Several former BYU athletes will compete this weekend as well. Tiffany Lott-Hogan is entered in the heptathlon and the 100-meter hurdles, while Amy Palmer will compete in the hammer throw. Nikki Hughes will compete in the long jump, while Elizabeth Jackson will run the 3,000m steeplechase.

In the 2000 Summer Olympics, Palmer placed eighth in the hammer throw while Lott-Hogan barely missed an Olympic bid with fourth place in the heptathlon. After earning multiple All-American citations, Palmer and Lott-Hogan look for better.

As a junior, Lott-Hogan set world records in the 55 meters and 60-meter hurdles.