Several Utah athletes seeking Olympic invites

With berths in the Beijing Summer Games on the line, a handful of Utah athletes are among the more than 1,000 participants competing at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, which begin today and run through next weekend.

And another handful of local athletes who posted provisional qualifying times and marks are hoping to be upgraded from their current "pending" status to be guaranteed a spot to compete in the Trials.

Five of the 10 local qualified locales will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Former BYU runner Josh McAdams and ex-Weber State All-American and current Wildcat assistant coach Lindsay Anderson both have their fourth-best qualifying time in their events.

McAdams, the 2006 NCAA steeplechase champion who won the 2007 U.S. Outdoor title, has a qualifying time of 8 minutes, 21.36 seconds. Anderson, who also ran for Morgan High, at one time held the NCAA's top time for collegiate women and placed second at the '07 NCAA championships, clocked in with a qualifying time of 9:39.95.

They need to finish among the top three in their respective events to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

They're not alone in the steeplechase — former BYU standout and 2003 NCAA champion Kassi Andersen has the 11th-best steeplechase qualifying time at 9:52.19, while Weber State's Sariah Long is 17th at 9:59.63.

And Michael Spence, who ran collegiately at Princeton but moved to live and train in Ogden, is 10th in the men's steeplechase at 8:31.65.

Former BYU and Provo High distance star Josh Rohatinsky is qualified in both the men's 5,000 and 10,000 meters, with the ninth-best time in both events — 13:25.93 in the 5K and 27:55.86 in the 10K. He placed ninth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials last November in New York City.

Set for Eugene, Ore., the U.S. Olympic Trials begin today and run through Monday, with rest days on Tuesday and Wednesday. The trials resume Thursday and continue until concluding Sunday, July 6.

Other athletes from Utah or with local ties who have qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials include:

James Parker, the former Layton High and Utah State great who finished 20th in the men's hammer at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is ranked 11th with a qualifying throw of 71.19 meters.

Carlee Clark-Platt, recently of BYU, women's 800 meters, with a qualifying time of 2:04.10.

Jennifer Grossarth, BYU alum, women's 400-meter hurdles, whose time of 56.72 seconds has her seeded 14th.