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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

Swim and track ‘Cats book tickets to London for Olympics

Courtesy of Zimbio.com
Courtesy of Zimbio.com

The 2012 Olympic track trials are over and two Arizona athletes are headed to London to represent the United States in this year’s games.

Track and field trials concluded Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Ore., with the only Wildcat competitor, junior Georganne Moline, taking second place in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and qualifying for Team USA in the process.

In the hurdles final, Moline broke her own school record in the 400 hurdles for the fourth time this year, posting a time of 54.33, after winning Friday’s semifinal with a time of 54.72, then a career best.

“It went perfect,” Moline said in a statement. “I couldn’t have asked for a better race. I went out, just like I planned, attacking each hurdle and when I got to the 200-meter mark, I made my move and just kept strong.”

“There is no describing it, I’ve come so far mentally,” Moline continued. “I’ve gained this confidence I never had before.”

Fellow juniors Brigetta Barrett and Julie Labonté are also headed to London, Barrett for Team USA and Labonté for her native Canada, after Barrett set the meet and school record, as well as her personal best jump in the high jump with a clearance of 6-foot-7-inches.

With that score, Barrett became the only collegian to ever clear more than 6-foot-6-inches. However, because the mark was not set during the collegiate season, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association declared that her performance did not qualify for a collegiate record.

“I’ve been obsessed with putting my name in the collegiate record book,” Barrett said in a statement. “Since I’ve been in college, I want every record there is. Coming here, and doing what I did, it’s kind of surreal. I’m just happy.”

Labonté, who did not lose a shot put competition to a collegiate competitor all season, took first place in the shot put at the Canadian trials this week, with a distance of 57-feet-5.5-inches.

Labonté also competed and placed first in the women’s discus throw, with a toss of 177-feet-3-inches, but because she failed to meet the Olympic Games “A” Standard, the automatic qualifying score for the discus event, Labonté will only be representing Canada in the shot put.

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