1500M Runners Advance to Semifinals

Will Leer, Garrett Heath, Carrie Tollefson and Jenelle Deatherage all passed the first test in the 1500, advancing from the quarterfinals to Friday’s semifinal round.

Deatherage, a St. Louis Park resident who works as a physical therapist, enters the Trials as a contender for an Olympic slot. The former Team USA Minnesota athlete started her year off in impressive fashion, capturing 2^nd in the 1500 at the USA Indoor Championships. Her time of 4:18.35 placed her 6^th in her heat – the final automatic qualifying spot in the heat.

After major surgery, a year lost to rehabilitation, and various other setbacks, Dawson native and Team USA Minnesota athlete Carrie Tollefson has begun to return to form. She qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 1500M, an event she won in the 2004 Olympic Trials. Questions remain about the Olympian’s ability to return to the top. Tonight’s quarterfinals did little to shed light upon Tollefson’s prospects for Beijing. This round eliminated just 4 of the 28 runners who completed their heat. Tollefson’s 4:17.68 was good enough for 4^th place in her heat and a comfortable advancement to the next round.

In the men’s 1500 quarterfinals, Will Leer – a graduate of Minnetonka High School – cruised to a 4^th place finish in his heat, advancing to the finals. Garrett Heath, a Winona High School alum who competes for Stanford University, set a quick early pace in the third and final heat. While Heath faded to last place in his heat, his early work assured him a spot in the semifinals based on his time of 3:43.90.

In other action…

--Men’s High Jump. Jim Dilling, a graduate of Minnesota State Mankato, cleared 7-02 ½ to move on to Saturday’s finals. The winner of last year’s USA Outdoor Championships in the event faces tough competition in his quest for a ticket to Beijing.

--Women’s Hammer. Liz Alabi, former Golden Gopher, threw 194-04, and did not advance to the finals.

--Women’s Pole Vault. Katelin Rains of Minnesota State Mankato was eliminated. She missed all three attempts at opening height in the preliminary round.

--Men’s Discus. Karl Erickson, a former Gopher who has been training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, threw the disc 189-10 – good enough for 9^th in his flight, but not enough to carry him ahead to the finals in the event.

--Men’s 3000 Steeple. Stillwater native Luke Watson ran 8:56.56 for 11^th place in his preliminary round, failing to advance to the finals.

Complete results are available HERE.

Photo of Will Leer courtesy of www.trackandfieldphoto.net