DES MOINES - Olympians Allyson Felix, Lolo Jones and Shannon Rowbury are just a few names to watch in the highly competitive sprints and hurdles at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 23-27 at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
The third event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships will be televised on the following dates (All times Eastern):
June 25 - 8:00 - 10 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 26 - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. on NBC
June 27 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
June 27 - 3:00 - 4 p.m. on NBC
Nike women's 100 and Visa women's 200m
These sprints will feature a full line up of Olympians and track stars. Shalonda Solomon, who has the top U.S. time and second-fastest time in the world so far this year at 10.90, will be competing in the Nike women's 100m along with two-time Olympic 200m silver medalist and three-time World champion Allyson Felix. 2004 Olympian LaShaunte'a Moore, who recently became a member of the sub-11 club, is also entered with the 5th fastest time in the world so far this year. Also watch for 2009 NCAA Outdoor champion Alex Anderson.
Moore doubles back to run the women's 200m where she will be challenged by 2010 NCAA Outdoor champion Porscha Lucas and 2009 Team USA member Charonda Williams.
Nike women's 400m
Six of the top eight finishers at last year's Outdoor Championships are entered in the Nike women's 400m, with reigning World Outdoor champion Sanya Richards-Ross leading the field. Richards-Ross, who has been ranked number one in the world for the past five years, will face competition from reigning World Indoor and U.S. Indoor champion and 2009 US Outdoor Championships runner-up Debbie Dunn and 2004 Olympian Dee Dee Trotter. Francena McCorory, who has the second fastest U.S. time and recently set the American indoor record, will also add some competition to the mix. Also look for Monica Hargrove and 2009 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist Natasha Hastings.
Nike women's 800m
Three-time Olympian and reigning champion Hazel Clark will be looking for her sixth USA Outdoor Championships title in the two-lap sprint. 2010 World Indoor bronze medalist Alysia Johnson, who holds the fastest time in the U.S. so far this year, and 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic 800m champion Maggie Vessey will provide tough competition for Hazel.
2009 U.S. Outdoor Championships runner-up Geena Gall will also be at the top of the field along with 2009 NCAA Indoor runner up Phoebe Wright, who finished in a close third behind Gall last year. Other runners to watch include Christin Wurth, last year's runner up in the 1,500m, and three-time NCAA champion Latavia Thomas.
Visa women's 100m Hurdles
Headlining the Visa women's 100m hurdles will be 2008 Olympian and two-time World Indoor champion Lolo Jones, who won the hurdles at the adidas Grand Prix just two weeks ago with a world-leading time of 12.55. Jones will be seeking her second U.S. Outdoor title. Also adding competition are two-time U.S. Outdoor champion and 2010 USA Indoor champion and last year's runner up Ginnie (Powell) Crawford and 2008 Olympian Damu Cherry, who placed third last year and holds three of the top nine times in the world so far this year.
400m Hurdles
2008 Olympic silver medalist Sheena Tosta will be challenged by 2008 Olympian and 2007 NCAA champion Nicole Leach in the women's 400m hurdles. 2010 NCAA runner-up Ti'erra Brown, currently the third-fastest American so far this year, is also entered. Ebony Collins and Nicole Leach, who finished fourth and fifth at last year's USA Outdoor Championships will also be in the mix.
Nike women's 1,500m
2009 World Outdoor bronze medalist Shannon Rowbury , Christin Wurth Thomas, and Anna Pierce are three of the top six women in the world in the 1,500m. Rowbury ended 2009 ranked #3 in the world, while Wurth Thomas was #5 and Pierce #6. Pierce has the fastest seed time (3:59.38), but Rowbury has the fastest time this season (4:04.00).
5,000m
Looking to double in the women's 1,500m and 5,000m, Rowbury is a favorite to win this event as she is entered as the top qualifier in the field. Running 15:00.51 in early May, she currently holds the fastest time run by an American this year.
Rowbury will be challenged by 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan. She enters the race on Rowbury's heels with the second fastest time run by an American this year. Also in the mix, 2008 Olympian Jennifer Rhines will look to claim the title as she has finished second in the nation the last two years. She entered this season ranked #1 by T&FN. And don't overlook Jenny Barringer, the American record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase.
10,000m
Entering the season ranked #1 in the U.S. and #6 in the world by T&FN, Amy Begley will look to reclaim her 2009 title as the women's 10,000m national champion. Her toughest challenge should come from 2010 NCAA 5,000m and 10,000m champion Lisa Koll, who posted America's fastest time this year at 31:18.07, which came from a Stanford Invite victory early this season.
Others to watch include 2005 national champion Katie McGregor, who finished third at this event last year, and Desiree Davila, who holds the third-fastest time by an American this year. McGregor entered the season ranked #3 by T&FN, while Davila ranked #5.
3,000m steeplechase
Leading the entrants in the women's 3,000m steeple is 2006 champion Lisa Galaviz. Galaviz currently holds the fastest qualifying time in the field at 9:33.11, which she ran at last year's USA Outdoor Champs. She also ran the second fastest time in the nation this year when she finished seventh at Shanghai. Galaviz's main challenge will come from 2010 NCAA champion Bridget Franek who currently holds the fastest time run by an American this year.
24 Hour Fitness Heptathlon
2008 Olympic silver medalist and two-time USA Outdoor champion Hyleas Fountain will be looking for her third title in the women's heptathlon but will face competition from Sharon Day who was the 2009 USA Outdoor runner-up. Bettie Wade, who has the second best U.S. score so far this year, will try to improve on her third-place finish from last year.
20 km Race Walk
Olympian Teresa Vail is back to defend her title and is a favorite to win her sixth national race walking championship. Vail entered her season ranked #1 by T&FN. Also watch for last year's runner-up finisher Joanne Dow.
USATF will partner with RunnerSpace to provide real-time coverage of all events not broadcast on television beginning on Wednesday, June 23. Highlighted competitions include Friday's men's and women's 10,000m as well as extensive field event coverage. In addition to the events' video coverage, the webcasts will also include the voices of elite athletes as commentators. Coverage can be found at http://www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/video.asp.
Tickets for the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships may be purchased by dialing 515-271-3647 or by visiting: www.godrakebulldogs.com.
For more information on the 2010 USA Outdoor Championships and the USATF Visa Championship Series, visit: www.visachampionshipseries.com
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org
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