2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 28, 2009
Eugene, OR

Team ASICS had a fantastic final day at the US Track & Field Championships with four athletes punching their tickets to Berlin, Germany for the 2009 IAAF World Championships (August 15-23, 2009).

Harris Soars to 2nd Outdoor Title
The qualifying party was started by 2004 Olympian Tora Harris (Chula Vista, CA) when he stunned the field by clearing 2.31m (7' 7") to win the competition. This is Harris' 2nd US Outdoor title and he dedicated his victory to the R & D Center in Kobe, Japan for producing custom made shoes for him which he wore for the first time in competition today. With windy conditions and a big field of 26 jumpers, Harris commented that "I was just hanging in there and staying tough. I had to make adjustments because of the conditions. It was a great day to jump despite having too much tail wind. It was a big field with 26 guys, so in that situation you need to make adjustments and settle down."

Brown to Berlin
Soon after Tora's winning jump, Ryan Brown (Seattle, WA) stepped on to the track for the final of the Men's 800m. Brown was in 7th place at the halfway mark coming through in 53.39sec but slowly moved his way to 5th place at the 600m mark in 1:19.55. Brown slowly made his move around the last turn and ran past the two runners in front of him to finish in 3rd place and win a plane ticket to Berlin. The 2-time NCAA Champion crossed the finish line in 1:46.67 to secure his spot on his first World Championship team.

1-2 Finish in the Heptathlon
As Brown was celebrating at the finish line, 2008 Olympians Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA), along with the other heptathletes, were brought onto the track for the final event of the heptathlon, the 800m. Pickler, by virtue of the lead she had going to the last event, was guaranteed a spot on the World Championship Team as long as she finished the race. Pickler finished sixth in the 800m with a time of 2:16.99 but scored enough points overall to win the competition with a new personal best score of 6290 points. This is her first outdoor title to go along with the two indoor titles she won in 2007 and 2008. With only four competitions under her belt this year, Pickler said "I definitely felt it a lot in speed and timing. But I'm just looking at the big picture really and trying to focus on what I'm trying to accomplish in the next few months." Pickler makes her second trip to the World Championships after competing in Osaka, Japan in 2007 where she finished in 25th place. Day, however, had to run 2:19.10 or faster in order to hit the "A" standard of 6100 points to guarantee her place on her first World Championship Team. Day was in 2nd place at the halfway mark and broke away from the pack of 14 athletes with 300m to go en route to running a new personal best of 2:13.54, almost 2 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher. "I knew what I needed (going into the 800). I wasn't running the race to just make it, I was running the best that I could," commented Day after the race. She finished second overall with a new personal best score of 6177 points and, with her 3rd place finish in the HJ on Thursday, will be going to Berlin looking to compete in two events.

In the Women's Pole Vault, 2008 Olympian April Steiner-Bennett (Springdale, AR) finished in a tie for 4th place clearing 4.45m (14' 7 ¼"). In the semi-finals of the 100m Hurdles, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) bumped into the runner in the lane next to her, was thrown off balance, and was unable to finish the race.

ASICS Athletes headed to Berlin:
Jake Arnold Decathlon
Ryan Brown 800m
Tora Harris High Jump
Amy Acuff High Jump
Sharon Day High Jump/Heptahlon
Kara Patterson Javelin Throw
Diana Pickler Heptathlon

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 27, 2009
Eugene, OR

2008 Olympian and Olympic Trials champion Kara Patterson (Vancouver, WA) could not have planned a better debut as an ASICS athlete. In 7th place after three rounds in the Women's Javelin with a best throw of 52.02m (170' 6"), Patterson fouled on her fourth attempt, before unleashing a throw that measured out at 63.95m (209' 10"), a new personal best by almost 8 feet and the 2nd farthest throw in American history. Patterson's winning throw was over 15 feet further than the 2nd place finisher and earned her second consecutive National title.

Patterson just concluded her Purdue Boilermaker career two weeks ago, taking second place in the women's javelin throw at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. A two-time All-American at Purdue, Patterson is one of the top athletes in school history, winning four NCAA Mideast Regional titles, three Big Ten crowns and setting the Purdue and Big Ten records with her then career-best throw of 61.56 meters (202' 00"). The throw makes her one of two American women to ever surpass the 200-foot mark, and led her to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the Women's Heptathlon, Diana Pickler (Manhattan, KS) and Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) are in 2nd and 3rd place after the 4 events. Pickler posted marks of 13.43sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.81m (5' 11 ¼") in the HJ, 13.49m (44' 3 ¼") in the Shot Put, and 24.25sec in the 200m for a first day score of 3768 points. Day's 3739 points came from 13.82sec in the 100m Hurdles, 1.90m (6' 2 ¾") in the High Jump, 12.75m in the Shot Put, and 24.66sec in the 200m. The last three events, the Long Jump, Javelin Throw, and 800m, are scheduled for tomorrow.

In her first race back since injuring her hamstring at the Drake Relays in April, LoLo Jones (Baton Rouge, LA) advanced to tomorrow's semi-final after finishing 3rd in her heat in the 100m Hurdles. Jones crossed the finish line in 12.89sec.

In the 400m Hurdles final, Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) finished in 7th place with time of 57.47sec.

In the final of the Men's pole vault, Rory Quiller (Vestal, NY) cleared 5.40m (17' 8½") finishing tied for 13th place.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 26, 2009
Eugene, OR

The last time Jake Arnold (Tuscon, AZ) finished a Decathlon at Hayward Field, he was in the unenviable position of missing the Beijing Olympic Team by one spot when he finished in 4th place finish at last year's Olympic Trials. The pain of last year was in the back of his mind as Arnold ran around the track during the 1500m, the last of 10 events in the 2nd day Decathlon. This time, however, an American flag greeted him at the finish line as he finished in 3rd place overall with a total score of 7984 points and earning a spot on this year’s World Championship Team. A solid start in the first two events of Day 2, the 110m Hurdles (14.17sec; 5th fastest time overall and Discus Throw (45.75m; 2nd longest throw overall), put Arnold in 3rd place, a spot he would eventually hold on to for the rest of the day. This will be Arnold’s 2nd trip to the World Championships. He competed at the 2007 Osaka World Championships where he finished in 13th place.

Ryan Brown (Seatle, WA) advanced to tomorrow’s final of the 800m with a second place finish in heat one. Brown crossed the finish line in 1:47.81, the 3rd fastest time of the day. In the Women's 400m Hurdles, Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) qualified for tomorrow's finals after finishing in 4th place in heat one. Her time of 56.87sec is the 6th fastest time going into tomorrow’s final.

In the 5000m, Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes, CA) finished in 18th place running 12 ½ laps in 16:54.94.

2009 US Track & Field Championships
June 25, 2009
Eugene, OR

4-time Olympian Amy Acuff (Isleton, CA) and Beijing Olympian Sharon Day (San Luis Obispo, CA) both qualified for the IAAF World Championships by finishing 2nd and 3rd in the Women's High Jump. Acuff and Day, along with the event winner, cleared 1.95m (6' 4 3/4") with their places on the podium determined by clearances at earlier heights. This will be Acuff's 8th trip to the World Championships ('95, '97,' 99, '01, '03, ‘05, '07) and Day's 1st. Competing at her last US Championships, Acuff said "I felt like I was really ready to go today and do some good jumping. It was a little bit of a challenge for everyone with a 4.0 meter-per-second tailwind. There was a lot of move the marks back, trying to gauge how strong the gust was." She added that "returning to the World Championships never really gets old. You always get nervous. You always have to rise to the occasion. I don't take it for granted." Day will get a day off on Friday before returning to the track on Saturday to compete in the 2-day Heptathlon. In her last multi-event competition, Day posted the highest score (6063 points) by an American in 2009 en route to winning the America's Combined Events Cup in Havana, Cuba.

Suzy-Powell (Modesto, CA), looking to make her 5th trip to the World Championships, fell short of her goal as she managed only a 5th place finish in today's final in the Discus Throw. Powell's best throw was measured at 60.29m (197'10").

In qualifying events contested today, Ryan Brown (Seatlle, WA) placed second in his heat in the 800m to advance to tomorrow's semi-final. He ran 1:48.17 in the 2-lap race, the 4th fastest time of the day. Latosha Wallace (San Marcos, TX) also qualified for tomorrow's semi-finals in the 400m Hurdles with a second place in her heat running 57.08sec. She goes into tomorrow's semi-final with the 6th fastest time overall. Jake Arnold (Tuscon, AZ) is in 5th place after the first day of the Decathlon with a total score of 4036 points. Jake will look to score big points tomorrow in the discus, pole vault, and 1500m.

Athletes who failed to advance to the semi-final round in their event were Greg Nixon (Columbia, SC) and Preston Perry (Houston, TX). Nixon was 6th in his heat in the 400m running 47.64sec while Perry was 6th in his 100m heat crossing the line in 10.35sec.