Seven Northern Nevada athletes, including Fallon product Aarik Wilson, are primed to compete in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore.
The Trials begin today and continue through July 1 at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field. Events will be televised each night by NBC or NBC Sports Net.
Wilson, a 2001 Churchill County High School graduate, comes into the Trials as the defending triple jump champion.
Having battled through injuries since 1008, Wilson earned an automatic berth in April with a jump of 56-0 that won at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Gabrielle Williams, who just completed her sophomore year at Reed High School, has qualified and has declared her intent to compete in the women's high jump. Williams qualified with her 6-1-1⁄2 at the Northern 4A Regional Championships.
Collier Lawrence, a Reno High School graduate who served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Nevada this season, has qualified and declared she will compete in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
The 25-year-old Lawrence, who has been hindered by various injuries since running for Washington State University, secured her automatic Trials berth by running 9:53.79 at Stanford's Payton Jordan Invitational in April - 38 seconds faster than her previous personal best for Washington State in 2008.
Four Northern Nevada products have tentatively qualified in the men's and women's pole vault.
Their status for the Trials remained unclear as of Wednesday.
Mike Arnold, a 2008 Carson High School graduate and three-time Big Sky Conference champion for Idaho State University, achieved his provisional qualifying mark on June 1 when he jumped 18-1-3⁄4 in Pocatello, Idaho.
One day earlier, Levi Keller, a 2004 Lowry High School graduate and former Idaho State athlete, cleared 18-1-1⁄2 at a meet in Chula Vista, Calif., for a provisional qualifying mark.
They are believed to be the first two Nevada high school graduates to clear 18 feet.
Becky Holliday, a 1998 Reed High School graduate who went on to compete for the University of Oregon, has declared her entry after qualifying with a height of 15-1 last year. This will be the third Trials appearance for Holliday, who won the 2003 NCAA women's pole vault with what was then a collegiate women's record of 14-5-1⁄2. She placed sixth at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Logan Miller, a Bishop Manogue High School graduate, capped her junior season at the University of Washington by jumping 14-3-1⁄4 to place fourth at the NCAA Championships (she broke Washington's school record with a 14-4-1⁄2 jump to place second at the Pac-12 Championships).
Joe Abbott, a Galena High School graduate who just completed his senior season at Washington State, has a provisional qualifying time of 1:46.84 in the men's 800 meters. He ran the time, a personal record, at the 2011 NCAA West Regional Prelims.
Reigning Olympic decathlon champion Bryan Clay is coached by Carson High School graduate Kevin Reid. Reid is the head men's coach at Azusa Pacific University, where Clay competed.
The top three finishers in each event qualify to represent the U.S. at the Summer Olympic Games in London.