KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Thirteen current and former NAIA track and field athletes recently competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon. The trials featured over 1,000 athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Of the thirteen athletes with ties to the NAIA, two will represent the United States at the Olympics and two will represent the Bahamas.
Bryan Clay, formerly of Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and Jennifer Stuczynski, a former collegiate champion at Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.), won each of their events respectively and will join Team USA. While former Dickinson State (N.D.) track standout Derrick Atkins and current Blue Hawk Ramon Miller will compete for the Bahamas at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Derrick Atkins, Dickinson State - Atkins, a former seven time NAIA national champion, will compete against some of the fastest men in the world in the 100 meter race in Beijing. He helped lead Dickinson State to a national outdoor championship in 2004 and 2005. Atkins first competed on the world stage in the summer of 2007, culminating his season with a silver medal finish in the 100 meters at the world track and field championships in Osaka, Japan.
Matthew Boyles, University of Rio Grande – A former 2005 NAIA 5K race walk champion, Boyles took second in the 20k race at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The former Rio Grande star came in just behind first place winner Kevin Eastler, with a time of 1:28:20. Boyles also competed in the 50K Olympic Race walk Trials on February 9, also finishing second.
Joe Cebulski, Taylor University – Cebulski joined former NAIA athlete, Bryan Clay, in the Decathlon event at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Cebulski, a former NAIA champion in the decathlon finished 18th in a field of 20 athletes. The 1998 graduate of Taylor accumulated 6,629 points over the course of the competition. Cebulski was inducted into Taylor’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Bryan Clay, Azusa Pacific (1999-02) - Clay, scored a personal-record (PR) 8,832 points to win the decathlon at the U.S. Trials and earned a spot to compete for the gold medal at next months Olympics in Beijing, China. Clay won 4 of the 10 events – 100 meters, high jump, discus and javelin – and broke the previous Olympic Trials record of 8,726 set by Dan O’Brien in 1996 (the year that O’Brien won Olympic gold). This will mark the second time Clay has qualified for the Olympics. In 2004, Clay finished second in the decathlon earning a silver medal. Clay is also looking to become the first ever Azusa Pacific athlete to win a gold medal in any event. To find more on Clay, please refer to this article posted on the NAIA website:
http://naia.cstv.com/genrel/070108aaf.html
Annie Hess, Concordia University (Ore.) – Hess, a current Concordia University student-athlete, placed 23rd in the qualifying round of the women’s discus competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials, ending her shot at competing in the Olympics. Hess, a two-time NAIA national champion, came into the U.S. Trials with the eighth-ranked mark in the country. Earlier this month, Hess set the NAIA championship meet record with a 192-7 toss to successfully defend the title she captured as a sophomore. Hess finished the year with the best mark among U.S. collegiate athletes in 2008.
Tim Mack, Malone College – A 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault, Tim Mack placed sixth in this years Olympic Trials and finished just shy of returning to the Olympic games. Mack, also the 2004 Olympic Trials winner in the pole vault, had successful arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2006 but the injury perhaps never allowed him to perform at full strength. He was the 2002 U.S. Indoor champ and the 2001 Goodwill Games gold medalist. Mack was a two-time NAIA All-American and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Ramon Miller, Dickinson State – Miller, who still has one more year left of school at DSU, will compete for the Bahamas in the 4x400 meter relay in Beijing. Miller set the NAIA indoor record in the 400 meters in 2007 and was a member of the DSU 4x400 relay team that set the NAIA indoor record in 2006. Miller helped the Blue Hawks capture their third straight national outdoor championship in 2006 and to runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008.
Jesse Roberge, Azusa Pacific University – In a field of 25 athletes, Jesse Roberge placed 13th in the preliminary round of the shot put event at the U.S. Olympic Trials, ending his chance to compete with Team USA in Beijing. Roberge had three attempts to qualify for the next round tossing his first try 17.49m, his second attempt flew 18.94m and his best throw of the day came in his third attempt which traveled 19.37m. Roberge also recorded the third longest shot put throw in Azusa Pacific history with his throw of 59’10 ¼”.
Mike Rodgers, Oklahoma Baptist and Lindenwood University (2005-07) - Former Oklahoma Baptist University national champion Michael Rodgers captured seventh place in the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials' 100 meter dash. Rodgers ran a personal best 10:01 running in lane one of the event. Olympic gold medalist Tyson Gay won the event by setting an American record with a time of 9:68. Despite not qualifying for Beijing in the 100 meter race, Rodgers did have a shot at joining the six members of the men’s 4X100 meter team. Unfortunately, Rodger did not make the cut. The top three finalists of the 100 meter race automatically qualified while the final three were selected by the Relay Coach. In his senior season at OBU, Rodgers led the Bison to the 2007 national outdoor title. He won the 100 meters, placed second in the 200 meters and anchored the national champion 4x100 relay team. In his final indoor season as a Bison, Rodgers set the NAIA record in the 60 meters and also claimed the national title in the 200 meters. Rodgers also holds the record for fastest 100m dash time in Lindenwood history with his time of 10.25 seconds.
Brandon Shaw, Azusa Pacific and Vanguard University – Shaw competed in the 800 meter race at the U.S. Olympic trials placing sixth in the semi finals heat with a time of 1:47.22. Khadevis Robinson edged out the field to win the heat with a time of 1:46.14. Shaw, a standout athlete at Azusa Pacific and Vanguard University, was a 2005 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All America selection.
Patrick Stroupe, Central Methodist University- Stroupe competed in the grueling 20,000 meter race walk event at the U.S. Olympic Trials finishing in third place with a time of 1:29:17. Stroupe, a former three-time NAIA National Champion in the 5,000 meter race walk at Central Methodist, also holds the CMU record in the 5000 meter race walk event with a time of 21:45:19.
Jennifer Stuczynski, Roberts Wesleyan (2002-05) – Stuczynski will join Clay in Beijing, thanks to a phenomenal performance in the pole vault trials. Stuczynski set an American record by clearing a mark of 16’ 1 3/4. Professionally, Stuczynski is a two-time USA Outdoor champion and a three-time USA Indoor champion in the pole vault. Not only was she a spectacular track athlete at Roberts Wesleyan, but she was also a standout basketball player, averaging 24.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game during the 2003-04 season and led Roberts Wesleyan to the national championship game. She graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,819 career points. Stuczynski was also the 2005 NAIA Indoor champion in the pole vault.
Vanessa Wilhelm, Azusa Pacific University – In the qualifying round of the Hammer throw event, Wilhelm competed against 24 athletes placing 20th, coming up short of qualifying for the Olympics. Wilhelm had three attempts to qualify for the next round tossing her first try 59.21m, her second attempt 59.29m and her final throw traveled 56.71m. Wilhelm was also a 2003 All America selection in shot put, hammer throw and javelin. She was also the 2003 NAIA champion in the javelin.
For more information on Team USA at the Olympic Games, please visit: http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicGames/ and don’t miss full coverage of the Olympic games on NBC from Aug 8-24.
