July 10, 2004

Sacramento, Calif. – Notre Dame sophomore Molly Huddle advanced to the final of the women’s 5,000 meters Friday night at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento. Huddle will compete for a spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in the final of the 5,000 Monday night at 9:25 p.m. PST at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.

Huddle (Elmira, N.Y.) placed fifth in her qualifying heat in a time of 15 minutes, 47.15 seconds to move on to the final. Marla Runyan won that heat in a time of 15:36.75. Huddle was one of 14 qualifiers for Monday night’s final and posted the ninth-faster qualifying time overall. Huddle must place in the top three of the final to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

Ryan Shay, a 2002 Notre Dame graduate, also competed Friday in the men’s 10,000 meter final. Shay placed 10th in a time of 28:49.95. Meb Keflezighi won the event in a time of 27:36.49, setting a U.S. Olympic Trials and USATF Championships record in the process. Keflezighi will be joined on the Olympic Team in the 10,000 by Abdi Abdirahman and Daniel Browne.

The 2004 Summer Olympics will be held in Athens, Greece, August 13-29. The track and field portion of the Olympics schedule runs Aug. 20-29.