Several Former RMAC Athletes Rio Bound
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Several former and current RMAC student-athletes will represent their country at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in Brazil.
ADAMS STATE
Former Adams State’s runner, Boris Berian qualified for Rio at the U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials this weekend. The Track and Field Trials are being held at University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from July 1-10. Berian placed second in the men’s 800m run with a time of 1:44.92 to earn his Olympic berth.
The Grizzlies’ standout sprinter Jurgen Themen punched his ticket to Rio in the 100m dash to represent his country, Suriname. This is Themen’s third Olympic appearance as he competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. Sunayna Wahi will also represent Suiname in Rio, competing in the women’s 100m dash.
Tabor Stevens, an Adams State grad, competed in the 3000m steeplechase this weekend. He finished the race in 8-minutes, 34.21-seconds and advances to the finals on Friday, July 8.
CHADRON STATE
Chadron State’s Damarcus Simpson and Stachia Reuwsaat competed in long jump at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. Reuwsaat jumped 19-feet, 4-inches to place 22
nd during the preliminaries round. Reuwsaat, who just finished her junior year, is the third Chadron State athlete and the first female to qualify for the Olympic Trials.
Simpson finished fourth in men’s long jump prelims to advance him to the finals. Out of twelve athletes competing the following day, eight made it to finals, including Simpson. Simpson went 8.12 meters (26-7.75), a career-best mark that placed him eighth in the competition.
COLORADO MESA
Colorado Mesa’s All-American sprinter, Whitney Rowe will compete in the Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials in Edmonton, Alberta July 7-10. Rowe graduated from Colorado Mesa in 2014 and has fully dedicated her life to training. The Burnaby, British Columbia native will compete in the 100m and 200m dash. She is currently ranked ninth in the 200m and 11
th in the 100m. Rowe has not run an Olympic qualifying time in either event, however, depending on her 100m finish, she could be a member of the 4x100m relay team.
Former Mavericks alumni, Kent Olsen-Stavrakas competed at the U.S. Swimming & Diving Olympic Team Trials in the 50m Freestyle. He finished with a time of 23.64, but did not qualify for the next round. During his time as a Maverick, he was the RMAC champion in the 50 free with a school record time (20.14) and finished 32
nd at the NCAA Championships his senior year.
WESTERN STATE
Western State had two alumni competing at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. Alisha Williams finished 14
th in the 10,000m with a time of 33:22.23 on Saturday. Williams, a six-time track and field national champion for Western State, will also compete in the women’s 5000m run, Thursday, July 7 for another chance to head to the Olympics.
Susan Jackson competed in women’s high jump on Sunday. Jackson was the 2012 Outdoor High Jump National Champion. Currently jumping for Heights Performance in Gunnison, Colorado, she cleared opening height at 1.79-meters (5-10.5) on her first attempt. At the next height, Jackson cleared 1.84m (6-0.5) on her third and final attempt. She finished the competition in 10
th place (1.84m).
Barbra Szabo, a six-time national champion will compete in the Olympics for the Hungarian national Team in high jump after hitting a qualifying height of 1.94 meters last year. Szabo is currently tied for 55
th in the world in women’s high jump.
Headed to Rio:
Boris Berian – Adams State
Jurgen Themen – Adams State
Sunayna Wahi – Adams State
Barbra Szabo - Western State
To find out more, go to
www.nbcolympics.com.