Kat Duo Compete At Olympic Trials
7/5/2016 9:15:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Danielle Demas and Ashley Jenkins, both Sam Houston seniors who earned track and field All-America honors at the NCAA Championships last month, return to Eugene, Oregon, to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field this week.
Jenkins will begin action Wednesday at 3 p.m. (Huntsville time) in the women's hammer throw. Demas competes Thursday at 7 p.m. (Huntsville time) in the women's 100 meter hurdles.
In her previous trip to Eugene this year, Demas placed seventh in the hurdle finals with a time of 17.10 after being slowed by a fall. She ran a 12.97 in the prelims. The mark was both a school record and qualified Demas for the U.S. Olympic Trails.
Jenkins finished 12th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 61.22 meters. Her Olympic Trials qualifying mark is 65.67 meters came at the Sam Houston Last Chance meet in Huntsville on May 14. Jenkins holds each of the program's top five spots all-time in the event while claiming the Southland championship two straight years.
To earn a spot on the United States team for the 2016 Summer Olympics August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, track and field athletes must finish among the top three in their event.
Jenkins enters this week's competition in Eugene with the 21st best mark. Amber Campbell of the Nike Track Club is the top seed with a throw of 73.61 meters. Demas owns the 28th fastest time. Kendra Harrison of Adidas Track Club is the number one seed with a 12.24 clocking.
Jenkins won the Southland Conference hammer championship for the second year in a row in May with a mark of 215 feet, three inches and was the league's indoor weight throw gold medalist to help lead the Bearkat women to a sweep of both the Southland indoor and outdoor team titles.
She also took first place in the hammer in meets at the University of Houston, Abilene Christian and Rice and was third in the Texas Relays. Her strategy at Eugene is simple.
For Demas, this week will mark her fourth trip to Eugene. Last summer she completed her decorated junior season with a 13.29 in the 100 meter hurdles to take 19th overall at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Lining up against the world's best, Demas placed sixth among collegiate competitors, with Kentucky, Florida, Notre Dame, Texas and Oregon representing the top five schools. Other entrants contended on behalf of Asics, Nike and Adidas.
Demas helped lead the Sam Houston women to the team championship at the 2016 outdoor meet. Demas won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.08 seconds and was the runner-up in the 200 meter dash.
In February at the league indoor championships in Birmingham, Ala., she earned both Southland “Female Athlete-of-the-Year” and “Female Outstanding Runner Events Athlete of the Year” honors. She took gold in both the 60 meter dash and 60 meter hurdles and was the runner-up in the indoor 200 meter dash.
Owner of four of the five fastest 100 meter hurdle times in Sam Houston women's track history, Demas won three other outdoor hurdles events this spring. She placed fourth at the prestigious Texas Relays.
