Perry Advances to Final Round at USA's

EUGENE, Ore., (June 25, 2009) – It was a successful opening day for BYU All-American and 2009 national steeplechase champion Kyle Perry as he advanced to the final round at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

“I felt good going into the race today,” said Perry. “I was just working to get into the final four. I made a good move, got out of the pack and just kind of relaxed. Now I just want to make the top-three to make the final team and move forward to Berlin. I’m going to give it everything I have to make that happen.”

Perry began the race sitting back before making his trademark move of taking the lead with a few laps to go. It was a battle between the top three, and Perry slipped out of first place approaching the final stretch of the track.

Needing to land a spot in the top four in order to advance, Perry picked up the pace gaining momentum and landed a third-place finish for his heat with a time of 8:43.66.

In the second heat, junior regional champion and All-American Richard Nelson ran alongside former BYU Cougar and Olympian Josh McAdams. Nelson entered the competition seeded 16th and finished with a time of 8:52.41. He did not advance to the finals.

"Coming here was kind of a bonus for me," said Nelson. "I'm really happy with how the season ended -- being an All-American and being able to run with these great runners. It was a great experience, and all these experiences will help me next year when I get another chance to move even further."

After beginning his race sitting back, McAdams pulled up from behind into second and finished his heat in fourth. With a time of 8:34.97 he will join Perry in the final round Saturday.

The top three finalists in Saturday's race will go on to reprsent the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.

The final round of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase will begin Saturday at 5:40 p.m. PT.

For a live streaming video of the events click here.

For daily results of events click here.

Cougars Competing at USA’s
Name            Event                 Schedule/Results
Kyle Perry      3,000m steeplechase   Advanced to Final Round: 5:40 p.m. Sat.
Josh McAdams    3,000m steeplechase   Advanced to Final Round: 5:40 p.m. Sat.
Richard Nelson  3,000m steeplechase   Did not advance: final time 8:52.41