Batty advances to 1,500 meter semifinal

EUGENE, Ore. – Six-time All-American Miles Batty advanced to the semifinals of the 1,500 meters at the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials on Thursday.

Batty finished fifth in his preliminary heat — the second of three — with a time of 3:41.21. The top six in each heat plus the next six based on time advanced to the semifinals.

The 1,500 meter semifinals will be run Friday at 5:25 p.m. MT. There will be two heats and the top five from each heat plus the next two based on time will advance to Sunday’s final.

During his senior season in 2012 Batty earned All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile and as a member of BYU’s distance medley relay team. Earlier in the year he set the NCAA Indoor Mile record with a time of 3:54.54. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships he took second in the 1,500 meters to earn All-America status.

Several other former Cougars competed at the USA Olympic Trials on Thursday. Jennifer Grossarth (2002-04, 07) ran in the women’s 400 meter hurdle preliminary and took third in her heat with a time of 56.72. She is one of 16 athletes that advanced to the semifinals, which are scheduled for Friday at 4:20 p.m. MT.

Chris Carter competed in the men’s 400 meter hurdle preliminary and just missed out on advancing to the semifinals. The top three in each heat automatically advanced to the final and he finished fourth. He missed being one of the next four to advance on time as he finished in 51.22 seconds, just .11 behind the last qualifier.

Josh McAdams competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase final and finished 12th with a time of 8:41.10. The top three finishers earned a spot on the Olympic Team that will compete in London beginning July 27.

Visit USATF.org for the complete calendar and results for the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials.