BOISE, Idaho — Three runners with ties to the Gem State take center stage Thursday night at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, competing against each other in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final.
Former Boise State standouts Marisa Howard and Allie Ostrander ran alongside Mountain View High School graduate Lexy Halladay-Lowry in Monday's second heat during the event's first round at Hayward Field.
All three Olympic hopefuls posted top-five times out of 30 competitors in the opener to advance to the finale. The Team Idaho athletes look to find similar success as they meet again for a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final gets underway around 8:20 p.m. MT Thursday and is set to broadcast on Peacock and USA Network. The event features 14 competitors, including Courtney Wayment and Gabbi Jennings, the top-two Americans in the current World Athletics rankings.
Howard posted a season-best time of 9:26.38 on Monday, finishing as the second-fastest runner across both steeplechase heats, behind only Jennings (9:23.88). The former Bronco All-American is racing in her fifth U.S. final Thursday in Eugene, a place where she's previously thrived.
Halladay-Lowry cruised to the finish line with the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 3,000m steeplechase at 9:27.36 on Monday. The Meridian native told KTVB, "I love it. This is what I live for – showing up to the line and getting to compete." Halladay-Lowry was a nine-time Idaho state champion for the Mavericks.
Ostrander was the third member of Team Idaho to qualifying for Thursday's finale, posting an impressive time of 9:29.32 in the first round, good for fifth place out of 30 runners. The well-known Bronco won three NCAA steeplechase championships in the blue and orange.
Day seven of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials includes the men's 5,000-meter opener, featuring former Boise State standout and Mountain West Freshman of the Year Ahmed Muhumed. The Salem, Oregon native is one of 15 competitors in the event's second heat. The 5,000m is set to begin around 9:04 p.m. MT Thursday on Peacock.
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.