Six current and former San Diego State University athletes are set to compete or part of trials for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Five will be in Eugene, Ore. Friday for the U.S. track and field Olympic Trials, while in the water, senior Meredith Smithbaker is set to compete in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday in Indianapolis, according to news releases from the university.
Xiamara Young is the other current Aztec vying for a spot in the Olympics in Paris this summer. The junior from Las Vegas will compete in the triple jump at Hayward Field at 6:50 p.m. Friday.
That follows a personal best and Olympic Trial qualifying mark of 13.51 meters on her third and final attempt at the west preliminary meet – which also secured her spot in the collegiate championship meet.
A transfer from Fresno Pacific, she finished her first year at SDSU as a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Indoor Second- Team All-American and outdoor honorable mention. She ranks fourth in triple jump on both San Diego State’s indoor and outdoor all-time lists.
Two SDSU alumni also will seek a spot on the U.S. track roster.
Danae Dyer, a 2023 graduate, will compete in the 100-meter hurdles on June 28, after recording a qualifying mark of 12.98 seconds. According to the university, she was a two-time coaches association All-American, three-time indoor Mountain West Conference champion and six-time all-MW outdoor champion.
Additionally, Kristen Brown is set for her second Olympic Trials with a qualifying mark of 4.51 meters in pole vault, with the event also beginning on June 28. She reached the finals at the 2020 trials where she finished ninth. At SDSU from 2012-15, she was a 2015 coaches association All-American, three-time indoor MW champion and four-time outdoor champion.
In swimming, Smithbaker will be part of the 50 meter freestyle preliminary heats scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. The finals are set for 5 p.m. Sunday.
She qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials after posting a time of 25.68 in the 50-meter freestyle last summer at the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine. Smithbaker also garnered seven all-conference accolades following the 2023-24 season after helping the Aztecs capture their third consecutive MW championship and fifth in the last six years.
Beyond the four American athletes, one current student and one alum will compete to get on the Jamaica Olympic Team.
Current Aztec Shaquena Foote will compete at the JAAA/Puma National Championships from June 27-30 in Kingston, Jamaica in the 400-meter dash.
The back-to-back MW champion in the event finished 17th at the NCAA Championships. Foote already has international experience, having collected three silver medals, in the 4×100, mixed relay and 4×400, competing for her home country last year.
San Diego State Hall of Famer Shanieka Ricketts again will compete in triple jump at the trials for Jamaica. She will be looking to make her third Olympic games, finishing 14th in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games and fourth in 2021 in Tokyo.
At SDSU from 2011-14, RIcketts, then known as Thomas, was a three-time triple jump national champion and two-time NCAA runner-up as part of her seven all-American awards.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11.
– City News Service
Updated 3:45 p.m. June 20, 2024
