Four Hoosiers move on in Olympic Trials

A quartet of IU track and field athletes moved one step closer to London on Thursday, as Andy Bayer and John Jefferson advanced to the semifinals in the 1,500-meter race, Aarik Wilson qualified for the triple jump finals and Tiffany Howard earned a spot in the shot put finals in Eugene, Ore.

Bayer, who won the 1,500-meter NCAA title earlier in June, made the cut in the same event, finishing 23rd-fastest of the 24 advancing times at 3:42.14. In his heat, he finished just .003 seconds out of sixth place, but because he was in the top 24 times, he advanced to the semifinals.

Jefferson, who competed for IU from 2002-2006, posted a time of 3:41.64. It was the 15th-fastest, and finished ninth in his heat to advance to the same semifinals.

The event takes place at 7:25 EST Friday in Eugene.

Wilson will participate in the triple jump finals 7:40 p.m. EST Saturday after jumping a distance of 16.66 meters to finish third in the preliminary round. Wilson, who was a 10-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion before he graduated from IU in 2006, is the defending Olympic Trials champion in the event.

Howard finished seventh in her preliminary shot put competition with a distance of 17.04 meters to advance to the finals for the second time in her career. The 2010 IU graduate is currently an accounting assistant with IU athletics and will compete in the finals at 6:30 p.m. EST Friday.

— Alex McCarthy