Current and former Flames prepare for U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Oregon

Liberty University junior Makenzy Mizera (triple) will compete along with former Flames standouts Sam Chelanga (men’s 10,000 meters), Darrel Jones (men’s triple jump), and Carson Waters (men’s pole vault) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., starting today, Friday, June 18.

Provided they have met the qualifying standard, the top three athletes in each event will qualify for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, spanning from July 30–Aug. 8. Former Liberty standout Alejandro Perlaza Zapata has already qualified for Tokyo and will represent Colombia in the men’s 400 and 4×400 relay during his second Olympics appearance.

Mizera, who qualified for the Olympic Trials thanks to her indoor program-record 42 feet, 8-inch triple jump performance at the Bob Pollock Invitational, Jan. 30 in Clemson, S.C., also triple jumped an outdoor program-record 42-6 on May 15 while finishing second to fellow Olympic Trials qualifier Adja Sackor of Jacksonville University at the ASUN Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Olympic standard in the women’s triple jump is 46-11¾.

Chelanga, a 2011 Liberty graduate, qualified for the Olympic Trials with a 27:42.02 10K clocking at the Track Meet, May 14 in Irvine, Calif. This will be Chelanga’s second time running the 10K at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He previously placed sixth in 2016 and is seeking his first Olympic qualification. While at Liberty, he was the most decorated student-athlete in program history, capturing four national titles (two cross country, two track & field) and was a 14-time All-American. Chelanga’s 27:08.39 10K time run on May 1, 2010, still stands as his personal best and the NCAA all-time record for the event. If Chelanga hopes to qualify for the Olympics, he will need to finish inside the top three while clocking a time faster than 27:28.00.

Waters, a 2018 Liberty graduate, captured four Big South pole vault titles during his time as a Flame. The St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., native’s top collegiate clearance measured 17-5. The Olympic standard in the men’s pole vault is 19-¼. Twelve of the 24 entrants in the Olympic Trials have already hit the Olympic standard.

More than 20 hours of the Olympic Trials will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN and live video streaming coverage of the field events will be available on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. Live results will also be available, courtesy of Flash Results.