McGrone Finishes 12th in the 100 semifinal

EUGENE, Ore. - Candyce McGrone ran an 11.06 in the 100-meter semifinal and finished 12th at the U.S. Olympic Trials Sunday afternoon at Hayward Field. The time was .03 and four spots out of advancing to Sunday night's final.

With the 100-meter finished, McGrone turns her attention to the 200 where she could meet up with OU senior-to-be Daye Shon Robertson.The first round of the 200 is set for Friday with the semifinal on July 9 and the final on July 10.

McGrone returned to national prominence on Hayward Field a year ago, setting the stage for an impressive performance at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing two months later. She ran a 22.01 in the 200 to finish fourth in the 200 at the World Championships.

She won a national title in the 200-meter in 2011 while competing for OU. She was a four-time All-American in the 100 and 200 outdoor and the 60 and 200 in the indoor season.

Roberson finished 15th in the 400 semi Saturday with a 52.82, allowing her to shift her focus to the 200 as well. Roberson is the school record holder in the 200 after recording a 22.65 to finish second at the Payton Jordan Invitational in May. That broke a record that had been on the books for eight years. McGrone is tied for third on the all-time OU list in the 200 with a 22.81.

Roberson finished as the 2016 Big 12 runner-up in the 200. She also earned All-America honors in the indoor 200.

With the first of the sprints completed, the emphasis shifts on Monday to a pair of distance races for current and former Sooners. Dylan Blankenbaker, another senior-to-be, races in the first round of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 4:33 p.m. (PDT). Two former Sooners, Riley Masters and Abbabiya Simbassa, will then race in the first round of the 5,000-meter run at 5:02 p.m. Each race is divided into two heats of 12 runners each. The final for the steeplechase is set for Friday at 5:23 while the 5,000-meter run final is scheduled for Saturday at 5:20 p.m.

Blankenbaker, the school record holder in the steeplechase with a 8:34.69, has scored the last three years in the Big 12 in the race, including a runner-up finish in May of this year. He finished fourth in the event on this track during the 2016 NCAA Championships in June, earning first team All-America honors. This past season marked a huge improvement for Blankenbaker as he cut nearly 30 seconds off his previous career best. Masters holds the school record in the 1500-meter run while Simbassa is ranked second on the all-time list in the 10,000. Neither is ranked in OU's top 10 for the 5,000.

Masters was a second-team All-American in the 1,500 in 2013 and also ran on the the indoor distance medley relay that earned All-America honors in 2012. Masters won the Big 12 title in 2012 in the 1,500. Simbassa scored in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter run in the 2015 Big 12 Outdoor and scored in the 3,000- and the 5,000-meter run in the indoor Big 12 in 2014 and 2015.

The Trials continue through July 10. Live results, start lists and broadcast schedules are available on the USATF website and daily recaps will follow on SoonerSports.com.