One day after former UNLV standout Amanda Bingson earned a spot in the 2012 London Olympics with a second-place finish in the women's hammer throw, Robinson finished first in his heat of the 800 meters, posting a time of 1:47.30. He will be seeded eighth overall in Saturday's semifinals. Lawson currently has the 13th-best time in the women's 100 meters after finishing second in her heat in a time of 11.34.
Meanwhile, San Diego State senior Whitney Ashley, the 2012 NCAA champion in the women's discus, finished 22nd in the field of 24 on Friday with an effort of 153'-3.00" (46.73 meters). Ashley needed to finish in the top 12 to advance to Sunday's final.
Former SDSU standout Melinda Smedley also came up short, finishing sixth in her preliminary heat of the 100-meter dash and 25th overall with a time of 11.55. Smedley needed to finish among the top three in her heat or be one of the next six-fastest runners to move onto Saturday's semifinal.
New Mexico long jumper Kendall Spencer, the reigning NCAA indoor champion, saw his Olympic bid come to a close when he finished 17th in the event with a mark of 24-9.25.
The top three finishers in each event qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. The trials run through July 1.
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its 10 member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
Mark Knudson is a Colorado State journalism school graduate and a 12-year veteran of professional baseball. During his playing career, Mark pitched for three major league teams, including the Colorado Rockies, where he was the first Colorado native to play for the hometown team. He recorded wins over three of the four legendary pitchers who make up the 4,000 strikeout club: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens. His win over Ryan came for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day in 1991.
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