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Damu Cherry After Her First Round Race in the 100 Hurdles
DES MOINES, Iowa - Tripping over and knocking down the first hurdle, sophomore David Aristil of the University of South Florida track and field team did what he does best during the semifinal of the 400 hurdles at the USA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. He turned on the jets during the final stretch of the race.
Following that first-hurdle stumble, Aristil made up ground, caught up to the field and qualified for the final in the 400 hurdles at the Championships held at Drake Stadium Friday. Aristil's time of 50.34 put him eighth overall among the 16 competitors and fourth in the second of two heats on the day.
Aristil will run for a national championship at 3:18 p.m. Saturday. He is one of three collegiate athletes to advance to the final along with 2010 national champion Johnny Dutch of South Carolina and 2008 and '09 NCAA champion Jeshua Anderson of Washington State.
NBC will broadcast the championships from 3-4 p.m. Saturday. ESPN will carry the day's action from 1-2:30 Saturday afternoon prior to the NBC coverage.
Alex Wilright of the University of California-Davis, who originally finished ahead of Aristil, was disqualified for a trail leg violation, allowing the USF sophomore to slip into the eighth spot.
The top 4 finishers in each of the two heats advanced to the final. A time of 48.36 gave Bershawn Jackson the top mark in the semifinal. Cody Wisslead finished ninth and one spot behind Aristil in a time of 50.56.
Aristil recently wrapped up his 2010 collegiate season at the NCAA Championships, placing fifth in the final of the 400 hurdles with a time of 51.05. He became USF's fifth-different All-American for the men's team since the track and field program was started in 1991.
The school record holder, Aristil won the 2010 BIG EAST title in the 400 hurdles in 50.42, surpassing USF Olympian
Kemel Thompson's previous school record of 50.50. He later upped the school record to 50.13 in the semi-final of the NCAA Championships.
Also on Friday, former USF standout Damu Cherry ran a time of 13.02 in the 100 hurdles to advance to the semi-final. Cherry's time was the fifth-fastest among the 20 competitors.
Cherry will compete at 3:52 p.m. Saturday in the semifinal of the 100 hurdles.
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is the third event of the 2010 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series.
