Some of the nation’s best athletes compete to get a chance to qualify for Team USA, and three Cougars will represent Houston Track & Field this weekend at the U.S. Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Brian Barraza, Cameron Cornelius and William Gibbs, all freshmen, will represent UH.
These events will serve as the qualifier for the 2014 International Association of Athletics Federation World Junior Championships. Top performers will earn the honor to return to Oregon to be a part of the American team from July 22 to July 27.
Barraza will run the men’s 5000-meter run on Saturday — Barraza is ranked No. 3 in this division according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Collegiate Under 20 lists. He was Houston’s top distance athlete this season.
Cornelius is set to partake in the men’s shot put for UH on Sunday. He was a NCAA regional qualifier and is currently ranked as the No. 2 Collegian Under 20, according to the USTFCCCA.
Gibbs will leap on Saturday, and will represent UH in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. He ranks No. 6 on the Collegiate Under 20 list according to the USTFCCCA. Note that he also recorded the fastest qualifying time at the conference outdoor championships in the 110-meter hurdles.