The University of Mississippi Athletics
Williams Wins U.S. Silver, Manahan and Young Advance at Day One of USATF Championships
7/25/2019 | Track and Field
Three-Time All-American Brian Williams Won Silver in the Discus
DES MOINES, Iowa – Ole Miss track & field All-American Brian Williams secured his first career spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Championships after winning the silver medal in the men's discus, leading a successful first day for former Rebels at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium on Thursday.
Williams, a three-time All-American while at Ole Miss and the first in the SEC to repeat as the discus champion since 2010-11, added another milestone to an excellent outdoor season with his runner-up finish on Friday, throwing a one-foot PR on his first throw of the day at 65.76m (215-09). It was an electric first round of throws all around, as six of the top nine throws by competition's end all came from the first rotation.
This marks the first World Championships roster that Williams has been a part of, and he is the first Rebel to ever medal in the discus at the national championships.
Olympian and three-time World Championships qualifier Isiah Young had a strong start to a busy weekend in Des Moines, clocking the fastest prelim time in the men's 100-meter dash at 10.14 (-0.8) amidst a supremely talented field. Young, a five-time All-American while at Ole Miss and a Team USA member for the 2012 London Olympics in the 200-meter, edged out the reigning world champion, Justin Gatlin (10.16), to win Heat Two and punch his ticket to Friday's 100-meter semifinal.
Ryan Manahan – a member of the Rebels' school record distance medley relay team from 2016 and a Second-Team All-American while at Ole Miss – advanced as well, finishing 12th overall in the first round of the men's 800-meter at 1:48.00. Manahan earned a time qualifier spot after finishing fifth in Heat One – which, featured three of the four time qualifiers awarded on Friday. This is the second career semifinal that Manahan has advanced to at the USA Championships after his career-best 1:46.87 earned him 14th place overall at the 2017 championships in Sacramento.
Three-time All-American and three-time SEC champion MJ Erb, meanwhile, came heartbreakingly short of qualifying for his fourth consecutive U.S. final in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Erb was the first one out in qualifying, finishing 15th overall and seventh in his heat at 8:39.69 – missing out on the final time qualifier spot to the final by just more than one second.
Action picks back up on Friday with Craig Engels in the men's 1500-meter prelims at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by the men's 100-meter semifinal at 6:02 and the men's 800-meter semifinal at 6:32.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Williams, a three-time All-American while at Ole Miss and the first in the SEC to repeat as the discus champion since 2010-11, added another milestone to an excellent outdoor season with his runner-up finish on Friday, throwing a one-foot PR on his first throw of the day at 65.76m (215-09). It was an electric first round of throws all around, as six of the top nine throws by competition's end all came from the first rotation.
This marks the first World Championships roster that Williams has been a part of, and he is the first Rebel to ever medal in the discus at the national championships.
Olympian and three-time World Championships qualifier Isiah Young had a strong start to a busy weekend in Des Moines, clocking the fastest prelim time in the men's 100-meter dash at 10.14 (-0.8) amidst a supremely talented field. Young, a five-time All-American while at Ole Miss and a Team USA member for the 2012 London Olympics in the 200-meter, edged out the reigning world champion, Justin Gatlin (10.16), to win Heat Two and punch his ticket to Friday's 100-meter semifinal.
Ryan Manahan – a member of the Rebels' school record distance medley relay team from 2016 and a Second-Team All-American while at Ole Miss – advanced as well, finishing 12th overall in the first round of the men's 800-meter at 1:48.00. Manahan earned a time qualifier spot after finishing fifth in Heat One – which, featured three of the four time qualifiers awarded on Friday. This is the second career semifinal that Manahan has advanced to at the USA Championships after his career-best 1:46.87 earned him 14th place overall at the 2017 championships in Sacramento.
Three-time All-American and three-time SEC champion MJ Erb, meanwhile, came heartbreakingly short of qualifying for his fourth consecutive U.S. final in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Erb was the first one out in qualifying, finishing 15th overall and seventh in his heat at 8:39.69 – missing out on the final time qualifier spot to the final by just more than one second.
Action picks back up on Friday with Craig Engels in the men's 1500-meter prelims at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by the men's 100-meter semifinal at 6:02 and the men's 800-meter semifinal at 6:32.
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
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